Nikon Z9vs GR IIIx HDF
Ricoh
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street & documentary photography with a distinctive aesthetic
View GR IIIx HDF
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.
Street & Documentary Photography With A Distinctive Aesthetic — GR IIIx HDF (2024): The GR IIIx with a built-in dream filter — for photographers who want the GR's legendary APS-C quality with an added layer of analogue magic.
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
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
- GR IIIx fans who want the HDF bloom effect without using post-processing
- Street photographers who want a distinctive, instantly recognisable aesthetic
- Film photography enthusiasts who want to replicate analogue optical character digitally
- GR III owners ready to upgrade to the 40mm equivalent perspective
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the gr iiix hdf is the most affordable; only the nikon z9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | GR IIIx HDF (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £999 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 1920 × 1080 / 60fps |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | Phase/contrast hybrid CDAF with Snap Focus |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | 3-axis Shake Reduction (SR) — 4 stops |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 4fps continuous |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 262g body only |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 122.5 × 69.5 × 35.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | None — rear LCD only |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" fixed LCD touchscreen, 1.037M dots |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Fixed GR Lens 26.1mm f/2.8 (40mm equivalent) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | GR IIIx HDF |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Sports | — |
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