Pentax Optio 550 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20
Comparison
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| Pentax Optio 550 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 | ||||
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Megapixels
5.00
16.10
Max. image resolution
2592 x 1944
4608 x 3456
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/2.33" (~ 6.08 x 4.56 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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| Pentax Optio 550 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 | |
Surface area:
| 37.90 mm² | vs | 27.72 mm² |
Difference: 10.18 mm² (37%)
550 sensor is approx. 1.37x bigger than TS20 sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations.
There is a gap of 9 years between Pentax 550 (2003) and Panasonic TS20 (2012).
Nine years is a lot of time in terms
of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more
efficient than the older ones.
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: 5.9 µm² (343%)
A pixel on Pentax 550 sensor is approx. 343% bigger than a pixel on Panasonic TS20.
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
Pentax 550
Panasonic TS20
Total megapixels
5.20
16.60
Effective megapixels
5.00
16.10
Optical zoom
5x
4x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400
Auto, Hi Auto (1600-6400), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
60 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
2 cm
10 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 188 mm
25 - 100 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
No
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f4.6
f3.9 - f5.7
Metering
Centre weighted, Matrix, Spot
Multi-segment
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
No
Min. shutter speed
4 sec
8 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/4000 sec
1/1300 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
None
White balance presets
6
4
Screen size
1.5"
2.7"
Screen resolution
113,000 dots
230,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
MultiMedia, Secure Digital
SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion rechargeable
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Weight
250 g
142 g
Dimensions
100 x 59 x 39 mm
101 x 58 x 19 mm
Year
2003
2012
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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 |
Pentax 550 diagonal
The diagonal of 550 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
w = 7.11 mm
h = 5.33 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 7.11² + 5.33² | = 8.89 mm |
Panasonic TS20 diagonal
The diagonal of TS20 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
w = 6.08 mm
h = 4.56 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 6.08² + 4.56² | = 7.60 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
550 sensor area
Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm
Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²
Height = 5.33 mm
Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²
TS20 sensor area
Width = 6.08 mm
Height = 4.56 mm
Surface area = 6.08 × 4.56 = 27.72 mm²
Height = 4.56 mm
Surface area = 6.08 × 4.56 = 27.72 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 |
550 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 7.11 | × 1000 | = 2.76 µm |
| 2579 |
TS20 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 6.08 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 6.08 | × 1000 | = 1.31 µm |
| 4627 |
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 |
550 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 2.76 µm
Pixel area = 2.76² = 7.62 µm²
Pixel area = 2.76² = 7.62 µm²
TS20 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.31 µm
Pixel area = 1.31² = 1.72 µm²
Pixel area = 1.31² = 1.72 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 |
550 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.16 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.711 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 13.16 MP/cm²
TS20 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Sensor width = 0.608 cm
Pixel density = (4627 / 0.608)² / 1000000 = 57.92 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.608 cm
Pixel density = (4627 / 0.608)² / 1000000 = 57.92 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
550 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1939 × 1.33 = 2579
Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
| r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
TS20 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 6.08 mm
Sensor height = 4.56 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.10
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3479 × 1.33 = 4627
Resolution vertical: X = 3479
Sensor resolution = 4627 x 3479
Sensor height = 4.56 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.10
| r = 6.08/4.56 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 3479
Sensor resolution = 4627 x 3479
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 |
550 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 8.89 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 4.87 |
| 8.89 |
TS20 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.60 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 5.69 |
| 7.60 |
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).
550 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.6
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.6) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f22.4
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.6
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.6) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f22.4
TS20 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 5.69
Aperture = f3.9 - f5.7
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.9 - f5.7) × 5.69 = f22.2 - f32.4
Aperture = f3.9 - f5.7
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.9 - f5.7) × 5.69 = f22.2 - f32.4
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