Nikon D40 has a
6.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Panasonic G10 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine HD II processor.
Panasonic G10's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D40's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the D40 and G10 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D40 and Panasonic G10 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D40 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G10. 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D40 and Panasonic G10 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, D40 has scored 56, 4 points higher than G10.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D40
56
21.0 bits
11.0 Evs
561 ISO
Panasonic G10
52
21.2 bits
10.1 Evs
411 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 D40
or the
Panasonic G10 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-C versus Four Thirds),
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.
