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Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
79
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49
Leica M9 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
76
Features
93
Overall
82

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II 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
  • New Model is Leica M9-P
Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Succeeded the Sony A9
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Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Overview

Here is a in depth review of the Leica M9 and Sony A9 II, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Leica and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the M9 (18MP) and A9 II (24MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizes (Full frame).

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The M9 was released 11 years before the A9 II and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Leica M9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a short summary of how the M9 matches up versus the A9 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Sony A9 II

 M9 A9 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Leica M9

 A9 II M9 
LaunchedOctober 2019September 2009Fresher by 122 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1440k230kCrisper display (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Leica M9 and Sony A9 II

 M9 A9 II 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Leica M9 comes with exterior dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") having a weight of 585 grams (1.29 lbs) while the Sony A9 II has sizing of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Take a look at the Leica M9 and Sony A9 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the M9 and the A9 II.

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the M9 and A9 II is 79 and 62 respectively.

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing purely by looking at specs. The visual here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the M9 and A9 II.

All in all, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Sony A9 II to give greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older M9 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Portrait photography camera
69
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
85
focusing manually
decent MP (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Leica M9 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 II Street photography highlights
65
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
78
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
offers touch focus
environment sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9 Sports photography highlights
Sony A9 II Sports photography highlights
44
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
no liveview
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
88
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (20.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
great battery (690 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Leica M9 Travel photography advice
Sony A9 II Travel photography advice
54
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
73
great battery (690 shots)
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
decent MP (24MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9 Landscape photography info
Sony A9 II Landscape photography info
60
manual focus
change lenses (Leica M mount)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
86
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery (690 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9 Vlogging advice
Sony A9 II Vlogging advice
9
no video recording
36
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Leica M9 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9 and Sony A9 II
 Leica M9Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Make Leica Sony
Model type Leica M9 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Class Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-09-09 2019-10-03
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor dimensions 36 x 24mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Full resolution 5212 x 3472 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 2500 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 693
Lens
Lens support Leica M Sony E
Available lenses 59 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 20.0 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 options Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs -
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
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 585 gr (1.29 lb) 678 gr (1.49 lb)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" 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 photographs 690 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots Single 2
Price at launch $2,750 $4,498