Sony A1 has a
50.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized Stacked CMOS sensor and features Dual Bionz XR processor. On the other hand, Panasonic S1R has a
47.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Panasonic S1R's sensor doesn't have an 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 A1 and S1R sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A1 and Panasonic S1R Cameras
Sony A1 and Panasonic S1R 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
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. Sony A1 and Panasonic S1R sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that S1R has a better overall score of 100, 2 points higher compared to A1's score of 98.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A1
98
25.9 bits
14.5 Evs
3163 ISO
Panasonic S1R
100
26.4 bits
14.1 Evs
3525 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
Sony A1
or the
Panasonic S1R ,
including hyperfocal distance.
