Both Nikon D80 and Canon 1000D have APS-C sized 10.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
Below you can see the D80 and 1000D sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 1000D. 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 D80 and Canon 1000D sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 1000D has a better overall score of 62, 1 points higher compared to D80's score of 61.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D80 |
61 |
22.1 bits |
11.2 Evs |
524 ISO |
Canon 1000D |
62 |
22.0 bits |
10.9 Evs |
719 ISO |