24 Megapixels: Sensor Quality APS-C vs Full Frame
Related: digital sensor, Leica, Leica M, Leica M240, rangefinder, Sony, Sony A6000, Sony APS_C, Sony mirrorless
Get Sony A6000 or Leica M at B&H Photo.
24 megapixels: is a 24-megapixel sensor necessarily better on full frame than APS-C when the sensors are of different designs and with the APS-C sensor of a newer generation?
I shot a matched comparison to answer just that question using an outstanding lens for each camera. But I am traveling for a few days, and publishing the comparison will have to wait until my return.
Setting aside the several interesting “angles” to the foregoing question, I’ll say this: the prospects of a full-frame sensor at the same pixel density as the 24MP sensor in the Sony A6000 is exciting. Such a full-frame sensor would be 56 megapixels. The day cannot be far off when full-frame cameras get there, though lenses and focusing systems might remain weak spots in many cases. Particularly intriguing would be the option of downsampling for premium per-pixel quality at a smaller size for various purposes (a 56MP camera ought to offer 36MP 'mRAW' and 18MP 'sRAW' (small RAW and medium RAW). Particularly at higher ISO and/or for things like sports, smaller raw files are just as good anyway (noise, motion blur, etc).
