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Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500

Portability
78
Imaging
65
Features
23
Overall
48
Leica M-Monochrom front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Leica M-Monochrom
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 10000
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 600g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Released May 2012
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Revealed October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
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Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Overview

Below is a complete overview of the Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Leica and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the M-Monochrom (18MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the M-Monochrom (Full frame) and A6500 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The M-Monochrom was announced 5 years before the A6500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the M-Monochrom grades against the A6500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Leica M-Monochrom over the Sony A6500

 M-Monochrom A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Leica M-Monochrom

 A6500 M-Monochrom 
RevealedOctober 2016May 2012More recent by 53 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Leica M-Monochrom and Sony A6500

 M-Monochrom A6500 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Leica M-Monochrom has external dimensions 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 Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check the Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the M-Monochrom against the A6500.

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the M-Monochrom and A6500 is 78 and 81 respectively.

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements only by reviewing specifications. The graphic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the M-Monochrom and A6500.

To sum up, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The M-Monochrom using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony A6500 will offer more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older M-Monochrom is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M-Monochrom Portrait photography details
Sony A6500 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (18MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
80
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Leica M-Monochrom
Street photography with Sony A6500
65
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
features focus by touch
environment proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M-Monochrom Sports photography factors
Sony A6500 Sports photography factors
45
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
doesn't have liveview
slow frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (350 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
77
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Leica M-Monochrom Travel photography details
Sony A6500 Travel photography details
54
good megapixels (18MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
74
environment proof
connects via bluetooth
features focus by touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Leica M-Monochrom
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Leica M mount)
good megapixels (18MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
bad battery power (350 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proof
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M-Monochrom Vlogging details
Sony A6500 Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
39
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M-Monochrom and Sony A6500
 Leica M-MonochromSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Make Leica Sony
Model Leica M-Monochrom Sony Alpha a6500
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2012-05-10 2016-10-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 36 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5212 x 3472 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 10000 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 160 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 425
Lens
Lens mounting type Leica M Sony E
Amount of lenses 59 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT color LCD with a sapphire glass LCD cover -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 32 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 600 gr (1.32 lbs) 453 gr (1.00 lbs)
Physical dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 350 images 350 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $7,950 $1,298