Nikon Z9vs A7 II
VS
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, Portrait — A7 II (2014): The camera that proved full-frame IBIS was possible in a compact body.
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
A7 II (2014)
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want full-frame on a budget
- Film shooters adapting vintage lenses (IBIS helps enormously)
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A7 II (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £549 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | Full-frame BSI CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 1080p 60fps |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | 117-point phase-detect hybrid AF |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | 5-axis IBIS, 4.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 5fps |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | 350 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 599g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | EVF 0.71× 2.36M-dot |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.23M-dot |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | SD / Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | Wi-Fi, NFC, Micro USB, Micro HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | A7 II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with Nikon Z9
Camera family history