Leica TL2 vs Samsung NX500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica TL2 and the Samsung NX500, 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 TL2 was introduced in July 2017 and Samsung NX500 was introduced in February 2015. 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 TL2 over Samsung NX500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Samsung NX500 over Leica TL2.

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 TL2 has a 3.7" Fixed screen with 1,300k dot resolution and Samsung NX500 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,036k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Samsung NX500 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature 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.

Camera does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached on Leica TL2.

Leica TL2 features a 24.6 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. Samsung NX500 features a 28.2 megapixel APS-C BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 246.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode.

Samsung NX500 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

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 TL2 can take pictures up to 6016 x 4014 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6000 x 4000, 4272 x 2856, 3024 x 2016 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Samsung NX500 is equipped with DRIMe 5 processor and can take pictures up to 6480 x 4320 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6480 x 3648, 4320 x 4320, 4560 x 3040, 4605 x 2592, 3088 x 3088, 3264 x 2176, 3328 x 1872, 2160 x 2160, 2112 x 1408, 2048 x 1152, 1408 x 1408 with 1:1, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Leica TL2 has Leica TL lens mount and Samsung NX500 has Samsung NX lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) 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.

No Low-Pass Filter on Samsung NX500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Samsung NX500. 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.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Leica TL2 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Samsung NX500 nothing can be done. On Samsung NX500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Leica TL2 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have 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 Samsung NX500

Samsung NX500 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. Leica TL2 has a Micro HDMI and Samsung NX500 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Leica TL2 comes with BP-DC13 battery pack with battery life of 250 shots and Samsung NX500 comes with BP1130 battery pack with battery life of 370 shots.

External Storage Slots

Leica TL2 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. Samsung NX500 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/40000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica TL2, and up to 1/6000 sec on Samsung NX500. Leica TL2 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Samsung NX500 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Leica TL2.

Leica TL2 body has dimensions of 134 x 69 x 33 mm (5.28 x 2.72 x 1.3") and Samsung NX500 body has dimensions of 120 x 64 x 43 mm (4.72 x 2.52 x 1.69"). Leica TL2 weighs 399 g (0.88 lb / 14.07 oz) and Samsung NX500 weighs 287 g (0.63 lb / 10.12 oz).

Leica TL2

Samsung NX500

134 mm

69 mm

120 mm

64 mm

69 mm

64 mm

33 mm

43 mm