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Canon M3 vs Leica M9

Portability
85
Imaging
66
Features
76
Overall
70
Canon EOS M3 front
 
Leica M9 front
Portability
79
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Key Specs

Canon M3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 366g - 111 x 68 x 44mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Renewed by Canon M6
Leica M9
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 585g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Introduced September 2009
  • Refreshed by Leica M9-P
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Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Canon M3 and Leica M9, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Canon and Leica. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the M3 (24MP) and M9 (18MP) and the M3 (APS-C) and M9 (Full frame) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The M3 was launched 5 years later than the M9 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the M3 grades versus the M9 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon M3 over the Leica M9

 M3 M9 
IntroducedFebruary 2015September 2009Fresher by 66 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Canon M3

 M9 M3 

Common features in the Canon M3 and Leica M9

 M3 M9 
Focus manually More exact focusing

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Canon M3 features outer dimensions of 111mm x 68mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") along with a weight of 366 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Leica M9 has specifications of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 585 grams (1.29 lbs).

Contrast the Canon M3 and Leica M9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the M3 versus the M9.

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M3 and M9 is 85 and 79 respectively.

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 top view buttons comparison

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the M3 and M9.

Clearly, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The M3 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Canon M3 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more recent M3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 sensor size comparison

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon M3 as a Portrait photography camera
Leica M9 as a Portrait photography camera
79
you can focus manually
decent MP (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
69
has manual focus
megapixel count good (18MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Canon M3 as a Street photography camera
Leica M9 as a Street photography camera
79
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
features focus by touch
lack of image stabilization
65
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon M3 Sports photography features
Leica M9 Sports photography features
61
decent MP (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (4.2 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (250 shots)
44
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
no liveview
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low battery (350 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon M3
Travel photography with Leica M9
73
features focus by touch
decent MP (24MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (250 shots)
54
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
low battery (350 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon M3
Landscape photography with Leica M9
68
you can focus manually
change lenses (Canon EF-M mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
decent MP (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (250 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
60
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Leica M mount)
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
low battery (350 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon M3 Vlogging info
Leica M9 Vlogging info
80
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with mic port
lack of image stabilization
9
can't record video
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Canon M3 vs Leica M9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon M3 and Leica M9
 Canon EOS M3Leica M9
General Information
Company Canon Leica
Model Canon EOS M3 Leica M9
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2015-02-06 2009-09-09
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by DIGIC 6 -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 5212 x 3472
Highest native ISO 12800 2500
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 49 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Canon EF-M Leica M
Number of lenses 23 59
Crop factor 1.6 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder magnification - 0.68x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.2fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, on, off, slow synchro Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 366g (0.81 pounds) 585g (1.29 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 68 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 69
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 11.8 11.7
DXO Low light score 1169 884
Other
Battery life 250 photos 350 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E17 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $481 $2,750