Qvs Nikon Z9
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Travel & Fine Art Photography — Q (2015): The camera that redefined luxury compact photography — a full-frame sensor, the finest 28mm compact lens available, and a shooting feel that is uniquely Leica.
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
Q (2015)
- Street and documentary photographers who want a full-frame fixed-lens camera with iconic character
- Travel photographers who want the finest compact image quality available
- Leica enthusiasts who want an autofocus alternative to the M system
- Photographers who value build quality and shooting experience as much as spec sheets
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 q is the most affordable; only the nikon z9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Q (2015) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,999 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, 49 AF fields, face detection | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | None | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~270 shots (CIPA) | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 640g (with battery and card) | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.0 × 93.5mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 3.68M dots, 0.68× magnification | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Q | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Photojournalism | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history