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Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III

Portability
79
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49
Leica M9 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S III front
Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Key Specs

Leica M9
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 585g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Introduced September 2009
  • Replacement is Leica M9-P
Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Boost to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Launched July 2020
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7S II
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Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Overview

Let's look closer at the Leica M9 versus Sony A7S III, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Leica and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the M9 (18MP) and A7S III (12MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizes (Full frame).

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The M9 was launched 12 years before the A7S III and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Leica M9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7S III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the M9 scores against the A7S III with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Sony A7S III

 M9 A7S III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S III over the Leica M9

 A7S III M9 
LaunchedJuly 2020September 2009More recent by 132 months
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Leica M9 and Sony A7S III

 M9 A7S III 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Leica M9 provides exterior dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 585 grams (1.29 lbs) and the Sony A7S III has dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs).

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Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the M9 vs the A7S III.

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M9 and A7S III is 79 and 61 respectively.

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III top view buttons comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the M9 and A7S III.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Leica M9 to deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older M9 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III sensor size comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7S III as a Portrait photography camera
69
you can focus manually
MP count good (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
does not have liveview
71
focusing manually
large sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Leica M9
Street photography with Sony A7S III
65
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
offers focus by touch
environment proofing
good high ISO (102,400)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9 Sports photography details
Sony A7S III Sports photography details
44
MP count good (18MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
does not have liveview
slow fps (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low battery pack (350 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery life (600 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9 Travel photography highlights
Sony A7S III Travel photography highlights
54
MP count good (18MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery pack (350 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly display
70
great battery life (600 shots)
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
offers focus by touch
display is selfie friendly
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9 Landscape photography features
Sony A7S III Landscape photography features
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Leica M mount)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
low battery pack (350 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (102,400)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
great battery life (600 shots)
has dual storage slots
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9 Vlogging details
Sony A7S III Vlogging details
9
no video
77
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Leica M9 vs Sony A7S III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9 and Sony A7S III
 Leica M9Sony Alpha A7S III
General Information
Make Leica Sony
Model Leica M9 Sony Alpha A7S III
Category Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-09-09 2020-07-21
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz XR
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5212 x 3472 4240 x 2832
Highest native ISO 2500 102400
Highest enhanced ISO - 409600
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 759
Lens
Lens mount Leica M Sony E
Number of lenses 59 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 9,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.91x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 585 gr (1.29 lbs) 699 gr (1.54 lbs)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 69 85
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.7 13.3
DXO Low light score 884 2993
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 600 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC card Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots
Storage slots Single 2
Launch pricing $2,750 $3,499