Leica CL Comparison Review
The Leica CL (Typ 7323) is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in November 2017 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24.1 megapixel.
Body comparison with a credit card
The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Leica CL vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.



The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica CL alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.
Camera Body Specifications |
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Camera | Camera Width |
Camera Height |
Camera Depth |
Camera Weight |
Battery Life (CIPA) |
Weather Sealing (y/n) |
Camera Launch (year) |
Launch Price (USD) |
Street Price (amazon) |
Used Price (ebay) |
|
Leica CL | 131 mm | 78 mm | 45 mm | 403 g | 220 | no | 2017 | 2,795 | latest | check | |
Canon 200D (⇒ lft | rgt) | 122 mm | 93 mm | 70 mm | 453 g | 650 | no | 2017 | 549 | latest | check | |
Canon M6 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 112 mm | 68 mm | 45 mm | 390 g | 295 | no | 2017 | 779 | latest | check | |
Canon M5 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 116 mm | 89 mm | 61 mm | 427 g | 295 | no | 2016 | 979 | latest | check | |
Fujifilm X-A3 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 117 mm | 67 mm | 40 mm | 339 g | 410 | no | 2016 | 399 | latest | check | |
Leica M10 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 139 mm | 80 mm | 39 mm | 660 g | 210 | no | 2017 | 6,595 | latest | check | |
Leica TL2 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 134 mm | 69 mm | 33 mm | 399 g | 250 | no | 2017 | 1,950 | latest | check | |
Leica TL (⇒ lft | rgt) | 134 mm | 69 mm | 33 mm | 384 g | 400 | no | 2016 | 1,695 | discont. | check | |
Leica X Vario (⇒ lft | rgt) | 133 mm | 73 mm | 95 mm | 680 g | 450 | no | 2013 | 2,850 | latest | check | |
Nikon D3400 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 124 mm | 98 mm | 76 mm | 445 g | 1200 | no | 2016 | 499 | latest | check | |
Nikon D5600 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 124 mm | 97 mm | 70 mm | 465 g | 970 | no | 2016 | 699 | latest | check |
The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Leica CL was launched in the US market at a price of $2,795. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.
Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide
The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.
The Leica CL features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Leica CL among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.
For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.
Sensor Characteristics |
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Camera | Sensor Class |
Resolution (Megapixel) |
Horiz. Pixels |
Vert. Pixels |
Video Format |
DXO Portrait |
DXO Landscape |
DXO Sports |
DXO Overall |
|
Leica CL | APS-C | 24.1 | 6014 | 4014 | 4K/30p | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
Canon 200D (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | 23.6 | 13.4 | 1041 | 79 | |
Canon M6 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
Canon M5 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | 23.4 | 12.4 | 1262 | 77 | |
Fujifilm X-A3 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | - | - | - | - | |
Leica M10 (⇒ lft | rgt) | Full Frame | 23.8 | 5952 | 3992 | no | 24.4 | 13.2 | 2133 | 86 | |
Leica TL2 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.1 | 6014 | 4014 | 4K/30p | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
Leica TL (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 16.1 | 4928 | 3264 | 1080/30p | - | - | - | - | |
Leica X Vario (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 16.1 | 4928 | 3272 | 1080/30p | 23.4 | 12.7 | 1320 | 78 | |
Nikon D3400 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | 24.8 | 13.9 | 1192 | 86 | |
Nikon D5600 (⇒ lft | rgt) | APS-C | 24.0 | 6000 | 4000 | 1080/60p | 24.1 | 14.0 | 1306 | 84 |
Feature comparison
Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Leica CL along with similar information for a selection of comparators. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.
