Nikon Coolpix S50 vs. Nikon Coolpix 3500
Comparison
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| Nikon Coolpix S50 | Nikon Coolpix 3500 | ||||
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Megapixels
7.10
3.10
Max. image resolution
3072 x 2304
2048 x 1536
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
1/2.7" (~ 5.33 x 4 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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| Nikon Coolpix S50 | Nikon Coolpix 3500 | |
Surface area:
| 24.84 mm² | vs | 21.32 mm² |
Difference: 3.52 mm² (17%)
S50 sensor is approx. 1.17x bigger than 3500 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations.
There is a 5 year gap between Nikon S50 (2007) and Nikon 3500 (2002).
All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
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: 3.36 µm² (96%)
A pixel on Nikon 3500 sensor is approx. 96% bigger than a pixel on Nikon S50.
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
Nikon S50
Nikon 3500
Total megapixels
7.40
3.30
Effective megapixels
7.10
3.10
Optical zoom
3x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Auto, (100-400)
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
30 cm
Macro focus range
4 cm
4 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
37 - 111 mm
Aperture priority
No
Yes
Max. aperture
f3.3 - f4.2
f2.7 - f4.7
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Average
256-segment Matrix
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
Yes
Min. shutter speed
8 sec
2 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/3000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
None
White balance presets
3
6
Screen size
3"
1.5"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
110,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
Secure Digital
CompactFlash type I
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Nikon EN-EL8 Lithium-Ion
Nikon EN-EL2 Lithium-Ion included
Weight
125 g
205 g
Dimensions
92.5 x 59 x 21 mm
60 x 114 x 32 mm
Year
2007
2002
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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 |
Nikon S50 diagonal
The diagonal of S50 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
w = 5.75 mm
h = 4.32 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 5.75² + 4.32² | = 7.19 mm |
Nikon 3500 diagonal
The diagonal of 3500 sensor is not 1/2.7 or 0.37" (9.4 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 6.66 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 5.33 mm
h = 4.00 mm
w = 5.33 mm
h = 4.00 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 5.33² + 4.00² | = 6.66 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
S50 sensor area
Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm
Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²
Height = 4.32 mm
Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²
3500 sensor area
Width = 5.33 mm
Height = 4.00 mm
Surface area = 5.33 × 4.00 = 21.32 mm²
Height = 4.00 mm
Surface area = 5.33 × 4.00 = 21.32 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 |
S50 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3072 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 3072 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 5.75 | × 1000 | = 1.87 µm |
| 3072 |
3500 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 5.33 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 5.33 | × 1000 | = 2.62 µm |
| 2031 |
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 |
S50 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.87 µm
Pixel area = 1.87² = 3.5 µm²
Pixel area = 1.87² = 3.5 µm²
3500 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 2.62 µm
Pixel area = 2.62² = 6.86 µm²
Pixel area = 2.62² = 6.86 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 |
S50 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 3072 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm
Pixel density = (3072 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 28.54 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.575 cm
Pixel density = (3072 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 28.54 MP/cm²
3500 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2031 pixels
Sensor width = 0.533 cm
Pixel density = (2031 / 0.533)² / 1000000 = 14.52 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.533 cm
Pixel density = (2031 / 0.533)² / 1000000 = 14.52 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 → |
|
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
S50 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 7.10
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2310 × 1.33 = 3072
Resolution vertical: X = 2310
Sensor resolution = 3072 x 2310
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 7.10
| r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 2310
Sensor resolution = 3072 x 2310
3500 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 5.33 mm
Sensor height = 4.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.10
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1527 × 1.33 = 2031
Resolution vertical: X = 1527
Sensor resolution = 2031 x 1527
Sensor height = 4.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.10
| r = 5.33/4.00 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 1527
Sensor resolution = 2031 x 1527
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 |
S50 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.19 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 6.02 |
| 7.19 |
3500 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 6.66 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 6.5 |
| 6.66 |
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).
S50 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 6.02
Aperture = f3.3 - f4.2
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.3 - f4.2) × 6.02 = f19.9 - f25.3
Aperture = f3.3 - f4.2
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.3 - f4.2) × 6.02 = f19.9 - f25.3
3500 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 6.5
Aperture = f2.7 - f4.7
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.7 - f4.7) × 6.5 = f17.6 - f30.6
Aperture = f2.7 - f4.7
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.7 - f4.7) × 6.5 = f17.6 - f30.6
More comparisons of Nikon S50:
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