Casio Exilim EX-Z120 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Comparison

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Exilim EX-Z120 image
vs
Lumix DMC-LX7 image
Casio Exilim EX-Z120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
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Megapixels
7.40
10.10
Max. image resolution
3072 x 2304
3648 x 2736

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/1.7" (~ 7.53 x 5.64 mm)
Sensor resolution
3137 x 2359
3678 x 2745
Diagonal
8.89 mm
9.41 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 : 1.12
(ratio)
Casio Exilim EX-Z120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 42.47 mm²
Difference: 4.57 mm² (12%)
LX7 sensor is approx. 1.12x bigger than Z120 sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations. There is a gap of 7 years between Casio Z120 (2005) and Panasonic LX7 (2012). Seven years is a lot of time in terms of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more efficient than the older ones.
Pixel pitch
2.27 µm
2.05 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: 0.22 µm (11%)
Pixel pitch of Z120 is approx. 11% higher than pixel pitch of LX7.
Pixel area
5.15 µm²
4.2 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: 0.95 µm² (23%)
A pixel on Casio Z120 sensor is approx. 23% bigger than a pixel on Panasonic LX7.
Pixel density
19.47 MP/cm²
23.86 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: 4.39 µm (23%)
Panasonic LX7 has approx. 23% higher pixel density than Casio Z120.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Casio Z120
Panasonic LX7
Crop factor
4.87
4.6
Total megapixels
7.20
12.80
Effective megapixels
7.40
10.10
Optical zoom
3x
3.8x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1600
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, (12800 with boost)
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
40 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
10 cm
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
24 - 90 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f5.1
f1.4 - f2.3
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f13.6 - f24.8
f6.4 - f10.6
Metering
Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
1/8 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1600 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Electronic (optional)
White balance presets
7
5
Screen size
2"
3"
Screen resolution
84,960 dots
920,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (60p/60i/30p)
Storage types
MultiMedia, Secure Digital
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
AA (2) batteries (NiMH included)
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Weight
138 g
298 g
Dimensions
90 x 60 x 27.2 mm
111 x 68 x 46 mm
Year
2005
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

Casio Z120 diagonal

The diagonal of Z120 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

Panasonic LX7 diagonal

The diagonal of LX7 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


Surface area

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

Z120 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

LX7 sensor area

Width = 7.53 mm
Height = 5.64 mm

Surface area = 7.53 × 5.64 = 42.47 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

Z120 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3137 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 2.27 µm
3137

LX7 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3678 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.53  × 1000  = 2.05 µm
3678


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

Z120 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.27 µm

Pixel area = 2.27² = 5.15 µm²

LX7 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.05 µm

Pixel area = 2.05² = 4.2 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

Z120 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3137 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (3137 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 19.47 MP/cm²

LX7 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3678 pixels
Sensor width = 0.753 cm

Pixel density = (3678 / 0.753)² / 1000000 = 23.86 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

Z120 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 7.40
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X = √  7.40 × 1000000  = 2359
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2359 × 1.33 = 3137
Resolution vertical: X = 2359

Sensor resolution = 3137 x 2359

LX7 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor height = 5.64 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.10
r = 7.53/5.64 = 1.34
X = √  10.10 × 1000000  = 2745
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2745 × 1.34 = 3678
Resolution vertical: X = 2745

Sensor resolution = 3678 x 2745


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


Z120 crop factor

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

LX7 crop factor

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

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).

Z120 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.1

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.1) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f24.8

LX7 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.6
Aperture = f1.4 - f2.3

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f1.4 - f2.3) × 4.6 = f6.4 - f10.6

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