Both Panasonic LX5 and Nikon P7100 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic LX5's sensor is 1/1.63-inch (8.07 x 5.56 mm ) and Nikon P7100's sensor is 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ).
Since Panasonic LX5'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 Nikon P7100.
Below you can see the LX5 and P7100 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic LX5 and Nikon P7100 Cameras
Panasonic LX5 and Nikon P7100 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
At Camera Decision, we also look at Dxo Mark sensors when available as we think it is a good indicator of image quality.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic LX5
41
19.6 bits
10.8 Evs
132 ISO
Nikon P7100
41
19.4 bits
10.7 Evs
165 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 LX5
or the
Nikon P7100 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.63-inch 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.
