Canon EOS 5DS R vs Leica Q2 Monochrom

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS R and the Leica Q2 Monochrom, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5DS R was introduced in February 2015 and Leica Q2 Monochrom was introduced in November 2020. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5DS R over Leica Q2 Monochrom.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica Q2 Monochrom over Canon EOS 5DS R.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5DS R has a 3.2" screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Leica Q2 Monochrom has a 3.0" screen with 1,040k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Leica Q2 Monochrom also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Leica Q2 Monochrom) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 5DS R has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderLeica Q2 Monochrom has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 3,686k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS 5DS R features a 50.6 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Leica Q2 Monochrom features a 47.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 100,000.

Canon EOS 5DS R is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8688 x 5792 resolution. Leica Q2 Monochrom is equipped with Maestro II processor and can take pictures up to 8368 x 5584 resolution.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on either of the cameras. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Leica Q2 Monochrom has an image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica Q2 Monochrom

Leica Q2 Monochrom has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Leica Q2 Monochrom

Leica Q2 Monochrom has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS R comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Leica Q2 Monochrom comes with BP-SCL4 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5DS R has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Leica Q2 Monochrom has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 5DS R has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS R, and up to 1/40000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/2000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica Q2 Monochrom. Canon EOS 5DS R can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Leica Q2 Monochrom can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5DS R has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Leica Q2 Monochrom has 49 focusing points. Canon EOS 5DS R has detection range from -2 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5DS R ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 5DS R and ±5 range on Leica Q2 Monochrom. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS R and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Leica Q2 Monochrom.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Canon EOS 5DS R and via Shoe Mount to Leica Q2 Monochrom. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5DS R and 1/500 sec on Leica Q2 Monochrom.

Canon EOS 5DS R body has dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Leica Q2 Monochrom body has dimensions of 130 x 80 x 92 mm (5.12 x 3.15 x 3.62"). Canon EOS 5DS R weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Leica Q2 Monochrom weighs 734 g (1.62 lb / 25.89 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS R

Leica Q2 Monochrom

152 mm

116 mm

130 mm

80 mm

116 mm

80 mm

76 mm

92 mm