Canon DxOmark scores ???? Why do Canon cameras score so low on DxOmark ? I only see one Canon in the top twenty (5DMark IV) and only two in the top thirty. I know Canon makes great...

repleo Loc: Boston

Why do Canon cameras score so low on DxOmark ? I only see one Canon in the top twenty (5DMark IV) and only two in the top thirty. I know Canon makes great cameras that produce outstanding results in the right hands and I know there is more to a great camera than a DxOmark score. But, why such poor scores, and why are Canon so popular with top of the line photographers.?

This is not a knock on Canon - just trying to understand what appears to be an anomaly.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Google "DxOmark Canon bias". You'll find a wide range of sites and reading that document this long-known bias.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

repleo wrote:

Why do Canon cameras score so low on DxOmark ? I only see one Canon in the top twenty (5DMark IV) and only two in the top thirty. I know Canon makes great cameras that produce outstanding results in the right hands and I know there is more to a great camera than a DxOmark score. But, why such poor scores, and why are Canon so popular with top of the line photographers.?

This is not a knock on Canon - just trying to understand what appears to be an anomaly.

Dxo rankings are mostly based on the sensors rather than looking at each camera as part of a system. The dynamic range of Canon sensors tends to be lower than others made by Nikon and Sony which plays heavily into the rankings.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

mwsilvers wrote:

Dxo rankings are mostly based on the sensors rather than looking at each camera as part of a system. The dynamic range of Canon sensors tends to be lower than others made by Nikon and Sony which plays heavily into the rankings.

WELL stated !

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

imagemeister wrote:

WELL stated !

I suspect if Canon bodies were fitted with Sony sensors the rankings would be very different. While nobody can over stress the importance of the sensors used, there are also many other desirable features that might make one camera a better choice over another.

repleo Loc: Boston

CHG_CANON wrote:

Google "DxOmark Canon bias". You'll find a wide range of sites and reading that document this long-known bias.

I did google that. Most of the answers were of the 'DxoMark scores don't matter' type. That's fair enough if you are happy with the results, but it is not really an explanation.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

mwsilvers wrote:

Dxo rankings are mostly based on the sensors rather than looking at each camera as part of a system. The dynamic range of Canon sensors tends to be lower than others made by Nikon and Sony which plays heavily into the rankings.

Do you mean low iso?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

tdekany wrote:

Do you mean low iso?

I need to study these ranking scale by scale. There are three scales:

(1) 'portrait' measures the Color Depth of the system

(2) 'landscape' measures the Dynamic Range of the system

(3) 'sports' measures the lowest ISO where CD falls below a target OR DR falls below a target OR noise is above a target. I have noticed several Nikon cameras, for example, that lag in 'landscape' and in 'sports'; we tend to view 'sports' as a proxy for noise, but my guess is that the DR was the issue in both cases for those cameras. I haven't studied the top Canon cameras to see if they might have similar issues

tdekany Loc: Oregon

rehess wrote:

I need to study these ranking scale by scale. Ther... (show quote)

The higher iso results are pretty good for canon.

In any case, no matter how good a camera places on the DXO list, it would take 2 seconds to find snapshots from that camera. I’d say that a list like that is more important for snapshot shooters, who can’t brag about their award winning photos. Just my opinion.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

mwsilvers wrote:

I suspect if Canon bodies were fitted with Sony sensors the rankings would be very different. While nobody can over stress the importance of the sensors used, there are also many other desirable features that might make one camera a better choice over another.

Perhaps the difference is that Canon can afford to develop its own sensors while Nikon cannot. Sony sensor technology is excellent, but is funded by the smartphone industry, not their camera division.

Canon is making significant advances, recognizes that it is coming from behind but appears to be closing the gap. The technologies take years to develop and bring to market.

On the other hand, Sony could use a lot of help on its camera and menu designs.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

repleo wrote:

I did google that. Most of the answers were of the 'DxoMark scores don't matter' type. That's fair enough if you are happy with the results, but it is not really an explanation.

Go to 500px.com. Select “popular” and choose LANDSCAPE.

Most photos have the exif info.

See what differences you can find between the 2 brands. You will see great work. Meaning that the camera is secondary. The person behind the camera is taking the shots.

Haydon

tdekany wrote:

Go to 500px.com. Select “popular” and choose LANDSCAPE.

Most photos have the exif info.

See what differences you can find between the 2 brands. You will see great work. Meaning that the camera is secondary. The person behind the camera is taking the shots.

I have to agree with you Thomas. A camera is a tool and it doesn't dictate an image in totality. Award winning images are created by photographers. Admittedly, some cameras may score better on the bench but a snapshot is a snapshot and a work of art is created by the 8" behind the camera.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

tdekany wrote:

Do you mean low iso?

I was making a very general observation with the implication that DXO camera ratings are more sensor driven than by any other specific feature or specification. I don't want to get into a discussion of details or comparisons of specific sensors and at different ISO settings. Discussions like that never end well and I think it's outside the scope of the original question. Do you believe that the sensors are not central to the DXO ratings? I'm open to correction.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Haydon wrote:

I have to agree with you Thomas. A camera is a tool and it doesn't dictate an image in totality. Award winning images are created by photographers. Admittedly, some cameras may score better on the bench but a snapshot is a snapshot and a work of art is created by the 8" behind the camera.

Agreed!!!

tdekany Loc: Oregon

mwsilvers wrote:

I was making a very general observation with the implication that DXO camera ratings are more sensor driven than by any other specific feature or specification. I don't want to get into a discussion of details or comparisons of specific sensors and at different ISO settings. Discussions like that never end well and I think it's outside the scope of the original question. Do you believe that the sensors are not central to the DXO ratings? I'm open to correction.

I guess you can check the numbers for higher iso results and compare the 2 brands. I’m not saying that there is no difference between the best Nikon vs canon, but I think that difference in real life is not going to brake the canon shooter.

Especially for us, aka “guy with a camera”, we should be more concerned with composition, light and subject matter.