Leica M10-P vs Sony A6700

The Leica M10-P and the Sony Alpha A6700 are two enthusiast cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in August 2018 and July 2023. The M10-P is a rangefinder-focusing mirrorless, while the A6700 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The cameras are based on a full frame (M10-P) and an APS-C (A6700) sensor. The Leica has a resolution of 23.8 megapixels, whereas the Sony provides 25.6 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Leica M10-P		Sony A6700
Rangefinder camera		Mirrorless system camera
Leica M mount lenses		Sony E mount lenses
23.8 MP – Full Frame sensor		25.6 MP – APS-C sensor
no Video		4K/120p Video
ISO 100-50,000		ISO 100-32,000 (50 - 102,400)
Optical viewfinder		Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots)
3.0" LCD – 1037k dots		3.0" LCD – 1037k dots
Fixed touchscreen		Swivel touchscreen
5 shutter flaps per second		11 shutter flaps per second
no shake reduction		In-body stabilization
Weathersealed body		Weathersealed body
210 shots per battery charge		570 shots per battery charge
139 x 80 x 39 mm, 660 g		122 x 69 x 64 mm, 493 g

Check M10-P offers at
ebay.com
Check A6700 price at
amazon.com

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Leica M10-P and the Sony Alpha A6700? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Leica M10-P and the Sony A6700. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The M10-P can be obtained in two different colors (black, silver), while the A6700 is only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Sony A6700 is notably smaller (24 percent) than the Leica M10-P. Moreover, the A6700 is markedly lighter (25 percent) than the M10-P. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. A larger imaging sensor will tend to go along with bigger and heavier lenses, although exceptions exist. You can compare the optics available for the two cameras in the Leica M Lens Catalog (M10-P) and the Sony E-Mount Lens Catalog (A6700).

Concerning battery life, the M10-P gets 210 shots out of its Leica BP-SCL5 battery, while the A6700 can take 570 images on a single charge of its Sony NP-FZ100 power pack. The power pack in the A6700 can be charged via the USB port, which can be very convenient when travelling.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, you can move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica M10-P	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Aug 2018	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
2.		Sony A6700	122 mm	69 mm	64 mm	493 g	570	Y	Jul 2023	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
3.		Leica M Typ 240	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	500	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 6 949	ebay.com
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	500	Y	Jun 2019	US$ 3 999	ebay.com
5.		Leica M Typ 262	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	400	Y	Nov 2015	US$ 5 195	ebay.com
6.		Leica M8	139 mm	80 mm	37 mm	591 g	550	n	Sep 2006	US$ 5 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica M9	139 mm	80 mm	37 mm	585 g	550	n	Sep 2009	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
8.		Leica M10	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 6 599	ebay.com
9.		Leica M10-R	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Jul 2020	US$ 8 299	ebay.com
10.		Leica M11	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	640 g	700	Y	Jan 2022	US$ 8 999	amazon.com
11.		Leica Q Typ 116	130 mm	80 mm	93 mm	640 g	300	n	Jun 2015	US$ 4 249	ebay.com
12.		Leica TL2	134 mm	69 mm	33 mm	399 g	250	n	Jul 2017	US$ 1 949	ebay.com
13.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
14.		Sony A77 II	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	647 g	480	Y	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
15.		Sony A6300	120 mm	67 mm	49 mm	404 g	400	Y	Feb 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
16.		Sony A6500	120 mm	67 mm	53 mm	453 g	350	Y	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
17.		Sony A6600	120 mm	67 mm	69 mm	503 g	810	Y	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The A6700 was launched at a markedly lower price (by 83 percent) than the M10-P, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Leica M10-P features a full frame sensor and the Sony A6700 an APS-C sensor. The sensor area in the A6700 is 57 percent smaller. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.0 and 1.5. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Despite having a smaller sensor, the A6700 offers a slightly higher resolution of 25.6 megapixels, compared with 23.8 MP of the M10-P. This megapixels advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 3.79μm versus 6.00μm for the M10-P). However, it should be noted that the A6700 is much more recent (by 4 years and 10 months) than the M10-P, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the M10-P has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

The A6700 has on-sensor phase detect pixels, which results in fast and reliable autofocus acquisition even during live view operation.

The Leica M10-P has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 50000. The corresponding ISO settings for the Sony Alpha A6700 are ISO 100 to ISO 32000, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 50-102400.

