Both Fujifilm HS30EXR and Panasonic FH10 have 16.0 MP resolution sensors but Fujifilm HS30EXR's sensor is 1/2-inch (6.4 x 4.8 mm ) and Panasonic FH10's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ).
Since Fujifilm HS30EXR'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 Panasonic FH10.
Below you can see the HS30EXR and FH10 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Fujifilm HS30EXR and Panasonic FH10 Cameras
As seen above, Fujifilm HS30EXR has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FH10. 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
Fujifilm HS30EXR
or the
Panasonic FH10 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2-inch 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.
