Nikon D800E has a
36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor. On the other hand, Canon G9 X II has a
20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 7 processor.
Nikon D800E's sensor provides 16MP more than Canon G9 X II'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D800E's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the D800E and G9 X II sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon D800E has a 7.4x Larger sensor area than Canon G9 X II. 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 D800E and Canon G9 X II 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, D800E has scored 96, 31 points higher than G9 X II.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D800E |
96 |
25.6 bits |
14.3 Evs |
2979 ISO |
Canon G9 X II |
65 |
21.9 bits |
12.5 Evs |
522 ISO |