Friday 11 November 2016

lcd - Why does viewfinder spec state 3 times more dots than there are pixels?


My DMC-G2 has a viewfinder spec of 1,440,000 dots, but I read a review that says it is really 480,000 pixels:



The electronic viewfinder has an extremely high resolution of 1,440,000 dots (480,000 pixels), offering a 100% field of view and 1.4x magnification. The Panasonic G2's viewfinder has a generous +/-4.0 diopter adjustment range, and a rather tight 17.5mm eye point.



What gives? How am I supposed to compare with other cameras?



Answer



I'm a bit skeptical about what they are stating. It says that the viewfinder is "1,440,000 dots equiv". The "equiv" term is an annoying marketing term used when trying to be competitive without stating the true nature of something, they are simply stating it is "equivalent to" such a thing. The Electronic Viewfinder is "equivalent" to a "1,440,000 dot" resolution. Whatever that means, who knows, but I doubt its actually truly 1.4 million dots.


EDIT: Based on the linked review, the EV has 480,000 "pixels" comprised of 1,440,000 "dots". This is a wacky marketing way of saying that it has 480,000 dots each of red, green, and blue, the triplets of which make up a resolution of 480,000 total pixels in a 4:3 form factor. This boils down to a EV screen size of around 1470x1100 pixes.



Comparing the viewfinder with other DSLR's. This viewfinder is 100% coverage and 1.4x magnification. The magnification is multiplied by the sensor size, which is 17.3x13.0mm. Thats a viewfinder size of 24.22x18.2mm, which is basically APS-C size. In contrast, a Canon or Nikon APS-C DSLR will usually have 95-97% coverage and anywhere between 0.70x to 1.0x magnification, depending on the model. Most of the entry-level DSLR's are around 0.85-0.95x, while the Canon 7D is a 100% 1.0x APS-C viewfinder. A Canon 5D Mark II is a 98% 0.71x viewfinder, which is again about the size of an APS-C sensor.


The LCD screen on the back has "460K dots" in it, which these days is pretty low. Most of the more recent Canon and Nikon LCD screens have 920k or 1040k dots.


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