DxOMark examines lenses for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Some have claimed that the high-end f2.8 zooms are as good or even better than prime lenses, checking the charts it was all primes on top, including Canon and Nikon’s primes. So, am I reading the charts wrong or does the Nikon 28 f1.8 and 85 f1.8 top every zoom lens made at any price?

If you look at Dpreview comparison the D800 shows very soft edges that obscures details.

The tendency of the outcome is hardly surprising, after all it is no news that high-density sensors demand the very best glass to show (some of) their potential. Yet the D800 shows a somewhat lower efficency than expected with many good lenses - only around 50%, where the D7000 reaches around 63%. The 5Dmk3 on the other hand scores better than expected compared to the mk2.

However with a little time and the inclusion of more of the newer lenses (Nikon, Tamron 24-70mm) one can probably choose lenses between 14 and 200mm in the range of 19 to 25 P-Mpix for the D800. Still not all that impressive when the 5Dmk3 ranges between 17 and 21 P-MPix (ignoring the extremly expensive glass).

Of course one can obtain much higher results with the D800E (or even the D800) under optimal cirumstances and in the center of the image. But for consistantly higher edge-to-edge detail there is still no way around Middle-Format. Would you call that a surprise?

Another pointless DXO made cra.

>1. How can a 22.3 MP camera get a P-Mpix score of almost 23? See articles 1st Sharpness graph.

Interesting. But how would they rate a Sigma DP2M? It has more visual resolution than most 24MP cameras.

Interesting article...2 questions:
1. How can a 22.3 MP camera get a P-Mpix score of almost 23? See articles 1st Sharpness graph.
2. Regarding resolution, is there a point of diminishing returns for sensor MP?

The score would have been quite different if 4 Sigma macro lenses could have been included for both camera brands. The Sigma 50, 105 and 150 but even more with the 70mm macro lens. Check Colorfoto.de best lens lists for the different cameras.

Ernst Dinkla

All this discussion is premature - you need to wait for all those lenses to be tested on the D800E as opposed to the D800, since the DxO perceptual megapixel scores for the D800E are MUCH higher than for the D800, for whatever reason. (Seems the D800 is penalized for its OLPF far more than it should be.) If you look at the older Tamron 70-200 f2.8 (tested on both the D800 and D800E, AND the Canon EOS 5DIII in Canon mount), which is about as good a "cross platform" comparison as you're going to get, it shakes out like this: EOS 5DIII @ 14PMP, D800 @ 15PMP, D800E @ 21PMP.

You can also look at IR comparometer to get a feel for the difference between the D800/E and the 5DIII - 36MP definitely holds a significant advantage over 22MP.

Wow so according to DxOMark the best combo with the highest sharpness prime is Sigma 85!? What a surprise!

Maybe I should re-purchase it :P

Canon sensors have traditionally higher per pixel sharpness. It has traditionally been attributed to weak AA Filter. However Nikon, even with D800e, does not have that kind of sharpness. I know this because I have owned 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III (and currently have D800e) and except for lower magnification, 5D compares very well with D800e in side by side comparison.

This can be easily seen in DPR test scenes, where 5D shows color moire, whereas D800e (in that test) has none.

That said, like others have pointed out, DXo MArk has not tested many of the Nikon's top lenses yet, which would make a noticeable difference in "perceived" resolution figure. I am interested in seeing what will happen when they test Nikon 200 f/2 and 300 f/2.8 VR II.

An real omission !! DxO forgot the incredible EF 135 L f2 which is a kind of razor concerning sharpness

I am a Canon shooter ( wildlife only ) and am chomping at the bits for Canon to get a high pixel density sensor out. There is a difference in resolving between the 7D I have and the IV. On the new lenses the 7D is much better IMO. But doesn't have the AF to make the lenses shine? A 38 M.P. sensor FF wow... or equivalent in cropped. wow. Nikon has the better camera IMO for wildlife.

... "The average sharpness scores of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III matched the Nikon D800 and if the results were based solely on the mean average, the Canon actually out-performed the Nikon.!! " ... and more ... " Providing the camera is matched to specific lens models, sharpness can even exceed the Nikon D800 !!! Well .. well ...

How big of the check have Canon sent to DxO for this article?

The more MP a camera has, the steadier you need to hold it and faster the shutter speed has to be in order to take advantage of those pixels. I'm "too lazy" to calculate how many pixels the subject moves at different focal lengths and angular movement speeds (how fast your hands are shaking)...or calculate how many pixels are crossed by a moving subject (moving across the frame at 15MPH) in 1/500th of a second from 30ft away with a 50mm lens, for example. Just need to know FOV.

DXO never fails to incite heated retorts. It's so funny when they give a Canon product poor scores and the Canon users call the methodology flawed. Now it's time for the combo of a Canon camera/lens system to get good scores (something those of us using the 5D3 and certain lenses have known from actual usage) and it's time for the Nikon fans to yell foul. Oy vey.

DXOMark says they still have not tested all current pro lens in each line. Two major omissions in the test above which could improve Nikon averages are Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 VRII and Nikkor 14-24mm.

I'll keep this in mind next time I'm in the field when the wind is blowing and I'm struggling to keep my 5D Mk III & telephoto lens steady despite being mounted on a top-of-the-line tripod and ball head ;-)

But having said that, it's good to see solid testing backing up the anecdotal evidence that what really matters is the camera and lens combinations. And although it is outside the gambit if DxO, tripods and mirror lockup make a difference too of course.