Pentax K10D has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Samsung NX1100 has a
20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Samsung NX1100's sensor provides 10MP more than Pentax K10D'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 K10D and NX1100 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Pentax K10D and Samsung NX1100 Cameras
Pentax K10D and Samsung NX1100 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Pentax K10D has 98% larger pixel area compared to Samsung NX1100, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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. Pentax K10D and Samsung NX1100 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that NX1100 has a better overall score of 73, 7 points higher compared to K10D's score of 66.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Pentax K10D
66
22.7 bits
11.6 Evs
522 ISO
Samsung NX1100
73
23.0 bits
12.5 Evs
852 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
Pentax K10D
or the
Samsung NX1100 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
