Typical. We have to put trust in marketing from camera manufacturers and retail outlets to help us pick out our next camera. Well most people do anyway. You. You’re different. You visit photography websites. You read camera reviews. You know what the most important feature for a camera is…right? Well just in case:

The Most Important Feature You Want In Your Camera

It’s picture quality. Duh!

So how do we, as consumers of digital cameras, find out which cameras spit out the best picture quality in today’s cameras? You flounder you way through ads and peer reviews right? Wrong! While peer reviews may help you find out functionality and the overall “likeness” of a camera, it ain’t gonna help you find the most important spec your camera manufacturer puts work into. It’s not facial recognition or pre-programmed auto modes, although those are nice additions, and it isn’t megapixel count either. It’s arguably the hardest spec or real feature that you camera comes with and it’s essential to every camera. It’s the sensor size.

Sensor Size

Probably the most important piece of silicon in that computer attached to a lens is the camera’s sensor size.

Here’s how digital camera sensors work in simplified terms. Bigger sensors have bigger pixels and are able to absorb more light into the photosites. This will give you better detail, sharper images, better color and clarity, higher dynamic range, and much better low-light performance.

Small sensors, like those found in digital point and shoot cameras, have smaller pixels in order to pack more pixels into their limited space thus giving them the opportunity to boast a 12MP pocket camera. These tightly crammed pixels get hot. This is what creates “digital noise” and it becomes more apparent when the camera has to work harder in lower light situations.

If you have a point and shoot with 10MP and a DSLR with 10MP you’re getting better pictures with the big guy not because it’s a DSLR and you can attach fancy glass but because that sensor is HUGE compared to that pocket camera.

This is why bigger cameras, especially DSLRs, will take far better pictures than those handy little digital pocket cameras. There can be a difference in size of up to 10 times!

So how do you find out how big the sensor is in a camera? It ain’t easy. See, manufacturers like to bury this information. Some would call this evil. You decide. This information is not on the box. It’s not on the advertisements. It used to be really hard to find on their websites but I’m able to find it easier now.

So what’s the deal? This is probably an issue with the megapixel race that we seem to finally be coming out of. Camera manufacturers tried really hard to use megapixels as their standard of quality even though every technical photographer in the world knew this was total crap. It’s easier to sell a jump in 1 or 2 megapixels than a tiny fraction of a size difference between two models of cameras to consumers who don’t know any better. But you do. You know better.

The way you can find this information is to use our good buddy Google. Do a search for a camera make and model and add “sensor size” to the end. Ex: “Nikon D90 sensor size” gives me a search result directly to NikonUSA with an answer of “Sensor Size: 23.6×15.8mm”. Search mileage may vary. Often times you’ll find it referenced on third party camera spec and review sites like DPreview.com ,DCresource.com, or LetsGoDigital.org and your search results will send you to those sites. All three of these sites are trusted and they take great care in pinpointing every little technical nuance, spec, and feature they can for our learning pleasure.

Your work isn’t really over. Now you have to figure out what the heck these crazy numbers mean anyway. You used to have to convert that to inches then calculate the diagonal so that you can compare. Kinda like comparing TVs. You don’t have to do that anymore. Just head to Sensor-Size.com and you’ll be able to convert and compare. This site rocks and will help you ensure that gimmicks and marketing tricks don’t make you part ways with your hard earned cash with the wrong camera in tow.

This is where you start your search for your next camera when you’re dropping serious cash. Do you really have to do this with every little point and shoot you buy? That’s up to you.

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