Sony A7R III vs Leica S2 Comparison

Camera to replace

Change

Sony A7R III

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

CHECK PRICE

Change

Leica S2

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

CHECK PRICE

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 Tilting Screen

3686k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0 fps 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 7R II Compare

Leica S2 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2008-09-23

38MP - Medium format CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 1250

Leica L Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

2 fps 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.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Leica S2

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
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
Max Sensor Resolution	42 MP vs 38 MP	10% more pixels
Max ISO	32.000 vs 1.250	2460% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen 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
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
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	425 points vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
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

Reasons to choose Leica S2 over Sony Alpha A7R III

Viewfinder Magnification	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

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.

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.

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

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III

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.

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.

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 126 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 36 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.
5 lenses for Leica L mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7R III Lenses	# of Leica S2 Lenses
Standard Zoom	12 (9 Full Frame)	5
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	8
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	3
Wideangle Prime	41 (25 Full Frame)	9
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	3
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	6
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	n/a
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	1
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	126 (80 Full Frame)	36

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

EXCELLENT

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

EXCELLENT

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

GOOD

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 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 Sony A7R III and Leica S2 scores compare:

Sony A7R III

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #4 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 out of 1219 in all Cameras

Leica S2

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #15 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #308 out of 1219 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

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	126	36
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3	3"
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
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	10.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
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
	Report a correction	Report a correction