Nikon Z9vs OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Travel & Landscape — OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015): The E-M5 II was the benchmark weather-sealed travel camera of its generation. The 16MP sensor is modest by today's standards but excellent in practice, and the 5-axis IBIS is genuinely useful. Weather sealing, a flip screen, and a high-res composite mode make it a practical companion. A highly capable used-market buy for travel and outdoor photographers who don't need the latest resolution numbers.
Who should buy what
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
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
- Travel photographers wanting compact + weather sealing
- Outdoor and landscape shooters
- Micro Four Thirds system users
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the om-d e-m5 mark ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £350 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 16.0MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | Contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 10fps |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 417g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | OM-D E-M5 Mark II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Astrophotography | — |
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