Mirrorless Camera Sensor Size Comparison by CameraImageSensor.com

Amin

Hall of Famer
The makers of CameraSize.com recently introduced a neat sensor size comparison tool at CameraImageSensor.com.

I used it to quickly whip up this comparison of a representative group of mirrorless camera sensors:

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Some of the things that stand out to me visually:
  • 2 stops (4X area) separates each of these cameras from the one that follows it: M9 (135 format), OM-D (4/3), X10 (2/3"), iPhone 4S (1/3.2")
  • 4/3 (OM-D E-M5) is a lot closer to APS-C (EOS-M, NEX-7) than APS-C is to 135 format (M9)
  • 4/3 (OM-D E-M5 is roughly halfway between 1" (RX100) and 1.5X APS-C (NEX-7)
  • 1" (RX100) is roughly halfway between "serious" small sensors (S100, X10) and 4/3" (OM-D E-M5)


It's a lot of fun to play with, and it's even more fun to mix and match the camera sizes...

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... with the respective sensor sizes:

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Check out both tools for yourself:
Camera Size Comparison
Camera Image Sensor Size / Technical Specs Comparison
 
I've looked at some of these charts in the past. What really strikes me here is who small the difference is between APS-C and m4/3 compared to the difference between FF and everything else. Makes me feel stupid for falling in love with the APS-C "look" because I refuse to go full frame (only because DSLRs are not my bag). If I could get a system with a full frame sensor and AF without the mass and form factor of a DSLR, I'd buy it and quit chasing a fictitious ideal.

DSLRs are ugly and heavy (to me), but I crave uber-IQ and clean, noise-free files at high ISO and wicked shallow DOF. I'm tired of reading that it's impossible. Make a smallish boxy camera with a FF sensor. If you don't screw up everything else, you'll make tons of money. Period. I'd even be happy with a single focal length.

I'm starting to feel like a complete idiot repeating the same things year after year. Should I build the camera myself?
 
A lot of us felt like idiots asking for the same thing year after year before getting it in the form of the 4/3 and APS-C CSCs. I can't imagine it will be all that much longer before we see the 135 format autofocus mirrorless systems emerge. A couple years off at most I think. Is anyone really still saying it's impossible?

That said, there's not a whole lot of difference between APS-C and 135 unless you're going with the fastest glass possible on 135. See for example this comparison I posted 5 years ago on the old S.C. blog and republished here: https://www.photographerslounge.org/f42/canon-lenses-full-frame-vs-crop-162/

Along those lines, the Fuji X-Pro-1 (1.5X) and 35/1.4 is gives you identical DOF control and low light, shutter speed-limited ability to a hypothetical 135 format dream camera with the same sensor technology and a 50mm f/2 lens.
 
I think I would have been a little more drawn to a canon mirrorless if it were more in the traditional SLR style format. Small body and big lens isn't very ergonomic for me.
 
4/3 and APS-C are close enough that I wouldn't exclude 4/3 just because of sensor size. In the last few years, however, the budget to mid-level M 4/3 bodies have had inferior sensor tech compared to APS-C, so the difference in sensor size just added to that.

Hopefully the improved sensors in O-MD and better Panasonic bodies will spread system-wide soon. It's a shame for example that the E-P3 has essentially the same sensor as the E-P1 with just improved processing (in all other aspects it is of course a much improved camera.)
 
I like that the canon mirrorless can still use my ef lenses.. but I want to see more reviews on it. And really as much as I would like to try a Leica, hell film or digital, I am not sure my eyes would appreciate any difference image wise. In fact the M9 has been out for so long other cameras have surpassed it. But I would love to be one of those people that get to try them out and do reviews rather than always just reading.
 
I was looking at DPR's Sony rx100 preview and I saw that the full frame and aps-c was more than one stop (5.6 is equivalent of 8.7):
Sony DSC RX100 Hands-on Preview: Digital Photography Review

So the m43 and aps-c difference is less then one stop. Also I found interesting that the rx100 lens equivalent f/4.9-13.4 is faster or equal to the Oly OMD kit 12-50 which has approx aperture of f/7-13.4.


I posted a bunch of easy to use (just plug into Google) formulas here: https://www.photographerslounge.org...actor-f-stops-equivalent-lenses-google-11338/

Based on sensor area, there is a 0.6 stop difference between Canon EOS-M and Micro 4/3 and a 1.0 stop difference between Micro 4/3 and Sony RX100.
 
I was using the easy method of one stop between full frame & aps-c and aps-c & m43. The one stop between sony rx100 and m43 gives rx100 f/2.5-6.3 equivalent lens in m43 level, which is interesting...
 
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