Leica S2 Comparison Review

The Leica S2 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in September 2008 and is equipped with a medium format sensor. It offers a resolution of 37.5 megapixel.

Is the Leica S2 a good camera? The S2 has a Camera Elo of 1514. This rating puts the S2 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (medium format cameras), the S2 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Leica S2 is more than 15 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2008.

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 S2 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica S2 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 S2	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1410 g	..	Y	Sep 2008	22,995	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	150 mm	160 mm	80 mm	1385 g	1800	Y	Aug 2007	7,999	ebay.com
3.		Leica S3	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2018	18,995	amazon.com
4.		Leica S-E Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	16,900	ebay.com
5.		Leica S Typ 007	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	24,490	ebay.com
6.		Leica S Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2012	21,950	ebay.com
7.		Leica S1	339 mm	214 mm	119 mm	2500 g	..	n	Aug 1996	21,490	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D3S	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1240 g	4200	Y	Oct 2009	5,199	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D3X	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1260 g	4400	Y	Dec 2008	7,999	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D3	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1300 g	4300	Y	Aug 2007	4,999	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 S2 was launched in the US market at a price of $22,995. 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 S2 offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant 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. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Leica S2 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 S2 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 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 S2	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.5	2224	82
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	none	24.0	12.0	1663	80
3.		Leica S3	Medium Format	64.0	9800	6533	4K/24p	25.6	14.4	3143	98
4.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	25.1	13.7	2763	93
5.		Leica S Typ 007	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	4K/24p	25.1	13.7	2763	93
6.		Leica S Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.2	824	76
7.		Leica S1	Medium Format	26.4	5140	5140	none	..	..	..	..
8.		Nikon D3S	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	720/24p	23.5	12.0	3253	82
9.		Nikon D3X	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	24.7	13.7	1992	88
10.		Nikon D3	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2290	81
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 S2 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 S2 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 96% and a magnification of 0.86x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Leica S2 and comparable 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 S2	optical	Y	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
3.		Leica S3	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
4.		Leica S-E Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
5.		Leica S Typ 007	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	n	n
6.		Leica S Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
7.		Leica S1	optical	n	none / none	none	n	..	0.01/s	n	n
8.		Nikon D3S	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
9.		Nikon D3X	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
10.		Nikon D3	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	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 S2 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 S2 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 S2	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Y	mono / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Leica S3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
4.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Leica S Typ 007	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
6.		Leica S Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Leica S1	-	- / -	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8.		Nikon D3S	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon D3X	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D3	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Pentax 645D	Y	stereo / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the S2 can be found in the free online Leica S2 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 remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the S2 handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. 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 S2	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2008	22,995	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	..	..	..	+ +	4.5/5	..	Aug 2007	7,999	ebay.com
3.		Leica S3	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2018	18,995	amazon.com
4.		Leica S-E Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	16,900	ebay.com
5.		Leica S Typ 007	4/5	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	24,490	ebay.com
6.		Leica S Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2012	21,950	ebay.com
7.		Leica S1	..	..	..	..	..	..	Aug 1996	21,490	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D3S	5/5	..	..	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2009	5,199	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D3X	..	..	..	86/100	4/5	5/5	Dec 2008	7,999	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D3	..	..	..	+ +	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	4,999	ebay.com
11.		Pentax 645D	5/5	..	..	..	..	..	Mar 2010	9,995	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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