Do Camera Sensor Sizes Matter? - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Tech > Computing > Gadgets > Photography > Cameras Image sensors for phones and digital cameras come in a wide variety of sizes. But does that matter? One of the headline specs of any camera — whether it’s a point-and-shoot, mirrorless model or even a smartphone camera — is the size of the image sensor. It’s clear in the marketing that a bigger image sensor is better, but why? Does a small increase in sensor size really make that much of a difference? Should you, when looking for a new camera or phone, consider sensor size? The truth is, maybe. In certain situations, a larger image sensor can have significant advantages over a smaller sensor, but the specifics matter. Different lenses, technologies such as pixel binning and advanced computational image-processing techniques can all help smaller sensors perform more like larger ones. Also, depending on what kind of photos you’re taking, it might no