Nikon Z9vs A7R
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.
Studio, Tripod Landscape & Camera History — A7R (2013): The world's first 36MP full-frame mirrorless — a landmark camera that launched the A7R series, despite contrast-detect AF and significant shutter shock limitations.
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 (2013)
- Collectors and photographers interested in the camera that started the A7R lineage
- Studio photographers who work on a tripod and can manage contrast-detect AF
- Landscape photographers who prioritise resolution over autofocus performance
- Sony FE system users who want a historical body at a very low used price
Quick take: The nikon z9 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7r is the most affordable; only the nikon z9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z9 (2021) | A7R (2013) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,499 | £349 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF) |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 36.4MP |
| Video | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor) |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | None |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | 4fps |
| Battery Life | 740 shots (CIPA) | ~340 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1340g body only | 465g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm | 126.9 × 94.4 × 48.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" fixed LCD, 1.23M dots (no tilt, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 →
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Camera family history