Nikon D5 has a
21.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Leica M9 has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Leica M9'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 D5 and M9 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D5 and Leica M9 Cameras
Nikon D5 and Leica M9 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D5 and Leica M9 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, D5 has scored 88, 19 points higher than M9.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D5
88
25.1 bits
12.3 Evs
2434 ISO
Leica M9
69
22.5 bits
11.7 Evs
884 ISO
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
Nikon D5
or the
Leica M9 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
