Canon SX720 HS has a
20.3MP 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Sony RX1R has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Sony RX1R's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the SX720 HS and RX1R sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX720 HS and Sony RX1R Cameras
As seen above, Sony RX1R has a 30.5x Larger sensor area than Canon SX720 HS. 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 SX720 HS
or the
Sony RX1R ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2.3 versus Full frame),
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.
