Panasonic S1 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Leica M11 has a
60.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Maestro III processor.
Leica M11's sensor provides 36MP more than Panasonic S1'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 Panasonic S1'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 S1 and M11 sensor size comparison.
Panasonic S1 and Leica M11 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
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. Panasonic S1 and Leica M11 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that M11 has a better overall score of 100, 5 points higher compared to S1's score of 95.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Panasonic S1 |
95 |
25.2 bits |
14.5 Evs |
3333 ISO |
Leica M11 |
100 |
26.3 bits |
14.8 Evs |
3376 ISO |