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Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2

Portability
78
Imaging
64
Features
30
Overall
50
Leica M9-P front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 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
  • Introduced June 2011
  • Replaced the Leica M9
Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GF1
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF3
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Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Leica M9-P and Panasonic GF2, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Leica and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the M9-P (18MP) and GF2 (12MP) and the M9-P (Full frame) and GF2 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor size.

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The M9-P was unveiled 4 months later than the GF2 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the M9-P scores against the GF2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9-P over the Panasonic GF2

 M9-P GF2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Leica M9-P

 GF2 M9-P 
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Leica M9-P and Panasonic GF2

 M9-P GF2 
LaunchedJune 2011February 2011Similar age
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Leica M9-P enjoys outer measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF2 has specifications of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs).

Analyze the Leica M9-P and Panasonic GF2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the M9-P vs the GF2.

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the M9-P and GF2 is 78 and 88 respectively.

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 top view buttons comparison

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements simply by checking a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the M9-P and GF2.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The M9-P using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Leica M9-P will resolve extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively.

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 sensor size comparison

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9-P Portrait photography details
Panasonic GF2 Portrait photography details
70
has manual focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Leica M9-P as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF2 as a Street photography camera
64
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
65
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9-P Sports photography advice
Panasonic GF2 Sports photography advice
44
decent MP (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
doesn't have liveview
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
bad battery (350 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9-P Travel photography factors
Panasonic GF2 Travel photography factors
54
decent MP (18MP)
no Time Lapse function
bad battery (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
52
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9-P as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GF2 as a Landscape photography camera
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Leica M mount)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
no low pass filter
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
bad battery (350 per charge)
no Time Lapse function
55
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9-P Vlogging info
Panasonic GF2 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
32
touch screen
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have microphone socket
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Leica M9-P vs Panasonic GF2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9-P and Panasonic GF2
 Leica M9-PPanasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
General Information
Brand Leica Panasonic
Model Leica M9-P Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-06-21 2011-02-24
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5212 x 3472 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 2500 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Leica M Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 59 107
Focal length multiplier 1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT color LCD TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (rangefinder) None
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 grams (1.32 lbs) 310 grams (0.68 lbs)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 68 54
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 10.3
DXO Low light score 854 506
Other
Battery life 350 photos 300 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $7,995 $330