What is the pixel pitch of the Canon M?

The Canon EOS M provides 17.9 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 4.31µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Canon M measures 22.3mm in width and 14.9mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 332 mm². Moreover, the Canon M has 5 184 horizontal pixels and 3 456 vertical pixels, for a total of 17.9 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (332 mm²) to the MP count (17 915 904).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Canon M 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 M	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.2	827	65
2.		Canon M100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.5	12.9	1272	78
3.		Canon M10	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.4	753	65
4.		Canon G7 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	23.0	12.7	556	71
5.		Canon 100D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.8	11.3	843	63
6.		Canon 700D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	681	61
7.		Canon G16	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.0	11.7	230	54
8.		Panasonic GF6	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	20.7	10.6	622	54
9.		Panasonic G3	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	21.0	10.6	667	56
10.		Sony NEX-3N	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	22.8	12.5	1067	74
11.		Sony NEX-F3	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	22.7	12.3	1114	73

Further information on the sensor in the Canon M and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the Canon M was initially launched in July 2012 at a price of $599.

Check Canon M offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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