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Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Leica S2

38 MP | Medium format (45 x 30 mm) CCD Sensor

Leica S2
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Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7R III, which was introduced in October 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Leica S2, which was introduced in September 2008 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 38.0MP Medium format sensor. As you can see, S2 is 9 years older than A7R III. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

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.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R III and Leica S2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50 - 102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha A7R II Compare

Leica S2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2008-09-23
  • 38MP - Medium format CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 1250
  • Leica L Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 2.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 1410g. 160 x 120 x 81 mm

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Leica S2

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Leica S2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**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 Sony Alpha A7R III over Leica S2
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 38 MP 10% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 1.250 2460% higher Max ISO
LCD Resolution
1.440k dots vs 460k dots 213% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 96% More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 2.0fps 8 fps faster
Weight
657 g vs 1410 g 753 g lighter
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
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Color Depth
26.0 vs 23.9 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 12.2 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 824 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (169. 6) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
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 High Speeds
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
CHECK A7R III PRICE


Reasons to choose Leica S2 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.86x vs 0.78x Larger Viewfinder
Battery Life
1000 shots vs 650 shots 350 more frames with a single charge
Sensor Pixel Area
36.00µm2 vs 20.43µm2 76% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
CHECK S2 PRICE

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Leica S2
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Max Resolution
42 MP vs 38 MP Bigger prints and more details
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Leica S2
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7R III vs Leica S2: 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 Sony A7R III and Leica S2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 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 Sony A7R III and Leica S2. Sony A7R III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 33mm narrower, 24mm shorter and 7mm thinner than Leica S2.

Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica S2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Leica S2.

Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III 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. Sony A7R III is significantly lighter (753g ) 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 Sony A7R III has a smaller Full frame sensor, Sony A7R III's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Leica S2 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
S2
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
S2
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7R III has a big advantage over S2 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III and Leica S2's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Sony A7R III features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Leica S2 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7R III.
Sony A7R III vs Leica S2: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Leica S2 has a 38.0MP Medium format (45 x 30 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III'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 A7R III and S2 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica S2 Cameras


As seen above, Leica S2 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Sony A7R III. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7R III and Leica S2 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7R III has scored 100, 24 points higher than S2.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Leica S2 76 23.9 bits 12.2 Evs 824 ISO
Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 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 A7R III has an advantage over Leica S2. There are 184 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 55 lenses for Leica S2's Leica L lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R III has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. A7R III'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 S2 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 Sony A7R III Lenses # of Leica S2 Lenses
Standard Zoom 18 (13 Full Frame) 8
Standard Prime 32 (18 Full Frame) 11
Wideangle Zoom 12 (10 Full Frame) 4
Wideangle Prime 57 (39 Full Frame) 17
Telephoto Zoom 15 (13 Full Frame) 6
Telephoto Prime 26 (20 Full Frame) 7
SuperZoom 10 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) n/a
Macro Prime 9 (8 Full Frame) 2
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 184 (125 Full Frame) 55

What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Leica S2 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III 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.

Sony A7R III for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Leica S2 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
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

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica S2 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
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

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica S2 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
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

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica S2 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large Medium format (45 x 30 mm) sensor
Large Body
1410g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Leica S2 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
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

Sony A7R III vs Leica S2: 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 Sony A7R III and Leica S2, 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 Sony A7R III and Leica S2 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #11 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #11 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Leica S2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #15 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #361 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica S2 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Leica S2
Leica S2
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Leica S2 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Leica S2
Brand Sony Leica
Announced 2017-10-25 2008-09-23
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CCD
Size Full frame Medium format
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 45 x 30 mm
Area 861.60mm2 1350.00mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 38 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 7500 x 5000
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 1,250 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 80 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 425 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Leica L
Number of Available Lenses 184 55
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,440k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 96%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x 0.86x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 2.0 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 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 1410g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 160 x 120 x 81mm
Battery Life 650 shots 1000 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 76
DxO Color Depth 26.0 23.9
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 12.2
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 824
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