Clicky

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
67
Imaging
72
Features
78
Overall
74
Leica SL front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs

Leica SL
(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
Olympus E-M5 III
(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  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II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
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

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 
LaunchedOctober 2019October 2015Newer by 48 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed 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 sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Screen resolution1040k1040kIdentical 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and ViewFinder

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica SL Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography advice
83
has manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
77
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Leica SL Street photography advice
Olympus E-M5 III Street photography advice
69
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
features touch to focus
weather proofing
good high ISO (50,000)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
83
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus by touch
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Leica SL Sports photography info
Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography info
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
bad battery life (400 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
low battery power (310 per charge)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Leica SL Travel photography factors
Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography factors
65
weather proofing
features touch to focus
good MP (24MP)
bad battery life (400 shots)
does not have selfie friendly display
77
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
provides focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
low battery power (310 CIPA)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Leica SL
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Leica L mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
no low pass filter
good high ISO (50,000)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
does not have image stabilization
bad battery life (400 shots)
77
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
low battery power (310 per charge)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Leica SL
Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
33
screen is touchscreen
comes with face detect focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic jack
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
84
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have mic port
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Leica SL vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica SL and Olympus E-M5 III
 Leica SLOlympus 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