MP 0.72vs Sony A9 III
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 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.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
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
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The mp 0.72 is the most affordable; only the sony a9 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | — | 24.6MP |
| Video | — | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | — | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | None | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| 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