Leica M-Monochrom vs Olympus E-5

On this page, we are evaluating the Leica M-Monochrom and Olympus E-5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Leica and Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the M-Monochrom (18MP) and E-5 (12MP) and the M-Monochrom (Full frame) and E-5 (Four Thirds) offer different sensor sizes.

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The M-Monochrom was announced 16 months after the E-5 making them a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Leica M-Monochrom being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the M-Monochrom scores against the E-5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Leica M-Monochrom & Olympus E-5. The whole galleries are available at Leica M-Monochrom Gallery & Olympus E-5 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Leica M-Monochrom offers physical measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-5 has sizing of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Leica M-Monochrom and Olympus E-5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the M-Monochrom compared to the E-5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the M-Monochrom and E-5 is 78 and 58 respectively.

Often, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions merely by researching specifications. The picture here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the M-Monochrom and E-5.

To sum up, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The M-Monochrom having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Leica M-Monochrom will result in greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The newer M-Monochrom should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.