Leica
M9
 vs
Nikon
D3S

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Leica M9 vs Nikon D4

Nikon D3S

50
Winner

Nikon D3S
"The camera has locked immediately to my target, and as you can see, it has stuck with him even when a second player enters the frame."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's auto-focus
"Buttons and other controls are positioned to be used easily."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Battery life
 Great battery life
4400 shots
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 Leica M9
Size Much smaller 139x80x37 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 5.4x smaller
True resolution Much higher true resolution 18.1 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 50% more detail in your photos
Weight Much lighter 585 g vs 1,240 g
Help
 2.1x lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3.5"
Help
 2.4x thinner
Leica M9 Learn more about
the Leica M9

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 600 shots
Help
 Around 7.5x more shots per battery charge
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 884 ISO
Help
 The D3S has excellent image quality 1.9 f-stops higher ISO than the M9
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 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Overall image quality Better image quality 82.0 vs 69.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 2,500 ISO
Help
 The D3S's maximum light sensitivity is 2.4 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
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 121 lenses vs 22 lenses
Help
 5.5x more lenses available
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 2 fps
Help
 4.5x faster continuous shooting
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Lowest price Much cheaper $5,196.95 vs $7,713.52
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,517 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
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
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Leica M9 Leica M9
27 vs 50
Explain scores
Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a mirrorless interchangeable-lens with a pro DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

LeicaM9
 Leica M9 vs Nikon D3S
NikonD3S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
14
3
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
13
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
7
4
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
8
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
13
3
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
12
4
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
M9:69.0
D3S:82.0
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
M9:600 shots
D3S:4400 shots
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
M9:884 ISO
D3S:3,253 ISO
Color depth Good color depth Help
M9:22.5 bits
D3S:23.5 bits
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
M9:18.1 MP
D3S:12.1 MP
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
M9:Rangefinder
D3S:Pentaprism
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
M9:1/4000s
D3S:1/8000s
Lowest price Very expensive Help
M9:$7,713.52
D3S:$5,196.95
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
M9:585 g
D3S:1,240 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
Movie format One shoots movies Help
M9:None
D3S:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Lowest price Is much less expensive
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D700 vs the M9
Compare the D700 vs the D3S
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D4 vs the M9
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the M9
Compare the D7000 vs the D3S
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the M9
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3S
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D800 vs the M9
Compare the D800 vs the D3S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Cross type focus points Has much more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the M9
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the D3S
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the NEX-7 vs the M9
Compare the NEX-7 vs the D3S

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

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Overall image quality Better image quality
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Nikon D3

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

$6,682 body only
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Movie format Does not take movies
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Compare the D3 vs the D3S

appearance

Leica M9 Nikon D3S
Leica M9 Nikon D3S
Leica M9 Nikon D3S

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?

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