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Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Leica M8

10 MP | APS-H (27 x 18 mm) CCD Sensor

Leica M8
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Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing A7R III and M8, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Leica. Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Leica M8 has a 10.0MP APS-H sensor. Sony A7R III was introduced to market in October 2017 and Leica M8 was launched in July 2007. As you can see, M8 is 10 years older than A7R III. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R III and Leica M8 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare

Leica M8 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2007-07-31
  • 10MP - APS-H CCD Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 160 - 2500
  • Leica M Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder
  • continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 591g. 139 x 80 x 37 mm

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Leica M8

Leica M8 was replaced by Leica M8.2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Leica M8.2 vs Leica M8
Leica M8.2 vs Sony Alpha A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Leica M8 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Leica M8
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
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 10 MP 320% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 2.500 1180% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.440k dots vs 230k dots 526% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
650 shots vs 550 shots 100 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
Color Depth
26.0 vs 21.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 11.3 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 663 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
425 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject


Reasons to choose Leica M8 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Weight
591 g vs 657 g 66 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
46.96µm2 vs 20.43µm2 129% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Leica M8
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
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Leica M8
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.5" Small display
Sony A7R III vs Leica M8: 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 Sony A7R III and Leica M8 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 oz) (including batteries). Leica M8 has external dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46″) and weighs 591 g (1.30 lb / 20.85 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Leica M8. Leica M8 is 16mm shorter and 37mm thinner than Sony A7R III but it is also 12mm wider.

Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica M8 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Leica M8.

Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica M8 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Leica M8.
Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica M8 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica M8 is 66g lighter than the Sony A7R III 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 Sony A7R III has a Full frame sensor and Leica M8 has a smaller APS-H sensor, Leica M8's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7R III lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
M8
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
M8
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7R III has a big advantage over M8 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica M8's 2.5" screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7R III LCD screen also has a Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Leica M8 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7R III.
Sony A7R III vs Leica M8: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Leica M8 has a 10.0MP APS-H (27 x 18 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 32MP more than Leica M8's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Leica M8 and Sony A7R III sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 A7R III and M8 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Leica M8 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III has a 1.8x Larger sensor area than Leica M8. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7R III and Leica M8 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7R III has scored 100, 41 points higher than M8.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Leica M8 59 21.1 bits 11.3 Evs 663 ISO
Sony A7R III vs Leica M8 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 Sony A7R III has an advantage over Leica M8. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 59 lenses for Leica M8's Leica M lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R III 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. A7R III's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.
0 lenses for Leica M mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R III Lenses # of Leica M8 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) n/a
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 15
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 1
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 31
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 10
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) n/a
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 1
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 1
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 59

What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Leica M8 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III and Leica M8 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.

Sony A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica M8 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-H (27 x 18 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica M8 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-H (27 x 18 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica M8 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Good Battery Life: 550 shots
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Leica M8 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large APS-H (27 x 18 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
591g
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Leica M8 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-H (27 x 18 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7R III vs Leica M8: 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 Sony A7R III and Leica M8, 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 Sony A7R III and Leica M8 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Leica M8
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #122 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #630 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica M8 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 Sony A7R III.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Leica M8
Leica M8
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Leica M8 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Leica M8
Brand Sony Leica
Announced 2017-10-25 2007-07-31
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CCD
Size Full frame APS-H
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 27 x 18 mm
Area 861.60mm2 486.00mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 10 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 3936 x 2630
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 2,500 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 160 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 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 425 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Leica M
Number of Available Lenses 128 59
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 2.5"
Resolution 1,440k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps n/a
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, XAVC S n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 591g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life 650 shots 550 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 59
DxO Color Depth 26.0 21.1
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 11.3
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 663
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