Ricoh G900 vs Leica SL Comparison

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Ricoh G900

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

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Leica SL

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

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Ricoh G900 vs Leica SL Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Ricoh G900, which was introduced in February 2018 is a Waterproof camera with a 20.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Leica SL, which was introduced in October 2015 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, SL is 3 years older than G900. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Ricoh G900 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2018-02-21

20MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 6400

28-140 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens

Digital only Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840x2160 video resolution

247g. 118 x 66 x 33 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Leica SL Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2015-10-21

24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 50 - 50000

Leica L Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

4400k dot Electronic viewfinder

11.0 fps continuous shooting

4K (DCI) - 4096 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

Built-in GPS

847g. 147 x 104 x 39 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Also known as Typ 601

Leica SL was replaced by Leica SL2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Leica SL2 vs Leica SL (Typ 601)
Leica SL2 vs Ricoh G900

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh G900 and Leica SL compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh G900 over Leica SL

Image Stabilization	Digital only vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Weight	247 g vs 847 g	600 g lighter
Digital video stabilization	Yes vs No	Stabilizes your videos in-camera

Reasons to choose Leica SL over Ricoh G900

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Supports FlashAir SD cards	Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	50.000 vs 6.400	681% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	49 vs 9	40 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	400 shots vs 340 shots	60 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Sensor Pixel Area	36.00µm² vs 1.39µm²	2489% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	4096 x 2160 vs 3840x2160	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing Range	±3 EV vs ±2 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Strengths of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL

Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.040k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	fps vs 11.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles

Ricoh G900 vs Leica SL: 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 Ricoh G900 and Leica SL side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Ricoh G900 has external dimensions of 118 x 66 x 33 mm (4.65 x 2.6 x 1.3″) and weighs 247 g (0.54 lb / 8.71 oz) (including batteries). Leica SL has external dimensions of 147 x 104 x 39 mm (5.79 x 4.09 x 1.54″) and weighs 847 g (1.87 lb / 29.88 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL. Ricoh G900 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 29mm narrower, 38mm shorter and 6mm thinner than Leica SL. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh G900 has a built-in lens but Leica SL doesn't. Once you put a lens on SL, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL.

Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL.

Top View Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh G900 is significantly lighter (600g ) than the Leica SL which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on SL, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh G900 and Leica SL'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.

Ricoh G900 vs Leica SL: Sensor Comparison

Ricoh G900 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Leica SL has a 24.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Maestro II processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Leica SL's sensor doesn't have an 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 G900 and SL sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Leica SL Cameras

As seen above, Leica SL has a 30.8x Larger sensor area than Ricoh G900. 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 Ricoh G900 and Leica SL Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh G900 and Leica SL 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.

Ricoh G900 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Leica SL for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica SL for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Sports Photography

POOR

Leica SL for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
140 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
49 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica SL for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
247g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
847g
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica SL for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Environmental Sealings
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Built-in GPS
Read the details

Ricoh G900 vs Leica SL: 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 Ricoh G900 and Leica SL, 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 Ricoh G900 and Leica SL scores compare:

Ricoh G900

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #514 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Leica SL

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #29 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #41 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Leica SL is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh G900 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Ricoh G900. Otherwise, Leica SL is the better camera overall.

Leica SL vs Ricoh G900 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Ricoh G900	Leica SL
Brand	Ricoh	Leica
Announced	2018-02-21	2015-10-21
Body Type	Compact	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	Full frame
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	28.07mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	50,000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	125 ISO	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	9	49
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Leica L
Lens Focal Range	28-140 mm (5x)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.5-5.5	no lens
Macro Focus Range	1cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	4,400k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.8x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Digital only	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.50 m (with Auto ISO)	no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	n/a	11.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840x2160	4096 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Supports FlashAir SD cards	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	247g	847g
Dimensions	118 x 66 x 33mm	147 x 104 x 39mm
Battery Life	340 shots	400 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	88
DxO Color Depth	not tested	25.0
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	13.4
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	1821
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