Panasonic LX10 has a
20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Canon S120 has a
12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Digic 6 processor.
Panasonic LX10's sensor provides 8MP more than Canon S120'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 LX10 and S120 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic LX10 and Canon S120 Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic LX10 has a 2.8x Larger sensor area than Canon S120. 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 LX10 and Canon S120 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, LX10 has scored 70, 14 points higher than S120.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic LX10
70
22.8 bits
12.5 Evs
581 ISO
Canon S120
56
21.3 bits
11.9 Evs
246 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 LX10
or the
Canon S120 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1″ versus 1/1.7-inch),
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.
