Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 vs. Olympus XZ-1

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-T50 image
vs
XZ-1 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 Olympus XZ-1
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Megapixels
7.20
10.00
Max. image resolution
3072 x 2304
3648 x 2736

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
1/1.63" (~ 7.85 x 5.89 mm)
Sensor resolution
3095 x 2327
3647 x 2742
Diagonal
7.19 mm
9.81 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 : 1.86
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 Olympus XZ-1
Surface area:
24.84 mm² vs 46.24 mm²
Difference: 21.4 mm² (86%)
XZ-1 sensor is approx. 1.86x bigger than T50 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 5 year gap between Sony T50 (2006) and Olympus XZ-1 (2011). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
1.86 µm
2.15 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: 0.29 µm (16%)
Pixel pitch of XZ-1 is approx. 16% higher than pixel pitch of T50.
Pixel area
3.46 µm²
4.62 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: 1.16 µm² (34%)
A pixel on Olympus XZ-1 sensor is approx. 34% bigger than a pixel on Sony T50.
Pixel density
28.97 MP/cm²
21.58 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: 7.39 µm (34%)
Sony T50 has approx. 34% higher pixel density than Olympus XZ-1.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony T50
Olympus XZ-1
Crop factor
6.02
4.41
Total megapixels
Effective megapixels
10.00
Optical zoom
3x
4x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000
Auto, 100 - 6400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
50 cm
60 cm
Macro focus range
6 cm
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
28 - 112 mm
Aperture priority
No
Yes
Max. aperture
f3.5 - f4.3
f1.8 - f2.5
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f21.1 - f25.9
f7.9 - f11
Metering
Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot
Centre weighted, ESP Digital, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
Yes
Min. shutter speed
8 sec
Bulb+16min sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
Electronic (optional)
White balance presets
7
7
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
610,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo
SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
InfoLithium (NP-FR1)
Lithium-Ion Li-50B rechargeable battery
Weight
170 g
275 g
Dimensions
95.0 x 56.5 x 23.4 mm
110.6 x 64.8 x 42.3 mm
Year
2006
2011




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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 T50 diagonal

The diagonal of T50 sensor is not 1/2.5 or 0.4" (10.2 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.19 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 5.75 mm
h = 4.32 mm
Diagonal =  5.75² + 4.32²   = 7.19 mm

Olympus XZ-1 diagonal

The diagonal of XZ-1 sensor is not 1/1.63 or 0.61" (15.6 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 9.81 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.85 mm
h = 5.89 mm
Diagonal =  7.85² + 5.89²   = 9.81 mm


Surface area

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

T50 sensor area

Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm

Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²

XZ-1 sensor area

Width = 7.85 mm
Height = 5.89 mm

Surface area = 7.85 × 5.89 = 46.24 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

T50 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3095 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.75  × 1000  = 1.86 µm
3095

XZ-1 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.85 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.85  × 1000  = 2.15 µm
3647


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

T50 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.86 µm

Pixel area = 1.86² = 3.46 µm²

XZ-1 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.15 µm

Pixel area = 2.15² = 4.62 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

T50 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3095 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm

Pixel density = (3095 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 28.97 MP/cm²

XZ-1 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Sensor width = 0.785 cm

Pixel density = (3647 / 0.785)² / 1000000 = 21.58 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

T50 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 7.20
r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33
X =  7.20 × 1000000  = 2327
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2327 × 1.33 = 3095
Resolution vertical: X = 2327

Sensor resolution = 3095 x 2327

XZ-1 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.85 mm
Sensor height = 5.89 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.00
r = 7.85/5.89 = 1.33
X =  10.00 × 1000000  = 2742
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2742 × 1.33 = 3647
Resolution vertical: X = 2742

Sensor resolution = 3647 x 2742


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


T50 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.19 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 6.02
7.19

XZ-1 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 9.81 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.41
9.81

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).

T50 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 6.02
Aperture = f3.5 - f4.3

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.5 - f4.3) × 6.02 = f21.1 - f25.9

XZ-1 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.41
Aperture = f1.8 - f2.5

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f1.8 - f2.5) × 4.41 = f7.9 - f11

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