Both Nikon L100 and Canon SX120 IS have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon L100's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) and Canon SX120 IS's sensor is 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ).
Since Nikon L100'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 SX120 IS.
Below you can see the L100 and SX120 IS sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L100 and Canon SX120 IS Cameras
As seen above, Nikon L100 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon SX120 IS. 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
Nikon L100
or the
Canon SX120 IS ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2.3-inch versus 1/2.5-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.
