Panasonic S5 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3X has a
25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic S5's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the S5 and D3X sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Nikon D3X Cameras
Panasonic S5 and Nikon D3X 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
Both Panasonic S5 and Nikon D3X 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, S5 has scored 94, 6 points higher than D3X.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic S5
94
25.1 bits
14.5 Evs
2697 ISO
Nikon D3X
88
24.7 bits
13.7 Evs
1992 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 S5
or the
Nikon D3X ,
including hyperfocal distance.
