12 µm vs 17 µm: does pixel pitch matter?
Updated 2026-09-20
Pixel pitch matters because it sets the lens. A 12 µm pixel is 30 % smaller than a 17 µm one, so a 12 µm sensor reaches the same field of view and range with a lens 30 % shorter — lighter, cheaper germanium, smaller unit. The smaller pixel collects less energy, which used to mean worse sensitivity; the current generation of 12 µm cores has mostly closed that gap. Compare units by pixel pitch divided by focal length — that is the number that decides range — not by pitch alone.
Pitch and focal length are one number, not two
The angle a single pixel covers is its pitch divided by the lens focal length: 17 µm over 50 mm is 0.34 milliradians, and so is 12 µm over 35 mm. Those two units see exactly the same slice of the world per pixel, and if they have the same sensor resolution they have the same field of view and the same Johnson ranges. One of them has a lens 15 mm shorter and a body a few ounces lighter. That is the entire 12 µm argument, and it is a good one.
What the smaller pixel gives up
Area. A 12 µm pixel has half the surface of a 17 µm pixel, so it gathers half the infrared energy per frame, and all else being equal it is noisier. Five years ago that showed up as a visibly grainier image on a cold, low-contrast night. It is much less true now — microbolometer design improved, and the published NETD figures for good 12 µm cores sit at or below where 17 µm cores were — but a 17 µm core from a maker who knows what they are doing can still be the cleaner image, particularly in humid air where contrast is already poor.
Why 17 µm is not dead
Two reasons. The first is that a 17 µm 640 behind a 50 mm lens is a proven combination that a lot of the market was built on, and the lenses are excellent. The second is that pitch is one of the two numbers the range estimate depends on, and the estimate does not care which pitch delivered the angle — so a 17 µm unit with the right lens is no worse on paper than a 12 µm unit with the right lens. Buy the pair, not the pixel.
How to compare fairly
Look at the IFOV figure on each unit's page — pixel pitch over focal length, in milliradians. Lower is finer. Two units with the same IFOV and the same sensor resolution will have the same field of view and the same range estimates; between them, pick on weight, sensitivity, battery and price. Two units with different IFOV are not the same class of instrument no matter what the pitch says.