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 Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Leica S2 has external dimensions of 160 x 120 x 81 mm (6.3 x 4.72 x 3.19″) and weighs 1410 g (3.11 lb / 49.74 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 60mm narrower, 60mm shorter and 52mm thinner than Leica S2.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 Size and Weight - Back View
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (1178g ) than the Leica S2 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 S2 has a Medium format sensor and Nikon 1 J4 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J4's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Leica S2 lenses.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Leica S2 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Leica S2 has a 38.0MP Medium format (45 x 30 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Leica S2's sensor provides 20MP more than Nikon 1 J4'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.
Below you can see the 1 J4 and S2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 Cameras
As seen above, Leica S2 has a 11.6x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. 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.
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 Leica S2 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 36 lenses for Leica S2's Leica L mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 5 lenses for Leica L mount with IS.
Lens Type |
# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses |
# of Leica S2 Lenses |
Standard Zoom |
4 |
5 |
Standard Prime |
2 |
8 |
Wideangle Zoom |
1 |
3 |
Wideangle Prime |
2 |
9 |
Telephoto Zoom |
2 |
3 |
Telephoto Prime |
n/a |
6 |
SuperZoom |
2 |
n/a |
Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
Macro Prime |
n/a |
1 |
Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
TOTAL |
13 |
36 |
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 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.
Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography
Leica S2 for Portrait Photography
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Medium format (45 x 30 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 38.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography
Leica S2 for Street Photography
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Medium format (45 x 30 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography
Leica S2 for Sports Photography
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Good Battery Life: 1000 shots
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography
Leica S2 for Daily Photography
Large Medium format (45 x 30 mm) sensor
Large Body
1410g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography
Leica S2 for Landscape Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Medium format (45 x 30 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 38.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
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 Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2, 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 Nikon 1 J4 and Leica S2 scores compare:
Nikon 1 J4
Ranked
#70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Leica S2
Ranked
#15 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked
#309 out of 1220 in all Cameras
General |
Nikon 1 J4 |
Leica S2 |
Brand |
Nikon |
Leica |
Announced |
2014-04-10 |
2008-09-23 |
Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Large SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CCD |
Size |
1" |
Medium format |
Dimensions |
13.2 x 8.8 mm |
45 x 30 mm |
Area |
116.16mm2 |
1350.00mm2 |
Megapixels |
18 megapixels |
38 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
5232 x 3488 |
7500 x 5000 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
12,800 ISO |
1,250 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
160 ISO |
80 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 |
171 |
n/a |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Nikon 1 |
Leica L |
Number of Available Lenses |
13 |
36 |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
Size |
3" |
3" |
Resolution |
1,037k dots |
460k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
None |
Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder Coverage |
n/a |
96% |
Viewfinder Magnification |
n/a |
0.86x |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/4000s |
Max Electronic Shutter |
1/16000s |
n/a |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
5.00 m (ISO 100) |
no built-in flash |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
60.0 fps |
2.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
1920 x 1080 |
None |
Video Formats |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
n/a |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
232g |
1410g |
Dimensions |
100 x 60 x 29mm |
160 x 120 x 81mm |
Battery Life |
300 shots |
1000 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
76 |
DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
23.9 |
DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
12.2 |
DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
824 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |