Q3 43vs Nikon Z9
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Documentary, Portrait & Reportage Photography — Q3 43 (2024): The Q3 with the most human lens — 43mm, 60MP, and Leica rendering at its most natural and versatile.
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
Q3 43 (2024)
- Portrait and documentary photographers who find 28mm too wide and 50mm too tight
- Q3 owners who prefer a natural 43mm perspective over the iconic 28mm Summilux
- Reportage photographers who want the discreet Q3 form factor with a more intimate focal length
- Leica system users who want a fixed-lens body that excels across multiple genres
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 q3 43 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the nikon z9 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Q3 43 (2024) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,995 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p 10-bit — L-Log | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 15fps electronic | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~350 shots (CIPA) | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 743g body only | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single UHS-II SD slot | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Q3 43 | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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