Canon 550D has a
18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Pentax Q10 has a
12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Canon 550D's sensor provides 6MP more than Pentax Q10's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the 550D and Q10 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Canon 550D has a 11.8x Larger sensor area than Pentax Q10. 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 550D and Pentax Q10 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, 550D has scored 66, 17 points higher than Q10.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon 550D |
66 |
22.0 bits |
11.6 Evs |
807 ISO |
Pentax Q10 |
49 |
21.1 bits |
10.9 Evs |
183 ISO |