so you make an incorrect statement in defense of your personal viewpoint on stitching, and then you try and pass it off as though you knew it was incorrect when you made it, but you did it as some type of test?
gimme a break ...
I'm afraid you are not as alert today, Wayne. The issue is not specifically related to stitching but to pixel density. It so happens that the pixel density of the D3X and 5D2 is very similar to the pixel density of the P65+, so any attempt to get the same pixel count in the same FOV of scene from the same position will involve the use of the same focal length of lens and the same DOF at the same F stop, approximately.
If I were to attempt to get such a stitched image using the D3 or 5D, I would have to use a slightly longer focal length than I would use with the P65+ for a single shot of the same FOV, and consequently the DOF of the final stitched image would be slightly less at the same f stop.
On the other hand, if I were to use a 12mp Olympus 4/3rds system for stitching, which might be a better choice than a D3X when hiking up a steep hill, the DOF of the final stitched image, of same pixel count as the P65 single shot, would have
greater DOF at the same f stop.
If I were to make the stitch from a Canon G10, then the DOF would be
very much greater at the same f stop, but no doubt at the sacrifice of DR, SNR etc.
All these factors are related.
The obvious advantage of the 5D2 and D3X in this situation is their better performance above base ISO, in all departments. For example, If I need to use ISO 200 with the P65 to get a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the slight motion of the foliage, then in the same circumstances I could stop down
more than one stop with the 5D2 for greater DOF,
yet still use the same shutter speed, assuming the DXO data are reliable.
How come? The P65 ISO 200 is actually ISO 89 and the DR 10.55 EV. The 5D2 ISO 400 is actually ISO 285 and the DR slightly geater at 10.92 EV. All the other parameters addressed in the DXO tests, tonal range, color sensitivity, SNR, are also either as good or slightly better for the 5D2 at ISO 285, compared with the P65 at ISO 89.
However, when all is said and done, the final result will also depend on lens performance at the apertures chosen for each system. As a general rule, lenses with a smaller image circle designed for the smaller format camera tend to be sharper, but not necessarily at small apertures where diffraction takes its toll.
Diffraction seems to be the great equalizer.