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MP 0.72vs Sony A9 III

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Leica MP 0.72 Leica MP 0.72 (2003) Starting from £4850 new Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography View MP 0.72
VS
Sony Sony A9 III 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.

↓ Full specifications below

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
Genre MP 0.72Sony A9 III
Street
9.0
Travel
8.0
4.0
Portrait
8.0
9.0
Landscape
7.0
Sports & Action
9.0
Wildlife
9.0
Wedding & Events
9.0
Vlogging & Video
7.0

GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →

⚡ Compare specs side by side MP 0.72 prices → Sony A9 III prices →

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