How much difference does 11 megapixels make?
By
Dave Etchells
(Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 13:10 EDT)
In the midst of working away on my standard test shots for the Canon EOS-1Ds, it occurred to me to do a careful side-by-side with a D60, to see just how big a difference the 11 megapixels of the 1Ds amounted to...
 How much difference does 11 megapixels make?
I just received a full-production model of Canon's amazing EOS-1Ds, and am even now slogging through the long, careful process of shooting my standard test images. (I'll be updating our "gallery" photos later in the week as well, weather permitting.) In the meantime though, I wondered just how much difference there would be between a 6 megapixel camera and an 11 megapixel one. - I happened to have a D60 on hand simultaneous with the 1Ds, so thought to try a little comparison between the two. I shot the same scene (my standard "far-field" outdoor photo of the house with the two cameras, using the same lens at the same f-stop. (Canon's excellent 28-70mm f/2.8 EF zoom lens, shot at f/16.) The only differences between the two photos were the lens focal length (35 vs 57mm), and a slight exposure boost on the D60 to match the tone curve of the 1Ds a bit more closely. (Original files at several exposure settings are available as well, in case anyone is concerned about the exposure difference, and wants to see just what the differences amounted to.) The results were pretty dramatic, the 1Ds captured enormously more detail than did the D60. This probably won't surprise anyone, but I have to admit I was surprised by just how dramatic the differences were. As new as the D60 is, I think the advent of the 1Ds will see a fair number of current D60 owners trading up. Very impressive... Check it out!
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