Canon R1 has a
24.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized Stacked CMOS sensor and features Digic X processor. On the other hand, Leica M9-P has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Canon R1's sensor provides 6MP more than Leica M9-P'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 M9-P'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 R1 and M9-P sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon R1 and Leica M9-P Cameras
Canon R1 and Leica M9-P 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 M9-P has 32% larger pixel area (47.73µm 2 vs 36.00µm 2 ) compared to Canon R1, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Canon R1
or the
Leica M9-P ,
including hyperfocal distance.
