Canon S90 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 P7800 has a
12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the S90 and P7800 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon S90 and Nikon P7800 Cameras
Canon S90 and Nikon P7800 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Canon S90 has 20% larger pixel area compared to Nikon P7800, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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 S90 and Nikon P7800 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that P7800 has a better overall score of 54, 8 points higher compared to S90's score of 46.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon S90
46
20.2 bits
11.0 Evs
185 ISO
Nikon P7800
54
21.2 bits
11.7 Evs
200 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 S90
or the
Nikon P7800 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
