Panasonic GH2 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor. On the other hand, Nikon D2Xs has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the GH2 and D2Xs sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GH2 and Nikon D2Xs Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D2Xs has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GH2. 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 Panasonic GH2 and Nikon D2Xs 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, GH2 has scored 60, 1 points higher than D2Xs.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic GH2
60
21.2 bits
11.3 Evs
655 ISO
Nikon D2Xs
59
22.2 bits
10.9 Evs
489 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
Panasonic GH2
or the
Nikon D2Xs ,
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.
