Both Sony RX100 VI and Canon 170 IS have 20.0 MP resolution sensors but Sony RX100 VI's sensor is 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) and Canon 170 IS's sensor is 1/2.3' (6.17 x 4.55 mm ).
Since Sony RX100 VI's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Canon 170 IS.
Below you can see the RX100 VI and 170 IS sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony RX100 VI and Canon 170 IS Cameras
As seen above, Sony RX100 VI has a 4.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 170 IS. 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
Sony RX100 VI
or the
Canon 170 IS ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1″ versus 1/2.3' ),
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.
