Nikon Z9vs A7R II
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R 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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7r ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £799 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 5fps |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| 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, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Architecture | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Nikon Z9
Camera family history