Nikon D3X has a
25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Canon 450D has a
12.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Nikon D3X's sensor provides 13MP more than Canon 450D'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 D3X and 450D sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon D3X has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 450D. 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
Both Nikon D3X and Canon 450D sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D3X has scored 88, 27 points higher than 450D.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D3X |
88 |
24.7 bits |
13.7 Evs |
1992 ISO |
Canon 450D |
61 |
21.9 bits |
10.8 Evs |
692 ISO |