Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 vs. Samsung ST100

Comparison

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Lumix DMC-FP8 image
vs
ST100 image
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Samsung ST100
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Megapixels
12.10
14.20
Max. image resolution
4000 x 3000
4320 x 3240

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.33" (~ 6.08 x 4.56 mm)
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
Sensor resolution
4011 x 3016
4346 x 3268
Diagonal
7.60 mm
7.70 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 : 1.03
(ratio)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Samsung ST100
Surface area:
27.72 mm² vs 28.46 mm²
Difference: 0.74 mm² (3%)
ST100 sensor is slightly bigger than FP8 sensor (only 3% difference).
Pixel pitch
1.52 µm
1.42 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: 0.1 µm (7%)
Pixel pitch of FP8 is approx. 7% higher than pixel pitch of ST100.
Pixel area
2.31 µm²
2.02 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: 0.29 µm² (14%)
A pixel on Panasonic FP8 sensor is approx. 14% bigger than a pixel on Samsung ST100.
Pixel density
43.52 MP/cm²
49.78 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: 6.26 µm (14%)
Samsung ST100 has approx. 14% higher pixel density than Panasonic FP8.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Panasonic FP8
Samsung ST100
Crop factor
5.69
5.62
Total megapixels
12.70
14.50
Effective megapixels
12.10
14.20
Optical zoom
4.6x
5x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 - 6400
Auto
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
80 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
5 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
28 - 128 mm
35 - 175 mm
Aperture priority
No
No
Max. aperture
f3.3 - f5.9
f3.6 - f4.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f18.8 - f33.6
f20.2 - f27
Metering
Intelligent Multiple
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
No
Min. shutter speed
60 sec
8 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1300 sec
1/1000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
None
White balance presets
6
5
Screen size
2.7"
3.5"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
1,152,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SDHC, Secure Digital
SDHC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Lithium-Ion SLB07 rechargeable battery
Weight
131 g
155 g
Dimensions
95.7 x 59.6 x 20.2 mm
100 x 60 x 20 mm
Year
2009
2010




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vs

Diagonal

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

Panasonic FP8 diagonal

The diagonal of FP8 sensor is not 1/2.33 or 0.43" (10.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.6 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 6.08 mm
h = 4.56 mm
Diagonal =  6.08² + 4.56²   = 7.60 mm

Samsung ST100 diagonal

The diagonal of ST100 sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal =  6.16² + 4.62²   = 7.70 mm


Surface area

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

FP8 sensor area

Width = 6.08 mm
Height = 4.56 mm

Surface area = 6.08 × 4.56 = 27.72 mm²

ST100 sensor area

Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm

Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 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

FP8 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.08 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.08  × 1000  = 1.52 µm
4011

ST100 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4346 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.16  × 1000  = 1.42 µm
4346


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

FP8 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.52 µm

Pixel area = 1.52² = 2.31 µm²

ST100 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.42 µm

Pixel area = 1.42² = 2.02 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

FP8 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor width = 0.608 cm

Pixel density = (4011 / 0.608)² / 1000000 = 43.52 MP/cm²

ST100 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4346 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm

Pixel density = (4346 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 49.78 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

FP8 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.08 mm
Sensor height = 4.56 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
r = 6.08/4.56 = 1.33
X =  12.10 × 1000000  = 3016
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3016 × 1.33 = 4011
Resolution vertical: X = 3016

Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016

ST100 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 14.20
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33
X =  14.20 × 1000000  = 3268
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3268 × 1.33 = 4346
Resolution vertical: X = 3268

Sensor resolution = 4346 x 3268


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


FP8 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.60 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 5.69
7.60

ST100 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 5.62
7.70

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).

FP8 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.69
Aperture = f3.3 - f5.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.3 - f5.9) × 5.69 = f18.8 - f33.6

ST100 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.6 - f4.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.6 - f4.8) × 5.62 = f20.2 - f27

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