Canon PowerShot G15 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Comparison

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PowerShot G15 image
vs
Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 image
Canon PowerShot G15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
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Megapixels
12.10
20.20
Max. image resolution
4000 x 3000
5472 x 3648

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.7" (~ 7.53 x 5.64 mm)
13.2 x 8.8 mm
Sensor resolution
4027 x 3005
5505 x 3670
Diagonal
9.41 mm
15.86 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 : 2.74
(ratio)
Canon PowerShot G15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Surface area:
42.47 mm² vs 116.16 mm²
Difference: 73.69 mm² (174%)
RX100 sensor is approx. 2.74x bigger than G15 sensor.
Pixel pitch
1.87 µm
2.4 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: 0.53 µm (28%)
Pixel pitch of RX100 is approx. 28% higher than pixel pitch of G15.
Pixel area
3.5 µm²
5.76 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: 2.26 µm² (65%)
A pixel on Sony RX100 sensor is approx. 65% bigger than a pixel on Canon G15.
Pixel density
28.6 MP/cm²
17.39 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: 11.21 µm (64%)
Canon G15 has approx. 64% higher pixel density than Sony RX100.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Canon G15
Sony RX100
Crop factor
4.6
2.73
Total megapixels
13.30
20.90
Effective megapixels
12.10
20.20
Optical zoom
5x
3.6x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80 - 12800
Auto, 80, 100, 125, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
1 cm
5 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
28 - 140 mm
28 - 100 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f1.8 - f2.8
f1.8 - f4.9
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f8.3 - f12.9
f4.9 - f13.4
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
30 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/4000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
None
White balance presets
7
9
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
922,000 dots
1,228,800 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (24p)
1920x1080 (60p)
Storage types
SD/SDHC/SDXC
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-10L rechargeable battery
Lithium-Ion NP-BX1 battery
Weight
352 g
213 g
Dimensions
106.6 x 75.9 x 40.1 mm
102 x 59 x 36 mm
Year
2012
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 G15 diagonal

The diagonal of G15 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

Sony RX100 diagonal

w = 13.20 mm
h = 8.80 mm
Diagonal =  13.20² + 8.80²   = 15.86 mm


Surface area

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

G15 sensor area

Width = 7.53 mm
Height = 5.64 mm

Surface area = 7.53 × 5.64 = 42.47 mm²

RX100 sensor area

Width = 13.20 mm
Height = 8.80 mm

Surface area = 13.20 × 8.80 = 116.16 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

G15 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4027 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.53  × 1000  = 1.87 µm
4027

RX100 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5505 pixels
Pixel pitch =   13.20  × 1000  = 2.4 µm
5505


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

G15 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.87 µm

Pixel area = 1.87² = 3.5 µm²

RX100 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.4 µm

Pixel area = 2.4² = 5.76 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

G15 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4027 pixels
Sensor width = 0.753 cm

Pixel density = (4027 / 0.753)² / 1000000 = 28.6 MP/cm²

RX100 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5505 pixels
Sensor width = 1.32 cm

Pixel density = (5505 / 1.32)² / 1000000 = 17.39 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

G15 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor height = 5.64 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
r = 7.53/5.64 = 1.34
X =  12.10 × 1000000  = 3005
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3005 × 1.34 = 4027
Resolution vertical: X = 3005

Sensor resolution = 4027 x 3005

RX100 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor height = 8.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.20
r = 13.20/8.80 = 1.5
X =  20.20 × 1000000  = 3670
1.5
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3670 × 1.5 = 5505
Resolution vertical: X = 3670

Sensor resolution = 5505 x 3670


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


G15 crop factor

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

RX100 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 15.86 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 2.73
15.86

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).

G15 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.6
Aperture = f1.8 - f2.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f1.8 - f2.8) × 4.6 = f8.3 - f12.9

RX100 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 2.73
Aperture = f1.8 - f4.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f1.8 - f4.9) × 2.73 = f4.9 - f13.4

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