Visualize Sensor Size

2012.11.21

Yesterday, we rolled out an update to the digital camera database, adding more precise information about imaging sensors. Specification pages now describe the sensor as width x height instead of diagonal. While the precision in the database is one hundredth of a millimeter, it is good to know that some cameras do not use the entire sensor area.

Camera search results have been enhanced with a visual representation of sensor-size. Here are all current mirrorless cameras compared. The diagram below shows most common sensor sizes used by interchangeable lens cameras. Absent is the slightly smaller Canon variant of APS-C and their ASP-H used in older 1D cameras. Sigma's 1.7X crop-sensor is also not show to avoid crowding the diagram. These sensor sizes are accurately shown in search results and in camera fact boxes.

This makes it much easier to see the difference in sensor-size between cameras. On most computer displays, the size is very close to actual size just like our scaled images. Here are the display size and resolutions that work best:

• 30" @ 2560x1600 (Exact)
• 20" @ 1600x1200 (Exact)
• 17" @ 1440x1080 (Approximate)
• 15" @ 1280x960 (Approximate)\\


• Digital Camera