Leica S2 vs Olympus PEN E-P5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica S2 and the Olympus PEN E-P5, 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 Olympus PEN E-P5 was introduced in October 2013. 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 Olympus PEN E-P5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-P5 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 and Olympus PEN E-P5 have 3.0" screens with 460k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Leica S2 has a Fixed screen Olympus PEN E-P5 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Olympus PEN E-P5 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 Olympus PEN E-P5) 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) viewfinder. It has a 96% coverage and 0.86x magnification.Olympus PEN E-P5 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

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. Olympus PEN E-P5 features a 16.1 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

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. Olympus PEN E-P5 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Lens Mount

Leica S2 has Leica S lens mount and Olympus PEN E-P5 has Micro Four Thirds 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 Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus PEN E-P5 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.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus PEN E-P5

Olympus PEN E-P5 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). 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 Olympus PEN E-P5

Olympus PEN E-P5 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 and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Both cameras have HDMI connector for video signal output.

External Storage Slots

Leica S2 has a single card slot. Olympus PEN E-P5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Leica S2, and up to 1/8000 sec on Olympus PEN E-P5. Leica S2 can shoot continuously up to 1.5 fps. Olympus PEN E-P5 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps.

Flash

Olympus PEN E-P5 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Leica S2 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/320 sec on Olympus PEN E-P5.

Leica S2 body has dimensions of 160 x 120 x 81 mm (6.3 x 4.72 x 3.19") and Olympus PEN E-P5 body has dimensions of 122 x 69 x 37 mm (4.8 x 2.72 x 1.46"). Leica S2 weighs 1410 g (3.11 lb / 49.74 oz) and Olympus PEN E-P5 weighs 420 g (0.93 lb / 14.82 oz).

Leica S2

Olympus PEN E-P5

160 mm

120 mm

122 mm

69 mm

120 mm

69 mm

81 mm

37 mm