MP 0.72vs D5
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography — MP 0.72 (2003): The purist's Leica — a fully mechanical 35mm rangefinder with no electronics bar the meter. Still built by hand in Wetzlar. The most honest camera ever made.
Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife — D5 (2016): Nikon's ultimate pro DSLR and a certified space traveller — the D5's 153-point AF, 12fps, and ISO 3,280,000 made it the weapon of choice for Olympic and space photography.
Who should buy what
MP 0.72 (2003)
- Serious film photographers who want the finest rangefinder ever made
- Street and documentary photographers who shoot Kodak Tri-X or HP5
- Leica M-mount collectors and long-term lens owners
- Photographers who value mechanical precision over electronic convenience
D5 (2016)
- Sports and wildlife photographers with an F-mount telephoto investment
- Photojournalists who need the fastest, most reliable DSLR AF available
- Nikon system professionals looking for a flagship body at used prices
- Collectors of cameras with a documented space pedigree
Quick take: The d5 is the most affordable; only the d5 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | D5 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £1,800 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 20.8MP |
| Video | — | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 12fps mechanical |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~3780 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 1405g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | None | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) |
| Connectivity | None | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | D5 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with MP 0.72
Camera family history