Both Panasonic FS42 and Nikon D200 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic FS42's sensor is 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) and Nikon D200's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ).
Since Nikon D200'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 FS42.
Below you can see the FS42 and D200 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic FS42 and Nikon D200 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D200 has a 15.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FS42. 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 FS42
or the
Nikon D200 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2.5-inch 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.
