Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III vs. Canon PowerShot SX700 HS

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III image
vs
PowerShot SX700 HS image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III Canon PowerShot SX700 HS
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Megapixels
20.10
16.10
Max. image resolution
5472 x 3648
4608 x 3456

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CMOS
Sensor size
13.2 x 8.8 mm
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
Sensor resolution
5492 x 3661
4627 x 3479
Diagonal
15.86 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
4.08 : 1
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III Canon PowerShot SX700 HS
Surface area:
116.16 mm² vs 28.46 mm²
Difference: 87.7 mm² (308%)
RX100 III sensor is approx. 4.08x bigger than SX700 HS sensor.
Pixel pitch
2.4 µm
1.33 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: 1.07 µm (80%)
Pixel pitch of RX100 III is approx. 80% higher than pixel pitch of SX700 HS.
Pixel area
5.76 µm²
1.77 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: 3.99 µm² (225%)
A pixel on Sony RX100 III sensor is approx. 225% bigger than a pixel on Canon SX700 HS.
Pixel density
17.31 MP/cm²
56.42 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: 39.11 µm (226%)
Canon SX700 HS has approx. 226% higher pixel density than Sony RX100 III.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony RX100 III
Canon SX700 HS
Crop factor
2.73
5.62
Total megapixels
20.90
16.80
Effective megapixels
20.10
16.10
Optical zoom
2.9x
30x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 125-12800 (up to 25600)
Auto, 100-3200
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
5 cm
5 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
24 - 70 mm
25 - 750 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f1.8 - f2.8
f3.2 - f6.9
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f4.9 - f7.6
f18 - f38.8
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
15 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/3200 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Electronic
None
White balance presets
9
6
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
1,228,800 dots
922,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (60p/60i/30p/24p)
1920x1080 (60p/30p)
Storage types
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo/PRO-HG HX Duo
SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery
Battery Pack NB-6LH
Weight
290 g
269 g
Dimensions
101.6 x 58.1 x 41 mm
112.7 x 65.8 x 34.8 mm
Year
2014
2014




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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

Sony RX100 III diagonal

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

Canon SX700 HS diagonal

The diagonal of SX700 HS 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.

RX100 III sensor area

Width = 13.20 mm
Height = 8.80 mm

Surface area = 13.20 × 8.80 = 116.16 mm²

SX700 HS 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

RX100 III pixel pitch

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5492 pixels
Pixel pitch =   13.20  × 1000  = 2.4 µm
5492

SX700 HS pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.16  × 1000  = 1.33 µm
4627


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

RX100 III pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.4 µm

Pixel area = 2.4² = 5.76 µm²

SX700 HS pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.33 µm

Pixel area = 1.33² = 1.77 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

RX100 III pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5492 pixels
Sensor width = 1.32 cm

Pixel density = (5492 / 1.32)² / 1000000 = 17.31 MP/cm²

SX700 HS pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4627 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm

Pixel density = (4627 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 56.42 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

RX100 III sensor resolution

Sensor width = 13.20 mm
Sensor height = 8.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.10
r = 13.20/8.80 = 1.5
X =  20.10 × 1000000  = 3661
1.5
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3661 × 1.5 = 5492
Resolution vertical: X = 3661

Sensor resolution = 5492 x 3661

SX700 HS sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.10
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33
X =  16.10 × 1000000  = 3479
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3479 × 1.33 = 4627
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


RX100 III crop factor

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

SX700 HS 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).

RX100 III equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 2.73
Aperture = f1.8 - f2.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f1.8 - f2.8) × 2.73 = f4.9 - f7.6

SX700 HS equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.2 - f6.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.2 - f6.9) × 5.62 = f18 - f38.8

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