Canon G12 has a
10.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 AW1 has a
14.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features EXPEED 3A processor.
Below you can see the G12 and 1 AW1 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon 1 AW1 has a 2.8x Larger sensor area than Canon G12. 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 G12 and Nikon 1 AW1 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 1 AW1 has a better overall score of 51, 4 points higher compared to G12's score of 47.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon G12 |
47 |
20.4 bits |
11.2 Evs |
161 ISO |
Nikon 1 AW1 |
51 |
20.2 bits |
10.9 Evs |
428 ISO |