Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-W300 image
vs
Lumix DMC-LF1 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1
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Megapixels
13.90
12.10
Max. image resolution
4224 x 3168
4000 x 3000

Sensor

Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.7" (~ 7.53 x 5.64 mm)
1/1.7" (~ 7.53 x 5.64 mm)
Sensor resolution
4316 x 3221
4027 x 3005
Diagonal
9.41 mm
9.41 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
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1
Surface area:
42.47 mm² vs 42.47 mm²
Difference: 0 mm² (0%)
W300 and LF1 sensors are the same size.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 5 year gap between Sony W300 (2008) and Panasonic LF1 (2013). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
1.74 µm
1.87 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: 0.13 µm (7%)
Pixel pitch of LF1 is approx. 7% higher than pixel pitch of W300.
Pixel area
3.03 µm²
3.5 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: 0.47 µm² (16%)
A pixel on Panasonic LF1 sensor is approx. 16% bigger than a pixel on Sony W300.
Pixel density
32.85 MP/cm²
28.6 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: 4.25 µm (15%)
Sony W300 has approx. 15% higher pixel density than Panasonic LF1.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony W300
Panasonic LF1
Crop factor
4.6
4.6
Total megapixels
12.80
Effective megapixels
12.10
Optical zoom
3x
7.1x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, (12800 with boost)
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
30 cm
50 cm
Macro focus range
5 cm
3 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
35 - 105 mm
28 - 200 mm
Aperture priority
No
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f5.5
f2 - f5.9
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f12.9 - f25.3
f9.2 - f27.1
Metering
Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
Yes
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
250 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Optical (tunnel)
Electronic
White balance presets
7
4
Screen size
2.7"
3"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
920,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo
SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NP-BG1
Lithium-Ion
Weight
156 g
192 g
Dimensions
94.3 x 59.0 x 26.8 mm
102.5 x 62.1 x 27.9 mm
Year
2008
2013




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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 W300 diagonal

The diagonal of W300 sensor is not 1/1.7 or 0.59" (14.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 9.41 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.53 mm
h = 5.64 mm
Diagonal = √  7.53² + 5.64²   = 9.41 mm

Panasonic LF1 diagonal

The diagonal of LF1 sensor is not 1/1.7 or 0.59" (14.9 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 9.41 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 7.53 mm
h = 5.64 mm
Diagonal = √  7.53² + 5.64²   = 9.41 mm


Surface area

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

W300 sensor area

Width = 7.53 mm
Height = 5.64 mm

Surface area = 7.53 × 5.64 = 42.47 mm²

LF1 sensor area

Width = 7.53 mm
Height = 5.64 mm

Surface area = 7.53 × 5.64 = 42.47 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

W300 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4316 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.53  × 1000  = 1.74 µm
4316

LF1 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4027 pixels
Pixel pitch =   7.53  × 1000  = 1.87 µm
4027


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

W300 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.74 µm

Pixel area = 1.74² = 3.03 µm²

LF1 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.87 µm

Pixel area = 1.87² = 3.5 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

W300 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4316 pixels
Sensor width = 0.753 cm

Pixel density = (4316 / 0.753)² / 1000000 = 32.85 MP/cm²

LF1 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4027 pixels
Sensor width = 0.753 cm

Pixel density = (4027 / 0.753)² / 1000000 = 28.6 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

W300 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor height = 5.64 mm
Effective megapixels = 13.90
r = 7.53/5.64 = 1.34
X = √  13.90 × 1000000  = 3221
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3221 × 1.34 = 4316
Resolution vertical: X = 3221

Sensor resolution = 4316 x 3221

LF1 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 7.53 mm
Sensor height = 5.64 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
r = 7.53/5.64 = 1.34
X = √  12.10 × 1000000  = 3005
1.34
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3005 × 1.34 = 4027
Resolution vertical: X = 3005

Sensor resolution = 4027 x 3005


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


W300 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 9.41 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.6
9.41

LF1 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 9.41 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 4.6
9.41

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).

W300 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.6
Aperture = f2.8 - f5.5

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f5.5) × 4.6 = f12.9 - f25.3

LF1 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 4.6
Aperture = f2 - f5.9

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2 - f5.9) × 4.6 = f9.2 - f27.1

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