Nikon Coolpix 4500 vs. Nikon Coolpix 4600

Comparison

change cameras »
Coolpix 4500 image
vs
Coolpix 4600 image
Nikon Coolpix 4500 Nikon Coolpix 4600
check price » check price »
Megapixels
3.90
3.90
Max. image resolution
2272 x 1704
2288 x 1716

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
Sensor resolution
2277 x 1712
2277 x 1712
Diagonal
8.89 mm
7.19 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
1.53 : 1
(ratio)
Nikon Coolpix 4500 Nikon Coolpix 4600
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 24.84 mm²
Difference: 13.06 mm² (53%)
4500 sensor is approx. 1.53x bigger than 4600 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 3 year gap between Nikon 4500 (2002) and Nikon 4600 (2005). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
3.12 µm
2.53 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: 0.59 µm (23%)
Pixel pitch of 4500 is approx. 23% higher than pixel pitch of 4600.
Pixel area
9.73 µm²
6.4 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: 3.33 µm² (52%)
A pixel on Nikon 4500 sensor is approx. 52% bigger than a pixel on Nikon 4600.
Pixel density
10.26 MP/cm²
15.68 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: 5.42 µm (53%)
Nikon 4600 has approx. 53% higher pixel density than Nikon 4500.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Nikon 4500
Nikon 4600
Crop factor
4.87
6.02
Total megapixels
4.10
4.20
Effective megapixels
3.90
3.90
Optical zoom
4.1x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800
Auto
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
30 cm
Macro focus range
2 cm
4 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 155 mm
34 - 102 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
No
Max. aperture
f2.6 - f5.1
f2.9 - f4.9
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f12.7 - f24.8
f17.5 - f29.5
Metering
256-segment Matrix, Centre weighted, Spot, Spot-AF
Multi, Center-weighted, Average
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
No
Min. shutter speed
Bulb+8 sec
4 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2300 sec
1/3000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Optical (tunnel)
White balance presets
7
6
Screen size
1.5"
1.8"
Screen resolution
110,000 dots
80,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
CompactFlash type I, CompactFlash type II, Microdrive
Secure Digital
USB
USB 1.0
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion included
AA (2) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Weight
420 g
130 g
Dimensions
130 x 73 x 50 mm
85 x 60 x 35 mm
Year
2002
2005




Choose cameras to compare

vs

Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal =  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Nikon 4500 diagonal

The diagonal of 4500 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

Nikon 4600 diagonal

The diagonal of 4600 sensor is not 1/2.5 or 0.4" (10.2 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.19 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 5.75 mm
h = 4.32 mm
Diagonal =  5.75² + 4.32²   = 7.19 mm


Surface area

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

4500 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

4600 sensor area

Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm

Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 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

4500 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 3.12 µm
2277

4600 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.75  × 1000  = 2.53 µm
2277


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

4500 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.12 µm

Pixel area = 3.12² = 9.73 µm²

4600 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.53 µm

Pixel area = 2.53² = 6.4 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

4500 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2277 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 10.26 MP/cm²

4600 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm

Pixel density = (2277 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 15.68 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

4500 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.90
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X =  3.90 × 1000000  = 1712
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1712 × 1.33 = 2277
Resolution vertical: X = 1712

Sensor resolution = 2277 x 1712

4600 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.90
r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33
X =  3.90 × 1000000  = 1712
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1712 × 1.33 = 2277
Resolution vertical: X = 1712

Sensor resolution = 2277 x 1712


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


4500 crop factor

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

4600 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.19 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 6.02
7.19

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).

4500 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.6 - f5.1

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.6 - f5.1) × 4.87 = f12.7 - f24.8

4600 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 6.02
Aperture = f2.9 - f4.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.9 - f4.9) × 6.02 = f17.5 - f29.5

Enter your screen size (diagonal)

My screen size is  inches



Actual size is currently adjusted to screen.

If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.