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Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220 Comparison

Camera to replace

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Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Leica M-E Typ 220

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

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Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing G9 and M-E Typ 220, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Leica. Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a Advanced Mirrorless class camera and Leica M-E Typ 220 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic G9 was introduced to the market in November 2017 and Leica M-E Typ 220 was launched in September 2012. As you can see, M-E Typ 220 is 5 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-08

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

3680k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

180fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Leica M-E Typ 220 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-09-17

18MP - Full frame CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 2500

Leica M Mount

2.50" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder

2.0fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

585g. 139 x 80 x 37 mm

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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Panasonic G9

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Leica M-E Typ 220

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Panasonic G9

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Leica M-E Typ 220

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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Leica M-E Typ 220

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.	0.83x vs 0.68x	Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 18 MP	11% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 2.500	924% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3 vs 2.5	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Resolution	1.040k dots vs 230k dots	352% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 2.0fps	18 fps faster
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	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port	Yes vs No	Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (80.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Leica M-E Typ 220 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Weight	585 g vs 658 g	73 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	47.73µm2 vs 11.16µm2	327% larger pixel area

CHECK M-E Typ 220 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 18 MP	Bigger prints and more details

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Leica M-E Typ 220 has external dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46″) and weighs 585 g (1.29 lb / 20.64 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and the Leica M-E Typ 220. Leica M-E Typ 220 is 17mm shorter and 55mm thinner than Panasonic G9 but it is also 2mm wider.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Leica M-E Typ 220 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Leica M-E Typ 220 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Leica M-E Typ 220 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica M-E Typ 220 is 73g lighter than the Panasonic G9 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you also have to take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Leica M-E Typ 220 has a Full frame sensor and Panasonic G9 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic G9's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Leica M-E Typ 220 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

M-E Typ 220

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

M-E Typ 220

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather-sealed body, we believe that the G9 has a big advantage over the M-E Typ 220 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica M-E Typ 220's 2.5 screen.

Moreover, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Leica M-E Typ 220 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Leica M-E Typ 220 has a 18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and M-E Typ 220 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 Cameras

As seen above, Leica M-E Typ 220 has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G9. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

The number of available lenses is a big deciding factor when choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that the Panasonic G9 has an advantage over the Leica M-E Typ 220. There are 123 lenses for the Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds mount, but on the other hand, there are only 63 lenses for the Leica M-E Typ 220's Leica M lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Panasonic G9 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective for compensating vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Leica M-E Typ 220 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 0 lenses for Leica M mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic G9 Lenses	# of Leica M-E Typ 220 Lenses
Standard Zoom	18	n/a
Standard Prime	15	16 (16 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	6	1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	32	32 (32 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	21	n/a
Telephoto Prime	11	11 (11 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	8	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	n/a
Macro Prime	5	2 (2 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	123	63 (63 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 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.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Leica M-E Typ 220 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

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

Check the Best Leica M Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica M-E Typ 220 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Street Photography

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

Check the Best Leica M Mount Lenses for Street Photography

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica M-E Typ 220 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

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

Check the Best Leica M Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica M-E Typ 220 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
585g
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Leica M-E Typ 220 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

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

Check the Best Leica M Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-E Typ 220: 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 Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Panasonic G9 and Leica M-E Typ 220 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #59 out of 118 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #90 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Leica M-E Typ 220

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #132 out of 140 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #604 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Leica M-E Typ 220 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Leica M-E Typ 220 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Leica M-E Typ 220
Brand	Panasonic	Leica
Announced	2017-11-08	2012-09-17
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	Four Thirds	Full frame
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	224.90mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	5212 x 3472
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	2,500 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	80 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 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	225	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Leica M
Number of Available Lenses	123	63
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fixed type
Size	3.00"	2.50"
Resolution	1,040k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Resolution	3,680k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	Unknown
Viewfinder Magnification	0.83x	0.68x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	20.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	585g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life	400 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	69
DxO Color Depth	not tested	22.7
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	11.7
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	787
	Report a correction	Report a correction