megapixels and sensor size

[Garbz]

Will it? I don't know. The Nikon D200's is even more crowded but produces better pictures. The sensor pixels size is a small part of a much larger system full of noise sources to be refined at every angle. The number of photons that can be caught is just a small part.

 

[pez]

This link shows what cameras use which sensor size.
A full frame sensor sure is a great thing, but I see some practical disadvantages: cameras that have these magic sensors are (so far) almost prohibitively expensive unless you just have a lot to spend on hardware and glass or you're planing to use it for your livelihood, and both the bodies and the glass are larger and heavier than APSC stuff. You can forget about being the least bit stealthy- or comfortable- while lugging your high-tech Nikon D3 anvil and your jumbo backpack full of glass around.

 

[skieur]

Found it...Now the $1,000,000 issue. So I have a Canon today that is 4 megapixels with a 1/1.8 sensor. The ones on the market now are 8 megapixels with a 1/2.5 sensor. It would then seem as if there is no way these could take as good a picture since they are cramming double the megapixels into a much smaller sensor. But then my current camera is 5 years old so how can something newer take a poorer picture. I am missing something right?

You are assuming cramming because you are also assuming that everything else is the same. Layering the megapixels, adjusting their size and shape and using small lenses on the chip etc. means that there is no "cramming". As a matter of fact, they have an approach for developing a gigapixel camera chip.

skieur

 

[djacobox372]

Well if dynamic range is what you're after I suggest you look at the Fuji cameras (I think), you know the ones built in the Nikon bodies. I believe they have a different sensor layout then the standard 4 pixel bayer GRGB, and include a greyscale luminance sensor too. Taken from the visual system of the human eye which has 3 rods (RGB) and a cone (grey scale luminance for low light) it apparently gives better dynamic range.

I'm talking from what I've heard here only, I've never actually used the thing.

Truthfully, if you want dynamic range--use film. Digital is years away from coming close to film in that regard.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Its also the processor, a better processor will probably have better noise reduction. Also some people say shooting in raw you have less noise...

Lower end Canons have a smaller sensor even though the lenses are made for full sized 35mm sensors. This is where "crop factor" comes in. You are not seeing the full image that the lens sees. Unless you are on a 35mm sized sensor