MP 0.72vs D850
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
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.
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
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
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Quick take: The d850 is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 45.7MP |
| Video | — | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | — | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | None | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | None | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
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