|Introduction | New pixel technologies vs. pixel pitch reduction
| SNR and image quality evolution | Conclusion| DSLR sensor
technology has made significant advances over the past several
years, with full-frame sensors outpacing the progress of APS-C
sensors. DxO Labs measurements show that advances in pixel and
RAW conversion technologies have compensated for the decrease in
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) brought about by the proliferation
of smaller, less light-sensitive pixels in DSLRs. Overall,
today’s high-resolution cameras produce higher-quality images
than low-resolution cameras when viewed or printed under the
same conditions. When most photographers think of “noise,” they
think of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this Insight, we
investigate how advances in sensor technology have impacted DSLR
image quality with respect to SNR over the past few years.1
Specifically, we explore the impact of the megapixels race, and
how technological improvements compensate for the inevitable
loss of quality when using s