Leica S Typ 006 Comparison Review

The Leica S (Typ 006) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in September 2012 and is equipped with a medium format sensor. It offers a resolution of 37.5 megapixel.

Is the Leica S Typ 006 a good camera? The S Typ 006 has a Camera Elo of 1669. This rating puts the S Typ 006 among the top 50 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (medium format cameras), the S Typ 006 ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-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

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Leica S Typ 006 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica S Typ 006 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 S Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2012	21,950	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	158 mm	168 mm	83 mm	1530 g	1210	Y	Feb 2016	5,999	ebay.com
3.		Canon 70D	139 mm	104 mm	79 mm	755 g	920	Y	Jul 2013	1,199	ebay.com
4.		Leica S3	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2018	18,995	amazon.com
5.		Leica SL	147 mm	104 mm	39 mm	847 g	400	Y	Oct 2015	7,450	ebay.com
6.		Leica S-E Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	16,900	ebay.com
7.		Leica S Typ 007	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	24,490	ebay.com
8.		Leica M Typ 240	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	..	Y	Sep 2012	6,950	ebay.com
9.		Leica S2	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1410 g	..	Y	Sep 2008	22,995	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D4	160 mm	157 mm	91 mm	1340 g	2600	Y	Jan 2012	5,999	ebay.com
11.		Pentax 645D	156 mm	117 mm	119 mm	1480 g	800	Y	Mar 2010	9,995	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 S Typ 006 was launched in the US market at a price of $21,950. 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 S Typ 006 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Leica S Typ 006 features a medium format sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 0.8. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Leica S Typ 006 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica S Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.2	824	76
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4K/60p	24.1	13.5	3207	88
3.		Canon 70D	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	22.5	11.6	926	68
4.		Leica S3	Medium Format	64.0	9800	6533	4K/24p	25.6	14.4	3143	98
5.		Leica SL	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	13.4	1821	88
6.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	25.1	13.7	2763	93
7.		Leica S Typ 007	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	4K/24p	25.1	13.7	2763	93
8.		Leica M Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	24.0	13.3	1860	84
9.		Leica S2	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.5	2224	82
10.		Nikon D4	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/30p	24.7	13.1	2965	89
11.		Pentax 645D	Medium Format	39.5	7264	5440	none	24.6	12.6	1262	82
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the S Typ 006 does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the S Typ 006 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 98% and a magnification of 0.87x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Leica S Typ 006 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

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 S Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	16.0/s	n	n
3.		Canon 70D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	n
4.		Leica S3	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
5.		Leica SL	4400	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
6.		Leica S-E Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
7.		Leica S Typ 007	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	n	n
8.		Leica M Typ 240	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
9.		Leica S2	optical	Y	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
10.		Nikon D4	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
11.		Pentax 645D	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.1/s	n	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the S Typ 006 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 S (Typ 006) 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 S Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 70D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Leica S3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
5.		Leica SL	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	-
6.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Leica S Typ 007	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
8.		Leica M Typ 240	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Leica S2	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D4	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Pentax 645D	Y	stereo / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the S Typ 006 can be found in the free online Leica S Typ 006 Manual or on the Leica support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the S Typ 006 in practical situations. 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 table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known 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 S Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2012	21,950	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	..	..	4.5/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	5,999	ebay.com
3.		Canon 70D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2013	1,199	ebay.com
4.		Leica S3	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2018	18,995	amazon.com
5.		Leica SL	4/5	..	4/5	84/100	4.5/5	4/5	Oct 2015	7,450	ebay.com
6.		Leica S-E Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	16,900	ebay.com
7.		Leica S Typ 007	4/5	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	24,490	ebay.com
8.		Leica M Typ 240	4/5	..	..	..	4/5	..	Sep 2012	6,950	ebay.com
9.		Leica S2	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2008	22,995	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D4	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	5,999	ebay.com
11.		Pentax 645D	5/5	..	..	..	..	..	Mar 2010	9,995	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. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, 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 S Typ 006 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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