Nikon Z7 II vs Leica D-LUX 5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z7 II and the Leica D-LUX 5, 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.

Nikon Z7 II was introduced in October 2020 and Leica D-LUX 5 was introduced in September 2010. 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 Nikon Z7 II over Leica D-LUX 5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica D-LUX 5 over Nikon Z7 II.

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

Nikon Z7 II has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Leica D-LUX 5 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 460k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon Z7 II very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon Z7 II 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

Nikon Z7 II has a built-in 0.5" Electronic viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.80x magnification.Leica D-LUX 5 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Nikon Z7 II features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Leica D-LUX 5 features a 10.1 megapixel 1/1.63-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 8.07 x 5.56 mm and a total area of 30.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 12,800.

Nikon Z7 II 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.

Nikon Z7 II is equipped with Dual EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5408 x 3600 (DX crop), 6880 x 5504 (5:4), 5504 x 5504 (1:1), 8256 x 4640 (16:9) with 1:1, 5:4, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Leica D-LUX 5 can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3968 x 2232, 3776 x 2520, 3328 x 1872, 3168 x 2112, 3072 x 2304, 2784 x 1568, 2736 x 2736, 2656 x 1768, 2560 x 1920, 2304 x 2304, 2208 x 1248, 2112 x 1408, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1920, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1536 x 1536, 640 x 480, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon Z7 II

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z7 II. 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.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (5 stops of compensation in Nikon Z7 II). On Nikon Z7 II it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it 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 Nikon Z7 II

Nikon Z7 II 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 Nikon Z7 II

Nikon Z7 II 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.

NFC on Leica D-LUX 5

Leica D-LUX 5 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon Z7 II has a Mini HDMI and Leica D-LUX 5 has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Z7 II comes with EN-EL15c battery pack with battery life of 420 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z7 II has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B / XQD and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Leica D-LUX 5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z7 II has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon Z7 II, and up to 1/4000 sec on Leica D-LUX 5. Nikon Z7 II can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Leica D-LUX 5 can shoot continuously up to 2.5 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z7 II has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points and Leica D-LUX 5 has 23 focusing points. Nikon Z7 II has detection range from -4 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon Z7 II ranges from -3 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon Z7 II and ±2 range on Leica D-LUX 5. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z7 II and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Leica D-LUX 5.

Flash

Leica D-LUX 5 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 7.20 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount. Nikon Z7 II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon Z7 II.

Nikon Z7 II body has dimensions of 134 x 101 x 70 mm (5.28 x 3.98 x 2.76") and Leica D-LUX 5 body has dimensions of 110 x 66 x 43 mm (4.33 x 2.6 x 1.69"). Nikon Z7 II weighs 705 g (1.55 lb / 24.87 oz) and Leica D-LUX 5 weighs 271 g (0.60 lb / 9.56 oz).

Nikon Z7 II

Leica D-LUX 5

134 mm

101 mm

110 mm

66 mm

101 mm

66 mm

70 mm

43 mm