New DXoMark lab tests: 7D vs D300s, K7, A500 and A550, D3000, G11 and S90

Keep the lab coats on! Next we visit the DXo Labs next door, where their scientists have published the image-quality evaluations of a total of seven different digital cameras, five DSLRs and two fixed-lens compacts. Here we go...

We start with the two temporal rivals, the Canon 7D and the Nikon D300s. The results may surprise some, as the 18mp 7D actually gets a slightly better low-light ISO score, while the 12mp D300s gets a better overall sensor score. Neither comes anywhere near close to de-throning the queen of low-noise, as you can see at the "Low Light ISO" tab of their overall rankings. Queen of Low-Noise? Yes, the 12mp Nikon D700 ($2400), barely edging the Nikon D3. (The D3s and 1D Mk V have not been tested yet).

Next we go to the mid-range price-range, where the evaluations of the Pentax K7, Sony A500 and Alpha A550 have been published. Don't cry for me Pentaxianina? Time to fire up the e-petition for Ned B - "K7 body with K-x sensor"? :)

All alone in terms of grouping are the Nikon D3000 results as the camera is the designated entry-level into the Nikon DSLR line-up. Although in terms of the market place, both the D40 and the D60 are hanging around. It looks like Ken Rockwell has managed to keep the D40 alive for centuries with his "D40 is the only DSLR you will ever need" statement ;-)

And we close this lab tour with a RAWsumer face-off, the bigger Canon G11 vs the compact Canon S90. The results appear to be rather similar, although the S90 seems to have a slight edge in terms of noise. I'm sure some of the forum users will point to this and say "I told you so doubting Thomases!"

We will have a round-up of the opinions and reactions to the test results in the photo-blog-sphere during the weekend.

We will add the test results to each camera's review cluster in the next few hours. You can find them all via the Review Organizer.

Please keep in mind that the sensor measurements are just one aspect of image quality. There are many many other factors involved, including the photographer using the camera.