Core Features |
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Camera | Viewfinder (Type or '000 dots) |
Control Panel (Y/n) |
LCD Size (inch) |
LCD Resolution ('000 dots) |
LCD Attach- ment |
Touch Screen (Y/n) |
Shutter speed (1/sec) |
Shutter flaps (1/sec)) |
Build-in Flash (GN) |
Build-in Image Stab |
|
Leica CL | 2360 | YES | 3.0 | 1040 | fixed | YES | 8000 | 10.0 | no | no | |
Canon 200D (⇒ lft | rgt) | optical | no | 3.0 | 1040 | swivel | YES | 4000 | 5.0 | 9.8 | no | |
Canon M6 (⇒ lft | rgt) | no | no | 3.0 | 1040 | tilting | YES | 4000 | 9.0 | 5 | no | |
Canon M5 (⇒ lft | rgt) | 2360 | no | 3.2 | 1620 | tilting | YES | 4000 | 9.0 | 5 | no | |
Fujifilm X-A3 (⇒ lft | rgt) | no | no | 3.0 | 1040 | tilting | YES | 4000 | 6.0 | 7 | no | |
Leica M10 (⇒ lft | rgt) | optical | no | 3.0 | 1037 | fixed | no | 4000 | 5.0 | no | no | |
Leica TL2 (⇒ lft | rgt) | no | no | 3.7 | 1230 | fixed | YES | 4000 | 7.0 | no | no | |
Leica TL (⇒ lft | rgt) | no | no | 3.7 | 1230 | fixed | YES | 4000 | 5.0 | YES | no | |
Leica X Vario (⇒ lft | rgt) | no | no | 3.0 | 920 | fixed | no | 2000 | 5.0 | YES | no | |
Nikon D3400 (⇒ lft | rgt) | optical | no | 3.0 | 921 | fixed | no | 4000 | 5.0 | 7 | no | |
Nikon D5600 (⇒ lft | rgt) | optical | no | 3.2 | 1037 | swivel | YES | 4000 | 5.0 | 12 | no |
Expert reviews
While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the CL. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites. The full reviews are available, respectively, at cameralabs.com, dpreview.com, ephotozine.com, imaging-resource.com, and photographyblog.com.
Review scores |
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Camera | camera labs |
dp review |
ephoto zine |
imaging resource |
photography blog |
Camera Launch (year) |
Launch Price (USD) |
Street Price (amazon) |
Used Price (ebay) |
|
Leica CL | .. | .. | .. | .. | 4/5 | 2017 | 2,795 | latest | check | |
Canon 200D (⇒ lft | rgt) | HiRec | 78/100 Silver | 4.5/5 | - | 4.5/5 | 2017 | 549 | latest | check | |
Canon M6 (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | 80/100 Silver | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 2017 | 779 | latest | check | |
Canon M5 (⇒ lft | rgt) | Rec | 82/100 Silver | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 2016 | 979 | latest | check | |
Fujifilm X-A3 (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | 74/100 | 4.5/5 | - | 4/5 | 2016 | 399 | latest | check | |
Leica M10 (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | - | 4/5 | - | 4.5/5 | 2017 | 6,595 | latest | check | |
Leica TL2 (⇒ lft | rgt) | .. | .. | 4/5 | .. | 4/5 | 2017 | 1,950 | latest | check | |
Leica TL (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | - | - | - | 4/5 | 2016 | 1,695 | discont. | check | |
Leica X Vario (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | - | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2013 | 2,850 | latest | check | |
Nikon D3400 (⇒ lft | rgt) | Rec | 76/100 | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 2016 | 499 | latest | check | |
Nikon D5600 (⇒ lft | rgt) | - | 79/100 Silver | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 2016 | 699 | latest | check |
The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when refering to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.
Leica CL FAQ
Below are some additional questions and answers concerning some particular features of the CL.
What technology is the imaging sensor in the CL based on?
The camera has a CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensor at its core.
Which image processing chip is used to convert the raw signal into an image file and perform noise reduction and image sharpening?
Leica equipped the CL with the Maestro II image processor.
What is the ISO sensitivity range of the CL?
The camera has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 50000.
Does the Leica CL feature an autofocus assist light?
Yes, the camera has a lamp build-in that can illuminate the subject and improve autofocus in low-light settings.
What is the fastest shutter speed that can be used with flash?
The CL's flash sync speed is 1/180 sec.
Which battery does the CL use?
The camera gets its power from the BP-DC12, which is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion power pack.
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