Canon G9 X has a
20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J5 has a
21.0MP 1' (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5A processor.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon 1 J5's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the G9 X and J5 sensor size comparison.
Canon G9 X and Nikon 1 J5 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon G9 X and Nikon 1 J5 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that J5 has a better overall score of 65, 2 points higher compared to G9 X's score of 63.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon G9 X |
63 |
21.5 bits |
12.3 Evs |
495 ISO |
Nikon 1 J5 |
65 |
22.1 bits |
12.0 Evs |
479 ISO |