Canon 500D has a
15.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Panasonic GH1 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine HD processor.
Below you can see the 500D and GH1 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 500D and Panasonic GH1 Cameras
As seen above, Canon 500D has a 1.2x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GH1. 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
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 500D and Panasonic GH1 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that GH1 has a better overall score of 64, 1 points higher compared to 500D's score of 63.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 500D
63
21.7 bits
11.5 Evs
663 ISO
Panasonic GH1
64
21.6 bits
11.6 Evs
772 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 500D
or the
Panasonic GH1 ,
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.
