Canon 50D has a
15.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Sony A700 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the 50D and A700 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 50D and Sony A700 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A700 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 50D. 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 50D and Sony A700 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A700 has a better overall score of 66, 3 points higher compared to 50D's score of 63.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 50D
63
21.8 bits
11.4 Evs
696 ISO
Sony A700
66
22.3 bits
11.9 Evs
581 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 50D
or the
Sony A700 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
