Leica M9 vs Nikon Z9

The following is a extended comparison of the Leica M9 and Nikon Z9, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Leica and Nikon. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the M9 (18MP) and Z9 (46MP) but they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (Full frame).

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The M9 was unveiled 13 years earlier than the Z9 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Leica M9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Nikon Z9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the M9 scores versus the Z9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M9 & Nikon Z9. The full galleries are available at Leica M9 Gallery & Nikon Z9 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Leica M9 features external dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 585 grams (1.29 lbs) while the Nikon Z9 has measurements of 149mm x 150mm x 91mm (5.9" x 5.9" x 3.6") having a weight of 1340 grams (2.95 lbs).

Examine the Leica M9 and Nikon Z9 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the M9 and the Z9.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the M9 and Z9 is 79 and 51 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions merely by looking at specs. The picture below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the M9 and Z9.

All in all, the two cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Nikon Z9 to give greater detail having an extra 28 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged M9 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.