Sony A100 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison

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Sony A100

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

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Leica M-Monochrom

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

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Sony A100 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A100, which was introduced in July 2006 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Leica M-Monochrom, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, A100 is 6 years older than M-Monochrom. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

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.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-07-31

10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

638g. 133 x 95 x 71 mm

Replaced Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D 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

Sony A100 was replaced by Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 vs Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 vs Leica M-Monochrom

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 over Leica M-Monochrom

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 2.0fps	1 fps faster

Reasons to choose Leica M-Monochrom over Sony Alpha DSLR-A100

Viewfinder Magnification	0.68x vs 0.55x	Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution	18 MP vs 10 MP	80% more pixels
Max ISO	10.000 vs 1.600	525% higher Max ISO
Weight	600 g vs 638 g	38 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	47.73µm² vs 37.14µm²	28% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 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

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 and Leica M-Monochrom

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	2.5" vs 2.5"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Sony A100 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 Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A100 has external dimensions of 133 x 95 x 71 mm (5.24 x 3.74 x 2.8″) and weighs 638 g (1.41 lb / 22.50 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 Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom. Leica M-Monochrom is 15mm shorter and 34mm thinner than Sony A100 but it is also 6mm wider.

Comparison image of Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Leica M-Monochrom is 38g lighter than the Sony A100 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 Sony A100 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Sony A100'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

A100

M-Monochrom

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A100

M-Monochrom

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 nor Leica M-Monochrom provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 2.5".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Sony A100 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Sensor Comparison

Sony A100 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Leica M-Monochrom has a 18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Leica M-Monochrom's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A100'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.

Below you can see the A100 and M-Monochrom sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom Cameras

As seen above, Leica M-Monochrom has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony A100. 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.

Sony A100 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 Sony A100 has an advantage over Leica M-Monochrom. There are 143 lenses for Sony A100's Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, on the other hand there are only 60 lenses for Leica M-Monochrom's Leica M lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A100 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. On the other hand, Leica M-Monochrom 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 Sony A100 Lenses	# of Leica M-Monochrom Lenses
Standard Zoom	20	n/a
Standard Prime	9	15 (15 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	11	1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	18	32 (32 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	26	n/a
Telephoto Prime	12	10 (10 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	19	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	4	n/a
Macro Prime	12	1 (1 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	10	1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	2	n/a
TOTAL	143	60 (60 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A100 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.

Sony A100 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Leica M-Monochrom for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
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

Sony A100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Live-view
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

Sony A100 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
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

Sony A100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Leica M-Monochrom for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
638g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details

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

Sony A100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica M-Monochrom for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No 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

Sony A100 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 Sony A100 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 Sony A100 and Leica M-Monochrom scores compare:

Sony A100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #60 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #494 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Leica M-Monochrom

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #122 out of 128 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Sony A100 has a higher Overall Score than the Leica M-Monochrom and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Leica M-Monochrom vs Sony A100 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha DSLR-A100	Leica M-Monochrom
Brand	Sony	Leica
Announced	2006-07-31	2012-05-10
Body Type	Compact SLR	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	APS-C	Full frame
Dimensions	23.6 x 15.8 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	372.88mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	3872 x 2592	5212 x 3472
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	10,000 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	9	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony/Minolta Alpha	Leica M
Number of Available Lenses	143	60
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	2.5"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	Unknown
Viewfinder Magnification	0.55x	0.68x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	1/160s	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	None
Video Formats	n/a	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	638g	600g
Dimensions	133 x 95 x 71mm	139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life	n/a	350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	61	not tested
DxO Color Depth	22.0	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	11.2	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	476	not tested
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