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Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Comparison

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Nikon P500

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P500
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Leica X2

16 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Leica X2
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Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P500, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Leica X2, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 15 months difference between P500 and X2 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger X2, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P500 and Leica X2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-09
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 494g. 116 x 84 x 103 mm

Leica X2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-05-10
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12500
  • 36 mm f2.80 Prime Lens
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 345g. 124 x 69 x 52 mm
  • Replaced Leica X1 Compare

Nikon P500 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P510. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Leica X2

Leica X2 was replaced by Leica X Vario. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Leica X Vario vs Leica X2
Leica X Vario vs Nikon Coolpix P500

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P500 and Leica X2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Leica X2
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Focal Length - Wide
23mm vs 36mm 13 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele
810mm vs 36mm 774 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
36× vs 1× more flexible focal coverage
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Leica X2 over Nikon Coolpix P500
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
12.500 vs 3.200 290% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/2000s vs 1/1500s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 1.0fps 4 fps faster
Battery Life
450 shots vs 220 shots 230 more frames with a single charge
Weight
345 g vs 494 g 149 g lighter
Max Aperture - Wide
2.80 vs 3.40 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
2.80 vs 5.70 faster lens at tele
Sensor Pixel Area
23.19µm2 vs 2.34µm2 891% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Leica X2
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Manual Focusing
Yes vs Yes both have manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure
Yes vs Yes better exposure control
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Leica X2
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" Small display
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon P500 vs Leica X2: 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 Nikon P500 and Leica X2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P500 has external dimensions of 116 x 84 x 10 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06″) and weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) (including batteries). Leica X2 has external dimensions of 124 x 69 x 52 mm (4.88 x 2.72 x 2.05″) and weighs 345 g (0.76 lb / 12.17 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Leica X2. Leica X2 is 15mm shorter and 51mm thinner than Nikon P500 but it is also 8mm wider.

Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Leica X2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Leica X2.

Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Leica X2 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P500 and Leica X2.
Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Leica X2 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica X2 is significantly lighter (149g ) than the Nikon P500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
X2
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
X2
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P500 nor Leica X2 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 Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P500's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica X2's 2.7" screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Nikon P500 LCD screen also has a Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Leica X2 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to P500.
Nikon P500 vs Leica X2: Sensor Comparison

Nikon P500 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Leica X2 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the P500 and X2 sensor size comparison.

Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Leica X2 Cameras


As seen above, Leica X2 has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon P500. 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.

Nikon P500 vs Leica X2 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon P500 features a 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 36× zoom lens whereas Leica X2 features a 36 mm F2.8 Prime lens.

It is not easy to compare a prime lens with a zoom lens. Nikon P500's zoom lens provides a great flexibility compared to Leica X2's 36mm fixed focal length lens. On the other hand, X2's prime lens makes it a specialized camera. You compromise the flexibility of a zoom in order to enjoy the high image quality and unique rendering of this fast lens. On the tele end, Nikon P500 has 774mm longer reach than the Leica X2. However, with a max aperture of f2.80, Leica X2 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

P500
X2
Widest - Samsung WB2200F
Average
Telezoom

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
X2
Longest - Nikon P1000
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
X2
Fastest - Olympus 1
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
X2
Fastest - Sony RX10 III
Average
What types of Photography are Nikon P500 and Leica X2 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P500 and Leica X2 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 P500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X2 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica X2 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
36 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X2 for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
11 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
36 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X2 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Compact Body
345g
Body Thickness 52mm
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica X2 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
36 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon P500 vs Leica X2: 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 Nikon P500 and Leica X2, 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 P500 and Leica X2 scores compare:

Nikon P500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #50 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #556 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Leica X2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #48 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #499 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Leica X2 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon P500 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon P500
Nikon P500
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Leica X2
Leica X2
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Leica X2 vs Nikon P500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P500 Leica X2
Brand Nikon Leica
Announced 2011-02-09 2012-05-10
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area 28.07mm2 372.88mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4928 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 12,500 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 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 9 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 23-810 mm (36×) 36 mm (1×)
Max Aperture F3.4-5.7 F2.8
Macro Focus Range 1cm 30cm
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3" 2.7"
Resolution 921k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/1500s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 8.00 m n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 5.0 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 None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 494g 345g
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 103mm 124 x 69 x 52mm
Battery Life 220 shots 450 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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