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Leica M9 vs Sony A6500

Portability
79
Imaging
63
Features
30
Overall
49
Leica M9 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Released September 2009
  • Later Model is Leica M9-P
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Revealed October 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A6300
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Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Leica M9 vs Sony A6500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Leica and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the M9 (18MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the M9 (Full frame) and A6500 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The M9 was brought out 8 years prior to the A6500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short introduction of how the M9 grades against the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Leica M9 over the Sony A6500

 M9 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Leica M9

 A6500 M9 
RevealedOctober 2016September 2009Fresher by 86 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Leica M9 and Sony A6500

 M9 A6500 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Leica M9 provides exterior measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") with a weight of 585 grams (1.29 lbs) while the Sony A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Examine the Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the M9 vs the A6500.

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M9 and A6500 is 79 and 81 respectively.

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by checking technical specs. The photograph below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the M9 and A6500.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The M9 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony A6500 will resolve more detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older M9 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M9 Portrait photography details
Sony A6500 Portrait photography details
69
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
80
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Leica M9
Street photography with Sony A6500
65
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
has focus by touch
environment sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M9 Sports photography information
Sony A6500 Sports photography information
44
decent megapixels (18MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
no liveview
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
77
silent mode (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has phase detect AF
low battery pack (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Leica M9
Travel photography with Sony A6500
54
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
74
environment sealing
has bluetooth
has focus by touch
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
low battery pack (350 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M9 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Landscape photography camera
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Leica M mount)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.5 inch)
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (350 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
low battery pack (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Leica M9 Vlogging advice
Sony A6500 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
39
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Leica M9 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M9 and Sony A6500
 Leica M9Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Company Leica Sony
Model type Leica M9 Sony Alpha a6500
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2009-09-09 2016-10-06
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 area 864.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5212 x 3472 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 2500 25600
Max enhanced ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 425
Lens
Lens support Leica M Sony E
Number of lenses 59 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (rangefinder) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 585g (1.29 lb) 453g (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 69 85
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.7 13.7
DXO Low light rating 884 1405
Other
Battery life 350 shots 350 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $2,750 $1,298