Leica M9-P has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Canon 5DS has a
51.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual DIGIC 6 processor.
Canon 5DS's sensor provides 33MP 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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Leica M9-P's sensor lacks 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 M9-P and 5DS sensor size comparison.
Leica M9-P and Canon 5DS 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 177% larger pixel area compared to Canon 5DS, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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 M9-P and Canon 5DS sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 5DS has a better overall score of 87, 19 points higher compared to M9-P's score of 68.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Leica M9-P |
68 |
22.5 bits |
11.6 Evs |
854 ISO |
Canon 5DS |
87 |
24.7 bits |
12.4 Evs |
2381 ISO |