Camera Sensor Size Comparison
Compare two camera sensors by area, crop factor, light-gathering ability and equivalent focal length and aperture.
How Do Two Sensors Really Compare?
Enter the width and height of two sensors plus your lens focal length and aperture. The calculator finds crop factors, area ratio and full-frame equivalents.
Sensor Size Comparison Estimator
Bigger sensors collect more total light, which affects noise and depth of field.
Understanding Sensor Size
Key concepts for sensor comparison
Crop Factor
Crop factor = full-frame diagonal (43.27 mm) ÷ sensor diagonal. Multiply focal length by it to find the full-frame equivalent field of view.
Area Ratio
Area = width × height. Each doubling of area gives one extra stop of total light.
Equivalent Aperture
Multiply the f-number by the crop factor to compare depth of field and total light with full frame.
Practical Effects
Larger sensors usually give cleaner high-ISO images and shallower depth of field, but larger, heavier lenses.
Common Sensor Sizes
Typical sensor dimensions and crop factors.
| Sensor Format | Size (mm) | Crop Factor | Area vs Full Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium format (44×33) | 43.8 x 32.9 | 0.79 | 1.8x larger |
| Full frame | 36 x 24 | 1.0 | 1.0x |
| APS-C (Sony/Nikon) | 23.5 x 15.6 | 1.5 | 0.42x |
| Micro Four Thirds | 17.3 x 13 | 1.9 | 0.26x |
| 1-inch type | 13.2 x 8.8 | 2.7 | 0.13x |
| Rule of Thumb | Bigger = more light | Crop factor = FF ÷ sensor | Check lens format |
Camera Sensor Size Calculator FAQ
Answers to common questions about this calculator.
It is the ratio of the full-frame sensor diagonal to a smaller sensor diagonal. A 1.5 crop factor makes a 50 mm lens frame like 75 mm.
Usually it improves noise and dynamic range, but lens quality, sensor technology and processing also matter.
Not for exposure, but for equivalent depth of field a smaller sensor behaves like a larger f-number.
Stops = log2(area ratio). Full frame vs APS-C is roughly 1.3 stops.