How much dynamic range does the Leica M10 offer?

According to measurements carried out by DXO Mark, the sensor in the Leica M10 (Typ 3656) provides a maximum of 13.2 EV of dynamic range (DR). DR is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest brightness a camera can capture. A value of 12 EV or above is considered excellent.

High dynamic range of a camera sensor is particularly desirable for scenes with a mix of very bright and very dark parts, such as in some landscape photography settings. It helps to avoid that highlights get washed out or that detail in shadows is lost.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Leica M10 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). In addition to dynamic range (DXO Landscape), the listing also covers color depth (DXO Portrait) and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica M10	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	24.4	13.2	2133	86
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4K/60p	24.1	13.5	3207	88
3.		Canon 80D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.2	1135	79
4.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
5.		Leica M10-P	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	25.1	14.1	2739	93
6.		Leica M Typ 262	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	none	24.8	13.7	2478	90
7.		Leica Q Typ 116	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.3	12.7	2221	85
8.		Leica M Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	24.0	13.3	1860	84
9.		Leica M9	Full Frame	18.1	5212	3472	none	22.5	11.7	884	69
10.		Leica M8	APS-H	10.4	3936	2630	none	21.1	11.3	663	59
11.		Nikon D5	Full Frame	20.7	5588	3712	4K/30p	25.1	12.3	2343	88
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

In the United States, the M10 was initially launched in January 2017 at a price of $6,595.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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