Nikon Z9vs A5100
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.
Casual & Travel — A5100 (2014): The A5100 is one of the smallest APS-C mirrorless cameras ever made. Its 24MP sensor, phase-detect AF, and selfie-friendly flip screen pack remarkable capability into a shirt-pocket-sized body. No EVF or hot shoe limits it for serious use, but as a compact travel camera or beginner's first mirrorless, it punches well above its price on the used market.
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
A5100 (2014)
- Beginners stepping up from a smartphone
- Compact travel photographers
- Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a5100 is the most affordable; only the nikon z9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A5100 (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £200 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | None |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 6fps |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 224g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 109.6 × 62.8 × 35.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | None |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | Micro USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | A5100 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — |
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