What is the pixel pitch of the Sony RX1?

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 provides 24 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.96µm.

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 RX1 measures 35.8mm in width and 23.8mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 852 mm². Moreover, the RX1 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 (852 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 RX1 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 RX1	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.1	14.3	2534	93
2.		Leica X Vario	APS-C	16.1	4928	3272	1080/30p	23.4	12.7	1320	78
3.		Nikon D5300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.9	1338	83
4.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
5.		Sony A7R	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.6	14.1	2746	95
6.		Sony A3000	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.7	12.8	1068	78
7.		Sony NEX-7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.4	1016	81
8.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91
9.		Sony RX1R II	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	1080/60p	25.8	13.9	3204	97
10.		Sony RX100	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.6	12.4	390	66
11.		Sony RX100 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.5	12.4	483	67

Further information on the sensor in the Sony RX1 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the RX1 was initially launched in September 2012 at a price of $2,799.

Check RX1 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

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

~

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 RX1 Review  »  Sony RX1 Pixel Size