Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100
78 Imaging
64 Features
30 Overall
50


89 Imaging
65 Features
74 Overall
68
Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced June 2011
- Older Model is Leica M9
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
- Revealed August 2014
- Replaced the Sony a5000

Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Overview
Below, we are analyzing the Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Leica and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the M9-P (18MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the M9-P (Full frame) and a5100 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

The M9-P was launched 4 years earlier than the a5100 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the M9-P scores against the a5100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M9-P and Sony Alpha a5100. The complete galleries are provided at Leica M9-P Gallery and Sony a5100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Leica M9-P over the Sony a5100
M9-P | a5100 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Leica M9-P
a5100 | M9-P | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | August 2014 | ![]() | June 2011 | Fresher by 38 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+692k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Leica M9-P and Sony a5100
M9-P | a5100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen |
Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to carry your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Leica M9-P has exterior 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 Sony a5100 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).
Check out the Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the M9-P and the a5100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the M9-P and a5100 is 78 and 89 respectively.

Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the M9-P and a5100.
As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The M9-P because of its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony a5100 will show more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older M9-P will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9-P vs Sony a5100 Specifications
Leica M9-P | Sony Alpha a5100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Leica | Sony |
Model type | Leica M9-P | Sony Alpha a5100 |
Class | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2011-06-21 | 2014-08-17 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Full frame | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 36 x 24mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 864.0mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 18 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 5212 x 3472 | 6000 x 4000 |
Highest native ISO | 2500 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | - | 179 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Leica M | Sony E |
Total lenses | 59 | 121 |
Crop factor | 1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 2.5" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display technology | TFT color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (rangefinder) | None |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.68x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 2.0fps | 6.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 4.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync | Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 600g (1.32 lbs) | 283g (0.62 lbs) |
Dimensions | 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") | 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 68 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.5 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.6 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light rating | 854 | 1347 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photographs | 400 photographs |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) |
Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
Storage type | SD/SDHC card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $7,995 | $448 |