Panasonic GX8 has a
20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Canon 1D MII has a
8.0MP APS-H (28.7 x 19.1 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Panasonic GX8's sensor provides 12MP more than Canon 1D MII'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 GX8 and 1D MII sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GX8 and Canon 1D MII Cameras
As seen above, Canon 1D MII has a 2.4x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GX8. 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 GX8 and Canon 1D MII 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, GX8 has scored 75, 9 points higher than 1D MII.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic GX8
75
23.5 bits
12.6 Evs
806 ISO
Canon 1D MII
66
22.3 bits
11.1 Evs
1003 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 GX8
or the
Canon 1D MII ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus APS-H),
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.
