Canon EOS-1D Review: 24. Compared to...: Digital Photography Review

Compared to...

Resolution Chart

Shots here are of the PIMA/ISO 12233 standard resolution test chart (more of which are available in our comparison database). This resolution chart allows us to measure the actual performance of the lens and sensor system. It measures the ability of the camera to resolve lines at gradually higher resolutions and enables us to provide a definitive value for comparison purposes. Values on the chart are 1/100^th lines per picture height. So a value of 8 equates to 800 lines per picture height.

Horizontal resolution

Canon EOS-1D	Nikon D1x	Canon EOS-D30

Vertical resolution

Canon EOS-1D

Nikon D1x

Canon EOS-D30

5° Diagonal

Canon EOS-1D	Nikon D1x	Canon EOS-D30

Center circle

Canon EOS-1D	Nikon D1x	Canon EOS-D30

Measurable findings (three measurements taken for each camera):

Camera	Measurement	Absolute Res.	Extinction Res.
Canon EOS-1D	Horiz LPH	1400	* 1700
	Vert LPH	1200	* 1700
	5^o Diagonal LPH	n/a	n/a
Nikon D1x	Horiz LPH	1600	>2000
	Vert LPH	1150	* 1250
	5^o Diagonal LPH	900	n/a
Canon EOS-D30	Horiz LPH	1100	* 1350
	Vert LPH	1150	* 1300
	5^o Diagonal LPH	1000	n/a

* Visible moiré artifacts

Definition of terms:

LPH	Lines per Picture Height (to allow for different aspect ratios the measurement is the same for horizontal and vertical)
5° Diagonal	Lines set on a 5° diagonal
Absolute Resolution	Still defined detail (below Nyquist frequency*)
Extinction Resolution	Detail beyond camera's definition (becomes a solid gray alias)
n/a	Not Available (above the capability of the test chart)
n/v	Not Visible (not visible on test results)

* Nyquist frequency defined as the highest spatial frequency where the CCD can still faithfully record
image detail. Beyond the Nyquist frequency aliasing occurs

Overall the EOS-1D does prove to have considerable resolution for its pixel count, as you can see by our measurements it's really not far behind the D1x for horizontal resolution and is considerably better for vertical resolution (more visible in the crops than can be reflected in the numbers). The EOS-1D's resolution seems to be more even and clean than the D1x whose horizontal resolution although impressive does get a little erratic around 1600 lines/picture height.

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