Sony RX100 V has a
20.0MP 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized Stacked BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3100 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.1 x 15.4 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 2 processor.
Sony RX100 V's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D3100'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 RX100 V and D3100 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony RX100 V and Nikon D3100 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D3100 has a 3.1x Larger sensor area than Sony RX100 V. 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Sony RX100 V and Nikon D3100 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, RX100 V has scored 70, 3 points higher than D3100.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony RX100 V
70
22.8 bits
12.4 Evs
586 ISO
Nikon D3100
67
22.5 bits
11.3 Evs
919 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 RX100 V
or the
Nikon D3100 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1″ 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.
