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Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II

Portability
78
Imaging
64
Features
30
Overall
50
Leica M9-P front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Key Specs

Leica M9-P
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 600g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Revealed June 2011
  • Previous Model is Leica M9
Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 III
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Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Overview

Here is a thorough assessment of the Leica M9-P and Olympus E-M1 II, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by manufacturers Leica and Olympus. The resolution of the M9-P (18MP) and the E-M1 II (20MP) is pretty comparable but the M9-P (Full frame) and E-M1 II (Four Thirds) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The M9-P was announced 6 years earlier than the E-M1 II and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Leica M9-P being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the M9-P matches up against the E-M1 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Leica M9-P over the Olympus E-M1 II

 M9-P E-M1 II 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Leica M9-P

 E-M1 II M9-P 
LaunchedSeptember 2016June 2011Fresher by 63 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Leica M9-P and Olympus E-M1 II

 M9-P E-M1 II 
Manually focus Dial exact focus

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Leica M9-P comes with outer measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1 II has sizing of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs).

Compare the Leica M9-P and Olympus E-M1 II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the M9-P against the E-M1 II.

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the M9-P and E-M1 II is 78 and 68 respectively.

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II top view buttons comparison

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specifications. The graphic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the M9-P and E-M1 II.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The M9-P having a bigger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 II will show extra detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older M9-P will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II sensor size comparison

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9-P Portrait photography information
Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography information
70
has manual focus
megapixel count good (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
doesn't have liveview
75
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Leica M9-P Street photography details
Olympus E-M1 II Street photography details
64
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather proofing
lighter than competition (574 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9-P Sports photography information
Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography information
44
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
doesn't have liveview
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low battery life (350 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9-P Travel photography highlights
Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography highlights
54
megapixel count good (18MP)
missing Time Lapse function
low battery life (350 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
72
lighter than competition (574 grams)
weather proofing
comes with focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (350 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9-P Landscape photography information
Olympus E-M1 II Landscape photography information
60
has manual focus
switch lenses (Leica M mount)
megapixel count good (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
low battery life (350 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
76
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9-P Vlogging details
Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging details
9
no video recording
79
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
video res high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
does have microphone socket
lighter than competition (574g)
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Leica M9-P vs Olympus E-M1 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9-P and Olympus E-M1 II
 Leica M9-POlympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
General Information
Brand Name Leica Olympus
Model Leica M9-P Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Class Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-06-21 2016-09-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VIII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Max resolution 5212 x 3472 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 2500 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 200
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 121
Lens
Lens mount Leica M Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 59 107
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 60.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 9.10 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 4096x2160
Video format - MOV, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 600g (1.32 pounds) 574g (1.27 pounds)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 68 80
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.8
DXO Low light score 854 1312
Other
Battery life 350 photos 350 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLH-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots 1 Two
Cost at release $7,995 $1,700