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.

Is the Leica CL a good camera? The CL has a Camera Elo of 2488. This rating puts the CL among the top 50 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the CL ranks among the top 30 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

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 similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Leica CL	131 mm	78 mm	45 mm	403 g	220	n	Nov 2017	2,795	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-T100	121 mm	83 mm	47 mm	448 g	430	n	May 2018	599	ebay.com
3.		Fujifilm X-T20	118 mm	83 mm	41 mm	383 g	350	n	Jan 2017	899	ebay.com
4.		Fujifilm X-A3	117 mm	67 mm	40 mm	339 g	410	n	Aug 2016	399	ebay.com
5.		Leica C-LUX	113 mm	67 mm	46 mm	340 g	370	n	Jun 2018	1,049	amazon.com
6.		Leica TL2	134 mm	69 mm	33 mm	399 g	250	n	Jul 2017	1,950	amazon.com
7.		Leica TL	134 mm	69 mm	33 mm	384 g	400	n	Nov 2016	1,695	ebay.com
8.		Leica T	134 mm	69 mm	33 mm	384 g	400	n	Apr 2014	1,850	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D3500	124 mm	97 mm	70 mm	415 g	1550	n	Aug 2018	429	amazon.com
10.		Nikon D5600	124 mm	97 mm	70 mm	465 g	970	n	Nov 2016	699	amazon.com
11.		Nikon D3400	124 mm	98 mm	76 mm	445 g	1200	n	Aug 2016	499	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

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.

Check CL price at
amazon.com

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 alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica CL	APS-C	24.1	6014	4014	4K/30p	24.0	13.3	1788	82
2.		Fujifilm X-T100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/15p	24.0	13.4	1829	83
3.		Fujifilm X-T20	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.9	13.2	1704	81
4.		Fujifilm X-A3	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.8	13.1	1664	81
5.		Leica C-LUX	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.1	12.3	481	64
6.		Leica TL2	APS-C	24.1	6014	4014	4K/30p	23.9	13.3	1753	82
7.		Leica TL	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.9	13.2	1690	81
8.		Leica T	APS-C	16.2	4944	3278	1080/30p	23.0	12.7	1082	75
9.		Nikon D3500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.4	1851	83
10.		Nikon D5600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.1	14.0	1306	84
11.		Nikon D3400	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	13.9	1192	86
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The CL indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the CL can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the CL has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.49x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Leica CL along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Leica CL	2360	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	n
2.		Fujifilm X-T100	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
3.		Fujifilm X-T20	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	n
4.		Fujifilm X-A3	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
5.		Leica C-LUX	2330	n	3.0 / 1240	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Leica TL2	optional	n	3.7 / 1230	fixed	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	n	n
7.		Leica TL	optional	n	3.7 / 1230	fixed	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Leica T	optional	n	3.7 / 1230	fixed	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
9.		Nikon D3500	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
10.		Nikon D5600	optical	n	3.2 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon D3400	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the CL is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Leica CL (Typ 7323) and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Leica CL	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
2.		Fujifilm X-T100	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
3.		Fujifilm X-T20	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Fujifilm X-A3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Leica C-LUX	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Leica TL2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
7.		Leica TL	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Leica T	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Nikon D3500	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	Y
10.		Nikon D5600	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Nikon D3400	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	Y

It is notable that the CL offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Further information on the features and operation of the CL can be found in the free online Leica CL Manual or on the Leica support site.

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 (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Leica CL	..	..	4.2/5	..	..	4/5	Nov 2017	2,795	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-T100	4/5	+	4.5/5	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	May 2018	599	ebay.com
3.		Fujifilm X-T20	5/5	+ +	5/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	899	ebay.com
4.		Fujifilm X-A3	..	..	..	74/100	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2016	399	ebay.com
5.		Leica C-LUX	..	..	3.5/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2018	1,049	amazon.com
6.		Leica TL2	3.5/5	..	3/5	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2017	1,950	amazon.com
7.		Leica TL	..	..	..	..	..	4/5	Nov 2016	1,695	ebay.com
8.		Leica T	3/5	..	..	..	4/5	4/5	Apr 2014	1,850	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D3500	4/5	..	4/5	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	429	amazon.com
10.		Nikon D5600	4/5	..	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4/5	Nov 2016	699	amazon.com
11.		Nikon D3400	4/5	+	4/5	76/100	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2016	499	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring 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.

Check CL price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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