Leica S2 vs Leica SL2

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica S2 and the Leica SL2, 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 S2 was introduced in September 2008 and Leica SL2 was introduced in November 2019. 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 S2 over Leica SL2.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica SL2 over Leica S2.

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 S2 has a 3.0" screen with 460k dot resolution and Leica SL2 has a 3.2" screen with 2,100k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Leica SL2 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 SL2) 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 S2 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderLeica SL2 has a built-in Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 5,760k dot resolution. Leica S2 has 96% coverage with 0.86x magnification and Leica SL2 has 100% coverage with 0.78x magnification.

Leica S2 features a 38 megapixel Medium format CCD sensor with dimensions of 45 x 30 mm and a total area of 1350 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 1,250. Leica SL2 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 - 50,000 and expands to 50 - 50,000 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 S2 can take pictures up to 7500 x 5000 resolution. Leica SL2 is equipped with Maestro III processor and can take pictures up to 8368 x 5584 resolution.

Lens Mount

Leica S2 has Leica S lens mount and Leica SL2 has Leica L lens mount. Due to Medium format sensor in Leica S2 its crop factor is equal to 0.79x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 0.79. Due to Full Frame sensor in Leica SL2 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Leica SL2

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Leica SL2. 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.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Leica SL2

Leica SL2 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5.5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica SL2

Leica SL2 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 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 SL2

Leica SL2 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2) 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

Leica SL2 comes with BP-SCL4 battery pack with battery life of 370 shots.

External Storage Slots

Leica S2 has a single card slot. Leica SL2 has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots.

Shutter

Leica SL2 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Leica S2, and up to 1/40000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica SL2. Leica S2 can shoot continuously up to 1.5 fps. Leica SL2 can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps.

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 Leica S2 and via Hot Shoe to Leica SL2. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Leica SL2.

Leica S2 body has dimensions of 160 x 120 x 81 mm (6.3 x 4.72 x 3.19") and Leica SL2 body has dimensions of 146 x 107 x 83 mm (5.75 x 4.21 x 3.27"). Leica S2 weighs 1410 g (3.11 lb / 49.74 oz) and Leica SL2 weighs 916 g (2.02 lb / 32.31 oz).

Leica S2

Leica SL2

160 mm

120 mm

146 mm

107 mm

120 mm

107 mm

81 mm

83 mm