Is 60MP going to be the standard for a few further generations? Is that what you would want?

[SrMi]

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48 minutes ago, Einst_Stein said:

Don't know what you are talking about. It is not photon count per unit area, it is total electron count per pixel.

Jim Kasson may explain it better than I:

What matters to a viewer is not the signal-to-noise ratio of a pixel, but how noise and dynamic range appear in a finished image at the size and distance at which it is seen.

At the pixel level, signal-to-noise ratio is the ratio of collected photoelectrons to the RMS noise. Dynamic range is defined as the ratio of full scale to the mean signal level that produces a predetermined signal-to-noise ratio. That definition applies regardless of output size. What changes with print size is the appropriate threshold SNR: for small prints, downsampling averages noise and allows us to accept a higher SNR in the shadows, while for large prints the magnification of noise means we require a lower SNR for tones to remain usable.

 

 

So while a single large pixel has better SNR, the image with smaller pixels is downsampled to the resolution of the large-pixel sensors, which averages noise to the level of the larger-pixel sensors. That has been demonstrated in tests ad nauseam.
 

Edit:

For those wanting to delve in-depth into the topic of noise and dynamic range, here is the reference article by Emil Martinez:

https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Leica SL3,Leica SL3-S

Edited Tuesday at 11:09 PM by SrMi

[marchyman]

On 12/9/2025 at 2:35 PM, SrMi said:

downsampling averages noise and allows us to accept a higher SNR in the shadows

This quote you copied annoys me.  SNR: Signal / Noise.  A higher signal value or a lower noise value will increase the SNR.  Either (or both) are good things.  His use of SNR in that statement is backwards.  The author probably means "a lower SNR" or "a higher noise level in the shadows".

[Dex_Keshin]

I think the standard is not about 60MP but the Triple Resolution Technology. From M11, Leica cameras with full-frame sensor now equip this changeable MP sensor.

It is not downsampling a 60MP RAW image into 18/36MP, but with real DR gains, and old lenses can get their best image quality when resolving from low MP sensor.

As long as Leica retains this technology for its future cameras, it can easily surpass 100MP.