Panasonic ZS40 has a
18.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Ricoh GR Digital IV has a
10.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Panasonic ZS40's sensor provides 8MP more than Ricoh GR Digital IV'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 ZS40 and GR Digital IV sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS40 and Ricoh GR Digital IV Cameras
As seen above, Ricoh GR Digital IV has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS40. 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.
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 ZS40
or the
Ricoh GR Digital IV ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2.3-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.
