Canon PowerShot S500 vs. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Comparison
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Canon PowerShot S500 | Canon PowerShot SX50 HS | ||||
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Megapixels
5.00
12.10
Max. image resolution
2592 x 1944
4000 x 3000
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 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 »
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 »
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1.33 | : | 1 |
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Canon PowerShot S500 | Canon PowerShot SX50 HS |
Surface area:
37.90 mm² | vs | 28.46 mm² |
Difference: 9.44 mm² (33%)
S500 sensor is approx. 1.33x bigger than SX50 HS sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations.
There is a gap of 8 years between Canon S500 (2004) and Canon SX50 HS (2012).
Eight years is a lot of time in terms
of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more
efficient than the older ones.
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.
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.
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.
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: 5.25 µm² (222%)
A pixel on Canon S500 sensor is approx. 222% bigger than a pixel on Canon SX50 HS.
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.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers,
click here.
Specs
Canon S500
Canon SX50 HS
Total megapixels
5.20
12.80
Effective megapixels
5.00
12.10
Optical zoom
3x
50x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 80 - 6400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
46 cm
5 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
36 - 108 mm
24 - 1200 mm
Aperture priority
No
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f4.9
f3.4 - f6.5
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
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)
Electronic
White balance presets
5
7
Screen size
1.5"
2.8"
Screen resolution
118,000 dots
461,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (24p)
Storage types
Compact Flash (Type I)
SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-1LH Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-10L rechargeable battery
Weight
215 g
595 g
Dimensions
87 x 57 x 28 mm
122.5 x 87.3 x 105.5 mm
Year
2004
2012
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Diagonal
Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height
Diagonal = √ | w² + h² |
Canon S500 diagonal
The diagonal of S500 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
w = 7.11 mm
h = 5.33 mm
Diagonal = √ | 7.11² + 5.33² | = 8.89 mm |
Canon SX50 HS diagonal
The diagonal of SX50 HS 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
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal = √ | 6.16² + 4.62² | = 7.70 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
S500 sensor area
Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm
Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²
Height = 5.33 mm
Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²
SX50 HS sensor area
Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 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 |
S500 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 7.11 | × 1000 | = 2.76 µm |
2579 |
SX50 HS pixel pitch
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 6.16 | × 1000 | = 1.54 µm |
4011 |
Pixel area
The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = | sensor surface area in mm² |
effective megapixels |
S500 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 2.76 µm
Pixel area = 2.76² = 7.62 µm²
Pixel area = 2.76² = 7.62 µm²
SX50 HS pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.54 µm
Pixel area = 1.54² = 2.37 µm²
Pixel area = 1.54² = 2.37 µm²
Pixel density
Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
One could also use this 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 |
S500 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.16 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.711 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.16 MP/cm²
SX50 HS pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4011 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 42.4 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4011 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 42.4 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:
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
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 → |
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Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
S500 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1939 × 1.33 = 2579
Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33 |
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Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
SX50 HS sensor resolution
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3016 × 1.33 = 4011
Resolution vertical: X = 3016
Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33 |
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Resolution vertical: X = 3016
Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016
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 |
S500 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 8.89 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 4.87 |
8.89 |
SX50 HS crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 5.62 |
7.70 |
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).
S500 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
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.9
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.9) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f23.9
SX50 HS equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.4 - f6.5
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.4 - f6.5) × 5.62 = f19.1 - f36.5
Aperture = f3.4 - f6.5
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.4 - f6.5) × 5.62 = f19.1 - f36.5
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If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.