Compared to...

Outdoor scene comparison (JPEG)

The following shots are of Tower Bridge, London. These were taken from the same tripod position however the lenses were zoomed to different positions to compensate for the difference in sensor size (FOV crop). Lenses used were the best available 'professional' 28-70/24-70 lenses from the respective manufacturers, stopped down to F9. As per the previous comparison we took the EOS-1Ds Mark II shot at both sharpness 0 and 1. On the next page you will find the same comparison but captured in RAW. (Note that this page is the same as found in our Nikon D2X review).

vs. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, Sharpness 0 (default)

Camera settings:

• Nikon D2X: Nikkor AF-S 28-70 mm F2.8 D @ 45 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Auto WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer
   
• Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II: Canon EF 24-70 mm F2.8 L @ 70 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Auto WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer

Nikon D2X	Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II (shp 0)
ISO 100, 1/200 sec, F9	ISO 100, 1/160 sec, F9
5,423 KB JPEG (4288 x 2848)	5,834 KB JPEG (4992 x 3328)

One thing we can see here which wasn't so apparent with our studio comparison is that the EOS-1Ds Mark II's full size sensor puts much greater emphasis on the edge and corner quality of the lens, and despite this being Canon's best 'normal zoom' lens we can see that the edges and corners are noticeably softer than the D2X image as well as some chromatic aberrations. The D2X shot is truly impressive, nice and sharp edge to edge with lots of detail, good tonal balance and no artifacts. Bolt a nice lens on the front of the the D2X and the results will blow you away.

vs. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, Sharpness 1

Camera settings:

• Nikon D2X: Nikkor AF-S 28-70 mm F2.8 D @ 45 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Auto WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer
   
• Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II: Canon EF 24-70 mm F2.8 L @ 70 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Auto WB, Sharpness 1, Self-Timer

Nikon D2X	Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II (shp 1)
ISO 100, 1/200 sec, F9	ISO 100, 1/160 sec, F9
5,423 KB JPEG (4288 x 2848)	6,202 KB JPEG (4992 x 3328)

With more equal in-camera sharpening a fairer comparison is possible. Once more the extra pixel count available in the EOS-1Ds Mark II can be seen in some areas of the image but it's not a massive difference, the D2X resolving almost as much and you really would need to be printing at very large sizes to see a difference.