Canon PowerShot G5 vs. Canon PowerShot G1 X

Comparison

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PowerShot G5 image
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PowerShot G1 X image
Canon PowerShot G5 Canon PowerShot G1 X
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Megapixels
5.00
14.30
Max. image resolution
2592 x 1944
4352 x 3264

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1.5" (~ 18.7 x 14 mm)
Sensor resolution
2579 x 1939
4378 x 3267
Diagonal
8.89 mm
23.36 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 : 6.91
(ratio)
Canon PowerShot G5 Canon PowerShot G1 X
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 261.80 mm²
Difference: 223.9 mm² (591%)
G1 X sensor is approx. 6.91x bigger than G5 sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations. There is a gap of 9 years between Canon G5 (2003) and Canon G1 X (2012). Nine years is a lot of time in terms of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more efficient than the older ones.
Pixel pitch
2.76 µm
4.27 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: 1.51 µm (55%)
Pixel pitch of G1 X is approx. 55% higher than pixel pitch of G5.
Pixel area
7.62 µm²
18.23 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: 10.61 µm² (139%)
A pixel on Canon G1 X sensor is approx. 139% bigger than a pixel on Canon G5.
Pixel density
13.16 MP/cm²
5.48 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: 7.68 µm (140%)
Canon G5 has approx. 140% higher pixel density than Canon G1 X.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Canon G5
Canon G1 X
Crop factor
4.87
1.85
Total megapixels
5.20
15.00
Effective megapixels
5.00
14.30
Optical zoom
4x
4x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 50, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400, 8000, 10000, 12800
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
50 cm
40 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
20 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
35 - 140 mm
28 - 112 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.0 - f3.0
f2.8 - f5.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f9.7 - f14.6
f5.2 - f10.7
Metering
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Optical (tunnel)
White balance presets
6
7
Screen size
1.8"
3"
Screen resolution
118,000 dots
920,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (24p)
Storage types
CompactFlash type I, CompactFlash type II, Microdrive
SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Canon Lithium-Ion
Lithium-Ion NB-10L rechargeable battery
Weight
410 g
534 g
Dimensions
121 x 73.9 x 69.9 mm
116.7 x 80.5 x 64.7 mm
Year
2003
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 G5 diagonal

The diagonal of G5 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 G1 X diagonal

The diagonal of G1 X sensor is not 1.5" (38.1 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 23.36 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 18.70 mm
h = 14.00 mm
Diagonal =  18.70² + 14.00²   = 23.36 mm


Surface area

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

G5 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

G1 X sensor area

Width = 18.70 mm
Height = 14.00 mm

Surface area = 18.70 × 14.00 = 261.80 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

G5 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 2.76 µm
2579

G1 X pixel pitch

Sensor width = 18.70 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4378 pixels
Pixel pitch =   18.70  × 1000  = 4.27 µm
4378


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

G5 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.76 µm

Pixel area = 2.76² = 7.62 µm²

G1 X pixel area

Pixel pitch = 4.27 µm

Pixel area = 4.27² = 18.23 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

G5 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2579 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.16 MP/cm²

G1 X pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4378 pixels
Sensor width = 1.87 cm

Pixel density = (4378 / 1.87)² / 1000000 = 5.48 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

G5 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X =  5.00 × 1000000  = 1939
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1939 × 1.33 = 2579
Resolution vertical: X = 1939

Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939

G1 X sensor resolution

Sensor width = 18.70 mm
Sensor height = 14.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 14.30
r = 18.70/14.00 = 1.34
X =  14.30 × 1000000  = 3267
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3267 × 1.34 = 4378
Resolution vertical: X = 3267

Sensor resolution = 4378 x 3267


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


G5 crop factor

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

G1 X crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 23.36 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.85
23.36

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).

G5 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.0 - f3.0

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.0 - f3.0) × 4.87 = f9.7 - f14.6

G1 X equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 1.85
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.8) × 1.85 = f5.2 - f10.7

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