Canon PowerShot G10 vs. Olympus OM-D E-M5

Comparison

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PowerShot G10 image
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OM-D E-M5 image
Canon PowerShot G10 Olympus OM-D E-M5
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Megapixels
14.70
16.10
Max. image resolution
4416 x 3312
4608 x 3456

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.7" (~ 7.53 x 5.64 mm)
Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)
Sensor resolution
4438 x 3312
4627 x 3479
Diagonal
9.41 mm
21.64 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 : 5.3
(ratio)
Canon PowerShot G10 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Surface area:
42.47 mm² vs 224.90 mm²
Difference: 182.43 mm² (430%)
OM-D E-M5 sensor is approx. 5.3x bigger than G10 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 4 year gap between Canon G10 (2008) and Olympus OM-D E-M5 (2012). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
1.7 µm
3.74 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: 2.04 µm (120%)
Pixel pitch of OM-D E-M5 is approx. 120% higher than pixel pitch of G10.
Pixel area
2.89 µm²
13.99 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: 11.1 µm² (384%)
A pixel on Olympus OM-D E-M5 sensor is approx. 384% bigger than a pixel on Canon G10.
Pixel density
34.74 MP/cm²
7.15 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: 27.59 µm (386%)
Canon G10 has approx. 386% higher pixel density than Olympus OM-D E-M5.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Canon G10
Olympus OM-D E-M5
Crop factor
4.6
2
Total megapixels
15.00
17.20
Effective megapixels
14.70
16.10
Optical zoom
5x
Digital zoom
Yes
No
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Auto, (200 - 25600), 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
40 cm
Macro focus range
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
28 - 140 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f4.5
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f12.9 - f20.7
n/a
Metering
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1400 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Electronic
White balance presets
6
12
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
461,000 dots
610,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SDHC, Secure Digital
SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-7L rechargeable battery
Lithium-Ion BLN-1 rechargeable battery
Weight
350 g
425 g
Dimensions
109 x 78 x 46 mm
121.0 x 89.6 x 41.9 mm
Year
2008
2012




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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 G10 diagonal

The diagonal of G10 sensor is not 1/1.7 or 0.59" (14.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 9.41 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.53 mm
h = 5.64 mm
Diagonal =  7.53² + 5.64²   = 9.41 mm

Olympus OM-D E-M5 diagonal

w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm
Diagonal =  17.30² + 13.00²   = 21.64 mm


Surface area

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

G10 sensor area

Width = 7.53 mm
Height = 5.64 mm

Surface area = 7.53 × 5.64 = 42.47 mm²

OM-D E-M5 sensor area

Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm

Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 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

G10 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4438 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.53  × 1000  = 1.7 µm
4438

OM-D E-M5 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Pixel pitch =   17.30  × 1000  = 3.74 µm
4627


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

G10 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.7 µm

Pixel area = 1.7² = 2.89 µm²

OM-D E-M5 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.74 µm

Pixel area = 3.74² = 13.99 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

G10 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4438 pixels
Sensor width = 0.753 cm

Pixel density = (4438 / 0.753)² / 1000000 = 34.74 MP/cm²

OM-D E-M5 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm

Pixel density = (4627 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 7.15 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

G10 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor height = 5.64 mm
Effective megapixels = 14.70
r = 7.53/5.64 = 1.34
X =  14.70 × 1000000  = 3312
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3312 × 1.34 = 4438
Resolution vertical: X = 3312

Sensor resolution = 4438 x 3312

OM-D E-M5 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.10
r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33
X =  16.10 × 1000000  = 3479
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3479 × 1.33 = 4627
Resolution vertical: X = 3479

Sensor resolution = 4627 x 3479


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


G10 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 9.41 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.6
9.41

OM-D E-M5 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 2
21.64

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).

G10 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.6
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.5

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.5) × 4.6 = f12.9 - f20.7

OM-D E-M5 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Olympus OM-D E-M5, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Olympus OM-D E-M5 is 2

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