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Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500

Portability
78
Imaging
64
Features
30
Overall
50
Leica M9-P front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 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
  • Old Model is Leica M9
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Released October 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A6300
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Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Overview

The following is a extensive review of the Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Leica and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the M9-P (18MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the M9-P (Full frame) and A6500 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The M9-P was manufactured 6 years before the A6500 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the M9-P grades vs the A6500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9-P over the Sony A6500

 M9-P A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Leica M9-P

 A6500 M9-P 
ReleasedOctober 2016June 2011Newer by 64 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Leica M9-P and Sony A6500

 M9-P A6500 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about 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") and a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Look at the Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the M9-P vs the A6500.

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the M9-P and A6500 is 78 and 81 respectively.

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking technical specs. The image below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the M9-P and A6500.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The M9-P featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony A6500 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged M9-P is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9-P Portrait photography factors
Sony A6500 Portrait photography factors
70
has manual focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
80
has manual focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Leica M9-P Street photography details
Sony A6500 Street photography details
64
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch focus
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9-P Sports photography advice
Sony A6500 Sports photography advice
44
decent MP (18MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
no liveview feature
max fps very slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (350 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect AF
bad battery life (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9-P Travel photography details
Sony A6500 Travel photography details
54
decent MP (18MP)
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
74
environment proofing
has bluetooth
comes with touch focus
MP count decent (24MP)
flash built-in
bad battery life (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9-P Landscape photography advice
Sony A6500 Landscape photography advice
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Leica M mount)
decent MP (18MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (350 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
80
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
bad battery life (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9-P Vlogging information
Sony A6500 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
39
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have mic support
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Leica M9-P vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9-P and Sony A6500
 Leica M9-PSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Company Leica Sony
Model Leica M9-P Sony Alpha a6500
Category Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-06-21 2016-10-06
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 area 864.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5212 x 3472 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 2500 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 425
Lens
Lens mounting type Leica M Sony E
Total lenses 59 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
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
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 600 gr (1.32 lb) 453 gr (1.00 lb)
Physical dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 68 85
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 13.7
DXO Low light score 854 1405
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 350 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots One One
Launch price $7,995 $1,298