Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III
67 Imaging
71 Features
78 Overall
73


80 Imaging
61 Features
88 Overall
71
Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 50 - 50000
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Leica L Mount
- 847g - 147 x 104 x 39mm
- Revealed October 2015
- Also referred to as Typ 601
- Successor is Leica SL2
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
- Launched October 2019
- Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II
- Refreshed by OM System OM-5

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview
Let's take a more detailed look at the Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Leica and Olympus. The image resolution of the SL (24MP) and the E-M5 III (20MP) is relatively similar but the SL (Full frame) and E-M5 III (Four Thirds) come with different sensor dimensions.

The SL was introduced 5 years prior to the E-M5 III which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SL grades against the E-M5 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Leica SL & Olympus OM-D E-M5 III. The whole galleries are viewable at Leica SL Gallery & Olympus E-M5 III Gallery.
Reasons to pick Leica SL over the Olympus E-M5 III
SL | E-M5 III |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Leica SL
E-M5 III | SL | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | October 2019 | ![]() | October 2015 | Newer by 48 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Leica SL and Olympus E-M5 III
SL | E-M5 III | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial accurate focus | ||
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen sizing |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 1040k | Identical screen resolution |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Physical Comparison
For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Leica SL enjoys external measurements of 147mm x 104mm x 39mm (5.8" x 4.1" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 847 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 III has proportions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") and a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).
Analyze the Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the SL vs the E-M5 III.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SL and E-M5 III is 67 and 80 respectively.

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Sensor Comparison
Typically, its tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The image below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SL and E-M5 III.
Clearly, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SL with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Leica SL will offer extra detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged SL is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications
Leica SL | Olympus OM-D E-M5 III | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Leica | Olympus |
Model | Leica SL | Olympus OM-D E-M5 III |
Also referred to as | Typ 601 | - |
Category | Pro Mirrorless | Advanced Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2015-10-21 | 2019-10-17 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Maestro II | TruePic VIII |
Sensor type | CMOS | MOS |
Sensor size | Full frame | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 36 x 24mm | 17.4 x 13mm |
Sensor area | 864.0mm² | 226.2mm² |
Sensor resolution | 24 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 6000 x 4000 | 5184 x 3888 |
Max native ISO | 50000 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 50 | 200 |
RAW photos | ||
Min boosted ISO | - | 64 |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 49 | 121 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Leica L | Micro Four Thirds |
Total lenses | 30 | 107 |
Crop factor | 1 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 1,040k dot | 1,040k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 4,400k dot | 2,360k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.8x | 0.68x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Highest silent shutter speed | - | 1/32000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 11.0 frames/s | 30.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
Flash settings | no built-in flash | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | - | 1/250 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (120p, 60p, 30p, 24p) | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM |
Max video resolution | 4096x2160 | 4096x2160 |
Video format | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 847 grams (1.87 pounds) | 414 grams (0.91 pounds) |
Dimensions | 147 x 104 x 39mm (5.8" x 4.1" x 1.5") | 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 88 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 25.0 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 13.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 1821 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 400 photos | 310 photos |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BP-SCL4 | BLN-1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs) | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported on slot 1) | SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) |
Storage slots | 2 | Single |
Launch price | $7,450 | $1,199 |