What is the pixel pitch of the Canon SX420?

The Canon PowerShot SX420 IS provides 19.9 megapixels from a 1/2.3-inch sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 1.19µm.

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 SX420 measures 6.17mm in width and 4.55mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 28 mm². Moreover, the SX420 has 5 152 horizontal pixels and 3 864 vertical pixels, for a total of 19.9 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 (28 mm²) to the MP count (19 907 328).

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 SX420 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 SX420	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/25p	20.3	11.7	806	48
2.		Canon G5 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.4	12.3	471	62
3.		Canon G7 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.8	11.9	260	62
4.		Canon SX410	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/30p	20.2	11.6	720	47
5.		Canon SX430	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/25p	20.5	11.9	900	49
6.		Canon SX610	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/30p	20.2	11.6	712	47
7.		Canon SX620	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/30p	20.4	11.8	838	49
8.		Canon SX710	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	20.2	11.6	712	47
9.		Canon SX720	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	20.3	11.8	817	48
10.		Canon SX730	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	20.5	11.9	924	50
11.		Panasonic ZS70	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	19.1	10.6	106	36
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Canon SX420 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the SX420 was initially launched in January 2016 at a price of $299.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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