EOS R1vs Nikon Z9
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
VS
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Professional Sports & Wildlife — Nikon Z9 (2021): The Z9 redefined what professional mirrorless could be — no mechanical shutter, 45MP stacked BSI, and 8K RAW in the most rugged Z body.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
Nikon Z9 (2021)
- Professional sports, wildlife and photojournalism photographers
- Nikon D6 or D850 users making the final switch to mirrorless
- Those who need the fastest, most reliable AF Nikon has ever made
- Professionals who need a flagship body with no mechanical shutter
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the nikon z9 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history