Nikon Coolpix 995 vs. Canon EOS 20D

Comparison

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Coolpix 995 image
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EOS 20D image
Nikon Coolpix 995 Canon EOS 20D
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Megapixels
3.10
8.20
Max. image resolution
2048 x 1536
3504 x 2336

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
22.5 x 15 mm
Sensor resolution
2031 x 1527
3507 x 2338
Diagonal
8.89 mm
27.04 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 : 8.91
(ratio)
Nikon Coolpix 995 Canon EOS 20D
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 337.50 mm²
Difference: 299.6 mm² (791%)
20D sensor is approx. 8.91x bigger than 995 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 3 year gap between Nikon 995 (2001) and Canon 20D (2004). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
3.5 µm
6.42 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: 2.92 µm (83%)
Pixel pitch of 20D is approx. 83% higher than pixel pitch of 995.
Pixel area
12.25 µm²
41.22 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: 28.97 µm² (236%)
A pixel on Canon 20D sensor is approx. 236% bigger than a pixel on Nikon 995.
Pixel density
8.16 MP/cm²
2.43 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: 5.73 µm (236%)
Nikon 995 has approx. 236% higher pixel density than Canon 20D.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Nikon 995
Canon 20D
Crop factor
4.87
1.6
Total megapixels
3.30
8.50
Effective megapixels
3.10
8.20
Optical zoom
4x
Digital zoom
Yes
No
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800
100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (H)
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
Macro focus range
2 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 152 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.6
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f12.7
n/a
Metering
256-segment Matrix, Centre weighted, Spot, Spot-AF
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
60 sec
30 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2300 sec
1/8000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Optical (pentaprism)
White balance presets
7
6
Screen size
1.8"
1.8"
Screen resolution
110,000 dots
118,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
CompactFlash type I, CompactFlash type II, Microdrive
Compact Flash (Type I or II)
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion included
Canon Lithium-Ion
Weight
475 g
770 g
Dimensions
138 x 82 x 40 mm
144 x 106 x 72 mm
Year
2001
2004




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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

Nikon 995 diagonal

The diagonal of 995 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 20D diagonal

w = 22.50 mm
h = 15.00 mm
Diagonal = √  22.50² + 15.00²   = 27.04 mm


Surface area

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

995 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

20D sensor area

Width = 22.50 mm
Height = 15.00 mm

Surface area = 22.50 × 15.00 = 337.50 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

995 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 3.5 µm
2031

20D pixel pitch

Sensor width = 22.50 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3507 pixels
Pixel pitch =   22.50  × 1000  = 6.42 µm
3507


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

995 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.5 µm

Pixel area = 3.5² = 12.25 µm²

20D pixel area

Pixel pitch = 6.42 µm

Pixel area = 6.42² = 41.22 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

995 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (2031 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 8.16 MP/cm²

20D pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3507 pixels
Sensor width = 2.25 cm

Pixel density = (3507 / 2.25)² / 1000000 = 2.43 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

995 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.10
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X = √  3.10 × 1000000  = 1527
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1527 × 1.33 = 2031
Resolution vertical: X = 1527

Sensor resolution = 2031 x 1527

20D sensor resolution

Sensor width = 22.50 mm
Sensor height = 15.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 8.20
r = 22.50/15.00 = 1.5
X = √  8.20 × 1000000  = 2338
1.5
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2338 × 1.5 = 3507
Resolution vertical: X = 2338

Sensor resolution = 3507 x 2338


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


995 crop factor

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

20D crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 27.04 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.6
27.04

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).

995 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.6

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

20D equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Canon 20D, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Canon 20D is 1.6

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