What is the crop factor of the Leica M9?

The Leica M9 is equipped with a full frame sensor, whose diagonal measures 43.3mm. The sensor has a crop factor (or format factor, or focal length multiplier) of 1.0.

The crop factor is defined as the ratio of the 35mm full-frame film diagonal to the diagonal of a digital sensor. This number indicates how a lens behaves in relation to the size of the image sensor.

Sensor size comparison with a film slide

With a crop factor of 1.0, the sensor in the Leica M9 has a similar size as a 35mm film slide or negative. As a result, a lens that is attached to the Leica M9 will offer the same angle of view and provide the same depth of field as a lens of the same focal length and aperture on a film camera.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Leica M9 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 M9	Full Frame	18.1	5212	3472	none	22.5	11.7	884	69
2.		Canon T1i	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63
3.		Canon T2i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	784	66
4.		Leica M Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	24.0	13.3	1860	84
5.		Leica M8	APS-H	10.4	3936	2630	none	21.1	11.3	663	59
6.		Leica M10	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	24.4	13.2	2133	86
7.		Leica M10-P	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	25.1	14.1	2739	93
8.		Leica M10-R	Full Frame	40.9	7864	5200	none	25.3	14.3	2924	95
9.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
10.		Leica X Vario	APS-C	16.1	4928	3272	1080/30p	23.4	12.7	1320	78
11.		Leica X Typ 113	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.6	12.8	1491	78
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

In the United States, the M9 was initially launched in September 2009 at a price of $7,999.

Check M9 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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