MP 0.72vs A7 III
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The a7 iii is the most affordable; only the a7 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | — | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | None | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| 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