Panasonic GH6 has a
25.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sigma DP2 Merrill has a
15.0MP APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual TRUE II engine processor.
Panasonic GH6's sensor provides 10MP more than Sigma DP2 Merrill'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic GH6'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 GH6 and DP2 Merrill sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GH6 and Sigma DP2 Merrill Cameras
As seen above, Sigma DP2 Merrill has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GH6. 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
Panasonic GH6
or the
Sigma DP2 Merrill ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus APS-C),
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.
