MP 0.72vs A7R II
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The a7r ii is the most affordable; only the a7r ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £799 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | — | 42.4MP |
| Video | — | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 5fps |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | None | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | None | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
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