DxOMark published their test results for the new Leica M type 240 camera. The latest digital rangefinder from Leica show significant improvements over the previous M9 model, but the full frame cameras from Nikon still show slightly better dynamic range and low light capabilities:
“The latest 24-megapixel CMOS sensor offers not only six million extra pixels but DxOMark’s Sensor Scores indicate a +1 Stop improvement in overall image quality compared to the previous 18Mp CCD sensor. As well as offering more consistent Colour Sensitivity across the ISO range there’s also an impressive extra +1.6 Stops boost for Dynamic Range and its low-light ISO scores are improved too, again beating previous versions by around +1 Stop.
So a big step in the right direction although the new sensor doesn’t quite match the heights of the best sensors DxOMark have tested or those of flagship DSLRs. Compared to the best sensors the Leica M is a little off the pace with the Sony RX1 and Nikon D800 boasting around +1 Stop better image quality overall.”
“Against the Nikon D4 and Canon 1Dx the overall scores indicate the Leica M is either better or not far off in terms of Colour Sensitivity and Dynamic Range. These overall scores are a little misleading however as image quality on the M drops quickly as ISO sensitivity is increased compared to this DSLR competition, which deliver a more consistent performance up to ISO 3200.”
Just a reminder: DxOMark tests only the technical capabilities of the sensor inside the camera. Obviously there are many other aspects of a camera that are not reflected in those test scores.
