MP 0.72vs A9
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Sony
A9 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
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 & Action Photography — A9 (2017): The camera that changed professional photography — the A9's 20fps blackout-free burst and silent shutter proved mirrorless had definitively surpassed the DSLR.
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 (2017)
- Sports photographers who want the original 20fps mirrorless at a lower used price than the A9 II
- Wildlife photographers who need blackout-free burst with fast, reliable tracking
- Sony FE system users who want a professional sports body
- Photographers interested in the camera that changed the industry
Quick take: The a9 is the most affordable; only the a9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £1,999 |
| 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 + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) |
| 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, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | A9 |
|---|---|---|
| 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