Pixel pitch
The size of each sensor pixel, in microns. Smaller pixels mean more magnification from the same lens. Most current thermals use 12 microns.
What it means
Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one sensor pixel to the next, measured in microns (µm, a thousandth of a millimeter). Most current hunting thermals use 12 µm. Older and some budget models use 17 µm, and smaller pitches have started to appear.
What it changes in the field
Each pixel sees a small slice of the scene. How big that slice is depends on the pixel size and the lens: pitch divided by focal length gives the angle one pixel covers. A smaller pixel behind the same lens covers a smaller angle, so a coyote at a given distance spans more pixels.
In practice, a 12 µm sensor behind a 35 mm lens puts about as many pixels on a coyote as a 17 µm sensor behind a 50 mm lens. That is the real benefit of small pixels: the same reach from a shorter, lighter and cheaper lens.
Smaller pitch also makes the whole sensor physically smaller, so the field of view gets narrower with the same lens.
What to look for
Pitch is a comparison point, not a quality grade. A 12 µm sensor is not automatically a better picture than a 17 µm one; it changes the lens you need. Read it with focal length: the ratio of the two is what sets detail at distance.
Digital night vision makers rarely publish pixel pitch. For those, field of view divided by sensor width gives the same angle per pixel, so pitch is not needed.
How we use it on this site
Pitch is an input to every pixel calculation. At 12 µm, our identification distance works out to about the lens focal length in millimeters × 4.2 yards; at 17 µm, about × 3. Pitch itself is shown but not scored.