Nikon Z9vs A7 V
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.
Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Video — A7 V (2024): The definitive full-frame mirrorless. Hard to argue for anything else at this price.
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 V (2024)
- A7 III or A7 IV owners ready for a meaningful upgrade
- Photographers who want one camera to cover everything
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7 v is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A7 V (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | Full-frame BSI-CMOS 35mm, partially stacked |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 33.0MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 4K 60fps 10-bit |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition (human, animal, bird, insect, vehicle) |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | 5-axis IBIS, 8.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 10fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | 760 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 514g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | EVF 0.90× 9.44M-dot |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with Nikon Z9
Camera family history