Was bored and figured id do this. Dont know if it means anything. But basically i used Premiere CS3, exported a clip as Quicktime Mov(Avid DnxHD default settings/1280x720x1:1). Opened in quicktime, exported as Quicktime H264(6000kbits/96kbits/1280x720). The file came out to 86MB.

Second file out of premiere was Cineform HD Export(All default settings/1440x1080x1.33) Opened the file in AE CS3, exported as Quicktime Movie(H264/6000kbits/96kbits/1280x720). The file came out to be 88MB. Heres a comparison screenshot. From what i can see the cine form encode is a bit sharper. Cineform is bottom, dnxhd is top. Also does anyone know if these other avid codecs are any better? I see avid 1:1 in the list as well.

Also does anyone know how to export the cineform file straight out of quicktime? What i did was install neoplayer so i have quicktime support so i can open the cineform file in quicktime player. but when i export it, the file comes out all black with "rainbow colors" of the video.

http://i38.tinypic.com/15d7uqf.png

Shots taken without the conversion to h264 would be more valuable as you're effectively adding an additional layer of compression that has nothing to do with either Avid or CineForm codecs. Maybe instead of putting your exports into Quicktime, you could put them into Premiere or After Effects and export a frame?

For what it's worth, the detailing on the fish in the right shot in particular shows a significant difference without having to magnify.