Panasonic LX3 has a
10.0MP 1/1.63-inch (8.07 x 5.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Sony RX100 II has a
20.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .
Sony RX100 II's sensor provides 10MP more than Panasonic LX3'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 LX3 and RX100 II sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic LX3 and Sony RX100 II Cameras
As seen above, Sony RX100 II has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Panasonic LX3. 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Panasonic LX3 and Sony RX100 II sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that RX100 II has a better overall score of 67, 28 points higher compared to LX3's score of 39.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic LX3
39
19.6 bits
10.8 Evs
94 ISO
Sony RX100 II
67
22.5 bits
12.4 Evs
483 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 LX3
or the
Sony RX100 II ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.63-inch versus 1-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.
