What is the pixel pitch of the Canon 5D?

The Canon EOS 5D provides 12.7 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 8.25µm.

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 Canon 5D measures 36.0mm in width and 24.0mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 864 mm². Moreover, the 5D has 4 368 horizontal pixels and 2 912 vertical pixels, for a total of 12.7 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 (864 mm²) to the MP count (12 719 616).

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 Canon 5D 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.		Canon 5D	Full Frame	12.7	4368	2912	none	22.9	11.1	1368	71
2.		Canon 1D Mark II N	APS-H	8.2	3504	2336	none	22.3	11.2	975	66
3.		Canon 1Ds	Full Frame	11.0	4064	2704	none	21.8	11.0	954	63
4.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	Full Frame	16.6	4992	3328	none	23.3	11.3	1480	74
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815	79
6.		Canon 5D Mark III	Full Frame	22.1	5760	3840	1080/30p	24.0	11.7	2293	81
7.		Canon 5DS	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.7	12.4	2381	87
8.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308	86
9.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
10.		Canon 6D Mark II	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	1080/60p	24.4	11.9	2862	85
11.		Nikon D700	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2303	80

Further information on the sensor in the Canon 5D and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the 5D was initially launched in August 2005 at a price of $3,299.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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