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Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X

Portability
79
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49
Leica M9 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
Portability
54
Imaging
62
Features
93
Overall
74

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Key Specs

Leica M9
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 585g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Announced September 2009
  • New Model is Leica M9-P
Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Revealed January 2019
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Leica M9 and Olympus E-M1X, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by competitors Leica and Olympus. The sensor resolution of the M9 (18MP) and the E-M1X (20MP) is relatively close but the M9 (Full frame) and E-M1X (Four Thirds) offer different sensor size.

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The M9 was revealed 10 years prior to the E-M1X which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Leica M9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the M9 scores versus the E-M1X in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Olympus E-M1X

 M9 E-M1X 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Leica M9

 E-M1X M9 
RevealedJanuary 2019September 2009Newer by 114 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Leica M9 and Olympus E-M1X

 M9 E-M1X 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Leica M9 provides external measurements 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 Olympus E-M1X has proportions of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") having a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs).

See the Leica M9 and Olympus E-M1X in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the M9 and the E-M1X.

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M9 and E-M1X is 79 and 54 respectively.

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X top view buttons comparison

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions simply by researching technical specs. The pic here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the M9 and E-M1X.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The M9 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1X will render more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged M9 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X sensor size comparison

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Leica M9
Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1X
69
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
77
focusing manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Leica M9 Street photography details
Olympus E-M1X Street photography details
65
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
67
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
provides touch focus
weather proofing
above average high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than others (997 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9 Sports photography features
Olympus E-M1X Sports photography features
44
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery (870 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Leica M9 Travel photography highlights
Olympus E-M1X Travel photography highlights
54
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (350 per charge)
does not have selfie friendly screen
68
good battery (870 CIPA)
weather proofing
connects via bluetooth
provides touch focus
good resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
more heavy than others (997g)
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-M1X Landscape photography highlights
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Leica M mount)
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (350 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
80
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
good battery (870 shots)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M1X as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
68
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone socket
more heavy than others (997g)
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Leica M9 vs Olympus E-M1X Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9 and Olympus E-M1X
 Leica M9Olympus OM-D E-M1X
General Information
Manufacturer Leica Olympus
Model type Leica M9 Olympus OM-D E-M1X
Category Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2009-09-09 2019-01-24
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Dual TruePic VIII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Maximum resolution 5212 x 3472 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 2500 25600
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW data
Min boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 121
Lens
Lens support Leica M Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 59 107
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 60.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 585 grams (1.29 pounds) 997 grams (2.20 pounds)
Physical dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 69 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 884 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 870 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Built-in
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card -
Card slots One Dual
Cost at launch $2,750 $2,999