Leica CL vs Olympus E-300

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica CL and the Olympus E-300, 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.

Leica CL was introduced in November 2017 and Olympus E-300 was introduced in January 2005. 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 Leica CL over Olympus E-300.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus E-300 over Leica CL.

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

Leica CL has a 3.0" screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Olympus E-300 has a 1.8" screen with 134k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Leica CL also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality 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

Leica CL has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution and Olympus E-300 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. Leica CL has 100% coverage with 1.11x (0.74x 35mm equivalent) magnification and magnification.

Leica CL features a 24.24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 370.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 50,000. Olympus E-300 features a 8 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CCD sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 400 and expands to 100 - 1,600 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Leica CL is equipped with Maestro II processor and can take pictures up to 6014 x 4014 resolution. Olympus E-300 can take pictures up to 3264 x 2448 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Leica CL has Leica TL lens mount and Olympus E-300 has Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Leica CL its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus E-300 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Leica CL it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Olympus E-300 nothing can be done. On Olympus E-300 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Leica CL nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica CL

Leica CL has a built-in Wi-Fi 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.

USB Inputs

Olympus E-300 has a USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer.

Battery

Leica CL comes with BP-DC12 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots.

External Storage Slots

Leica CL has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. Olympus E-300 has a single Compact Flash (Type I/II) card slot.

Shutter

Leica CL has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/25000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica CL, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus E-300. Leica CL can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Olympus E-300 can shoot continuously up to 2.5 fps.

Flash

Olympus E-300 has a built-in flash and also accepts external flash. Leica CL has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on both cameras.

Leica CL body has dimensions of 131 x 78 x 45 mm (5.16 x 3.07 x 1.77") and Olympus E-300 body has dimensions of 147 x 85 x 64 mm (5.79 x 3.35 x 2.52"). Leica CL weighs 403 g (0.89 lb / 14.22 oz) and Olympus E-300 weighs 624 g (1.38 lb / 22.01 oz).

Leica CL

Olympus E-300

131 mm

78 mm

147 mm

85 mm

78 mm

85 mm