Canon S100 has a
12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor. On the other hand, Sony A100 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Below you can see the S100 and A100 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon S100 and Sony A100 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A100 has a 9.0x Larger sensor area than Canon S100. 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 S100 and Sony A100 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A100 has a better overall score of 61, 11 points higher compared to S100's score of 50.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon S100
50
20.7 bits
11.6 Evs
153 ISO
Sony A100
61
22.0 bits
11.2 Evs
476 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 S100
or the
Sony A100 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.7-inch versus APS-C),
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.
