What is the pixel pitch of the Olympus E-400?

The Olympus E-400 provides 10 megapixels from a Four Thirds sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 4.74µm.

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 Olympus E-400 measures 17.3mm in width and 13.0mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 225 mm². Moreover, the E-400 has 3 648 horizontal pixels and 2 736 vertical pixels, for a total of 10 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 (225 mm²) to the MP count (9 980 928).

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 Olympus E-400 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.		Olympus E-400	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.0	10.6	127	53
2.		Nikon D40X	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.4	11.4	516	63
3.		Olympus E-410	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.1	10.0	494	51
4.		Olympus E-420	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.5	10.4	527	56
5.		Olympus E-450	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.5	10.5	512	56
6.		Olympus E-500	Four Thirds	8.0	3264	2448	none	20.7	10.3	45	51
7.		Olympus E-510	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.2	10.0	442	52
8.		Olympus E-620	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	none	21.3	10.3	536	55
9.		Olympus E-P3	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	1080/60i	20.8	10.1	536	51
10.		Olympus E-PL2	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.4	10.2	573	55
11.		Panasonic L10	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.3	10.8	429	55
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Olympus E-400 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the E-400 was initially launched in September 2006 at a price of $699.

Check E-400 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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