Nikon Z9 vs Sony α9 III
Every published spec side by side, with today's lowest prices for the market you've chosen.
Key differences
- Announced: Nov 2023 on the α9 III, against Oct 2021 on the Z9.
- Resolution: 45.7 MP on the Z9, against 24.6 MP on the α9 III.
- In-body stabilisation: Yes, 8 stops on the α9 III, against Yes, 6 stops on the Z9.
- Burst (electronic): 120 fps on the α9 III, against 20 fps on the Z9.
- Fastest shutter (elec.): 1/80,000s on the α9 III, against 1/32,000s on the Z9.
- Max resolution: 8K on the Z9, against 4K on the α9 III.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price today | $5,296.95 new $3,995 used | $6,599 new $4,695 used |
| Overview | ||
| Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Announced | Oct 2021 | Nov 2023 (best) |
| US launch priceUS list price when announced, body only. Today's prices are in the offers table. | $5,499 | $5,999 |
| Lens | Interchangeable | Interchangeable |
| Sensor & image | ||
| Sensor size | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | Stacked CMOS | Global shutter stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7 MP (best) | 24.6 MP |
| Native ISO | 64–25,600 | 250–25,600 |
| In-body stabilisation | Yes, 6 stops | Yes, 8 stops (best) |
| Speed & autofocus | ||
| Burst (mechanical) | — | — |
| Burst (electronic) | 20 fps | 120 fps (best) |
| Fastest shutter (mech.) | — | — |
| Fastest shutter (elec.) | 1/32,000s | 1/80,000s (best) |
| 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, Insect, Vehicle, Train, Aircraft |
| Video | ||
| Max resolution | 8K (best) | 4K |
| 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 | 3.2", 2.10M dots |
| Screen articulation | Multi-angle (tilt + flip) | Multi-angle (tilt + flip) |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Body & battery | ||
| Weight (with battery) | 1,340 g | 702 g (best) |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 149 × 149.5 × 90.5 mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm |
| Weather sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Battery (CIPA shots) | 740 (best) | 530 |
| Card slots | 2 · CFexpress B / XQD + CFexpress B / XQD | 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
Z9
4.3 µm pixels
45.7 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 25,600
α9 III
5.9 µm pixels
24.6 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 25,600
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)