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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
79
Imaging
49
Features
31
Overall
41
Leica M8 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Leica M8
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-H Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 591g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Released July 2007
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Introduced December 2011
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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Below is a extensive analysis of the Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Leica and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the M8 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the M8 (APS-H) and NEX-7 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The M8 was revealed 5 years earlier than the NEX-7 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the M8 grades vs the NEX-7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Leica M8 over the Sony NEX-7

 M8 NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Leica M8

 NEX-7 M8 
IntroducedDecember 2011July 2007More recent by 53 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Leica M8 and Sony NEX-7

 M8 NEX-7 
Manually focus More precise focus
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Leica M8 features outside dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 591 grams (1.30 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

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Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the M8 versus the NEX-7.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M8 and NEX-7 is 79 and 84 respectively.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by going through specs. The visual below will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the M8 and NEX-7.

All in all, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The M8 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will produce extra detail because of its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older M8 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Leica M8
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-7
53
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-H)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (10MP)
77
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Leica M8 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Street photography camera
62
decent sensor size (APS-H)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
76
screen tilts
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Leica M8 Sports photography info
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography info
43
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
decent sensor size (APS-H)
great battery power (550 per charge)
doesn't have liveview
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
no phase detect autofocus
61
decent megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good battery (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Leica M8 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography features
51
great battery power (550 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
70
good battery (430 CIPA)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M8 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography factors
54
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Leica M mount)
decent sensor size (APS-H)
no anti-alias filter
exports RAW formats
great battery power (550 shots)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
72
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good battery (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Leica M8 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
35
comes with face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M8 and Sony NEX-7
 Leica M8Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Leica Sony
Model Leica M8 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2007-07-31 2011-12-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-H APS-C
Sensor dimensions 27 x 18mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 486.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3936 x 2630 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 2500 16000
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Leica M Sony E
Number of lenses 59 121
Crop factor 1.3 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash options Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 591 grams (1.30 lb) 400 grams (0.88 lb)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 59 81
DXO Color Depth score 21.1 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 13.4
DXO Low light score 663 1016
Other
Battery life 550 images 430 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $4,400 $699