Nikon D7000 Vs Canon T2i At 3x Magnification

I got into a bit of an argument on another forum over EFSC. I had to take some new photos with same workflow to prove my point that EFSC makes Canon cameras superior to Nikon for macro/studio work, especially above 1:1 or even 0.5:1. Here is my post, in case there is interest in this subject...Ray

PS: I think this also helps to illustrate the effect of downsizing on image sharpness. There is a big difference in sharpness between the images at pixel level, but by the time you downsize by 4x those differences pretty much go away and other considerations come into play.
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OK...Here's the comparison.

Subject is a MS65 DMPL 1883CC Morgan dollar. Lens is a 3x Nikon objective. Lighting is by a single diffused Jansjo LED, which has a color temp around 3000K. I used Tungsten white balance (3200K I believe) on both cameras.

DOF at 3x is insufficient for a single image, so I did a simple 3-image stack. I did the same workflow for both cameras:

Focus on top of denticles; shoot;
Focus on top of date features; shoot
Focus on field around date; shoot
Focus Stack using CZP (Quick Align; Do Stack algorithms)
Crop to original size (CZP adds extra pixels)
Downsize 4x for full frame web publishing
100% crop 800x800 for pixel-level comparisons

No sharpening at any point

Here is the Nikon D7000: Full field and 100% Detail:


And here is the T2i: Full field and 100% Detail


Note that the full frame images are not much different. Color rendition is a bit different but within a reasonable range. Both images are pretty sharp, and either one is acceptable. A bit of post-downsize sharpening, which is a normal thing to do (I did not sharpen on purpose for better differentiation), would make them completely adequate for most purposes.

But the 100% pixel images are a different story. This lens is nowhere near the sharpest available, yet the differences between cameras completely swamp any weakness in the lens.

Now, I could have used a flash with delayed trigger, and with a single light like I've used that would be an option. However, getting a flash in "close" and "high" is a tough proposition, and I'm not willing to make those tradeoffs if I get them for free with the EFSC functionality of the T2i.