Dedicated Monochrome Sensor: Design Notes from Pentax and Leica
According to Ricoh Imaging and Leica official documentation on the pixel recording method of specialized monochrome sensors and the specifications of the two models, remove any unsubstantiated exaggerations regarding light intake, ISO equivalence, and resolution.
Color Sensor Conversion to Black and White and Dedicated Monochrome Sensors
Color sensors usually have pixels record red, green, or blue information, and then form a full-color image through interpolation. Ricoh Imaging uses this process to explain how a regular color sensor generates black-and-white images. According to its PENTAX K-3 Mark III Monochrome description, a dedicated monochrome sensor can directly record the brightness each pixel receives without this interpolation step.〔G-MONO-SENSOR-01〕
Manufacturer Specifications of the K-3 Mark III Monochrome
Ricoh Imaging lists this camera as an APS-C dedicated monochrome CMOS sensor, with approximately 25.73 effective megapixels, and notes that there is no AA (anti-aliasing) filter. The manufacturer states that this design allows for detailed black-and-white expression; this does not equate to measured resolution across different camera models, nor does it support generalized conclusions that "fewer pixels will necessarily outperform a certain number of color megapixels."〔G-MONO-SENSOR-02〕
Monochrome Design of the Leica M11 Monochrom
The official Leica page describes the M11 Monochrom as a dedicated monochrome BSI CMOS sensor and explicitly states that the color filter is omitted. The page lists ISO 125–200,000 and associates high ISO performance with the omission of the color filter; this is Leica’s product description for this camera and cannot be generalized as a fixed ISO advantage over arbitrary color cameras.〔G-MONO-SENSOR-03〕〔G-MONO-SENSOR-04〕
The Absence of a Color Filter Does Not Mean All Advantages Can Be Quantified
Information from both manufacturers supports the sensor design and the specified camera model features, but does not provide conclusions such as "200% increase in light intake," fixed ISO equivalence, infinite gray scale, uniform resolution ranking, or uncut dynamic range relative to 60/80MP color cameras. Therefore, this article removes these numbers and absolute comparisons. Regarding shooting effects of color filters, one should refer to the specific camera manual and actual filter tests.
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