Canon PowerShot A80 vs. Canon PowerShot A70

Comparison

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PowerShot A80 image
vs
PowerShot A70 image
Canon PowerShot A80 Canon PowerShot A70
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Megapixels
3.90
3.10
Max. image resolution
2272 x 1704
2048 x 1536

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/2.7" (~ 5.33 x 4 mm)
Sensor resolution
2277 x 1712
2031 x 1527
Diagonal
8.89 mm
6.66 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
1.78 : 1
(ratio)
Canon PowerShot A80 Canon PowerShot A70
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 21.32 mm²
Difference: 16.58 mm² (78%)
A80 sensor is approx. 1.78x bigger than A70 sensor.
Pixel pitch
3.12 µm
2.62 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: 0.5 µm (19%)
Pixel pitch of A80 is approx. 19% higher than pixel pitch of A70.
Pixel area
9.73 µm²
6.86 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: 2.87 µm² (42%)
A pixel on Canon A80 sensor is approx. 42% bigger than a pixel on Canon A70.
Pixel density
10.26 MP/cm²
14.52 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: 4.26 µm (42%)
Canon A70 has approx. 42% higher pixel density than Canon A80.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Canon A80
Canon A70
Crop factor
4.87
6.5
Total megapixels
4.10
3.30
Effective megapixels
3.90
3.10
Optical zoom
3x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
45 cm
46 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
5 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
35 - 105 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f4.9
f2.8 - f4.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f13.6 - f23.9
f18.2 - f31.2
Metering
Centre weighted, Matrix, Spot
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
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
15 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Optical (tunnel)
White balance presets
6
7
Screen size
1.5"
1.5"
Screen resolution
67,000 dots
78,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
CompactFlash type I
CompactFlash type I
USB
USB 1.0
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
AA (4) batteries (NiMH recommended)
AA (4) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Weight
250 g
215 g
Dimensions
103 x 65 x 35 mm
101 x 64 x 31.5 mm
Year
2003
2003




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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 A80 diagonal

The diagonal of A80 sensor is not 1/1.8 or 0.56" (14.1 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 8.89 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.11 mm
h = 5.33 mm
Diagonal =  7.11² + 5.33²   = 8.89 mm

Canon A70 diagonal

The diagonal of A70 sensor is not 1/2.7 or 0.37" (9.4 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 6.66 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 5.33 mm
h = 4.00 mm
Diagonal =  5.33² + 4.00²   = 6.66 mm


Surface area

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

A80 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

A70 sensor area

Width = 5.33 mm
Height = 4.00 mm

Surface area = 5.33 × 4.00 = 21.32 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

A80 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 3.12 µm
2277

A70 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.33 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.33  × 1000  = 2.62 µm
2031


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

A80 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.12 µm

Pixel area = 3.12² = 9.73 µm²

A70 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.62 µm

Pixel area = 2.62² = 6.86 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

A80 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2277 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 10.26 MP/cm²

A70 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Sensor width = 0.533 cm

Pixel density = (2031 / 0.533)² / 1000000 = 14.52 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

A80 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.90
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X =  3.90 × 1000000  = 1712
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1712 × 1.33 = 2277
Resolution vertical: X = 1712

Sensor resolution = 2277 x 1712

A70 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.33 mm
Sensor height = 4.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.10
r = 5.33/4.00 = 1.33
X =  3.10 × 1000000  = 1527
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1527 × 1.33 = 2031
Resolution vertical: X = 1527

Sensor resolution = 2031 x 1527


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


A80 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 8.89 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.87
8.89

A70 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 6.66 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 6.5
6.66

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).

A80 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.9) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f23.9

A70 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 6.5
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.8) × 6.5 = f18.2 - f31.2

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