I have the P3S which I know has a small sensor.

Have been looking at the P4P which I know has the 1" sensor. Here was I thinking that is quite a big sensor. I was assuming it would be 1" on the diagonal, so about the size of an APS-C
In fact it has a diagonal of about 16mm which is not as large as i expected.

I think the sensor sizes used are the smaller two in the diagram below. The orange one being the P4P.

I have not been able to find out the actual dimensions of the sensor in the P4P, but your chart is for Nikon, and AFAIK, Nikon do not use Sony sensors. Plus, the Nikon I J4 has an 18.4 Megapixel sensor. I would imagine the one in the P4P is somewhat larger, it is supposed to be the same as used in the Sony RX100 camera.

Geebax Posted at 2017-2-23 20:26
I have not been able to find out the actual dimensions of the sensor in the P4P, but your chart is for Nikon, and AFAIK, Nikon do not use Sony sensors. Plus, the Nikon I J4 has an 18.4 Megapixel sensor. I would imagine the one in the P4P is somewhat larger, it is supposed to be the same as used in the Sony RX100 camera.

That is just an illustration showing the comparative sensor sizes. The 1" sensor is that physical size as far as I can tell. The chart using the Nikon was just the best graphic I could locate.

I can sympathise with the girls here when they get told a dimension in inches and are later disappointed,

Cabansail Posted at 2017-2-24 13:16
That is just an illustration showing the comparative sensor sizes. The 1" sensor is that physical size as far as I can tell. The chart using the Nikon was just the best graphic I could locate.

I can sympathise with the girls here when they get told a dimension in inches and are later disappointed,

The difference is even bigger than that illustration might suggest.
There are two different sensor sizes with similar designations.
2/3”  & 1/2.3” and the P3/4/Mavic use a 1/2.3” sensor.
Here's an illustration showing the real size difference.
The P4 pro sensor is more than 4 x the size of the P3 sensor.

do you know the sensor size of the P4?

eliot may Posted at 2017-2-24 14:21
do you know the sensor size of the P4?

oops never mind!

Actually, Sony is the OEM supplier for sensors for a number of Nikon cameras, at least DSLRs. My APSC D7100 has a sensor that was made by Toshiba, who sold their sensor business to Sony. I always speculated that Phantoms were using smaller sensors, roughly like those used in compact cameras. Larger APSC and full frame sensors would necessitate larger camera bodies than are fitted on Phantoms. Smaller sensor doesn't necessarily mean bad, though.

Larger sensor = more glass = more weight

It does mean better noise characteristics.

Cabansail Posted at 2017-2-25 20:00
Larger sensor = more glass = more weight

It does mean better noise characteristics.

Yes, it does, which is probably why only the largest, most expensive drones can be equipped with bigger cameras and lenses.

A smaller sensor, with everything else being equal, will produce more noise in lower light/ higher ISO settings. I've definitely discovered this when dealing with the files from my drone compared to what I'm used to with my Nikon.  There are also issues to do with the "crop factor" in calculating effective focal lengths and depth of field. Still, it's great for what it is and, as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you've got with you.