Leica S-E Typ 006 Comparison Review

The Leica S-E (Typ 006) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in September 2014 and is equipped with a medium format sensor. It offers a resolution of 37.5 megapixel.

Is the Leica S-E Typ 006 a good camera? The S-E Typ 006 has a Camera Elo of 1900. This rating puts the S-E Typ 006 among the top 40 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (medium format cameras), the S-E Typ 006 ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Leica S-E Typ 006 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica S-E Typ 006 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica S-E Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	US$ 16 599	ebay.com
2.		Leica M Typ 262	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	400	Y	Nov 2015	US$ 5 195	ebay.com
3.		Leica S2	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1410 g	..	Y	Sep 2008	US$ 22 999	ebay.com
4.		Leica S3	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2018	US$ 18 999	ebay.com
5.		Leica S Typ 006	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 21 949	ebay.com
6.		Leica S Typ 007	160 mm	120 mm	80 mm	1260 g	..	Y	Sep 2014	US$ 24 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica SL	147 mm	104 mm	39 mm	847 g	400	Y	Oct 2015	US$ 7 449	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D4S	160 mm	157 mm	91 mm	1350 g	3020	Y	Feb 2014	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D810	146 mm	123 mm	82 mm	980 g	1200	Y	Jun 2014	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
10.		Pentax 645D	156 mm	117 mm	119 mm	1480 g	800	Y	Mar 2010	US$ 9 995	ebay.com
11.		Sony A7R	127 mm	94 mm	48 mm	465 g	340	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Leica S-E Typ 006 was launched in the US market at a price of $16,599. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check S-E Typ 006 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Leica S-E Typ 006 features a medium format sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 0.8. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Leica S-E Typ 006 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	25.1	13.7	2763	93
2.		Leica M Typ 262	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	none	24.8	13.7	2478	90
3.		Leica S2	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.5	2224	82
4.		Leica S3	Medium Format	64.0	9800	6533	4K/24p	25.6	14.4	3143	98
5.		Leica S Typ 006	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	none	23.9	12.2	824	76
6.		Leica S Typ 007	Medium Format	37.5	7500	5000	4K/24p	25.1	13.7	2763	93
7.		Leica SL	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	13.4	1821	88
8.		Nikon D4S	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/60p	24.4	13.3	3074	89
9.		Nikon D810	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.7	14.8	2853	97
10.		Pentax 645D	Medium Format	39.5	7264	5440	none	24.6	12.6	1262	82
11.		Sony A7R	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.6	14.1	2746	95
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the S-E Typ 006 does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the S-E Typ 006 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 98% and a magnification of 0.87x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Leica S-E Typ 006 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Leica S-E Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
2.		Leica M Typ 262	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
3.		Leica S2	optical	Y	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
4.		Leica S3	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
5.		Leica S Typ 006	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.5/s	n	n
6.		Leica S Typ 007	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	n	n
7.		Leica SL	4400	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
8.		Nikon D4S	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
9.		Nikon D810	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
10.		Pentax 645D	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	1.1/s	n	n
11.		Sony A7R	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the S-E Typ 006 is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Leica S-E (Typ 006) and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Leica S-E Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Leica M Typ 262	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Leica S2	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Leica S3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
5.		Leica S Typ 006	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Leica S Typ 007	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
7.		Leica SL	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	-
8.		Nikon D4S	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon D810	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
10.		Pentax 645D	Y	stereo / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony A7R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the S-E Typ 006 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica S-E Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	US$ 16 599	ebay.com
2.		Leica M Typ 262	..	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2015	US$ 5 195	ebay.com
3.		Leica S2	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2008	US$ 22 999	ebay.com
4.		Leica S3	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2018	US$ 18 999	ebay.com
5.		Leica S Typ 006	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2012	US$ 21 949	ebay.com
6.		Leica S Typ 007	4/5	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2014	US$ 24 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica SL	4/5	..	4/5	84/100	4.5/5	4/5	Oct 2015	US$ 7 449	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D4S	5/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D810	5/5	..	5/5	86/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2014	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
10.		Pentax 645D	5/5	..	..	..	..	..	Mar 2010	US$ 9 995	ebay.com
11.		Sony A7R	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check S-E Typ 006 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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