Sony A390 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Samsung NX30 has a
20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMeIV processor.
Samsung NX30's sensor provides 6MP more than Sony A390'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 A390 and NX30 sensor size comparison.
Sony A390 and Samsung NX30 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 Sony A390 has 42% larger pixel area compared to Samsung NX30, 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. Sony A390 and Samsung NX30 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that NX30 has a better overall score of 77, 11 points higher compared to A390's score of 66.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony A390 |
66 |
22.5 bits |
11.5 Evs |
607 ISO |
Samsung NX30 |
77 |
23.5 bits |
12.4 Evs |
1014 ISO |