What is the crop factor of the Canon G12?

The Canon PowerShot G12 is equipped with a 1/1.7-inch sensor, whose diagonal measures 9.5mm. The sensor has a crop factor (or format factor, or focal length multiplier) of 4.6.

The crop factor is defined as the ratio of the 35mm full-frame film diagonal to the diagonal of a digital sensor. This number indicates how a lens behaves in relation to the size of the image sensor.

Sensor size comparison with a film slide

With a crop factor of 4.6, the sensor in the Canon G12 is smaller than the receptor area of a 35mm film slide or negative. As a result, the lens that is attached to the Canon G12 will offer a narrower angle of view and provide deeper depth of field than a lens of similar focal length and aperture on a film camera. The equivalent focal length is obtained by multiplying the actual focal length of the lens with the crop factor. For example, a 11mm lens on the Canon G12 will provide the same angle of view and depth of field as a 50mm normal lens on a film camera (11mm * 4.6 = 50mm).

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Canon G12 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon G12	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	720/24p	20.4	11.2	161	47
2.		Canon G16	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.0	11.7	230	54
3.		Canon G15	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.9	11.5	165	46
4.		Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179	47
5.		Fujifilm X10	2/3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/30p	20.5	11.3	245	50
6.		Nikon P7800	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/30p	21.2	11.7	200	54
7.		Olympus E-450	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.5	10.5	512	56
8.		Panasonic FZ150	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	19.4	10.9	132	40
9.		Panasonic G10	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.1	411	52
10.		Panasonic G2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	493	53
11.		Panasonic LX5	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	720/60p	19.6	10.8	132	41

In the United States, the G12 was initially launched in September 2010 at a price of $499.

Check G12 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

~

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  Canon G12 Review  »  Canon G12 Crop Factor