MP 0.72vs A7S III
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Sony
A7S III (2020)
Starting from £2999 new
Best for Professional video & low-light filmmaking
View A7S III
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 Video & Low-Light Filmmaking — A7S III (2020): If video is your primary discipline, the A7S III is the camera. 4K/120p at 10-bit in a weather-sealed body with a 9.44M dot EVF is an extraordinary package. The 12MP sensor isn't limiting for video — and it's usable at ISO 409,600 in a pinch.
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
A7S III (2020)
- Filmmakers and videographers who need 4K/120p at 10-bit
- Event videographers who shoot in dark venues regularly
- Documentary filmmakers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Hybrid shooters where video is primary and stills are secondary
Quick take: The a7s iii is the most affordable; only the a7s iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A7S III (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £2,999 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 12.1MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS (12-bit, back-illuminated) |
| Resolution | — | 12.1MP |
| Video | — | 4K/120p 10-bit, 4K/60p 10-bit S-Cinetone/S-Log3, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | Phase-detect, 759 points, real-time Eye AF (human & animal), subject recognition |
| Stabilisation | — | 5.5-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 10fps mechanical |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 699g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | OLED EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification — best EVF Sony has made |
| Screen | None | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.44M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II (both slots) |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), full-size HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A7S III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
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