Specifications#
- Brand
- Leica
- Model
- X1
- Camera type
- Compact
- Released
- 2009-01-01
- Sensor size
- 23.6 × 15.7 mm (APS-C)
- Crop factor
- 1.53×
- Resolution
- 12 MP (4,272 × 2,586 px)
- Fastest shutter
- 1/2,000 s
- Continuous shooting
- 3 fps
- Weight
- 306 g (10.8 oz)
- Sensor type
- CMOS
- AF points / area
- 11 focus points
- Dimensions
- 123.2 x 63.5 x 50.3 mm (4.85 x 2.50 x 1.98 inches)
- Lens
- Leica Elmarit 24 mm f/2.8 (35 mm equivalent)
- Drive
- 3 frames per second
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 1.53 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 12 mm | 111.7° | 88.9° | 121.1° |
| 10 mm | 15 mm | 99.4° | 76.3° | 109.6° |
| 12 mm | 18 mm | 89.0° | 66.4° | 99.5° |
| 14 mm | 21 mm | 80.3° | 58.6° | 90.7° |
| 16 mm | 24 mm | 72.8° | 52.3° | 83.1° |
| 18 mm | 27 mm | 66.5° | 47.1° | 76.4° |
| 20 mm | 31 mm | 61.1° | 42.9° | 70.6° |
| 24 mm | 37 mm | 52.4° | 36.2° | 61.1° |
| 28 mm | 43 mm | 45.7° | 31.3° | 53.7° |
| 35 mm | 53 mm | 37.3° | 25.3° | 44.1° |
| 40 mm | 61 mm | 32.9° | 22.2° | 39.0° |
| 50 mm | 76 mm | 26.6° | 17.8° | 31.7° |
| 56 mm | 85 mm | 23.8° | 16.0° | 28.4° |
| 70 mm | 107 mm | 19.1° | 12.8° | 22.9° |
| 85 mm | 130 mm | 15.8° | 10.6° | 18.9° |
| 100 mm | 153 mm | 13.5° | 9.0° | 16.1° |
| 135 mm | 206 mm | 10.0° | 6.7° | 12.0° |
| 200 mm | 305 mm | 6.8° | 4.5° | 8.1° |
| 300 mm | 458 mm | 4.5° | 3.0° | 5.4° |
| 400 mm | 611 mm | 3.4° | 2.2° | 4.1° |
| 600 mm | 916 mm | 2.3° | 1.5° | 2.7° |
| 800 mm | 1221 mm | 1.7° | 1.1° | 2.0° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 19.7 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 mm | f/1.8 | 8.8 cm | 36.8 cm | 1.65 m | 4.56 m | 47.3 m | ∞ | 5.55 m |
| 14 mm | f/2.8 | 13.9 cm | 60.0 cm | 3.24 m | 16.9 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.58 m |
| 14 mm | f/4 | 20.3 cm | 93.8 cm | 8.72 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.51 m |
| 14 mm | f/8 | 46.0 cm | 4.23 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.26 m |
| 28 mm | f/1.8 | 2.1 cm | 8.8 cm | 35.9 cm | 81.9 cm | 2.36 m | 11.3 m | 22.2 m |
| 28 mm | f/2.8 | 3.3 cm | 13.7 cm | 56.4 cm | 1.31 m | 3.97 m | 27.4 m | 14.3 m |
| 28 mm | f/4 | 4.7 cm | 19.7 cm | 82.3 cm | 1.96 m | 6.63 m | 166.8 km | 10.0 m |
| 28 mm | f/8 | 9.6 cm | 40.5 cm | 1.88 m | 5.55 m | 1.7 km | ∞ | 5.01 m |
| 48 mm | f/1.8 | 0.7 cm | 2.9 cm | 12.0 cm | 27.3 cm | 76.5 cm | 3.13 m | 65.2 m |
| 48 mm | f/2.8 | 1.1 cm | 4.6 cm | 18.7 cm | 42.5 cm | 1.20 m | 5.04 m | 41.9 m |
| 48 mm | f/4 | 1.5 cm | 6.5 cm | 26.8 cm | 61.1 cm | 1.74 m | 7.68 m | 29.4 m |
| 48 mm | f/8 | 3.1 cm | 13.0 cm | 54.2 cm | 1.26 m | 3.82 m | 25.2 m | 14.7 m |
| 78 mm | f/1.8 | 0.2 cm | 1.1 cm | 4.5 cm | 10.2 cm | 28.6 cm | 1.16 m | 172 m |
| 78 mm | f/2.8 | 0.4 cm | 1.7 cm | 7.0 cm | 15.9 cm | 44.6 cm | 1.81 m | 111 m |
| 78 mm | f/4 | 0.5 cm | 2.4 cm | 9.9 cm | 22.7 cm | 63.9 cm | 2.61 m | 77.5 m |
| 78 mm | f/8 | 1.1 cm | 4.8 cm | 19.9 cm | 45.6 cm | 1.29 m | 5.49 m | 38.8 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 5.52 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/8.2. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/4.5 and f/8; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.7 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 1.0 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.4 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 1.9 px | sharp |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 2.7 px | slight softening |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 3.9 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 5.3 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 12 MP the Leica X1 produces 4,272 × 2,586 pixel images. See the 12 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 14.2 × 8.6 in | 36 × 22 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 17.8 × 10.8 in | 45 × 27 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 21.4 × 12.9 in | 54 × 33 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 28.5 × 17.2 in | 72 × 44 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 mm (14 mm eq.) | 36.4 s | 25.4 s | 29.3 s | 34.0 s |
| 13 mm (20 mm eq.) | 25.2 s | 17.6 s | 20.3 s | 23.5 s |
| 16 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.5 s | 14.3 s | 16.5 s | 19.1 s |
| 23 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.2 s | 9.9 s | 11.5 s | 13.3 s |
| 33 mm (50 mm eq.) | 9.9 s | 6.9 s | 8.0 s | 9.3 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 33 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 66 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 131 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Leica X1 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 1.53.
Similar cameras#
Other APS-C cameras from around the same time.
- Nikon D7000 2010
- Pentax K-5 2010
- Nikon D60 2008
- Sony Alpha 65 2011
- Nikon D3000 2009
- Nikon D300S 2009
- Nikon D5000 2009
- Sony Alpha 230 2009
- Sony Alpha 500 2009
- Sony Alpha 550 2009
- Nikon D3100 2010
- Pentax K-r 2010
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Leica X1?
The Leica X1 has a crop factor of 1.53× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 28.3 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Leica X1 sensor?
23.6 × 15.7 mm (APS-C), an area of 371 mm² — 43% of full frame.
Is the Leica X1 full frame?
No — its sensor is APS-C, which is 2.3× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Leica X1 have?
12 megapixels (4,272 × 2,586 pixels), enough for a 14 × 9 inch print at 300 DPI.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Leica X1?
With a 13 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 20 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Leica X1 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q1593747 — CC0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources