Leica X1 vs. Leica M8

Comparison

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 X1 image
vs
M8 image
Leica X1 Leica M8
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Megapixels
12.20
10.30
Max. image resolution
4272 x 2856
3936 x 2630

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CCD
Sensor size
23.6 x 15.8 mm
27 x 18 mm
Sensor resolution
4263 x 2861
3930 x 2620
Diagonal
28.40 mm
32.45 mm
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
vs
1 : 1.3
(ratio)
Leica X1 Leica M8
Surface area:
372.88 mm² vs 486.00 mm²
Difference: 113.12 mm² (30%)
M8 sensor is approx. 1.3x bigger than X1 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations. There is a 3 year gap between Leica X1 (2009) and Leica M8 (2006). All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch
5.54 µm
6.87 µm
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Difference: 1.33 µm (24%)
Pixel pitch of M8 is approx. 24% higher than pixel pitch of X1.
Pixel area
30.69 µm²
47.2 µm²
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 16.51 µm² (54%)
A pixel on Leica M8 sensor is approx. 54% bigger than a pixel on Leica X1.
Pixel density
3.26 MP/cm²
2.12 MP/cm²
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Difference: 1.14 µm (54%)
Leica X1 has approx. 54% higher pixel density than Leica M8.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Leica X1
Leica M8
Crop factor
1.52
1.33
Total megapixels
13.00
10.30
Effective megapixels
12.20
10.30
Optical zoom
1x
Digital zoom
No
No
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
160, 320, 640, 1250, 2500
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
60 cm
Macro focus range
30 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
36 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f4.3
n/a
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Centre weighted, Multi-segment, Spot
Exposure compensation
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
No
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
8 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/2000 sec
1/8000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
Optical (rangefinder)
White balance presets
5
6
Screen size
2.7"
2.5"
Screen resolution
230,000 dots
230,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SD/SDHC
Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
BP-DC8 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
Lithium-Ion rechargeable
Weight
306 g
591 g
Dimensions
124 x 60 x 32 mm
139 x 80 x 37 mm
Year
2009
2006




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vs

Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal =  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Leica X1 diagonal

w = 23.60 mm
h = 15.80 mm
Diagonal =  23.60² + 15.80²   = 28.40 mm

Leica M8 diagonal

w = 27.00 mm
h = 18.00 mm
Diagonal =  27.00² + 18.00²   = 32.45 mm


Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

X1 sensor area

Width = 23.60 mm
Height = 15.80 mm

Surface area = 23.60 × 15.80 = 372.88 mm²

M8 sensor area

Width = 27.00 mm
Height = 18.00 mm

Surface area = 27.00 × 18.00 = 486.00 mm²


Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch =   sensor width in mm  × 1000
sensor resolution width in pixels

X1 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 23.60 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4263 pixels
Pixel pitch =   23.60  × 1000  = 5.54 µm
4263

M8 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 27.00 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3930 pixels
Pixel pitch =   27.00  × 1000  = 6.87 µm
3930


Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area =   sensor surface area in mm²
effective megapixels

X1 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 5.54 µm

Pixel area = 5.54² = 30.69 µm²

M8 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 6.87 µm

Pixel area = 6.87² = 47.2 µm²


Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel density =  ( sensor resolution width in pixels )² / 1000000
sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:
Pixel density =   effective megapixels × 1000000  / 10000
sensor surface area in mm²

X1 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4263 pixels
Sensor width = 2.36 cm

Pixel density = (4263 / 2.36)² / 1000000 = 3.26 MP/cm²

M8 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 3930 pixels
Sensor width = 2.7 cm

Pixel density = (3930 / 2.7)² / 1000000 = 2.12 MP/cm²


Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000    →   
X =  effective megapixels × 1000000
r
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

X1 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 23.60 mm
Sensor height = 15.80 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.20
r = 23.60/15.80 = 1.49
X =  12.20 × 1000000  = 2861
1.49
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2861 × 1.49 = 4263
Resolution vertical: X = 2861

Sensor resolution = 4263 x 2861

M8 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 27.00 mm
Sensor height = 18.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.30
r = 27.00/18.00 = 1.5
X =  10.30 × 1000000  = 2620
1.5
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2620 × 1.5 = 3930
Resolution vertical: X = 2620

Sensor resolution = 3930 x 2620


Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor =   43.27 mm
sensor diagonal in mm


X1 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 28.40 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.52
28.40

M8 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 32.45 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.33
32.45

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

X1 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 1.52
Aperture = f2.8

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8) × 1.52 = f4.3

M8 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Leica M8, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Leica M8 is 1.33

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