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Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2

Portability
50
Imaging
59
Features
45
Overall
53
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II front
 
Leica S2 front
Portability
52
Imaging
74
Features
43
Overall
61

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Key Specs

Canon 1Ds MII
(Full Review)
  • 17MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 1565g - 156 x 158 x 80mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Replaced the Canon 1Ds
  • New Model is Canon 1Ds MIII
Leica S2
(Full Review)
  • 38MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1250
  • No Video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 1410g - 160 x 120 x 81mm
  • Introduced September 2008
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Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Overview

Let's look closer at the Canon 1Ds MII and Leica S2, both Pro DSLR cameras by manufacturers Canon and Leica. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the 1Ds MII (17MP) and S2 (38MP) and the 1Ds MII (Full frame) and S2 (Medium format) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The 1Ds MII was manufactured 3 years earlier than the S2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Large SLR).

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the 1Ds MII grades versus the S2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon 1Ds MII over the Leica S2

 1Ds MII S2 

Reasons to pick Leica S2 over the Canon 1Ds MII

 S2 1Ds MII 
IntroducedSeptember 2008October 2005More recent by 35 months
Screen sizing3"2"Bigger screen (+1")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon 1Ds MII and Leica S2

 1Ds MII S2 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon 1Ds MII comes with physical dimensions of 156mm x 158mm x 80mm (6.1" x 6.2" x 3.1") with a weight of 1565 grams (3.45 lbs) and the Leica S2 has dimensions of 160mm x 120mm x 81mm (6.3" x 4.7" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 1410 grams (3.11 lbs).

Analyze the Canon 1Ds MII and Leica S2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the 1Ds MII vs the S2.

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 1Ds MII and S2 is 50 and 52 respectively.

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 top view buttons comparison

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1Ds MII and S2.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 1Ds MII because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Leica S2 will produce more detail due to its extra 21MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older 1Ds MII will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 sensor size comparison

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon 1Ds MII
Portrait photography with Leica S2
67
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (17MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
76
focusing manually
sensor resolution is great (38MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 1Ds MII
Street photography with Leica S2
51
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competitors (1,565g)
51
large sensor size (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (1,250)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 1Ds MII
Sports photography with Leica S2
60
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
decent sensor resolution (17 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max fps very slow (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
58
sensor resolution is great (38MP)
large sensor size (Medium format)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (1,000 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 1Ds MII Travel photography highlights
Leica S2 Travel photography highlights
51
environment proofing
decent sensor resolution (17MP)
heavier than competitors (1,565g)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
45
sensor resolution is great (38MP)
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (1,000 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 1Ds MII as a Landscape photography camera
Leica S2 as a Landscape photography camera
63
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Canon EF mount)
decent sensor resolution (17 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
tiny screen (2 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
62
focusing manually
change lenses (Leica L mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is great (38 megapixels)
large sensor size (Medium format)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (1,250)
terrible battery pack (1,000 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 1Ds MII Vlogging highlights
Leica S2 Vlogging highlights
9
lack of video recording
9
no video shooting
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Canon 1Ds MII vs Leica S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 1Ds MII and Leica S2
 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark IILeica S2
General Information
Make Canon Leica
Model type Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Leica S2
Category Pro DSLR Pro DSLR
Announced 2005-10-11 2008-09-23
Physical type Large SLR Large SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame Medium format
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 45 x 30mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 1,350.0mm²
Sensor resolution 17 megapixels 38 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 -
Peak resolution 4992 x 3328 7500 x 5000
Highest native ISO 3200 1250
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 45 -
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF Leica L
Number of lenses 250 30
Focal length multiplier 1 0.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 96%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.86x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 32 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes External no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1565g (3.45 lb) 1410g (3.11 lb)
Dimensions 156 x 158 x 80mm (6.1" x 6.2" x 3.1") 160 x 120 x 81mm (6.3" x 4.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 76
DXO Color Depth rating 23.3 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 12.2
DXO Low light rating 1480 824
Other
Battery life - 1000 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), SD card -
Card slots Two One
Cost at release $12,000 $0