Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370 vs. Nikon Coolpix 4100

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-W370 image
vs
Coolpix 4100 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370 Nikon Coolpix 4100
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Megapixels
14.50
3.90
Max. image resolution
4320 x 3240
2288 x 1712

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
Sensor resolution
4392 x 3302
2277 x 1712
Diagonal
7.70 mm
7.19 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
1.15 : 1
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370 Nikon Coolpix 4100
Surface area:
28.46 mm² vs 24.84 mm²
Difference: 3.62 mm² (15%)
W370 sensor is approx. 1.15x bigger than 4100 sensor.
Note: You are comparing sensors of very different generations. There is a gap of 6 years between Sony W370 (2010) and Nikon 4100 (2004). Six years is a lot of time in terms of technology, meaning newer sensors are overall much more efficient than the older ones.
Pixel pitch
1.4 µm
2.53 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: 1.13 µm (81%)
Pixel pitch of 4100 is approx. 81% higher than pixel pitch of W370.
Pixel area
1.96 µm²
6.4 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: 4.44 µm² (227%)
A pixel on Nikon 4100 sensor is approx. 227% bigger than a pixel on Sony W370.
Pixel density
50.84 MP/cm²
15.68 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: 35.16 µm (224%)
Sony W370 has approx. 224% higher pixel density than Nikon 4100.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony W370
Nikon 4100
Crop factor
5.62
6.02
Total megapixels
4.20
Effective megapixels
3.90
Optical zoom
7x
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 1600, 3200
Auto
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
10 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
10 cm
3 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
34 - 238 mm
35 - 105 mm
Aperture priority
No
No
Max. aperture
f3.6 - f5.6
f2.8 - f4.9
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f20.2 - f31.5
f16.9 - f29.5
Metering
Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Average
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
No
Min. shutter speed
2 sec
4 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1600 sec
1/3000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
Optical (tunnel)
White balance presets
6
6
Screen size
3"
1.6"
Screen resolution
230,400 dots
80,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SDHC, Secure Digital
SD/MMC card, Internal
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 1.0
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NP-BN1 battery
AA (2) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Weight
179 g
190 g
Dimensions
100 x 57 x 26 mm
88 x 65 x 38 mm
Year
2010
2004




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vs

Diagonal

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

Sony W370 diagonal

The diagonal of W370 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

Nikon 4100 diagonal

The diagonal of 4100 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


Surface area

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

W370 sensor area

Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm

Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²

4100 sensor area

Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm

Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 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

W370 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4392 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.16  × 1000  = 1.4 µm
4392

4100 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Pixel pitch =   5.75  × 1000  = 2.53 µm
2277


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

W370 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.4 µm

Pixel area = 1.4² = 1.96 µm²

4100 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.53 µm

Pixel area = 2.53² = 6.4 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

W370 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4392 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm

Pixel density = (4392 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 50.84 MP/cm²

4100 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 2277 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm

Pixel density = (2277 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 15.68 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

W370 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 14.50
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33
X =  14.50 × 1000000  = 3302
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3302 × 1.33 = 4392
Resolution vertical: X = 3302

Sensor resolution = 4392 x 3302

4100 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 3.90
r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33
X =  3.90 × 1000000  = 1712
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1712 × 1.33 = 2277
Resolution vertical: X = 1712

Sensor resolution = 2277 x 1712


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


W370 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 5.62
7.70

4100 crop factor

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

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).

W370 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.6 - f5.6

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.6 - f5.6) × 5.62 = f20.2 - f31.5

4100 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 6.02
Aperture = f2.8 - f4.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f4.9) × 6.02 = f16.9 - f29.5

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