MP 0.72vs A9 II
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Sony
A9 II (2019)
Starting from £3299 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View A9 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.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — A9 II (2019): The A9 II polished the A9's groundbreaking formula — 20fps blackout-free, improved subject tracking, and a LAN port made it the professional sports standard.
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
A9 II (2019)
- Sports photographers who need 20fps with reliable eye and body tracking
- Photojournalists who need LAN transfer and instant wireless file delivery
- Wildlife photographers who want the fastest Sony AF in a proven body
- A9 owners who need the improved ergonomics, weather sealing, and Ethernet
Quick take: The a9 ii is the most affordable; only the a9 ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A9 II (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £3,299 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | — | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | 693 phase-detect + 425 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 20fps (blackout-free with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~500 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 678g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | None | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet (LAN), HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A9 II |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| 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