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, Sigma DP2 Quattro has a
20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features TRUE III engine 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 DP2 Quattro sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Sigma DP2 Quattro Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic S5 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sigma DP2 Quattro. 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 S5
or the
Sigma DP2 Quattro ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame 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.
