Specifications#
- Brand
- Leica
- Model
- S2
- Camera type
- Large-sensor compact
- Released
- 2008-09-23
- Sensor size
- 45.0 × 30.0 mm (Medium format 44 × 33 mm)
- Crop factor
- 0.80×
- Resolution
- 38 MP (7,500 × 5,000 px)
- Fastest shutter
- 1/4,000 s
- Continuous shooting
- 1.5 fps
- Weight
- 1,410 g (49.7 oz)
- Sensor type
- CCD
- Dimensions
- 160 x 120 x 81 mm; (6.3 x 4.72 x 3.19 inches)
- Drive
- 1.5 frames per second
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 0.80 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 mm | 17 mm | 93.9° | 71.1° | 104.3° |
| 23 mm | 18 mm | 88.7° | 66.2° | 99.2° |
| 28 mm | 22 mm | 77.6° | 56.4° | 88.0° |
| 32 mm | 26 mm | 70.2° | 50.2° | 80.4° |
| 35 mm | 28 mm | 65.5° | 46.4° | 75.4° |
| 45 mm | 36 mm | 53.1° | 36.9° | 62.0° |
| 55 mm | 44 mm | 44.5° | 30.5° | 52.4° |
| 63 mm | 50 mm | 39.3° | 26.8° | 46.5° |
| 80 mm | 64 mm | 31.4° | 21.2° | 37.4° |
| 90 mm | 72 mm | 28.1° | 18.9° | 33.4° |
| 110 mm | 88 mm | 23.1° | 15.5° | 27.6° |
| 120 mm | 96 mm | 21.2° | 14.3° | 25.4° |
| 150 mm | 120 mm | 17.1° | 11.4° | 20.4° |
| 180 mm | 144 mm | 14.3° | 9.5° | 17.1° |
| 250 mm | 200 mm | 10.3° | 6.9° | 12.3° |
| 350 mm | 280 mm | 7.4° | 4.9° | 8.8° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 37.5 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 mm | f/1.8 | 4.4 cm | 18.2 cm | 75.6 cm | 1.79 m | 5.84 m | 125 m | 10.8 m |
| 27 mm | f/2.8 | 6.8 cm | 28.6 cm | 1.24 m | 3.15 m | 14.7 m | ∞ | 6.97 m |
| 27 mm | f/4 | 9.8 cm | 41.7 cm | 1.94 m | 5.87 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.89 m |
| 27 mm | f/8 | 20.2 cm | 95.4 cm | 9.53 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.46 m |
| 54 mm | f/1.8 | 1.0 cm | 4.4 cm | 18.1 cm | 41.1 cm | 1.16 m | 4.86 m | 43.3 m |
| 54 mm | f/2.8 | 1.6 cm | 6.8 cm | 28.2 cm | 64.4 cm | 1.84 m | 8.22 m | 27.8 m |
| 54 mm | f/4 | 2.3 cm | 9.8 cm | 40.4 cm | 93.1 cm | 2.72 m | 13.9 m | 19.5 m |
| 54 mm | f/8 | 4.6 cm | 19.7 cm | 83.4 cm | 2.00 m | 6.87 m | ∞ | 9.77 m |
| 92 mm | f/1.8 | 0.3 cm | 1.4 cm | 6.1 cm | 13.9 cm | 39.2 cm | 1.59 m | 125 m |
| 92 mm | f/2.8 | 0.5 cm | 2.3 cm | 9.5 cm | 21.7 cm | 61.1 cm | 2.50 m | 80.7 m |
| 92 mm | f/4 | 0.7 cm | 3.2 cm | 13.5 cm | 31.0 cm | 87.6 cm | 3.62 m | 56.5 m |
| 92 mm | f/8 | 1.4 cm | 6.4 cm | 27.2 cm | 62.5 cm | 1.79 m | 8.01 m | 28.3 m |
| 151 mm | f/1.8 | 0.1 cm | 0.5 cm | 2.2 cm | 5.1 cm | 14.4 cm | 58.4 cm | 338 m |
| 151 mm | f/2.8 | 0.2 cm | 0.8 cm | 3.4 cm | 7.9 cm | 22.3 cm | 90.9 cm | 217 m |
| 151 mm | f/4 | 0.2 cm | 1.1 cm | 4.9 cm | 11.2 cm | 31.9 cm | 1.30 m | 152 m |
| 151 mm | f/8 | 0.5 cm | 2.2 cm | 9.7 cm | 22.5 cm | 64.1 cm | 2.64 m | 76.2 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 6.00 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/8.9. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/4.9 and f/9; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.6 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 0.9 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.3 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 1.8 px | sharp |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 2.5 px | slight softening |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 3.6 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 4.9 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 38 MP the Leica S2 produces 7,500 × 5,000 pixel images. See the 36 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 25.0 × 16.7 in | 64 × 42 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 31.2 × 20.8 in | 79 × 53 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 37.5 × 25.0 in | 95 × 64 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 50.0 × 33.3 in | 127 × 85 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 mm (14 mm eq.) | 34.7 s | 13.5 s | 15.4 s | 17.8 s |
| 25 mm (20 mm eq.) | 25.0 s | 9.7 s | 11.1 s | 12.8 s |
| 30 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s | 8.1 s | 9.3 s | 10.7 s |
| 44 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.2 s | 5.5 s | 6.3 s | 7.3 s |
| 62 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.1 s | 3.9 s | 4.5 s | 5.2 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 62 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 125 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 250 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Leica S2 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 0.80.
Similar cameras#
Other Medium format 44 × 33 mm cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Leica S2?
The Leica S2 has a crop factor of 0.80× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 54.1 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Leica S2 sensor?
45.0 × 30.0 mm (Medium format 44 × 33 mm), an area of 1350 mm² — 156% of full frame.
Is the Leica S2 full frame?
No — its sensor is larger than full frame (medium format).
How many megapixels does the Leica S2 have?
38 megapixels (7,500 × 5,000 pixels), enough for a 25 × 17 inch print at 300 DPI.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Leica S2?
With a 25 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 11 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Leica S2 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q4042734 — CC0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources