Compact · 2016

Leica X-U

The Leica X-U is a compact from 2016 with a APS-C sensor measuring 23.6 × 15.7 mm and 16 megapixels. Its crop factor is 1.53×, so a 50 mm lens frames like 76 mm on full frame. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

APS-C1.53× crop16 MP
Leica X-U camera
Photo: Sodacan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.53×
Crop factor
23.6×15.7 mm
Sensor size
371 mm²
Area · 43% of full frame
16 MP
Resolution
4.79 µm
Pixel pitch
f/7.1
Diffraction-limited aperture
2016
Release year

Specifications#

Brand
Leica
Model
X-U
Also known as
LEICA X-U (Typ 113), Leica X-U (Typ 113), Leica X-U Typ 113
Camera type
Compact
Released
2016-01-01
Sensor size
23.6 × 15.7 mm (APS-C)
Crop factor
1.53×
Resolution
16 MP (4,928 × 3,264 px)
Fastest shutter
1/2,000 s
Continuous shooting
5 fps
Max video resolution
1080p
Weight
635 g (22.4 oz)
Sensor type
CMOS
Flash
Built-in flash, 2.00m range at ISO 100
Battery
BP-DC8
Dimensions
140 ×
Lens
23mm (equivalent to 35mm on full-frame)
Made in
Germany
Launch price
2950 USD
Drive
5.0 frames per second
Video
1920×1080p30, 1280×720p30

Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Leica X-UFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Leica X-U sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 43% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 1.2 stops less total light at the same exposure.

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 cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
8 mm12 mm111.7°89.0°121.1°
10 mm15 mm99.4°76.4°109.6°
12 mm18 mm89.0°66.5°99.5°
14 mm21 mm80.3°58.7°90.7°
16 mm24 mm72.8°52.4°83.1°
18 mm27 mm66.5°47.2°76.5°
20 mm31 mm61.1°42.9°70.7°
24 mm37 mm52.4°36.3°61.2°
28 mm43 mm45.7°31.4°53.7°
35 mm53 mm37.3°25.3°44.1°
40 mm61 mm32.9°22.2°39.0°
50 mm76 mm26.6°17.9°31.7°
56 mm85 mm23.8°16.0°28.4°
70 mm107 mm19.1°12.8°22.9°
85 mm130 mm15.8°10.6°18.9°
100 mm153 mm13.5°9.0°16.1°
135 mm206 mm10.0°6.7°12.0°
200 mm305 mm6.8°4.5°8.1°
300 mm458 mm4.5°3.0°5.4°
400 mm610 mm3.4°2.3°4.1°
600 mm915 mm2.3°1.5°2.7°
800 mm1220 mm1.7°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.

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
14 mmf/1.88.8 cm36.8 cm1.65 m4.56 m47.6 m∞5.55 m
14 mmf/2.813.9 cm60.0 cm3.24 m17.0 m∞∞3.57 m
14 mmf/420.3 cm93.8 cm8.74 m∞∞∞2.51 m
14 mmf/846.0 cm4.24 m∞∞∞∞1.26 m
28 mmf/1.82.1 cm8.8 cm35.9 cm82.0 cm2.36 m11.3 m22.2 m
28 mmf/2.83.3 cm13.7 cm56.5 cm1.31 m3.98 m27.5 m14.3 m
28 mmf/44.7 cm19.7 cm82.4 cm1.96 m6.64 m∞9.99 m
28 mmf/89.6 cm40.6 cm1.88 m5.55 m2.2 km∞5.01 m
48 mmf/1.80.7 cm2.9 cm12.0 cm27.3 cm76.5 cm3.13 m65.1 m
48 mmf/2.81.1 cm4.6 cm18.7 cm42.5 cm1.20 m5.04 m41.9 m
48 mmf/41.5 cm6.5 cm26.8 cm61.1 cm1.74 m7.68 m29.3 m
48 mmf/83.1 cm13.1 cm54.3 cm1.26 m3.82 m25.3 m14.7 m
78 mmf/1.80.2 cm1.1 cm4.5 cm10.2 cm28.7 cm1.16 m172 m
78 mmf/2.80.4 cm1.7 cm7.0 cm15.9 cm44.6 cm1.81 m111 m
78 mmf/40.5 cm2.4 cm9.9 cm22.7 cm63.9 cm2.61 m77.4 m
78 mmf/81.1 cm4.8 cm19.9 cm45.6 cm1.29 m5.49 m38.8 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 28 mm
f/1.2f/1.833.3 m
f/1.4f/2.128.5 m
f/1.8f/2.722.2 m
f/2f/3.120.0 m
f/2.8f/4.314.3 m
f/4f/6.19.99 m
f/5.6f/8.57.15 m
f/8f/12.25.01 m

Diffraction & pixel pitch#

With 4.79 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/7.1. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/3.9 and f/7; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.

ApertureAiry disk diameterSpread overAt 100% view
f/2.83.8 µm0.8 pxsharp
f/45.4 µm1.1 pxsharp
f/5.67.5 µm1.6 pxsharp
f/810.7 µm2.2 pxslight softening
f/1114.8 µm3.1 pxvisibly soft
f/1621.5 µm4.5 pxvisibly soft
f/2229.5 µm6.2 pxvisibly soft

Maximum print sizes#

At 16 MP the Leica X-U produces 4,928 × 3,264 pixel images. See the 16 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.

ResolutionTypical useInchesCentimetres
300 DPIPhoto-lab quality16.4 × 10.9 in42 × 28 cm
240 DPIFine-art inkjet20.5 × 13.6 in52 × 35 cm
200 DPIWall print24.6 × 16.3 in63 × 41 cm
150 DPIPoster, viewed from 1 m+32.9 × 21.8 in83 × 55 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 length500 ruleNPF f/1.8NPF f/2.8NPF f/4
9 mm (14 mm eq.)36.4 s23.0 s26.9 s31.5 s
13 mm (20 mm eq.)25.2 s15.9 s18.6 s21.8 s
16 mm (24 mm eq.)20.5 s12.9 s15.1 s17.7 s
23 mm (35 mm eq.)14.3 s9.0 s10.5 s12.3 s
33 mm (50 mm eq.)9.9 s6.3 s7.3 s8.6 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

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 lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
16 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
33 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
66 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
131 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Lens#

The Leica X-U 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.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Leica X-U?

The Leica X-U has a crop factor of 1.53× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 28.4 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Leica X-U sensor?

23.6 × 15.7 mm (APS-C), an area of 371 mm² — 43% of full frame.

Is the Leica X-U full frame?

No — its sensor is APS-C, which is 2.3× smaller in area than full frame.

How many megapixels does the Leica X-U have?

16 megapixels (4,928 × 3,264 pixels), enough for a 16 × 11 inch print at 300 DPI.

How long can I expose the night sky with the Leica X-U?

With a 13 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 19 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources