Leica M9

48

Winner

Leica M9

Reasons to buy the Leica M9

Size
Really small
Mid size 139x80x37 mm
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
Thin
1.5"
Pentax Optio M90

37

Runner-up

Pentax Optio M90

Reasons to buy the Pentax Optio M90

Wide angle
Wide angle lens
28 mm
Size
Really small
Compact 99x59x23 mm
Thickness
Thin
0.9"
Weight
Light-weight
133 g
Built-in flash
Built-in flash
Usually standard

differences

Advantages of the Leica M9

Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
Around 30.5x larger sensor
True resolution Much higher true resolution 18.1 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
Capture more than 80% more detail in your photos
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Rangefinder vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/1000s
Help
4x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 2,500 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The M9's maximum light sensitivity is 0.6 f-stops better
Longest exposure Slightly longer exposures 4s vs 2s
Help
2x longer exposures
Leica M9 Learn more about
the Leica M9

Advantages of the Pentax M90

Screen size Larger screen 2.7" vs 2.5"
Help
Around 10% larger screen
Size Smaller 99x59x23 mm vs 139x80x37 mm
Help
3.1x smaller
Lowest price Much cheaper $120.01 vs $6,995.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $6,875 cheaper (58.3x less)
Weight Much lighter 133 g vs 585 g
Help
4.4x lighter
Movie format Shoots movies 480p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots standard resolution video as well as still pictures
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Thickness Thinner 0.9" vs 1.5"
Help
Around 40% thinner
Pentax Optio M90 Learn more about
the Pentax M90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Leica M9 Leica M9
48 vs 37
Explain scores
Pentax Optio M90 Pentax Optio M90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Leica M9. 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 compact.

advice

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by Phoenix-Mayet 5 days ago
Leica M9 vs Nikon D4

I take portraits of people with tattoos so I need to be able to capture small tattoo details as ...

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

Longest exposure Short max exposure time Help
M9:4s
M90:2s
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Screen size Very small screens Help
M9:2.5"
M90:2.7"
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Movie format One shoots movies Help
M9:None
M90:480p @ 30fps
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker

Leica M9 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,991 - $2,298 body only

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Battery life Shorter battery life
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,199

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Screen size Much larger screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Size Much larger
Thickness Significantly thicker
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
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Size Much larger
Thickness Significantly thicker

Pentax Optio M90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Pentax Optio WG-2

Pentax Optio WG-2

Waterproof

$324

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Slightly larger
Weight Slightly heavier
Pentax Optio S1

Pentax Optio S1

Ultra compact

$169 - $236

Image stabilization Image stabilization
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Aperture Narrower aperture
Nikon Coolpix S3100

Nikon Coolpix S3100

Ultra compact

$132

Image stabilization Image stabilization
Aperture Wider aperture
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Kodak EasyShare M575

Kodak EasyShare M575

Compact

$86

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Canon PowerShot SD30

Canon PowerShot SD30

Compact

Aperture Wider aperture
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed
Screen size Much smaller screen
Wide angle Much worse wide angle

appearance

Leica M9 Pentax Optio M90
Leica M9 Pentax Optio M90
Leica M9

discussion

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