Canon PowerShot SX10 IS vs. Nikon Coolpix 5000

Comparison

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PowerShot SX10 IS image
vs
Coolpix 5000 image
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS Nikon Coolpix 5000
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Megapixels
10.00
4.90
Max. image resolution
3648 x 2736
2560 x 1920

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
2/3" (~ 8.8 x 6.6 mm)
Sensor resolution
3647 x 2742
2552 x 1919
Diagonal
7.70 mm
11.00 mm
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
vs
1 : 2.04
(ratio)
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS Nikon Coolpix 5000
Surface area:
28.46 mm² vs 58.08 mm²
Difference: 29.62 mm² (104%)
5000 sensor is approx. 2.04x bigger than SX10 IS sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations. There is a gap of 7 years between Canon SX10 IS (2008) and Nikon 5000 (2001). Seven years is a lot of time in terms of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more efficient than the older ones.
Pixel pitch
1.69 µm
3.45 µm
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Difference: 1.76 µm (104%)
Pixel pitch of 5000 is approx. 104% higher than pixel pitch of SX10 IS.
Pixel area
2.86 µm²
11.9 µm²
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 9.04 µm² (316%)
A pixel on Nikon 5000 sensor is approx. 316% bigger than a pixel on Canon SX10 IS.
Pixel density
35.05 MP/cm²
8.41 MP/cm²
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Difference: 26.64 µm (317%)
Canon SX10 IS has approx. 317% higher pixel density than Nikon 5000.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Canon SX10 IS
Nikon 5000
Crop factor
5.62
3.93
Total megapixels
5.20
Effective megapixels
10.00
4.90
Optical zoom
20x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
50 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
2 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
28 - 560 mm
28 - 85 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f5.7
f2.8 - f4.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f15.7 - f32
f11 - f18.9
Metering
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
256-segment Matrix, Centre weighted, Spot, Spot-AF
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/3200 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Electronic
Optical (tunnel)
White balance presets
7
7
Screen size
2.5"
1.8"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
110,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SDHC, Secure Digital
CompactFlash type I, CompactFlash type II, Microdrive
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
AA batteries (NiMH recommended)
Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion included
Weight
560 g
360 g
Dimensions
124 x 88 x 87 mm
102 x 82 x 68 mm
Year
2008
2001




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Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal =  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Canon SX10 IS diagonal

The diagonal of SX10 IS sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal =  6.16² + 4.62²   = 7.70 mm

Nikon 5000 diagonal

The diagonal of 5000 sensor is not 2/3 or 0.67" (16.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 11 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 8.80 mm
h = 6.60 mm
Diagonal =  8.80² + 6.60²   = 11.00 mm


Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

SX10 IS sensor area

Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm

Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²

5000 sensor area

Width = 8.80 mm
Height = 6.60 mm

Surface area = 8.80 × 6.60 = 58.08 mm²


Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch =   sensor width in mm  × 1000
sensor resolution width in pixels

SX10 IS pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.16  × 1000  = 1.69 µm
3647

5000 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 8.80 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2552 pixels
Pixel pitch =   8.80  × 1000  = 3.45 µm
2552


Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area =   sensor surface area in mm²
effective megapixels

SX10 IS pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.69 µm

Pixel area = 1.69² = 2.86 µm²

5000 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.45 µm

Pixel area = 3.45² = 11.9 µm²


Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel density =  ( sensor resolution width in pixels )² / 1000000
sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:
Pixel density =   effective megapixels × 1000000  / 10000
sensor surface area in mm²

SX10 IS pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm

Pixel density = (3647 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 35.05 MP/cm²

5000 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2552 pixels
Sensor width = 0.88 cm

Pixel density = (2552 / 0.88)² / 1000000 = 8.41 MP/cm²


Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000    →   
X =  effective megapixels × 1000000
r
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

SX10 IS sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.00
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33
X =  10.00 × 1000000  = 2742
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2742 × 1.33 = 3647
Resolution vertical: X = 2742

Sensor resolution = 3647 x 2742

5000 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 8.80 mm
Sensor height = 6.60 mm
Effective megapixels = 4.90
r = 8.80/6.60 = 1.33
X =  4.90 × 1000000  = 1919
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1919 × 1.33 = 2552
Resolution vertical: X = 1919

Sensor resolution = 2552 x 1919


Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor =   43.27 mm
sensor diagonal in mm


SX10 IS crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 5.62
7.70

5000 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 11.00 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 3.93
11.00

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

SX10 IS equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.7

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.7) × 5.62 = f15.7 - f32

5000 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 3.93
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.8) × 3.93 = f11 - f18.9

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