MP 0.72vs A7R IV
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.
Landscape, Studio, Commercial — A7R IV (2019): 61MP in a mirrorless body — the resolution benchmark.
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 IV (2019)
- Landscape photographers who print large
- Studio shooters needing maximum detail
Quick take: The a7r iv is the most affordable; only the a7r iv is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A7R IV (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | Full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | — | 61.0MP |
| Video | — | 4K 30fps |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | 567-point phase-detect, real-time tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 10fps |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | 670 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 665g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF 0.78× 5.76M-dot |
| Screen | None | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | None | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.1, USB-C 3.2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A7R IV |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| 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