Both Canon S90 and Panasonic LX3 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon S90's sensor is 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) and Panasonic LX3's sensor is 1/1.63-inch (8.07 x 5.56 mm ).
Since Panasonic LX3'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 Canon S90.
Below you can see the S90 and LX3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon S90 and Panasonic LX3 Cameras
Canon S90 and Panasonic LX3 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Canon S90 and Panasonic LX3 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, S90 has scored 46, 7 points higher than LX3.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon S90
46
20.2 bits
11.0 Evs
185 ISO
Panasonic LX3
39
19.6 bits
10.8 Evs
94 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
Panasonic LX3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.7-inch versus 1/1.63-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.
