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Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
78
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49
Leica M9-P front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Leica M9-P
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 600g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Released June 2011
  • Earlier Model is Leica M9
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-5N
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Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Leica M9-P versus Sony NEX-5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Leica and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the M9-P (18MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the M9-P (Full frame) and NEX-5 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The M9-P was released 13 months after the NEX-5 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the M9-P scores versus the NEX-5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9-P over the Sony NEX-5

 M9-P NEX-5 
LaunchedJune 2011June 2010Newer by 13 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Leica M9-P

 NEX-5 M9-P 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Leica M9-P and Sony NEX-5

 M9-P NEX-5 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Leica M9-P comes with outer measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Contrast the Leica M9-P versus Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the M9-P against the NEX-5.

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the M9-P and NEX-5 is 78 and 89 respectively.

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions only by going over technical specs. The picture underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the M9-P and NEX-5.

As you have seen, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The M9-P due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Leica M9-P will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics far more aggressively. The more modern M9-P provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9-P Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography info
69
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Leica M9-P Street photography info
Sony NEX-5 Street photography info
64
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
76
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9-P Sports photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography factors
44
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
no liveview feature
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery (350 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
52
good resolution (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9-P Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography highlights
53
megapixel count decent (18MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery (350 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
59
good resolution (14 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9-P Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography features
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Leica M mount)
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery (350 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9-P Vlogging information
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging information
9
no video recording
28
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
does not have microphone support
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Leica M9-P vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9-P and Sony NEX-5
 Leica M9-PSony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Brand Name Leica Sony
Model type Leica M9-P Sony Alpha NEX-5
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2011-06-21 2010-06-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5212 x 3472 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 2500 12800
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type Leica M Sony E
Total lenses 59 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (rangefinder) None
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 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 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 600g (1.32 lbs) 287g (0.63 lbs)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 68 69
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 22.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.2
DXO Low light rating 854 796
Other
Battery life 350 images 330 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $7,995 $599