Leica M9 vs Sony a5100
79 Imaging
63 Features
30 Overall
49
89 Imaging
66 Features
74 Overall
69
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Key Specs
(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
- Released September 2009
- Newer Model is Leica M9-P
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
- Introduced August 2014
- Replaced the Sony a5000
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Overview
The following is a in-depth overview of the Leica M9 vs Sony a5100, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Leica and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the M9 (18MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the M9 (Full frame) and a5100 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.
Apple patent reveals improved iPhone camera durabilityThe M9 was released 6 years before the a5100 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the M9 scores versus the a5100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Leica M9 & Sony Alpha a5100. The complete galleries are viewable at Leica M9 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Sony a5100
M9 | a5100 |
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Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Leica M9
a5100 | M9 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | August 2014 | September 2009 | Newer by 60 months | |
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
Screen resolution | 922k | 230k | Sharper screen (+692k dot) | |
Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Leica M9 and Sony a5100
M9 | a5100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | Very precise focusing | |||
Selfie screen | Neither offers selfie screen |
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to travel with your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Leica M9 offers exterior 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 Sony a5100 has specifications of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).
Analyze the Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the M9 versus the a5100.
Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M9 and a5100 is 79 and 89 respectively.
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The pic here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the M9 and a5100.
As you can see, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The M9 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony a5100 will produce extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged M9 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Leica M9 vs Sony a5100 Specifications
Leica M9 | Sony Alpha a5100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Leica | Sony |
Model | Leica M9 | Sony Alpha a5100 |
Type | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2009-09-09 | 2014-08-17 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Full frame | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 36 x 24mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 864.0mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 18 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 5212 x 3472 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 2500 | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Number of focus points | - | 179 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Leica M | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 59 | 121 |
Crop factor | 1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 922 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | TFT color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (rangefinder) | None |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.68x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 2.0fps | 6.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 4.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync | Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
Max video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 585 gr (1.29 lb) | 283 gr (0.62 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") | 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 69 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.5 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.7 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light score | 884 | 1347 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 shots | 400 shots |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) |
Time lapse recording | With downloadable app | |
Storage media | SD/SDHC card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $2,750 | $448 |