Nikon 1 S1 has a
10.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Leica M-E Typ 220 has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Leica M-E Typ 220's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon 1 S1'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 1 S1 and M-E Typ 220 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Leica M-E Typ 220 has a 7.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 S1. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in 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. Nikon 1 S1 and Leica M-E Typ 220 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that M-E Typ 220 has a better overall score of 69, 13 points higher compared to 1 S1's score of 56.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon 1 S1 |
56 |
21.4 bits |
11.1 Evs |
397 ISO |
Leica M-E Typ 220 |
69 |
22.7 bits |
11.7 Evs |
787 ISO |