What is the pixel pitch of the Leica M8?

The Leica M8 provides 10.4 megapixels from an APS-H sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 6.84µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Leica M8 measures 27.0mm in width and 18.0mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 486 mm². Moreover, the M8 has 3 936 horizontal pixels and 2 630 vertical pixels, for a total of 10.4 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (486 mm²) to the MP count (10 351 680).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Leica M8 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), 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 M8	APS-H	10.4	3936	2630	none	21.1	11.3	663	59
2.		Canon 1100D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
3.		Canon 400D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664	62
4.		Leica M10	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	24.4	13.2	2133	86
5.		Leica M Typ 262	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	none	24.8	13.7	2478	90
6.		Leica M9	Full Frame	18.1	5212	3472	none	22.5	11.7	884	69
7.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563	62
8.		Nikon D5000	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	868	72
9.		Nikon D40X	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.4	11.4	516	63
10.		Nikon D80	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.1	11.2	524	61
11.		Panasonic L10	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.3	10.8	429	55
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

In the United States, the M8 was initially launched in September 2006 at a price of $5,499.

Check M8 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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