In terms of underlying technology, the M10-P is build around a CMOS sensor, while the A6700 uses a BSI-CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica M10-P	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	25.1	14.1	2739	93
2.		Sony A6700	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/120p	24.3	14.0	2329	86
3.		Leica M Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	24.0	13.3	1860	84
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	25.2	14.2	2821	94
5.		Leica M Typ 262	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	none	24.8	13.7	2478	90
6.		Leica M8	APS-H	10.4	3936	2630	none	21.1	11.3	663	59
7.		Leica M9	Full Frame	18.1	5212	3472	none	22.5	11.7	884	69
8.		Leica M10	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	24.4	13.2	2133	86
9.		Leica M10-R	Full Frame	40.9	7864	5200	none	25.3	14.3	2924	95
10.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
11.		Leica Q Typ 116	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.3	12.7	2221	85
12.		Leica TL2	APS-C	24.1	6014	4014	4K/30p	23.9	13.3	1753	82
13.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
14.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
15.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
16.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
17.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The A6700 indeed provides for movie recording, while the M10-P does not. The highest resolution format that the A6700 can use is 4K/120p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the A6700 has an electronic viewfinder (2360k dots), while the M10-P has an optical one. Both systems have their advantages, with the electronic viewfinder making it possible to project supplementary shooting information into the framing view, whereas the optical viewfinder offers lag-free viewing and a very clear framing image. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (100%), but the viewfinder of the M10-P has a higher magnification than the one of the A6700 (0.73x vs 0.71x), so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Leica M10-P and Sony A6700 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Leica M10-P	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
2.		Sony A6700	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
3.		Leica M Typ 240	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
5.		Leica M Typ 262	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
6.		Leica M8	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	2.0/s	n	n
7.		Leica M9	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.0/s	n	n
8.		Leica M10	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
9.		Leica M10-R	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
10.		Leica M11	optical	n	3.0 / 2333	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
11.		Leica Q Typ 116	3680	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	n	Y
12.		Leica TL2	optional	n	3.7 / 1230	fixed	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	n	n
13.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
14.		Sony A77 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
15.		Sony A6300	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
16.		Sony A6500	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	Y
17.		Sony A6600	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, the A6700 is one of those camera that have an additional electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

The Leica M10-P and the Sony A6700 both have an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

The M10-P writes its imaging data to SDXC cards, while the A6700 uses SDXC or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. The A6700 supports UHS-II cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 312 MB/s), while the M10-P can use UHS-I cards (up to 104 MB/s).

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Leica M10-P and Sony Alpha A6700 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Leica M10-P	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
2.		Sony A6700	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	3.2	Y	Y	Y
3.		Leica M Typ 240	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	Y	mono / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Leica M Typ 262	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Leica M8	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Leica M9	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Leica M10	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
9.		Leica M10-R	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
10.		Leica M11	Y	- / -	-	-	-	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Leica Q Typ 116	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
12.		Leica TL2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
13.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
14.		Sony A77 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
15.		Sony A6300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
16.		Sony A6500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
17.		Sony A6600	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	2.0	Y	Y	Y

The A6700 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Sony. In contrast, the M10-P has been discontinued (but can be found pre-owned on ebay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the M10-P from Leica. Further information on the features and operation of the M10-P and A6700 can be found, respectively, in the Leica M10-P Manual (free pdf) or the online Sony A6700 Manual.

Review summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is the Leica M10-P better than the Sony A6700 or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Leica M10-P:

• Maximized detail: Lacks an anti-alias filter to exploit the sensor's full resolution potential.
• Better image quality: Features bigger pixels on a larger sensor for higher quality imaging.
• Richer colors: The pixel size advantage translates into images with better, more accurate colors.
• More dynamic range: Larger pixels capture a wider spectrum of light and dark details.
• Better low-light sensitivity: Larger pixels means good image quality even under poor lighting.
• Brighter framing: Features an optical viewfinder for clear, lag-free composition.
• Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.73x vs 0.71x).
• More prestigious: Has the Leica luxury appeal, which ensures a high resale price.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in August 2018).

Advantages of the Sony Alpha A6700:

• Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.
• Broader imaging potential: Can capture not only stills but also 4K/120p video.
• Better live-view autofocus: Features on-sensor phase-detection for more confident autofocus.
• More framing info: Has an electronic viewfinder that displays shooting data.
• More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (11 vs 5 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Less disturbing: Has an electronic shutter option for completely silent shooting.
• More compact: Is smaller (122x69mm vs 139x80mm) and will fit more readily into a bag.
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 167g or 25 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (570 versus 210) out of a single battery charge.
• Easier travel charging: Can be conveniently charged via its USB port.
• Sharper images: Has stabilization technology built-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
• Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
• Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
• Faster buffer clearing: Supports a more advanced SD data transfer standard (UHS-II vs UHS-I).
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (83 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 4 years and 10 months of technical progress since the M10-P launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the A6700 is the clear winner of the contest (18 : 9 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional sports photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a street photog, and a person interested in family portraits has distinct needs from a landscape shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras can be instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says little about, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance of the M10-P and the A6700 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica M10-P	..	..	3/5	..	..	4/5	Aug 2018	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
2.		Sony A6700	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2023	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
3.		Leica M Typ 240	4/5	..	..	..	4/5	..	Sep 2012	US$ 6 949	ebay.com
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2019	US$ 3 999	ebay.com
5.		Leica M Typ 262	..	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2015	US$ 5 195	ebay.com
6.		Leica M8	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2006	US$ 5 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica M9	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	..	Sep 2009	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
8.		Leica M10	4.5/5	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 6 599	ebay.com
9.		Leica M10-R	4.5/5	..	4/5	..	..	4/5	Jul 2020	US$ 8 299	ebay.com
10.		Leica M11	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2022	US$ 8 999	amazon.com
11.		Leica Q Typ 116	5/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	US$ 4 249	ebay.com
12.		Leica TL2	3.5/5	..	3/5	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2017	US$ 1 949	ebay.com
13.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
14.		Sony A77 II	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
15.		Sony A6300	4.5/5	+	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
16.		Sony A6500	5/5	+ +	3.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
17.		Sony A6600	4/5	+	4/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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