Nikon D300S has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Canon 80D has a
24.0MP APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor.
Canon 80D's sensor provides 12MP more than Nikon D300S's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the D300S and 80D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D300S and Canon 80D Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D300S has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 80D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Nikon D300S and Canon 80D sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 80D has a better overall score of 79, 9 points higher compared to D300S's score of 70.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D300S
70
22.5 bits
12.2 Evs
787 ISO
Canon 80D
79
23.6 bits
13.2 Evs
1135 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D300S
or the
Canon 80D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
