Q3 43vs A9 II
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
Sony
A9 II (2019)
Starting from £3299 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View A9 II
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Documentary, Portrait & Reportage Photography — Q3 43 (2024): The Q3 with the most human lens — 43mm, 60MP, and Leica rendering at its most natural and versatile.
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
Q3 43 (2024)
- Portrait and documentary photographers who find 28mm too wide and 50mm too tight
- Q3 owners who prefer a natural 43mm perspective over the iconic 28mm Summilux
- Reportage photographers who want the discreet Q3 form factor with a more intimate focal length
- Leica system users who want a fixed-lens body that excels across multiple genres
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 q3 43 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a9 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Q3 43 (2024) | A9 II (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,995 | £3,299 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p 10-bit — L-Log | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection | 693 phase-detect + 425 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 15fps electronic | 20fps (blackout-free with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | ~350 shots (CIPA) | ~500 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 743g body only | 678g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single UHS-II SD slot | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet (LAN), HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Q3 43 | A9 II |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| 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 Q3 43
Camera family history