Nikon D7500vs Nikon Z9
Nikon
Nikon D7500 (2017)
Starting from £899 new
Best for Sports, travel & DSLR shooters
View Nikon D7500
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Sports, Travel & Dslr Shooters — Nikon D7500 (2017): The D500's BSI sensor in a compact, weather-sealed body — excellent high-ISO performance and DSLR reliability at a great price.
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
Nikon D7500 (2017)
- Enthusiast DSLR photographers who want APS-C performance in a lighter body
- D7200 or D7100 owners upgrading to better AF and 4K video
- Wildlife and sports shooters who prefer optical viewfinder AF
- Nikon DSLR users who want a capable body before committing to mirrorless
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 d7500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon D7500 (2017) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £899 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 20.9MP APS-C BSI CMOS (D500 sensor) | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.9MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 4K/30p (slight crop), FHD/60p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 3500FX II, 51 points (15 cross-type) | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | None (no IBIS) | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 8fps mechanical | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~950 shots (CIPA with OVF) | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 640g body only | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 135.5 × 104.0 × 72.5mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.94× magnification | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F-mount (DX) | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB Micro-B, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon D7500 | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Photojournalism | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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