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Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D

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Leica SL2

47 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Leica SL2

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Canon 90D

33 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 90D
$1149.00

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Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Leica SL2, which was introduced in November 2019 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 47.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon 90D, which was introduced in August 2019 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 33.0MP APS-C sensor. There is only 3 months difference between SL2 and 90D so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Leica SL2 is ranked #0 out of 41 Pro Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of whereas Canon 90D is ranked #10 out of 91 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 81.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Leica SL2 and Canon 90D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Leica SL2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2019-11-06
  • 47MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 50000
  • Leica L Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.2″ Fixed Type Screen
  • 5760k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4096 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 835g. 146 x 107 x 42 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Leica SL Compare

Canon 90D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2019-08-28
  • 33MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3 Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 11.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 701g. 141 x 105 x 77 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Canon EOS 80D Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Leica SL2 and Canon 90D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Leica SL2 over Canon EOS 90D
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Max Sensor Resolution 47 MP vs 33 MP 42% more pixels
Max ISO 50.000 vs 25.600 95% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points 225 vs 45 180 more focus points
LCD Screen Size 3.2″ vs 3 0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution 2.100k dots vs 1.040k dots 101% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting 20.0fps vs 11.0fps 9 fps faster
Sensor Pixel Area 18.49µm2 vs 10.29µm2 79% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution 4096 x 2160 vs 3840 x 2160 Higher Resolution Video
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot 2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Reasons to choose Canon EOS 90D over Leica SL2
Articulating Screen Yes vs No Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s vs 1/1/40000 secs faster electronic shutter
Battery Life 1300 shots vs 370 shots 930 more frames with a single charge
Weight 701 g vs 835 g 134 g lighter
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Autofocus at f/8 aperture 27 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
Common Strengths of Leica SL2 and Canon EOS 90D
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
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 (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution 47 MP vs 33 MP Bigger prints and more details
Continuous Shooting 20.0fps vs 11.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Top LCD Display Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-II vs UHS-II Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Leica SL2 and Canon EOS 90D
Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D: 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 SL2 and Canon 90D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Leica SL2 and Canon 90D. Canon 90D is 5mm narrower and 2mm shorter than Leica SL2 but it is also 35mm thicker.

Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Leica SL2 and Canon 90D.

Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Leica SL2 and Canon 90D.
Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 90D is significantly lighter (134g ) than the Leica SL2 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 Leica SL2 has a Full frame sensor and Canon 90D has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 90D's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Leica SL2 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

SL2
90D
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Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

SL2
90D
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both SL2 and 90D have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Leica SL2's 3.2″ LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 90D's 3 screen.

Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D: Sensor Comparison

Leica SL2 has a 47.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Maestro III processor. On the other hand, Canon 90D has a 33.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 8 processor.

Leica SL2's sensor provides 14MP more than Canon 90D's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Leica SL2's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the SL2 and 90D sensor size comparison.

Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Leica SL2 has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 90D. 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.

What types of Photography are Leica SL2 and Canon 90D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Leica SL2 and Canon 90D 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.

Canon 90D vs Leica SL2 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 Canon 90D has an advantage over Leica SL2 There are 319 lenses for Canon 90D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 29 lenses for Leica SL2's Leica L lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Leica SL2 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. On the other hand, Canon 90D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 107 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Leica SL2 Lenses # of Canon 90D Lenses
Standard Zoom 3 (3 Full Frame) 40
Standard Prime 7 (7 Full Frame) 18
Wideangle Zoom 3 (3 Full Frame) 35
Wideangle Prime 7 (7 Full Frame) 48
Telephoto Zoom 3 (3 Full Frame) 58
Telephoto Prime 4 (4 Full Frame) 41
SuperZoom n/a 28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a 7
Macro Prime 1 (1 Full Frame) 27
Perspective Control Prime n/a 16
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 29 (28 Full Frame) 319
Leica SL2 vs Canon 90D: 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 SL2 and Canon 90D, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 SL2 and Canon 90D scores compare:

Leica SL2
This camera is not rated yet!
Canon 90D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #11 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #33 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Leica SL2
Leica SL2

Canon 90D
Canon 90D
$1149.00

Canon 90D vs Leica SL2 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Leica SL2 Canon EOS 90D
Brand Leica Canon
Announced 2019-11-06 2019-08-28
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 36 x 24 mm 22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area 864.00mm2 332.27mm2
Megapixels 47 megapixels 33 megapixels
Max Resolution 8368 x 5584 6960 x 4640
Max Native Light sensitivity 50,000 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 51200 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 225 45
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Leica L Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses 29 319
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3.2″ 3
Resolution 2,100k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 5,760k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78 0.6
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync no built-in flash 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 20.0 fps 11.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 4096 x 2160 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 835g 701g
Dimensions 146 x 107 x 42mm 141 x 105 x 77mm
Battery Life 370 shots 1300 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
Report a correction Report a correction
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