Nikon D850 has a
46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Canon 30D has a
8.0MP APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Nikon D850's sensor provides 38MP more than Canon 30D'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 D850'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 D850 and 30D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D850 and Canon 30D Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D850 has a 2.5x Larger sensor area than Canon 30D. 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 D850 and Canon 30D 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, D850 has scored 100, 41 points higher than 30D.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D850
100
26.4 bits
14.8 Evs
2660 ISO
Canon 30D
59
21.5 bits
10.8 Evs
736 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 D850
or the
Canon 30D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
