Canon
EOS R5 2020
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
£2449
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
EOS R5 vs Z9
Quick take: The Z9 has the highest resolution at 46MP; the EOS R5 is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
EOS R5 — Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife: A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
Z9 — Professional Sports & Wildlife: 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 R5 (2020)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
Z9 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | EOS R5Canon · 2020 | Z9Nikon · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,449Best | £4,999 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 45.7MPBest |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEGBest |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | 740 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 650g (body only)Best | 1340g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
EOS R5
Z9
Portrait
8.2/10
8.2/10
Street
6.2/10
5.0/10
Travel
5.9/10
4.9/10
Wedding & Events
7.6/10
8.4/10
Vlogging & Video
5.7/10
—
Filmmaking
7.2/10
7.9/10
Documentary
7.3/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
7.5/10
9.2/10
Landscape
7.5/10
6.7/10
Wildlife
7.8/10
8.9/10
Casual
5.0/10
4.0/10
Food
7.8/10
6.9/10
Macro
7.6/10
6.6/10
Architecture
8.0/10
6.8/10
Astrophotography
6.0/10
7.2/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
Next
More comparisons with EOS R5
Camera family history