Both Canon G7 X MIII and Nikon S3500 have 20.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon G7 X MIII's sensor is 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) and Nikon S3500's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.16 x 4.62 mm ).
Since Canon G7 X MIII's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon S3500.
Below you can see the G7 X MIII and S3500 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon G7 X MIII and Nikon S3500 Cameras
As seen above, Canon G7 X MIII has a 4.1x Larger sensor area than Nikon S3500. 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.
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 G7 X MIII
or the
Nikon S3500 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1″ versus 1/2.3-inch),
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.