Leica M-Monochrom vs Olympus E-M1 III

Below is a complete overview of the Leica M-Monochrom and Olympus E-M1 III, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Leica and Olympus. The image resolution of the M-Monochrom (18MP) and the E-M1 III (20MP) is fairly similar but the M-Monochrom (Full frame) and E-M1 III (Four Thirds) boast different sensor measurements.

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The M-Monochrom was announced 8 years earlier than the E-M1 III and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Leica M-Monochrom being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summary of how the M-Monochrom scores versus the E-M1 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M-Monochrom and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. The whole galleries are viewable at Leica M-Monochrom Gallery and Olympus E-M1 III Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Leica M-Monochrom enjoys outer dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1 III has measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Check out the Leica M-Monochrom and Olympus E-M1 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the M-Monochrom and the E-M1 III.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the M-Monochrom and E-M1 III is 78 and 67 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over specifications. The photograph below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the M-Monochrom and E-M1 III.

To sum up, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The M-Monochrom with its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will offer you more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older M-Monochrom is going to be behind in sensor technology.