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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
79
Imaging
50
Features
31
Overall
42
Leica M8 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Key Specs

Leica M8
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-H Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 591g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Launched July 2007
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Revealed August 2013
  • Older Model is Sony NEX-5R
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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Let's look much closer at the Leica M8 versus Sony NEX-5T, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Leica and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the M8 (10MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the M8 (APS-H) and NEX-5T (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

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The M8 was announced 7 years prior to the NEX-5T and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the M8 matches up versus the NEX-5T when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Leica M8 over the Sony NEX-5T

 M8 NEX-5T 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Leica M8

 NEX-5T M8 
RevealedAugust 2013July 2007Fresher by 73 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Leica M8 and Sony NEX-5T

 M8 NEX-5T 
Focus manually Very precise focus

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Leica M8 features outside dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") having a weight of 591 grams (1.30 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5T has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Check out the Leica M8 versus Sony NEX-5T in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the M8 against the NEX-5T.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the M8 and NEX-5T is 79 and 89 respectively.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T top view buttons comparison

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing purely by looking through specifications. The graphic here will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the M8 and NEX-5T.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The M8 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony NEX-5T will render more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older M8 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M8 Portrait photography factors
Sony NEX-5T Portrait photography factors
54
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-H)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
low MP (10 megapixels)
74
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Leica M8 Street photography features
Sony NEX-5T Street photography features
62
sensor size is decent (APS-H)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
comes with touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Leica M8 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-5T Sports photography information
43
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
sensor size is decent (APS-H)
better than average battery pack (550 shots)
no liveview
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
lacks phase detect autofocus
69
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
comes with phase detect AF
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Leica M8 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Travel photography camera
51
better than average battery pack (550 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
low MP (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
77
comes with touch focus
good resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M8 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
change lenses (Leica M mount)
sensor size is decent (APS-H)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (550 shots)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
70
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M8 Vlogging details
Sony NEX-5T Vlogging details
9
can't shoot video
73
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no image stabilization
lack of mic port
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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M8 and Sony NEX-5T
 Leica M8Sony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Brand Leica Sony
Model Leica M8 Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2007-07-31 2013-08-27
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-H APS-C
Sensor dimensions 27 x 18mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 486.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3936 x 2630 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 2500 25600
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 99
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Leica M Sony E
Total lenses 59 121
Crop factor 1.3 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.00 m (ISO100)
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 591 grams (1.30 pounds) 276 grams (0.61 pounds)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 59 78
DXO Color Depth score 21.1 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 13.0
DXO Low light score 663 1015
Other
Battery life 550 images 330 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $4,400 $400