Compared to...

Studio scene comparison

Canon EOS 20D vs. Nikon D70

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 24°C (~75°F). Camera settings:

• Canon EOS 20D: Canon EF 50 mm F1.4, Aperture Priority (F9),
  ISO 100, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Parameter 2 (neutral), Self-Timer
   
• Nikon D70 : Nikkor 50 mm F1.4 D, Aperture Priority (F9),
  ISO 200, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters (neutral), Self-Timer

Canon EOS 20D	Nikon D70
ISO 100, 1 sec, F9	ISO 200, 1/1.6 sec, F9
2,859 KB JPEG (3504 x 2336)	2,751 KB JPEG (3008 x 2000)

The D70's color response is certainly stronger than the EOS 20D and reminds me of the output of a 20D RAW image run through DPP in 'Faithful Color' mode. Resolution wise the 20D takes the advantage (although as mentioned previously not by any significant margin) it's also noticeably sharper than the D70.