Leica M9 has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy NX has a
20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMe IV processor.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Leica M9'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 and Galaxy NX sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Leica M9 and Samsung Galaxy NX Cameras
As seen above, Leica M9 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Samsung Galaxy NX. 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.
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
Leica M9
or the
Samsung Galaxy NX ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
