What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon B500?

The Nikon Coolpix B500 provides 15.9 megapixels from a 1/2.3-inch sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 1.33µm.

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 Nikon B500 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 B500 has 4 608 horizontal pixels and 3 456 vertical pixels, for a total of 15.9 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 (15 925 248).

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 Nikon B500 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.		Nikon B500	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	20.3	11.7	810	48
2.		Nikon A1000	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.7	12.2	1095	52
3.		Nikon B600	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	20.7	12.2	1095	52
4.		Nikon B700	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.4	11.8	818	48
5.		Nikon L840	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	20.2	11.6	721	47
6.		Nikon P900	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.2	11.6	727	47
7.		Nikon P1000	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1044	51
8.		Nikon W300	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.5	12.0	938	50
9.		Panasonic FZ80	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.5	11.9	900	49
10.		Sony H200	1/2.3	15.2	5184	2930	720/30p	19.9	11.2	529	44
11.		Sony HX80	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	1080/60p	20.4	11.8	822	48
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon B500 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the B500 was initially launched in January 2016 at a price of $299.

Check B500 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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