Nikon 1 J5 has a
21.0MP 1' (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5A processor. On the other hand, Sony RX100 IV has a
20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized Stacked BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon 1 J5's sensor lacks 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 J5 and RX100 IV sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J5 and Sony RX100 IV Cameras
Nikon 1 J5 and Sony RX100 IV 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.
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. Nikon 1 J5 and Sony RX100 IV sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that RX100 IV has a better overall score of 70, 5 points higher compared to J5's score of 65.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon 1 J5
65
22.1 bits
12.0 Evs
479 ISO
Sony RX100 IV
70
22.9 bits
12.6 Evs
562 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
Nikon 1 J5
or the
Sony RX100 IV ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1' versus 1″ ),
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.
