Leica M-E Typ 220 has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Sony A99 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Sony A99's sensor provides 6MP more than Leica M-E Typ 220's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the M-E Typ 220 and A99 sensor size comparison.
Leica M-E Typ 220 and Sony A99 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Leica M-E Typ 220 and Sony A99 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A99 has a better overall score of 89, 20 points higher compared to M-E Typ 220's score of 69.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Leica M-E Typ 220 |
69 |
22.7 bits |
11.7 Evs |
787 ISO |
Sony A99 |
89 |
25.0 bits |
14.0 Evs |
1555 ISO |