Leica X Vario has a
16.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D90 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the X Vario and D90 sensor size comparison.
Leica X Vario and Nikon D90 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 Nikon D90 has 32% larger pixel area (30.54µm2 vs 23.13µm2) compared to Leica X Vario, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Leica X Vario and Nikon D90 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, X Vario has scored 78, 5 points higher than D90.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Leica X Vario |
78 |
23.4 bits |
12.7 Evs |
1320 ISO |
Nikon D90 |
73 |
22.7 bits |
12.5 Evs |
977 ISO |