Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom

Camera to replace

Change

Nikon D5

21 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Change

Leica M-Monochrom

18 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D5, which was introduced in January 2016 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 21.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Leica M-Monochrom, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP Full frame sensor.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-01-05

21MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 102400 ( expands to 3280000)

Nikon F Mount

3.2″ Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

14.0 fps continuous shooting

3840 x 2160 video resolution

1415g. 160 x 158.5 x 92 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Nikon D4s Compare

Leica M-Monochrom Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-05-10

18MP - Full frame CCD Sensor

ISO 160 - 10000

Leica M Mount

2.5″ Fixed Type Screen

Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder

2 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

600g. 139 x 80 x 37 mm

Reasons to choose Nikon D5 over Leica M-Monochrom

Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	21 MP vs 18 MP	16% more pixels
Max ISO	102.400 vs 10.000	924% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3.2″ vs 2.5″	0.7 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	2.359k dots vs 230k dots	925% higher resolution screen
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster shutter speed
Continuous Shooting	14.0fps vs 2.0fps	12 fps faster
Battery Life	3780 shots vs 350 shots	3430 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±2 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Illuminated Buttons	Yes vs No	Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	15 points vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters

Reasons to choose Leica M-Monochrom over Nikon D5

Weight	600 g vs 1415 g	815 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	47.73µm² vs 41.25µm²	15% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Max Resolution	21 MP vs 18 MP	Bigger prints and more details
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom

Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Articulating Screen	No vs No	No flexible viewing angles
Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash
LCD Screen Size	3.2″ vs 2.5″	Small display

Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom. Leica M-Monochrom is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 21mm narrower, 79mm shorter and 55mm thinner than Nikon D5.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom.

Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica M-Monochrom is significantly lighter (815g ) than the Nikon D5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

M-Monochrom

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

M-Monochrom

Min

Average

Max

Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D5 has a 21.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Leica M-Monochrom has a 18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the D5 and M-Monochrom sensor size comparison.

Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica M-Monochrom for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 14.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 3780 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1415g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
600g
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Leica M-Monochrom vs Nikon D5 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D5 has an advantage over Leica M-Monochrom. There are 302 lenses for Nikon D5's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 59 lenses for Leica M-Monochrom's Leica M lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 88 lenses for Nikon F mount and 0 lenses for Leica M mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Nikon D5 Lenses	# of Leica M-Monochrom Lenses
Standard Zoom	33 (17 Full Frame)	n/a
Standard Prime	20 (17 Full Frame)	15 (15 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	32 (16 Full Frame)	1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	46 (44 Full Frame)	31 (31 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	51 (41 Full Frame)	n/a
Telephoto Prime	42 (41 Full Frame)	10 (10 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	30 (6 Full Frame)	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	8 (3 Full Frame)	n/a
Macro Prime	25 (22 Full Frame)	1 (1 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	11 (11 Full Frame)	1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1 (0 Full Frame)	n/a
TOTAL	302 (218 Full Frame)	59 (59 Full Frame)

Nikon D5 vs Leica M-Monochrom: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D5 and Leica M-Monochrom scores compare:

Nikon D5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #2 out of 11 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #29 out of 1178 in all Cameras

Leica M-Monochrom

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #112 out of 117 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #559 out of 1178 in all Cameras

Nikon D5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica M-Monochrom in all criterias except one: Portability. Leica M-Monochrom is significantly smaller than Nikon D5. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Leica M-Monochrom. Otherwise, Nikon D5 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D5

Leica M-Monochrom

Leica M-Monochrom vs Nikon D5 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon D5	Leica M-Monochrom
Brand	Nikon	Leica
Announced	2016-01-05	2012-05-10
Body Type	Large SLR	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	Full frame	Full frame
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	855.62mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	21 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	5588 x 3712	5212 x 3472
Max Native Light sensitivity	102,400 ISO	10,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	3280000 ISO	-
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	160 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	153	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F	Leica M
Number of Available Lenses	302	59
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3.2″	2.5″
Resolution	2,359k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	Unknown
Viewfinder Magnification	0.72	0.68
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	no built-in flash	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	14.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Optional	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	1415g	600g
Dimensions	160 x 158.5 x 92mm	139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life	3780 shots	350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Optional	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	88	not tested
DxO Color Depth	25.1	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	12.3	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	2434	not tested
	Report a correction	Report a correction