Posted by Richard Crowley on 09/07/06 15:43

Acurajustin1978 wrote ...
>I know what a CCD is... but when I see the sizes listed it will say
> something like 1/6 or 1/7.5.
> What does this mean? One sixth of an inch?
> Obviously I'm guessing bigger is better.

It is the *diagonal* measurement of the imaging surface,
measured in inches (for better or for worse). It is measured
diagonally because lenses are round and that is the *diameter*
of the image that must be delivered by the lens.

Bigger means more sensitive imaging devices (because
there are more photons hitting each "pixel" to turn into
an electrical signal). However, bigger also means larger
(and significantly more expensive) lenses to deliver an
appropriate image to the chip.

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