Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Leica
M9

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

69
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Badge
 Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Leica M9

27
Runner-up

Leica M9

Reasons to buy the Leica M9

Size
 Really small
Mid size 139x80x37 mm
Thickness
 Thin
1.5"
Weight
 Light-weight
585 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Autofocus Autofocus Phase detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 884 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1 f-stop higher ISO than the M9
Overall image quality Better image quality 79.0 vs 69.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 125 lenses vs 22 lenses
Help
 More than 5.5x more lenses available
Lowest price Much cheaper $2,330.54 vs $7,713.52
Help
 The best price we've seen is $5,383 cheaper (3.3x less)
True resolution Higher true resolution 21 MP vs 18.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 2,500 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 1.4 f-stops better
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 600 shots
Help
 More than 40% more shots per battery charge
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.2 more bits of color
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3.9 fps vs 2 fps
Help
 Around 2x faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder Has a through-the-lens viewfinder Pentaprism vs Rangefinder
Help
 Through-the-lens viewfinders let you see exactly what your photo will look like
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 30s vs 4s
Help
 7.5x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Leica M9
Size Much smaller 139x80x37 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 3.2x smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 585 g vs 850 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3"
Help
 2x thinner
Leica M9 Learn more about
the Leica M9
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
69 vs 27
Explain scores
Leica M9 Leica M9
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 5D Mark II
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Leica M9
LeicaM9
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
28
37
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
53
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
34
18
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
35
18
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
32
29
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
32
34
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
True resolution Capture extremely high resolution images Help
5D Mark II:21 MP
M9:18.1 MP
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
5D Mark II:79.0
M9:69.0
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Battery life Great battery life Help
5D Mark II:850 shots
M9:600 shots
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
5D Mark II:1,815 ISO
M9:884 ISO
Color depth Good color depth Help
5D Mark II:23.7 bits
M9:22.5 bits
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
5D Mark II:Pentaprism
M9:Rangefinder
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
5D Mark II:1/8000s
M9:1/4000s
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Lowest price Very expensive Help
5D Mark II:$2,330.54
M9:$7,713.52
Weight Heavy Help
5D Mark II:850 g
M9:585 g
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the M9
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the M9
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D700 vs the M9
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D800 vs the M9
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the M9
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the M9
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D5100 vs the M9

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Leica M9 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,189 - $1,419
Autofocus Autofocus
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Interchangeable lenses Built-in lens only
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the M9
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Battery life Shorter battery life
True resolution Lower true resolution
Compare the X-Pro1 vs the M9
Leica M8

Leica M8

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly longer exposures
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the M8 vs the M9

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Leica M9
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Leica M9
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Leica M9

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 3 comments

JMM (5:02 PM, November 27, 2011)
Why does the Canon have better image quality? M9 files are sharper and I like the colors better. And the Leica lenses eat the canon ones for breakfast. So why? Just low noise and more resolution? 
 
Pstroma8 (9:15 PM, November 04, 2011)
Absolutely no logic in comparing the two. A prosumer  dslr vs a rangefinder pro's pro camera that's 3x the price.  There's also a  $17,000 Noctilux f/0.95 lens for the M9.  This is like comparing a very nice Japanese car to a German luxury supercar.
 
Engr Omerfarooq (6:49 PM, November 01, 2011)
lieca M9 realy small and light. i luv that cam. even i have 5d but i still like to have leica or any other camera with full frame in small body like that.