What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon D5000?

The Nikon D5000 provides 12.2 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.53µm.

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 D5000 measures 23.6mm in width and 15.8mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 373 mm². Moreover, the D5000 has 4 288 horizontal pixels and 2 848 vertical pixels, for a total of 12.2 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 (373 mm²) to the MP count (12 212 224).

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 D5000 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 D5000	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	868	72
2.		Canon 450D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692	61
3.		Nikon D5300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.9	1338	83
4.		Nikon D5200	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.2	13.9	1284	84
5.		Nikon D5100	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.5	13.6	1183	80
6.		Nikon D3100	APS-C	14.2	4608	3072	1080/24p	22.5	11.3	919	67
7.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563	62
8.		Nikon D60	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.5	11.4	562	65
9.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977	73
10.		Nikon D40X	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.4	11.4	516	63
11.		Nikon D80	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.1	11.2	524	61

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon D5000 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the D5000 was initially launched in April 2009 at a price of $749.

Check D5000 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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