Leica CL vs Sony A7c Comparison

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Leica CL

24 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7c

24 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

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Leica CL vs Sony A7c Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing CL and A7c, two Advanced Mirrorless cameras from Leica and Sony. Leica CL was introduced to market in November 2017 and Sony A7c was launched in September 2020. As you can see, CL is 3 years older than A7c. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Leica CL and Sony A7c before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Leica CL Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-21

24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 50000

Leica L Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

403g. 131 x 78 x 45 mm

Sony A7c Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2020-09-14

24MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 51200

Sony E Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3 Fully articulated Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

509g. 124 x 71 x 60 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Leica CL and Sony A7c compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Leica CL over Sony Alpha A7c

Viewfinder Magnification	0.74x vs 0.59x	Larger Viewfinder
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 922k dots	12% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Max Elect. Shutter	1/25000s vs 1/8000s	faster electronic shutter
Weight	403 g vs 509 g	106 g lighter

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7c over Leica CL

Gyroscopic Stabilization	Yes vs No	Stabilize video in post process
In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen	Fully articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Max ISO	51.200 vs 50.000	2% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	693 vs 49	644 more focus points
Battery Life	740 shots vs 220 shots	520 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area	35.50µm² vs 15.35µm²	131% larger pixel area
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker	Yes vs No	Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus	Yes vs No	Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject

Common Strengths of Leica CL and Sony Alpha A7c

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	24 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 10.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs UHS-II	Read/Write in High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Leica CL and Sony Alpha A7c

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Leica CL vs Sony A7c: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Leica CL and Sony A7c side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Leica CL has external dimensions of 131 x 78 x 45 mm (5.16 x 3.07 x 1.77″) and weighs 403 g (0.89 lb / 14.22 oz) (including batteries). Sony A7c has external dimensions of 124 x 71 x 60 mm (4.88 x 2.8 x 2.36″) and weighs 509 g (1.12 lb / 17.95 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Leica CL and Sony A7c. Sony A7c is 7mm narrower and 7mm shorter than Leica CL but it is also 15mm thicker.

Comparison image of Leica CL and Sony A7c Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Leica CL and Sony A7c.

Comparison image of Leica CL and Sony A7c Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Leica CL and Sony A7c.

Top View Comparison image of Leica CL and Sony A7c Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica CL is significantly lighter (106g ) than the Sony A7c which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7c has a Full frame sensor and Leica CL has a smaller APS-C sensor, Leica CL's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7c lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7c

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7c

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of A7c, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to CL.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Leica CL and Sony A7c's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Leica CL vs Sony A7c: Sensor Comparison

Both Leica CL and Sony A7c have 24.0 MP resolution sensors but Leica CL's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm ) and Sony A7c's sensor is Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ).

Since Sony A7c's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Leica CL.

Below you can see the CL and A7c sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Leica CL and Sony A7c Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7c has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Leica CL. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Leica CL vs Sony A7c Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A7c has an advantage over Leica CL There are 155 lenses for Sony A7c's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 47 lenses for Leica CL's Leica L lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7c has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. A7c's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Leica CL doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 8 lenses for Leica L mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Leica CL Lenses	# of Sony A7c Lenses
Standard Zoom	7	16 (11 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	10	24 (14 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	3	9 (8 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	13	50 (34 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	6	14 (12 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	7	20 (16 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	n/a	10 (2 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	1	8 (7 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	47	155 (106 Full Frame)

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Leica CL and Sony A7c to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic S Pro 24-70mm F2.8	24 - 70mm	935gr	1338gr	140mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM	24 - 70mm	886gr	1395gr	136mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic S Pro 70-200 F2.8 O.I.S.	70 - 200mm	1570gr	1973gr	209mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS	70 - 200mm	1480gr	1989gr	200mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic S Pro 50mm F1.4	50mm	955gr	1358gr	130mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 50mm F1.4	50mm	778gr	1287gr	108mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art	14 - 24mm	795gr	1198gr	131mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM	16 - 35mm	680gr	1189gr	122mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic S 24-105mm F4 Macro OIS	24 - 105mm	680gr	1083gr	118mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS	24 - 105mm	663gr	1172gr	113mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS	100 - 400mm	1135gr	1538gr	197mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS	100 - 400mm	1395gr	1904gr	205mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Leica CL and Sony A7c Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Leica CL and Sony A7c for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Leica CL for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7c for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Leica CL for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7c for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Leica CL for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A7c for Sports Photography

GOOD

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
693 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 740 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Leica CL for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7c for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
403g
Body Thickness 45mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Medium size Body
509g
Body Thickness 60mm
Read the details

Leica CL for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A7c for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Leica CL vs Sony A7c: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Leica CL and Sony A7c, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Leica CL and Sony A7c scores compare:

Leica CL

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #329 out of 1233 in all Cameras

Sony A7c

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #2 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #29 out of 1233 in all Cameras

Sony A7c is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica CL in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Leica CL. Otherwise, Sony A7c is the better camera overall.

Sony A7c vs Leica CL Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Leica CL	Sony Alpha A7c
Brand	Leica	Sony
Announced	2017-11-21	2020-09-14
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	APS-C	Full frame
Dimensions	23.6 x 15.7 mm	35.8 x 23.8 mm
Area	370.52mm²	852.04mm²
Megapixels	24 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	6014 x 4014	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	50,000 ISO	51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	204800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	49	693
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Leica L	Sony E
Number of Available Lenses	47	155
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully articulated
Size	3"	3
Resolution	1,040k dots	922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,360k dots	2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.74x	0.59x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/25000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	10.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	403g	509g
Dimensions	131 x 78 x 45mm	124 x 71 x 60mm
Battery Life	220 shots	740 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	95
DxO Color Depth	not tested	25.0
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	14.7
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	3407
	Report a correction	Report a correction