Compared to...

Studio scene comparison

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position within minutes of each other. Lighting: 2 x 800W studio lights with dichroic daylight filters bounced off a white ceiling reflector. Crops magnified 200%. Ambient temperature was approximately 21°C (~70°F).

Canon EOS-1D Mark II vs. Canon EOS-10D

In this comparison we're attempting to demonstrate the increase in resolution in the step from the EOS-10D's 6.3 million pixels to the EOS-1D Mark II's 8.2 million pixels. Obviously the EOS-10D isn't in the same league as the Mark II as far as professional build, features and performance, this comparison is simply about image quality. Both of these cameras feature Canon CMOS sensors.

Camera settings:

• Canon EOS-1D Mark II: Canon EF 50 mm F1.4, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Shp+2, Mirror Lock-up self-timer
   
• Canon EOS-10D: Canon EF 50 mm F1.4, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Mirror Lock-up self-timer

Canon EOS-1D Mark II	Canon EOS-10D
ISO 100, 1 sec, F11	ISO 100, 1 sec, F11
2,504 KB JPEG (3504 x 2336)	2,142 KB JPEG (3072 x 2048)

The resolution step from the EOS-10D to the Mark II is 1.9 million pixels, or to put it another way an extra 432 pixels of horizontal resolution and an extra 288 pixels of vertical resolution. In reality that's not a huge step although it is enough to see the resolution advantage in the crops shown above. Remember that the step from the EOS-10D to the Mark II is a lot more to do with performance, build and features than just resolution.