Canon R has a
30.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 8 processor. On the other hand, Leica SL has a
24.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Maestro II processor.
Canon R's sensor provides 6MP more than Leica SL'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.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Leica SL's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the EOS R and SL sensor size comparison.
Canon R and Leica SL have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Leica SL has 25% larger pixel area (36.00µm2 vs 28.69µm2) compared to Canon R, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Canon R and Leica SL sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, EOS R has scored 89, 1 points higher than SL.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon R |
89 |
24.5 bits |
13.5 Evs |
2742 ISO |
Leica SL |
88 |
25.0 bits |
13.4 Evs |
1821 ISO |