Digital camera sensor ratings

[SteveCA]

If you are in the market for a new digital camera, check out the sensor ratings and reviews at DXO mark. You will find a wealth of information on one of the more important choices in camera shopping.

Warning to Canon fans: nikon and sony dominate the top spots

www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Ratings

[Discus-n00b]

Thats a given haha. Canon is to set on making their own for DSLRs. Funny thing is the new G7X point and shoot they have uses a Sony Sensor and it is an insanely good camera.....coincidence? I do like Canon's dual pixel AF, if they could partner with Sony to bring a sony sensor and that technology together I think it would be a big win. Here I sit...wait...and hope.

[SteveCA]

I suspect that Sony may be unwilling to sell sensors to Canon on a large scale due to competition reasons. They (Canon and sony) are competitors on many more levels than say Nikon, which is only in the camera business. Of course, Canon may be stubborn and reluctant to outsource their sensors to a 3rd party as well. The sad thing is that there are many cameras selling for under $1000 that have far superior sensors than the $6000 flagship Canon pro cameras. I hope Canon gets their act together as the past Nikon-Canon competition has done wonders for consumers like us that have access to some amazing technology.

[rickztahone]

I suspect that Sony may be unwilling to sell sensors to Canon on a large scale due to competition reasons. They (Canon and sony) are competitors on many more levels than say Nikon, which is only in the camera business. Of course, Canon may be stubborn and reluctant to outsource their sensors to a 3rd party as well. The sad thing is that there are many cameras selling for under $1000 that have far superior sensors than the $6000 flagship Canon pro cameras. I hope Canon gets their act together as the past Nikon-Canon competition has done wonders for consumers like us that have access to some amazing technology.

agreed. Top tiered competition typically drives down prices and turn around becomes more rapid which is great for consumers, unless the manufacturer is taking shortcuts on creating bodies and releasing bodies with bugs that haven't been worked out yet. This is has been a major gripe for us Sony shooters. The hackability of these bodies is also very difficult and leaves us at the mercy of firmware updates which are long in between at least IME. Luckily, the current FW version I am on is great and I can't complain about this one, but I have in the past about other things that could have been easy fixes.

[brewmaster15]

Becareful if you use these ratings...at first glance when you get to that
website you see "the list" of the best digital camera sensors ...scrolling down the list shows the first 20 or so as Nikon or Sony.. That initial listing isnt sorted by sensor type or size..Its misleading as it doesnt explain how the list is compiled and what it takes into account And doesnt.

Be sure to use the "filter" function and sort it by the type of sensor your prospective camera has.

I dont really like the way that site presents its data...but if you play around with the sorting and filters you can get alot of info on your camera relative to others with similar technology.

[pcsb23]

DxO is a useful site, and like Al says you need to be careful how you use it and how you draw your conclusions. The first thing to realise is that they sensor ratings are literally measuring the sensors abilities. However they do have an auditable and repeatable method of determining their scores so they are consistent across brands and formats.

You do need to understand what the numbers are telling you though, often I've seen folk getting all excited because one sensor has a low light score of 2925 which is 72 higher than another with a score of 2853 so it must be much better in low light right? Umm, well it may be a tad better, but not enough to make a difference! It amounts to about a 2.5% difference and DxO state that a difference of 25% equates to 1/3 ev (exposure value) so as you can see in practise it makes no difference.

The full explanations of how they measure is here http://www.dxomark.com/About/Sensor-...se-Case-Scores

I do feel for Matt and other Canon users though - at least in one respect. There is no doubt that as things stand the Sony sensors are better than the Canon ones - incidentally Al should be happy as Pentax use Sony sensors

However don't judge a camera solely on it's sensor performance. Make no mistake ALL modern DSLRs are capable of producing exquisite results. Far more important are the ergonomics and everything else around the sensor in terms of auto focus performance, ease of use, and whether it fits your purpose. No point getting a camera for use in damp or wet conditions that isn't weather sealed! And no point getting a camera with a limited buffer if you are going to be shooting fast action sports and in some scenarios birds in flight. The sensors performance is important, but then so are many other facets too.

[brewmaster15]

Exactly Paul.
And yes....

Al should be happy as Pentax use Sony sensors

I AM. Sony makes a great sensor! If you sort by sensor type (APS-C sensors) Pentax did very well. Pentax users are a tad miffed that this test data did not look at their 645z...oh well.

It will be very interesting to see how Pentax's first FF (full frame) camera does next time around..

AI