Sony A9 III has a
24.6MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized Global Shutter sensor and features BIONZ XR processor. On the other hand, Leica SL has a
24.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Maestro II processor.
Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Leica SL and Sony A9 III sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 A9 Mark III and SL sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A9 III and Leica SL Cameras
Sony A9 III and Leica SL 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. Sony A9 III and Leica SL sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that SL has a better overall score of 88, 1 points higher compared to A9 Mark III's score of 87.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A9 III
87
24.1 bits
13.0 Evs
3224 ISO
Leica SL
88
25.0 bits
13.4 Evs
1821 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
Sony A9 III
or the
Leica SL ,
including hyperfocal distance.
