Sensor Size Described…

On the left, a 2/3" Sony HDW-750 HDCam camcorder...on the right, a Sony NEX-EA50H APS-C camcorder.

In the process of writing the First Look on the large-sensor Sony NEX-EA50H camera, I went fishing around the Web for good charts defining actual imaging chip sizes. And this is the best one I found:

In fact, here's the link to the actual webpage, kindly provided by Jon Fry of Creative Video over in the UK. If you are reading this across the pond, give them a shout!

Now check out the picture up at the top. On the left is a Sony HDCam camcorder I use on a regular basis. The little blue glow inside the lens mount is the 2/3" imaging chip - the modern standard for TV production. (Third column on the chart.) When it was new (in about 2006), this camcorder (with lens) cost in excess of $60,000 US. On the right is the new Sony NEX-EA50H camcorder, with six times the imaging space (fifth column on the chart.) Not quite 35mm, of course, but an enormous step up. And a street price of $3600? Wow.