What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon D300S?

The Nikon D300S provides 12.2 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.53µm.

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 Nikon D300S measures 23.6mm in width and 15.8mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 373 mm². Moreover, the D300S has 4 288 horizontal pixels and 2 848 vertical pixels, for a total of 12.2 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 (373 mm²) to the MP count (12 212 224).

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 Nikon D300S 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.		Nikon D300S	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.5	12.2	787	70
2.		Canon 7D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	854	66
3.		Nikon D3S	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	720/24p	23.5	12.0	3253	82
4.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977	73
5.		Nikon D200	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.5	583	64
6.		Nikon D300	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	none	22.1	12.0	679	67
7.		Nikon D500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.0	14.0	1324	83
8.		Nikon D700	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2303	80
9.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563	62
10.		Nikon D3100	APS-C	14.2	4608	3072	1080/24p	22.5	11.3	919	67
11.		Nikon D7000	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/24p	23.5	13.9	1167	80

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon D300S and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the D300S was initially launched in July 2009 at a price of $1,799.

Check D300S offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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