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Originally Posted by Marcus Lim
As good as the D700-equivalent may be, the CMOS size differences between models will be the factor that seperates the professional series from the entry-level series.
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Marcus I have no idea what you are saying here. Are you talking about the size of the sensor or the photosites?
The DxOMark labs has rated all the DSLRs from the last several years, and the Nikon D3X, with a mark of 88, is the big winner with significantly higher marks than the second and third place finishers, the Nikon D3(80.6) and D700(80.5), respectively. By the way, third and forth place are the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (80.3) and the 5D Mark II (79). All these cameras are excellent, but the D3X has significantly better dynamic range than any other camera, a whopping 13.7 stops. Greater dynamic range means better highlight and shadow detail which will manifest in an image much closer to what our eyes see. This is significant for using photos for reference purposes. Nikon has a history of putting the sensors from pro bodies into normal sized bodies to recoup the R&D costs. The virtually identical scores between the D3 and the D700 have me salivating about the possibility of the D3X sensor being placed in a smaller body.
Nikon uses the same size sensors in all three (D700, D3 & D3X) and all three share the same pro focusing system too. Canon, on the other hand, has different focusing systems in all models below the EOS 1Ds Mark III. With Canon there are more discrepancies between the pro and lower level cameras.