Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W17 vs. Casio Exilim EX-Z1080

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-W17 image
vs
Exilim EX-Z1080 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W17 Casio Exilim EX-Z1080
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Megapixels
7.20
10.10
Max. image resolution
3072 x 2304
3648 x 2736

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/1.8" (~ 7.11 x 5.33 mm)
1/1.75" (~ 7.31 x 5.49 mm)
Sensor resolution
3095 x 2327
3665 x 2756
Diagonal
8.89 mm
9.14 mm
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
vs
1 : 1.06
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W17 Casio Exilim EX-Z1080
Surface area:
37.90 mm² vs 40.13 mm²
Difference: 2.23 mm² (6%)
Z1080 sensor is slightly bigger than W17 sensor (only 6% difference).
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 2 year gap between Sony W17 (2005) and Casio Z1080 (2007). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
2.3 µm
1.99 µm
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Difference: 0.31 µm (16%)
Pixel pitch of W17 is approx. 16% higher than pixel pitch of Z1080.
Pixel area
5.29 µm²
3.96 µm²
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 1.33 µm² (34%)
A pixel on Sony W17 sensor is approx. 34% bigger than a pixel on Casio Z1080.
Pixel density
18.95 MP/cm²
25.14 MP/cm²
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Difference: 6.19 µm (33%)
Casio Z1080 has approx. 33% higher pixel density than Sony W17.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony W17
Casio Z1080
Crop factor
4.87
4.73
Total megapixels
10.30
Effective megapixels
10.10
Optical zoom
Yes
3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
40 cm
Macro focus range
6 cm
10 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 114 mm
38 - 114 mm
Aperture priority
No
No
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f5.2
f2.8 - f5.1
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f13.6 - f25.3
f13.2 - f24.1
Metering
Centre weighted, Multi Spot
Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
No
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
4 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/1000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical
None
White balance presets
5
7
Screen size
2.5"
2.6"
Screen resolution
115,000 dots
114,960 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro
MultiMedia, SDHC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
2x AA
Casio NP-100 Li Ion battery
Weight
197 g
125 g
Dimensions
91 x 60 x 37.1 mm
91.1 x 57.2 x 24.2 mm
Year
2005
2007




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Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal = √  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Sony W17 diagonal

The diagonal of W17 sensor is not 1/1.8 or 0.56" (14.1 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 8.89 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.11 mm
h = 5.33 mm
Diagonal = √  7.11² + 5.33²   = 8.89 mm

Casio Z1080 diagonal

The diagonal of Z1080 sensor is not 1/1.75 or 0.57" (14.5 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 9.14 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.31 mm
h = 5.49 mm
Diagonal = √  7.31² + 5.49²   = 9.14 mm


Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

W17 sensor area

Width = 7.11 mm
Height = 5.33 mm

Surface area = 7.11 × 5.33 = 37.90 mm²

Z1080 sensor area

Width = 7.31 mm
Height = 5.49 mm

Surface area = 7.31 × 5.49 = 40.13 mm²


Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch =   sensor width in mm  × 1000
sensor resolution width in pixels

W17 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3095 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.11  × 1000  = 2.3 µm
3095

Z1080 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.31 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3665 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.31  × 1000  = 1.99 µm
3665


Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area =   sensor surface area in mm²
effective megapixels

W17 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 2.3 µm

Pixel area = 2.3² = 5.29 µm²

Z1080 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.99 µm

Pixel area = 1.99² = 3.96 µm²


Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel density =  ( sensor resolution width in pixels )² / 1000000
sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:
Pixel density =   effective megapixels × 1000000  / 10000
sensor surface area in mm²

W17 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3095 pixels
Sensor width = 0.711 cm

Pixel density = (3095 / 0.711)² / 1000000 = 18.95 MP/cm²

Z1080 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3665 pixels
Sensor width = 0.731 cm

Pixel density = (3665 / 0.731)² / 1000000 = 25.14 MP/cm²


Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000    →   
X = √  effective megapixels × 1000000
r
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

W17 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.11 mm
Sensor height = 5.33 mm
Effective megapixels = 7.20
r = 7.11/5.33 = 1.33
X = √  7.20 × 1000000  = 2327
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2327 × 1.33 = 3095
Resolution vertical: X = 2327

Sensor resolution = 3095 x 2327

Z1080 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.31 mm
Sensor height = 5.49 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.10
r = 7.31/5.49 = 1.33
X = √  10.10 × 1000000  = 2756
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2756 × 1.33 = 3665
Resolution vertical: X = 2756

Sensor resolution = 3665 x 2756


Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor =   43.27 mm
sensor diagonal in mm


W17 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 8.89 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.87
8.89

Z1080 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 9.14 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.73
9.14

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

W17 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.87
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.2

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.2) × 4.87 = f13.6 - f25.3

Z1080 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.73
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.1

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.1) × 4.73 = f13.2 - f24.1

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