Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 vs. Sony Alpha a3000

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 image
vs
Alpha a3000 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 Sony Alpha a3000
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Megapixels
20.20
20.10
Max. image resolution
5472 x 3648
5456 x 3632

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CMOS
Sensor size
13.2 x 8.8 mm
23.5 x 15.6 mm
Sensor resolution
5505 x 3670
5508 x 3648
Diagonal
15.86 mm
28.21 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 : 3.16
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 Sony Alpha a3000
Surface area:
116.16 mm² vs 366.60 mm²
Difference: 250.44 mm² (216%)
Alpha a3000 sensor is approx. 3.16x bigger than RX10 sensor.
Pixel pitch
2.4 µm
4.27 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: 1.87 µm (78%)
Pixel pitch of Alpha a3000 is approx. 78% higher than pixel pitch of RX10.
Pixel area
5.76 µm²
18.23 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: 12.47 µm² (216%)
A pixel on Sony Alpha a3000 sensor is approx. 216% bigger than a pixel on Sony RX10.
Pixel density
17.39 MP/cm²
5.49 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: 11.9 µm (217%)
Sony RX10 has approx. 217% higher pixel density than Sony Alpha a3000.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony RX10
Sony Alpha a3000
Crop factor
2.73
1.53
Total megapixels
20.90
20.40
Effective megapixels
20.20
20.10
Optical zoom
8.3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 125 - 12800
100-16000 selectable in 1 EV steps
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
24 - 200 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f7.6
n/a
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
30 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/3200 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Electronic
Electronic
White balance presets
9
9
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
1,228,000 dots
230,400 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (60i/24p)
Storage types
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable battery NP-FW50)
Weight
813 g
281 g
Dimensions
129 x 88 x 102 mm
101.6 x 58.1 x 38.3 mm
Year
2013
2013




Choose cameras to compare

vs

Diagonal

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

Sony RX10 diagonal

w = 13.20 mm
h = 8.80 mm
Diagonal =  13.20² + 8.80²   = 15.86 mm

Sony Alpha a3000 diagonal

w = 23.50 mm
h = 15.60 mm
Diagonal =  23.50² + 15.60²   = 28.21 mm


Surface area

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

RX10 sensor area

Width = 13.20 mm
Height = 8.80 mm

Surface area = 13.20 × 8.80 = 116.16 mm²

Alpha a3000 sensor area

Width = 23.50 mm
Height = 15.60 mm

Surface area = 23.50 × 15.60 = 366.60 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

RX10 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5505 pixels
Pixel pitch =   13.20  × 1000  = 2.4 µm
5505

Alpha a3000 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 23.50 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5508 pixels
Pixel pitch =   23.50  × 1000  = 4.27 µm
5508


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

RX10 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.4 µm

Pixel area = 2.4² = 5.76 µm²

Alpha a3000 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 4.27 µm

Pixel area = 4.27² = 18.23 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

RX10 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5505 pixels
Sensor width = 1.32 cm

Pixel density = (5505 / 1.32)² / 1000000 = 17.39 MP/cm²

Alpha a3000 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5508 pixels
Sensor width = 2.35 cm

Pixel density = (5508 / 2.35)² / 1000000 = 5.49 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

RX10 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor height = 8.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.20
r = 13.20/8.80 = 1.5
X =  20.20 × 1000000  = 3670
1.5
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3670 × 1.5 = 5505
Resolution vertical: X = 3670

Sensor resolution = 5505 x 3670

Alpha a3000 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 23.50 mm
Sensor height = 15.60 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.10
r = 23.50/15.60 = 1.51
X =  20.10 × 1000000  = 3648
1.51
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3648 × 1.51 = 5508
Resolution vertical: X = 3648

Sensor resolution = 5508 x 3648


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


RX10 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 15.86 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 2.73
15.86

Alpha a3000 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 28.21 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.53
28.21

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).

RX10 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 2.73
Aperture = f2.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8) × 2.73 = f7.6

Alpha a3000 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 Sony Alpha a3000, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Sony Alpha a3000 is 1.53

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