Leica M-Monochrom vs Panasonic GH4

Below is a detailed comparison of the Leica M-Monochrom versus Panasonic GH4, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Leica and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the M-Monochrom (18MP) and the GH4 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the M-Monochrom (Full frame) and GH4 (Four Thirds) use different sensor size.

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The M-Monochrom was brought out 21 months earlier than the GH4 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Leica M-Monochrom being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise overview of how the M-Monochrom scores vs the GH4 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M-Monochrom and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. The entire galleries are available at Leica M-Monochrom Gallery and Panasonic GH4 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Leica M-Monochrom provides physical measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") and a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Panasonic GH4 has measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check the Leica M-Monochrom versus Panasonic GH4 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the M-Monochrom against the GH4.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the M-Monochrom and GH4 is 78 and 66 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the M-Monochrom and GH4.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The M-Monochrom featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Leica M-Monochrom will resolve greater detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older M-Monochrom is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.