What is the pixel pitch of the Sony A77?

The Sony Alpha SLT-A77 provides 24 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 3.91µm.

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 Sony A77 measures 23.5mm in width and 15.6mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 367 mm². Moreover, the A77 has 6 000 horizontal pixels and 4 000 vertical pixels, for a total of 24 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 (367 mm²) to the MP count (24 000 000).

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 Sony A77 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.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
2.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
3.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
4.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
5.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82
6.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
7.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
8.		Sony A68	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.5	701	79
9.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
10.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
11.		Sony A99	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	14.0	1555	89

In the United States, the A77 was initially launched in August 2011 at a price of $1,399.

Check A77 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

~

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  Sony A77 Review  »  Sony A77 Pixel Size