Manufacturers use very small sensors and tiny lenses to create ultra compact cameras. Unfortunately small sensors require the photographers to make concessions regarding image quality. Whether that’s an issue or not depends largely on what look you’re after, how you’re going to use your images and your particular subject matter.

To begin to understand the magnitude of the difference in image quality, I tested my Nikon D300 against our diminutive Panasonic FX35. The image below illustrates the relative sizes of the D300’s and the FX35’s sensors. The D300’s DX sensor has 13 times the area of the FX35’s 1/2.33” sensor.

The idea isn’t to determine which camera produces superior images; rather to understand how large the difference is. The results will form part of the decision making process when deciding which camera to bring along; as well as size, weight, responsiveness, etc.

Photos of the following scene were taken simultaneously, with the cameras mounted on tripods. The shutters were released using the self-timer. The D300 had a Nikkor 35mm f/2 prime attached. I’ve compared crops from the following scene.

The results speak for themselves: the D300 crops are showing much finer details, even when comparing the D300’s ISO640 output to the FX35’s output at ISO100. The difference appears too great to be the result of the D300 resolution advantage alone (12 vs. 10 megapixels). Rather, I suspect the difference is also due to the FX35’s noise processing which obliterates fine, low contrast detail.

These crops demonstrate the challenge facing designers of serious compact cameras. Still, considering that the FX35 weighs a mere 150g and includes a wide 25-100mm zoom, the results are surprisingly good.