Leica Q2 has a
47.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Maestro II processor. On the other hand, Pentax Q has a
12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Leica Q2's sensor provides 35MP more than Pentax Q'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 Q2'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 Q2 and Q sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Leica Q2 has a 30.8x Larger sensor area than Pentax Q. 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
Both Leica Q2 and Pentax Q 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, Q2 has scored 96, 49 points higher than Q.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Leica Q2 |
96 |
26.4 bits |
13.5 Evs |
2491 ISO |
Pentax Q |
47 |
20.2 bits |
11.1 Evs |
189 ISO |