Nikon Z8 vs Sony α1
Every published spec side by side, with today's lowest prices for the market you've chosen.
Key differences
- Announced: May 2023 on the Z8, against Jan 2021 on the α1.
- Resolution: 50.1 MP on the α1, against 45.7 MP on the Z8.
- Native ISO: 100–32,000 on the α1, against 64–25,600 on the Z8.
- In-body stabilisation: Yes, 6 stops on the Z8, against Yes, 5.5 stops on the α1.
- Burst (electronic): 30 fps on the α1, against 20 fps on the Z8.
- Internal raw video: Yes on the Z8, against No on the α1.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price today | $3,296.95 new $2,899 used | $5,888 new $3,309.99 used |
| Overview | ||
| Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Announced | May 2023 (best) | Jan 2021 |
| US launch priceUS list price when announced, body only. Today's prices are in the offers table. | $3,999 | $6,499 |
| Lens | Interchangeable | Interchangeable |
| Sensor & image | ||
| Sensor size | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | Stacked CMOS | Stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7 MP | 50.1 MP (best) |
| Native ISO | 64–25,600 | 100–32,000 (best) |
| In-body stabilisation | Yes, 6 stops (best) | Yes, 5.5 stops |
| Speed & autofocus | ||
| Burst (mechanical) | — | 10 fps |
| Burst (electronic) | 20 fps | 30 fps (best) |
| Fastest shutter (mech.) | — | 1/8,000s |
| Fastest shutter (elec.) | 1/32,000s | 1/32,000s |
| AF pointsMakers count points differently, so this is not ranked. | 493 | 759 |
| Subject detectionMakers group subjects differently (Canon's "animal" includes birds), so only having it is ranked. | Human, Animal, Bird, Vehicle, Aircraft, Train | Human, Animal, Bird |
| Video | ||
| Max resolution | 8K | 8K |
| 4K frame rate | 120p | 120p |
| 10-bit internal | Yes | Yes |
| Internal raw video | Yes (best) | No |
| Mic input | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder & screen | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 3.69M dots | Electronic, 9.44M dots (best) |
| Rear screen | 3.2", 2.10M dots (best) | 3", 1.44M dots |
| Screen articulation | Multi-angle (tilt + flip) | Tilting |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Body & battery | ||
| Weight (with battery) | 910 g | 737 g (best) |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 144 × 118.5 × 83 mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8 mm |
| Weather sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Battery (CIPA shots) | 340 | 530 (best) |
| Card slots | 2 · CFexpress B / XQD + SD UHS-II | 2 · CFexpress A / SD UHS-II + CFexpress A / SD UHS-II |
| USB-C | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in flash | No | No |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth |
Green marks the better figure where “better” is unambiguous. A dash means the maker doesn't publish it or we haven't verified it yet.
Low light & noise
Z8
4.3 µm pixels
45.7 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 25,600
α1
4.2 µm pixels
50.1 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 32,000
Bigger pixels gather more light each, so they tend to show less noise at high ISO, but sensor design matters as much. For real noise at ISO 6400, these sites measure it:
- Photons to Photos: dynamic range vs ISO ↗Photographic dynamic range measured at every ISO, bodies on one chart
- Photons to Photos: noise vs ISO ↗Read noise at every ISO from lab tests: lower is cleaner in the shadows
- DPReview studio scene ↗The same scene shot by each camera at the ISO you pick, side by side
- DPReview reviews ↗Full reviews with high-ISO samples
- Low-light video tests ↗Real-world high-ISO footage on YouTube
Size, to scale
Front (width × height)
Top (width × depth)