What is the pixel pitch of the Sony A7?

The Sony Alpha A7 provides 24 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.97µm.

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 Sony A7 measures 35.8mm in width and 23.9mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 856 mm². Moreover, the A7 has 6 000 horizontal pixels and 4 000 vertical pixels, for a total of 24 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 (856 mm²) to the MP count (24 000 000).

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 Sony A7 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.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
2.		Nikon D610	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.4	2925	94
3.		Panasonic GH4	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.2	12.8	791	74
4.		Samsung NX1	APS-C	28.0	6480	4320	4K/30p	24.2	13.2	1363	83
5.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
6.		Sony A7C	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3407	95
7.		Sony A7R	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.6	14.1	2746	95
8.		Sony A7S	Full Frame	12.0	4240	2832	1080/60p	23.9	13.2	3702	87
9.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
10.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
11.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91

Further information on the sensor in the Sony A7 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the A7 was initially launched in October 2013 at a price of $1,699.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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