Photokina 2008: Full-Frame and Megapixels Rule
by Wesley Fink on September 26, 2008 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
...of Megapixels and Sensor Density
Last year's announcement of the full-frame Nikon D3 was about extended ISO range, perhaps even more than the full-frame sensor. Nikon did a superb job of selling low-light sensitivity and extended ISO range as must-have features. Photokina 2008 will likely be remembered as the show that embraced full-frame and extended ISO performance, but that also reignited the Megapixel wars. In both the traditional APS-C model DSLRs and the new pro full-frame class, resolution moved higher - in some cases much higher.
APS-C Digital
The APS-C chart shows that 12MP is the new starting point for top APS-C DSLRs. Olympus is now the only APS-C player to feature 10MP in their top DSLR, though that could change when a new midrange Olympus DSLR is introduced early next year.
| Top APS-C DSLR Sensor Comparison | ||||
| Camera | Effective Sensor Resolution |
Sensor Dimensions and Area |
Percentage of Full-Frame |
Sensor Density (MP/cm2) |
| Olympus E-520/E-3 | 10 | 13.5x18 2.43 cm2 |
28.10% | 4 |
| Panasonic G1 | 12.1 | 13.5x18 2.43 cm2 |
28.10% | 5 |
| Canon XSi | 12.2 | 14.8x22.2 3.28 cm2 |
38.00% | 3.7 |
| Sony A700, Nikon D300, Nikon D90 | 12.3 | 15.7x23.5 3.66 cm2 |
42.40% | 3.3 |
| Sony A350 | 14.2 | 15.8x23.6 3.72 cm2 |
42.90% | 3.8 |
| Pentax K20D | 14.6 | 15.6x23.4 3.65 cm2 |
42.20% | 4 |
| Canon 50D | 15.1 | 14.9x22.3 3.32 cm2 |
38.40% | 4.5 |
Pentax grabbed the resolution crown last year with their 14.6MP Samsung APS-C sensor, but Canon won it back with the 50D announced at Photokina 2008. Perhaps even more interesting is the ISO range of the new 15.1MP 50D. The D300 excited users with a Hi1 6400 ISO option. Canon goes one better with both a Hi1 and Hi2 12800. It will be interesting to see if the new 50D high ISO options are real or just marketing.
Full-Frame DSLRs
The announcement of the full-frame Nikon D3 was about extended ISO range, and Nikon did a superb job of selling low-light sensitivity and extended ISO range of their full-frame sensor. This year manufacturers introduced two more full-frame DSLR cameras. They embraced low-noise sensitivity but they also extended the sensor resolution of their new full-frame sensors.
| Full-Frame DSLR Sensor Comparison | ||||
| Camera | Effective Sensor Resolution |
Sensor Dimensions and Area |
ISO Range | Sensor Density (MP/cm2) |
| Canon 5D | 12.7 | 24x36 8.64 cm2 |
100-3200 | 1.5 |
| Nikon D700/Nikon D3 | 12.1 | 24x36 8.64 cm2 |
100-25600 | 1.4 |
| Canon 5D Mark II | 21.1 | 24x36 8.64 cm2 |
50-25600 | 2.4 |
| Canon 1Ds Mark III | 21.1 | 24x36 8.64 cm2 |
100-6400 | 2.4 |
| Sony A900 | 24.6 | 24x35.9 8.61 cm2 |
100-6400 | 2.9 |
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haplo602 - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
sorry guys but WTF are you talking about? how is the AF type relevant to lens motor operation ?I mean the adapter should be translating the signals to the lens properly (unless 4/3 lenses are screw blade driven).
also you could then not AF in LiveView on regular 4/3 systems as they use contrast detect as one of the AF modes ...
please explain ... I am a bit puzzled here ...
Wesley Fink - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
Obviously it should be 4/3 and not 4/5 in my reply. We DO need an EDIT function.Wesley Fink - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
Olympus made it clear in specifications (and our testing of the E-520 and Panasonic Lumix L10) that only these four lenses are compatible with contrast detect. You can easily check the E-520 focusing specifications for yourself at http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product....">http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.....Since the contrast-detect AF compatibility on these lenses just required a firmware update perhaps more 4/5 lenses will be contrast AF compatible in the future. That is unknown right now.
haplo602 - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
ah thanks for the link.It seems a bit stupid however :) I mean what does the lens do while focusing ? It just receives signals from the camera which way to move the lens groups. It does nothing in the focus evaluation.
haplo602 - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
there should be an EDIT function ...EDIT of the above post: Please make a section specific to G1, it is NOT an APS-C DSLR :-)
Wesley Fink - Friday, September 26, 2008 - link
It is not a DSLR but it does use a sensor that fits the broad APS-C category, where 4/3 cameras currently compete. We were very clear to call it an interchangeable lens camera without a mirror box.We have changed the description to APS-C cameras for a more precise description.