HP Photosmart 720 vs. HP Photosmart 945

Comparison

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Photosmart 720 image
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Photosmart 945 image
HP Photosmart 720 HP Photosmart 945
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Megapixels
3.34
5.10
Max. image resolution
2048 x 1536
2608 x 1952

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
Sensor resolution
2108 x 1585
2604 x 1958
Diagonal
8.89 mm
8.89 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
(ratio)
HP Photosmart 720 HP Photosmart 945
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 37.90 mm²
Difference: 0 mm² (0%)
720 and 945 sensors are the same size.
Pixel pitch
3.37 µm
2.73 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: 0.64 µm (23%)
Pixel pitch of 720 is approx. 23% higher than pixel pitch of 945.
Pixel area
11.36 µm²
7.45 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: 3.91 µm² (52%)
A pixel on HP 720 sensor is approx. 52% bigger than a pixel on HP 945.
Pixel density
8.79 MP/cm²
13.41 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: 4.62 µm (53%)
HP 945 has approx. 53% higher pixel density than HP 720.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

HP 720
HP 945
Crop factor
4.87
4.87
Total megapixels
Effective megapixels
Optical zoom
3x
8.1x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 100, 200, 400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
20 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
20 cm
10 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
34 - 102 mm
37 - 300 mm
Aperture priority
No
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.6 - f4.7
f2.8 - f3.1
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f12.7 - f22.9
f13.6 - f15.1
Metering
Centre weighted
Centre weighted, Matrix, Spot
Exposure compensation
±1.5 EV (in 1/2 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
Yes
Min. shutter speed
2 sec
16 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Electronic
White balance presets
6
6
Screen size
1.6"
2"
Screen resolution
61,600 dots
180,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
MultiMedia, Secure Digital
MultiMedia, Secure Digital
USB
USB 1.0
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
AA (4) batteries (NiMH recommended)
AA (4) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Weight
266 g
400 g
Dimensions
118 x 75 x 53 mm
123 x 85 x 85 mm
Year
2002
2003




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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

HP 720 diagonal

The diagonal of 720 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

HP 945 diagonal

The diagonal of 945 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


Surface area

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

720 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

945 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 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

720 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2108 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 3.37 µm
2108

945 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2604 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 2.73 µm
2604


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

720 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.37 µm

Pixel area = 3.37² = 11.36 µm²

945 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.73 µm

Pixel area = 2.73² = 7.45 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

720 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2108 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2108 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 8.79 MP/cm²

945 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2604 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2604 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.41 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

720 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.34
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X =  3.34 × 1000000  = 1585
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1585 × 1.33 = 2108
Resolution vertical: X = 1585

Sensor resolution = 2108 x 1585

945 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.10
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X =  5.10 × 1000000  = 1958
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1958 × 1.33 = 2604
Resolution vertical: X = 1958

Sensor resolution = 2604 x 1958


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


720 crop factor

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

945 crop factor

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

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).

720 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.6 - f4.7

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.6 - f4.7) × 4.87 = f12.7 - f22.9

945 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.8 - f3.1

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f3.1) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f15.1

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