Panasonic LX5 has a
10.0MP 1/1.63-inch (8.07 x 5.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor. On the other hand, Nikon D2X has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the LX5 and D2X sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic LX5 and Nikon D2X Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D2X has a 8.3x Larger sensor area than Panasonic LX5. 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 LX5 and Nikon D2X sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D2X has a better overall score of 59, 18 points higher compared to LX5's score of 41.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic LX5
41
19.6 bits
10.8 Evs
132 ISO
Nikon D2X
59
22.1 bits
10.9 Evs
476 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 D2X ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.63-inch 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.
