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Leica C

 
Leica C front
 
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400 (Raise to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-200mm (F2.0-5.9) lens
  • 195g - 103 x 63 x 28mm
  • Launched September 2013
  • Additionally referred to as Typ112
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
59
Overall
45

Leica C overview

Leica C is Leica's Small Sensor Compact camera initially introduced on September of 2013. It houses a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/1.7" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 4000 x 3000. It is referred to as "Typ112" in certain regions.

The C is scored #11 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras & all around #518 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can use our Advanced camera filter to see camera ratings based on your custom criteria.

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The following is a diagram of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

Leica C Pros and Cons

Below is a list of good and bad points of the Leica C based on criterias which are normally seen as crucial in a camera.

built-in flash
built in lens has zoom (28-200mm 7.1 x zoom)
does have external microphone support
does have HDMI out
exports RAW files
good resolution screen (920 thousand dots)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
great min ISO (80)
has image stabilization (Optical)
NFC connection
pretty good screen size (3")
provides face detection focusing
provides tracking autofocus
relatively wide (28mm)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
you can focus manually
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have phase detect AF
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
max zoom aperture not good (f5.9)
missing headphone support
missing Timelapse recording
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/1.7")
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Leica C Sensor specifications

The dimension of the sensor on the Leica C is 7.44mm x 5.58mm (1/1.7"). The 42 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is better than digital stabilization since the latter might lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 12MP and delivers a native ISO range of 80 to 6400. This ISO can be increased digitally to a high of 12800. RAW files are supported so the user has wider margin for error.

The graphic underneath displays the C's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The C sensor has a crop factor of 4.8 and is shown in green.

Leica C sensor size Photography Glossary

To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Leica C dimensions

Leica C weighs about 0.43 pounds (195 grams / 6.88 oz) & has outer size of 103mm x 63mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1"). The weight of general Small Sensor Compact camera is 174 grams and the Leica C is heavier when compared with its competitors.

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Down below is a picture of the Leica C besides a soda to help you get a sense of its scale.

Leica C dimensions scale

The top view underneath will highlight the button design on the C.

Leica C topview buttons dials

Leica C Lens specifications

The C has got a fixed lens providing a focal range of 28-200mm making it a 7.1 x zoom which may not be amazing but it will surely be helpful in certain conditions.

At the widest 28mm, it features an aperture of f2.0 which will be perfect for low light situations and capturing good bokeh. It would also make it easier to set a much lower ISO for getting better pictures. On the tele end, 200mm comes to f5.9 which is pretty slow and you would need to choose slow shutter speeds.

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Leica C Connectivity

The C has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • NFC Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Cameras that contain NFC or Bluetooth compatibility are able to be used wirelessly by smartphones. You are able to copy pictures and at times adjust camera settings without connecting straight to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and press the shutter if you aren't near the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI port, it can easily be attached to an external monitor. Almost all cameras enable you to recharge the battery using the USB socket.

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Leica C Video specifications

The highest video resolution on the Leica C is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and AVCHD format. 1080p resolution offers a decent balance between quality and file sizes but FULL HD is not going to give you any room to downsample. Although the camera offers a microphone port, it is sadly lacking a headphone port so you won't have the ability to monitor your audio levels.

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Leica C Weather Sealing

There is no weather sealing on the Leica C so you need to be cautious in wet and dusty situations.

Leica C Display and Viewfinder

The Leica C is equipped with a 3 inch fixed display boasting a resolution of 920 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.

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The View Finder specifications for Leica C are the following:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • Resolution 200 thousand dots
  • Magnification 0.46x

Viewfinders are quite handy during sunny outdoor situations which can easily make the camera display washed out and very difficult to see.

Leica C Shutter specifications

Leica C continuous shooting rate is 10.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000s.

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Leica C Flash and Hot shoe specifications

Leica C features only in-built flash lacking external flash ability.

Leica C Autofocusing specifications

Leica C features just Contrast Detect Auto Focus & is missing Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more snappier & precise when compared with Contrast Detect focusing. The camera supports Face detect making it helpful for taking photos of people.

It also has Tracking Auto Focus for moving things. Leica C has the ability to use manual focus in case it is required during low light situations or you need to have more accurate focus control.

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Leica C Battery life

The battery power on the Leica C is built to last for 250 clicks according to the CIPA benchmarks making it about the same as it's competition. The typical Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has the highest (470) battery life within this range of cameras.

Listed below is a number of Small Sensor Compact cameras that come with the best battery life:

Leica C for varying kinds of photography

The following graph displays a summation of the Leica C for varying kinds of photography. To check out more, go to the specific paragraph underneath.

Portrait photography with Leica C

The Leica C gets a points tally of 42 which is terrible, meaning that it is simply not good to use for portrait photography. Photographing portrait images favors heavily to sensor specs, RAW support & potential to use external flash.

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you can focus manually
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")

Leica C as a Street photography camera

Coming in at a nice points tally of 65, the Leica C is a respectable option to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera comes with a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.

Photography Glossary
image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/1.7")

Leica C Sports photography highlights

A terrible sports photography points total of 38 means the Leica C is simply not good for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs to have great focusing and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
low resolution sensor (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect autofocus

Leica C as a Travel photography camera

Portability is super important in picking a travel camera. All round, the Leica C gets a very good 64 for a travel camera which makes it a respectable choice for your travels.

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flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
does not have Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen

Leica C Landscape photography highlights

For anybody who is looking to choose a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most vital factor is going to be image quality. The Leica C at it's reasonable score of 54 as a landscape camera is relatively suited within the current marketplace.

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you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
does not have Timelapse mode

Vlogging with Leica C

A vlogging camera really should come with a moving display, mic port and preferably IBIS. Taking all things into account, the Leica C is simply not good as a vlog camera as it comes to a terrible rating of 39.

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reasonably wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen

Leica C Alternatives

If you are trying to find replacements to the C, here is a list of the highest scored cameras which fall under the class of Small Sensor Compact.

The diagram down below shows you a summary of the C vs it's highest scored competitors suggested earlier.

Here are a handful of other cameras you might regard as alternative options. To check out a detailed comparison, go to the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Leica
Model
Leica C
Alternative name
Typ112
Class
Small Sensor Compact
Launched
2013-09-08
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.7"
Sensor measurements
7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area
41.5mm²
Sensor resolution
12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution
4000 x 3000
RAW files
Max native ISO
6400
Max boosted ISO
12800
Min native ISO
80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Cross focus points
0
Lens
Lens mounting type
fixed lens
Lens focal range
28-200mm (7.1x)
Largest aperture
f/2.0-5.9
Macro focus distance
3cm
Focal length multiplier
4.8
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display diagonal
3"
Display resolution
920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech
TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Electronic
Viewfinder resolution
200 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage
1%
Viewfinder magnification
0.46x
DXO scores
DXO All around score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Lowest shutter speed
60 secs
Highest shutter speed
1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate
10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range
7.00 m
Flash settings
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video data format
MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless
Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
195 gr (0.43 pounds)
Physical dimensions
103 x 63 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1")
Other
Battery life
250 shots
Battery style
Battery Pack
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots
1
Price at launch
$1,299