What is the pixel pitch of the Canon S120?

The Canon PowerShot S120 provides 12 megapixels from a 1/1.7-inch sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 1.89µm.

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 S120 measures 7.6mm in width and 5.7mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 43 mm². Moreover, the S120 has 4 000 horizontal pixels and 3 000 vertical pixels, for a total of 12 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 (43 mm²) to the MP count (12 000 000).

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 S120 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 S120	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.3	11.9	246	56
2.		Canon G9 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.9	12.5	522	65
3.		Canon G9 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.5	12.3	495	63
4.		Canon G1 X Mark II	1.5-inch	13.0	4160	3120	1080/30p	21.5	10.8	581	58
5.		Canon G16	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.0	11.7	230	54
6.		Canon G1 X	1.5-inch	14.2	4352	3264	1080/24p	21.7	10.8	644	60
7.		Canon G15	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.9	11.5	165	46
8.		Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179	47
9.		Nikon P7800	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/30p	21.2	11.7	200	54
10.		Panasonic LF1	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	20.8	11.6	211	52
11.		Panasonic LX7	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	1080/60p	20.7	11.7	147	50

Further information on the sensor in the Canon S120 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the S120 was initially launched in August 2013 at a price of $449.

Check S120 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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