Panasonic LF1 has a
12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony RX1R II has a
42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features BIONZ X processor.
Sony RX1R II's sensor provides 30MP more than Panasonic LF1'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.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Sony RX1R II'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 LF1 and RX1R II sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic LF1 and Sony RX1R II Cameras
As seen above, Sony RX1R II has a 20.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic LF1. 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
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 LF1 and Sony RX1R II sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that RX1R II has a better overall score of 97, 45 points higher compared to LF1's score of 52.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic LF1
52
20.8 bits
11.6 Evs
211 ISO
Sony RX1R II
97
25.8 bits
13.9 Evs
3204 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
Panasonic LF1
or the
Sony RX1R II ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/1.7-inch versus Full frame),
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.
