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Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

Panasonic G9
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Leica M-Monochrom

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

Leica M-Monochrom
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Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing G9 and M-Monochrom, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Leica. Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Leica M-Monochrom has a 18.0MP Full frame sensor. Panasonic G9 was introduced to market in November 2017 and Leica M-Monochrom was launched in May 2012. As you can see, M-Monochrom 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 Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom 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
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 3680k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

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

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

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Leica M-Monochrom
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.83x vs 0.68x Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 18 MP 11% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 10.000 156% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen 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
Battery Life
400 shots vs 350 shots 50 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
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly 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 Ultra High Speeds


Reasons to choose Leica M-Monochrom over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Weight
600 g vs 658 g 58 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
47.73µm2 vs 11.16µm2 327% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Leica M-Monochrom
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
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Leica M-Monochrom
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.5" Small display
Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom 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-Monochrom has external dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46″) and weighs 600 g (1.32 lb / 21.16 oz) (including batteries).

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

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom.

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom.
Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica M-Monochrom is 58g 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 have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Leica M-Monochrom 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-Monochrom lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
M-Monochrom
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
M-Monochrom
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica M-Monochrom'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-Monochrom has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.
Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Leica M-Monochrom 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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and M-Monochrom sensor size comparison.

Panasonic G9 vs Leica M-Monochrom Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom Cameras


As seen above, Leica M-Monochrom 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-Monochrom 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 Panasonic G9 has an advantage over Leica M-Monochrom. There are 107 lenses for Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds 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. 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 to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
0 lenses for Leica M mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Panasonic G9 Lenses # of Leica M-Monochrom Lenses
Standard Zoom 15 n/a
Standard Prime 13 15 (15 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 5 1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 29 31 (31 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 18 n/a
Telephoto Prime 9 10 (10 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 8 n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 n/a
Macro Prime 4 1 (1 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime n/a 1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 107 59 (59 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 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.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom 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
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

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

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

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom 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
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

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom 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
600g
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

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

Panasonic G9 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 Panasonic G9 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 Panasonic G9 and Leica M-Monochrom scores compare:

Panasonic G9
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #36 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #60 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Leica M-Monochrom
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #121 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #606 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica M-Monochrom in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Panasonic G9.

Panasonic G9
Panasonic G9
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Leica M-Monochrom
Leica M-Monochrom
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Leica M-Monochrom vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Leica M-Monochrom
Brand Panasonic Leica
Announced 2017-11-08 2012-05-10
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 10,000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 160 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 107 59
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3" 2.5"
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
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
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
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 600g
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm 139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life 400 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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