Canon APS-C Sensor (1.6×) vs. Micro Four Thirds Sensor
Comparing 2 standards across 8 specifications. 8 key differences identified.
The Canon APS-C Sensor (measuring 22.2 × 14.8 mm with an active area of 328.6 mm² and a 26.68 mm diagonal) is Canon's proprietary sensor dimension, operating with a 1.62× (commonly rounded to 1.6×) crop factor relative to 35mm full frame. Used across all Canon EOS Rebel, EOS 7D/90D, EOS M, and EOS R-series APS-C bodies (R7, R10, R50), it is slightly smaller than the standard 1.5× APS-C format.
The Micro Four Thirds (MFT) Sensor (measuring 17.3 × 13.0 mm with an active area of 224.9 mm² and a 21.64 mm diagonal) is an open mirrorless standard established by Olympus and Panasonic, featuring an exact 2.0× crop factor and a native 4:3 aspect ratio. Equal to exactly half the diagonal of 35mm full frame, focal length calculations are simple integers (25mm = 50mm equivalent).
Specification Comparison Table
8 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions (Width × Height)
|
22.2 × 14.8 mm (approx. 22.3 × 14.9 mm in newer CMOS dies) | 17.3 × 13.0 mm (0.681 × 0.512 in) |
|
Diagonal Dimension
|
26.68 mm | 21.64 mm (exactly half of 35mm full frame's 43.27 mm diagonal) |
|
Active Surface Area
|
328.6 mm² (approx. 38.0% of 35mm full frame) | 224.9 mm² (approx. 26.0% of 35mm full frame) |
|
Crop Factor
|
1.62× (Standard 1.6× focal multiplier) | 2.00× exactly |
|
Native Aspect Ratio
|
3 : 2 | 4 : 3 (1.33 : 1) |
|
Camera Systems
|
Canon EOS R7, R10, R50, R100, EOS 90D, EOS 7D Mark II, EOS Rebel series | OM System OM-1 / OM-5, Panasonic Lumix GH6 / G9 II / BGH1, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K |
|
Comparison to Standard 1.5× APS-C
|
Canon sensor is 1.3 mm narrower and 0.8 mm shorter (~10.4% smaller surface area) | — |
|
Focal Length Equivalence Formula
|
— | Focal length × 2.0 (e.g. 12-40mm f/2.8 lens ≈ 24-80mm f/5.6 full-frame field/DoF) |