Sigma DP2 vs. Olympus PEN E-PL1
Comparison
change cameras » | |||||
|
vs |
|
|||
Sigma DP2 | Olympus PEN E-PL1 | ||||
check price » | check price » |
Megapixels
4.70
12.30
Max. image resolution
2640 x 1760 x 3
4032 x 3024
Note: Sigma DP2 uses Foveon X3 image sensor, which is a new type of sensor that
has 3 layers of photoelements stacked together in 1 pixel location. Traditional
CCD/CMOS sensors have 1 pixel for 1 color, whereas Foveon sensor captures all
3 colors (blue, green, and red) at every pixel.
Sensor
Sensor type
Foveon
CMOS
Sensor size
20.7 x 13.8 mm
Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 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 »
|
vs |
|
1.27 | : | 1 |
(ratio) | ||
Sigma DP2 | Olympus PEN E-PL1 |
Surface area:
285.66 mm² | vs | 224.90 mm² |
Difference: 60.76 mm² (27%)
DP2 sensor is approx. 1.27x bigger than PEN E-PL1 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations.
There is a 2 year gap between Sigma DP2 (2008) and Olympus PEN E-PL1 (2010).
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: 42.52 µm² (232%)
A pixel on Sigma DP2 sensor is approx. 232% bigger than a pixel on Olympus PEN E-PL1.
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
Sigma DP2
Olympus PEN E-PL1
Total megapixels
4.70
13.10
Effective megapixels
4.70
12.30
Optical zoom
1x
Digital zoom
No
No
ISO sensitivity
50,100, 200, 400, 800 (1600 and 3200 in RAW)
Auto, ISO (200 - 3200), Manual ISO (100 - 3200), 1/3 or 1 EV step
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
28 cm
Macro focus range
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
41 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
Metering
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
Electronic (optional)
White balance presets
6
8
Screen size
2.5"
2.7"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
230,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
MultiMedia, SDHC, Secure Digital
SD/SDHC card
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Lithium-Ion BLS-1 rechargeable battery
Weight
280 g
334 g
Dimensions
113.3 x 59.5 x 54.6 mm
115 x 72 x 42 mm
Year
2008
2010
Choose cameras to compare
Popular comparisons:
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP2 Merrill
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP3 Merrill
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP2x
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP1
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP2s
- Sigma DP2 vs. Leica X1
- Sigma DP2 vs. Pentax K-01
- Sigma DP2 vs. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sigma DP1 Merrill
- Sigma DP2 vs. Sony Alpha a6000
Diagonal
Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height
Diagonal = √ | w² + h² |
Sigma DP2 diagonal
w = 20.70 mm
h = 13.80 mm
h = 13.80 mm
Diagonal = √ | 20.70² + 13.80² | = 24.88 mm |
Olympus PEN E-PL1 diagonal
w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm
h = 13.00 mm
Diagonal = √ | 17.30² + 13.00² | = 21.64 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
DP2 sensor area
Width = 20.70 mm
Height = 13.80 mm
Surface area = 20.70 × 13.80 = 285.66 mm²
Height = 13.80 mm
Surface area = 20.70 × 13.80 = 285.66 mm²
PEN E-PL1 sensor area
Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm
Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²
Height = 13.00 mm
Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 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 |
DP2 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 20.70 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2655 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2655 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 20.70 | × 1000 | = 7.8 µm |
2655 |
PEN E-PL1 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4045 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 4045 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 17.30 | × 1000 | = 4.28 µm |
4045 |
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 |
DP2 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 7.8 µm
Pixel area = 7.8² = 60.84 µm²
Pixel area = 7.8² = 60.84 µm²
PEN E-PL1 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 4.28 µm
Pixel area = 4.28² = 18.32 µm²
Pixel area = 4.28² = 18.32 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 |
DP2 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2655 pixels
Sensor width = 2.07 cm
Pixel density = (2655 / 2.07)² / 1000000 = 1.65 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 2.07 cm
Pixel density = (2655 / 2.07)² / 1000000 = 1.65 MP/cm²
PEN E-PL1 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 4045 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm
Pixel density = (4045 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 5.47 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 1.73 cm
Pixel density = (4045 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 5.47 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
DP2 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 20.70 mm
Sensor height = 13.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 4.70
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1770 × 1.5 = 2655
Resolution vertical: X = 1770
Sensor resolution = 2655 x 1770
Sensor height = 13.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 4.70
r = 20.70/13.80 = 1.5 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 1770
Sensor resolution = 2655 x 1770
PEN E-PL1 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.30
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3041 × 1.33 = 4045
Resolution vertical: X = 3041
Sensor resolution = 4045 x 3041
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.30
r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 3041
Sensor resolution = 4045 x 3041
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 |
DP2 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 24.88 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 1.74 |
24.88 |
PEN E-PL1 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 2 |
21.64 |
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).
DP2 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
Sigma DP2, take the aperture of the lens
you're using and multiply it with crop factor.
Crop factor for Sigma DP2 is 1.74
Crop factor for Sigma DP2 is 1.74
PEN E-PL1 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
Olympus PEN E-PL1, take the aperture of the lens
you're using and multiply it with crop factor.
Crop factor for Olympus PEN E-PL1 is 2
Crop factor for Olympus PEN E-PL1 is 2
Enter your screen size (diagonal)
My screen size is
inches
Actual size is currently adjusted to screen.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.