Canon 10D has a
6.0MP APS-C (22.7 x 15.1 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-510 has a
10.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the 10D and E-510 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 10D and Olympus E-510 Cameras
As seen above, Canon 10D has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-510. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Canon 10D and Olympus E-510 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 10D has scored 57, 5 points higher than E-510.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 10D
57
21.1 bits
10.9 Evs
571 ISO
Olympus E-510
52
21.2 bits
10.0 Evs
442 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Canon 10D
or the
Olympus E-510 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-C versus Four Thirds),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
