It occured to me today that the 7D has a greater pixel density, and therefore more pixels on target for those doing more intense cropping. 18MP*1.6*1.6=46+MP if the same sized pixels were put onto a full frame sized sensor. If only current technology would allow eliminating more of the noise inherent in converting photons to electrical charge we could have a much better signal-to-noise ratio for even better high ISO performance.

So, looking at those Nikon photos again, I am starting to wonder if their RAW conversion favours sharpness over smoothness which could help to explain why some are questioning the noise levels of the D800 with its larger pixels when compared to 7D shots at similar gain (ISO) settings. Without having shots of the same subject with both cameras to compare detail sharpness and noise it is of course all conjecture and speculation, but winter nights are long, the temperature is dropping, and more snow is coming tonight.