Nikon Z9vs A7R III
VS
Sony
A7R III (2017)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Landscape, studio & commercial photography
View A7R III
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.
Landscape, Studio & Commercial Photography — A7R III (2017): The camera that converted professionals to mirrorless — 42MP, IBIS, and 10fps in a body that still competes today.
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 III (2017)
- Landscape and studio photographers who need 42MP resolution at a used-price discount vs A7R IV
- Canon/Nikon DSLR professionals considering a mirrorless switch at a lower investment
- Commercial and product photographers who want full-frame resolution with IBIS for handheld work
- Portrait photographers who want the sharpest possible full-frame files for large print work
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7r iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A7R III (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 42.4MP full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 4K/30p (full-frame readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | 399 phase-detect + 425 contrast AF points — real-time Eye AF |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | 5-axis IBIS — 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 650g body only |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" touchscreen, tilting |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | Dual SD slots (one UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z9 | A7R III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports | — |
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