Micro Four Thirds Sensor vs. 1/2.3-Inch Sensor (6.17×4.55 mm)
Comparing 2 standards across 9 specifications. 9 key differences identified.
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).
The 1/2.3-Inch Sensor format (measuring 6.17 × 4.55 mm with an active area of 28.07 mm² and a 7.66 mm diagonal) is the historical standard for point-and-shoot digital cameras, superzoom bridge cameras, action cameras (GoPro Hero 3 through Hero 10), and entry-level consumer camera drones, operating with a 5.64× crop factor.
Specification Comparison Table
9 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions (Width × Height)
|
17.3 × 13.0 mm (0.681 × 0.512 in) | 6.17 × 4.55 mm (0.243 × 0.179 in) |
|
Diagonal Dimension
|
21.64 mm (exactly half of 35mm full frame's 43.27 mm diagonal) | 7.66 mm |
|
Active Surface Area
|
224.9 mm² (approx. 26.0% of 35mm full frame) | 28.07 mm² (approx. 3.25% of 35mm full frame) |
|
Crop Factor
|
2.00× exactly | 5.64× (5.6×) |
|
Native Aspect Ratio
|
4 : 3 (1.33 : 1) | 4 : 3 |
|
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) | — |
|
Camera Systems
|
OM System OM-1 / OM-5, Panasonic Lumix GH6 / G9 II / BGH1, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K | — |
|
Pixel Pitch (Typical 12 MP)
|
— | Approx. 1.55 µm |
|
Historical Deployments
|
— | GoPro Hero 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10, DJI Mavic Mini / Mini 2, Nikon Coolpix superzooms |