Nikon Coolpix S51 vs. Nikon Coolpix S52

Comparison

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Coolpix S51 image
vs
Coolpix S52 image
Nikon Coolpix S51 Nikon Coolpix S52
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Megapixels
8.00
9.00
Max. image resolution
3264 x 2448
3456 x 2592

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
Sensor resolution
3262 x 2453
3459 x 2601
Diagonal
7.19 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 : 1
(ratio)
Nikon Coolpix S51 Nikon Coolpix S52
Surface area:
24.84 mm² vs 24.84 mm²
Difference: 0 mm² (0%)
S51 and S52 sensors are the same size.
Pixel pitch
1.76 µm
1.66 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: 0.1 µm (6%)
Pixel pitch of S51 is approx. 6% higher than pixel pitch of S52.
Pixel area
3.1 µm²
2.76 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: 0.34 µm² (12%)
A pixel on Nikon S51 sensor is approx. 12% bigger than a pixel on Nikon S52.
Pixel density
32.18 MP/cm²
36.19 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: 4.01 µm (12%)
Nikon S52 has approx. 12% higher pixel density than Nikon S51.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Nikon S51
Nikon S52
Crop factor
6.02
6.02
Total megapixels
8.30
9.30
Effective megapixels
8.00
9.00
Optical zoom
3x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, (100 - 800), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
30 cm
Macro focus range
4 cm
4 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
38 - 114 mm
Aperture priority
No
No
Max. aperture
f3.3 - f4.2
f3.3 - f4.2
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f19.9 - f25.3
f19.9 - f25.3
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Centre weighted
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
No
Min. shutter speed
4 sec
4 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
None
White balance presets
5
6
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
230,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SD/SDHC card, Internal
MultiMedia, SDHC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Nikon EN-EL8 Lithium-Ion
Nikon EN-EL8 Lithium-Ion
Weight
175 g
125 g
Dimensions
93 x 59 x 21 mm
93 x 59 x 21 mm
Year
2007
2008




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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 S51 diagonal

The diagonal of S51 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

Nikon S52 diagonal

The diagonal of S52 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.

S51 sensor area

Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm

Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²

S52 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

S51 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3262 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.75  × 1000  = 1.76 µm
3262

S52 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3459 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.75  × 1000  = 1.66 µm
3459


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

S51 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.76 µm

Pixel area = 1.76² = 3.1 µm²

S52 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.66 µm

Pixel area = 1.66² = 2.76 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

S51 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3262 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm

Pixel density = (3262 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 32.18 MP/cm²

S52 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3459 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm

Pixel density = (3459 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 36.19 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

S51 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 8.00
r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33
X =  8.00 × 1000000  = 2453
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2453 × 1.33 = 3262
Resolution vertical: X = 2453

Sensor resolution = 3262 x 2453

S52 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 9.00
r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33
X =  9.00 × 1000000  = 2601
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2601 × 1.33 = 3459
Resolution vertical: X = 2601

Sensor resolution = 3459 x 2601


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


S51 crop factor

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

S52 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).

S51 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

S52 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

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