Nikon Z8 vs Leica S2

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z8 and the Leica S2, 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 Z8 was introduced in May 2023 and Leica S2 was introduced in September 2008. 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 Z8 over Leica S2.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica S2 over Nikon Z8.

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 Z8 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Leica S2 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 460k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon Z8 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon Z8 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 Z8 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution and Leica S2 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Nikon Z8 has 100% coverage with 0.80x magnification and Leica S2 has 96% coverage with 0.86x magnification.

Nikon Z8 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame Stacked 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 S2 features a 38 megapixel Medium format CCD sensor with dimensions of 45 x 30 mm and a total area of 900 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 1,250.

Nikon Z8 has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

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

Nikon Z8 is equipped with EXPEED 7 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. Leica S2 can take pictures up to 7500 x 5000 resolution.

Lens Mount

Nikon Z8 has Nikon Z lens mount and Leica S2 has Leica S lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon Z8 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. 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.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon Z8

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z8. 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 Nikon Z8

Nikon Z8 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 6 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 Nikon Z8

Nikon Z8 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 Z8

Nikon Z8 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 5) 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. Nikon Z8 has a Full Size HDMI and Leica S2 has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Z8 comes with EN-EL15c battery pack with battery life of 330 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z8 has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B / XQD and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Leica S2 has a single card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z8 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z8, and up to 1/4000 sec on Leica S2. Nikon Z8 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps. Leica S2 can shoot continuously up to 1.5 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z8 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points and Leica S2 has . Nikon Z8 has detection range from -9 to +19 EV. The ability to focus at as low as -9 EV is a feature exclusive to top-tier professional cameras.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon Z8 ranges from -3 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon Z8. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z8 and and manual exposure adjustment on Leica S2.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe to Nikon Z8 and via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Leica S2. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon Z8.

Nikon Z8 body has dimensions of 144 x 119 x 83 mm (5.67 x 4.69 x 3.27") and Leica S2 body has dimensions of 160 x 120 x 81 mm (6.3 x 4.72 x 3.19"). Nikon Z8 weighs 910 g (2.01 lb / 32.10 oz) and Leica S2 weighs 1410 g (3.11 lb / 49.74 oz).

Nikon Z8

Leica S2

144 mm

119 mm

160 mm

120 mm

119 mm

120 mm

83 mm

81 mm