Nikon Z50II vs Nikon Z 9
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonZ50II | NikonZ 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | November 2024 | December 2021 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor format | APS-C | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | Stacked backside-illuminated CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.5 × 15.7 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 20.9 MP | 45.7 MP |
| Largest image | 5568 × 3712 | 8256 × 5504 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–51200 | 64–25600 |
| Sensor detail | 21.51 million total pixels; Japanese exact specification gives 20.88 million effective, rounded to 20.9 on Nikon UK. Image-dust-off reference data requires NX Studio. | 52.37 million total pixels; sensor cleaning, dust-off reference data, protective sensor shield and electro-conductive/fluorine coatings |
| Image formats | 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF | 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and RAW plus JPEG |
| ISO detail | Standard still-image ISO 100–51200, expandable to equivalent ISO 204800; HLG starts at ISO 400. Movie ISO 100–25600, with N-Log-specific limits. | Expandable to equivalent ISO 32–102400; auto ISO available |
| Image processor | EXPEED 7 | EXPEED 7 |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon Z mount | Nikon Z mount |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | Sensor shift |
| Maximum continuous burst | 30 fps | 20 fps |
| Lens detail | NIKKOR Z FX and DX lenses; FX lenses have a DX field-of-view crop. F-mount NIKKOR lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions. | NIKKOR Z lenses; NIKKOR F lenses require a mount adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions |
| Autofocus | Hybrid phase/contrast detection; 209 single-point or 231 auto-area positions, nine subject types, 3D tracking and AF-A. Nikon's −9 EV sensitivity uses AF-S, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C. | Hybrid phase/contrast detection with 493 single-point FX still positions; 3D tracking and subject detection for people, animals and vehicles. Maker sensitivity −6.5 EV or −8.5 EV with Starlight View, measured in AF-S at ISO 100, 20°C and f/1.2. |
| Shutter | Mechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic; 1/4000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time, extendable to 900 seconds in manual mode. Flash sync up to 1/250 second with reduced guide number above 1/200; Auto FP supported. | Electronic shutter only, with selectable sound and protective sensor shield; 1/32000 to 30 seconds, Bulb/Time and manual-mode extension to 900 seconds. Flash sync 1/200 or 1/250 second with reduced guide number at higher speeds; compatible Auto FP up to 1/8000 may produce horizontal lines. |
| Burst detail | Extended continuous shooting approximately 11 fps, or 15 fps silent; ordinary high approximately 5.6 fps, rising to 9.7 fps silent without RAW. C15/C30 high-speed capture with pre-release capture reaches 30 fps for JPEGs, not RAW. | Continuous high-speed RAW/JPEG up to 20 fps. High-speed C30 provides large full-resolution FX or DX JPEGs and C120 small FX JPEGs (4128 × 2752), with approximately four-second bursts in the linked manual. Firmware 3.00 adds C60 large DX JPEGs, also approximately four seconds; current Japan specs additionally list C15. Pre-release capture supported. These restricted high-speed modes are qualified separately from the main continuous-shooting figure. |
| Stabilisation detail | No sensor-shift stabilisation; optical stabilisation depends on a VR lens. Electronic video VR adds a crop. | Five-axis sensor shift; Synchro VR up to 6 stops with supported VR lenses under Nikon CIPA conditions, including NIKKOR Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S with required lens firmware; electronic movie VR available |
| Flash | Manual pop-up flash, guide number approximately 7 at ISO 100 in metres; i-TTL and ISO 518 accessory shoe | No built-in flash; ISO 518 hot shoe, ISO 519 threaded sync terminal and compatible external i-TTL Speedlights |
| Exposure controls | Auto, P/S/A/M and scene modes; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation | P/S/A/M; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation; matrix, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted metering |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps | 8256 × 4644 at 59.94 fps |
| Video detail | UHD 3840 × 2160 up to 60p, with additional crop at 50/60p; full-width DX UHD up to 30p is oversampled from 5.6K. Full HD up to 120p; H.265 8/10-bit and H.264, N-Log and HLG, waveform, timecode, tally lamp, Product Review mode and Full HD Hi-Res Zoom. Maker recording limit 125 minutes, subject to conditions; no internal RAW video listed. | With firmware 2.0 or later, internal N-RAW 12-bit 8256 × 4644 up to 59.94p, 5392 × 3032 up to 59.94p and 4128 × 2322 up to 119.88p. Conventional UHD 7680 × 4320 up to 29.97p; UHD 4K and Full HD up to 119.88p. ProRes RAW HQ, ProRes 422 HQ, H.265 8/10-bit and H.264 have format-dependent limits. N-Log/HLG, waveform, timecode and RAW proxies. Nikon's UHD 8K/30p recording-time claim is 125 minutes under specified conditions; launch firmware and the early reviews predate internal RAW video support. |
| Audio | Built-in stereo microphones; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4; external microphone and headphone monitoring | Built-in stereo microphones; 24-bit PCM recording, external microphone with attenuator and headphone monitoring; AAC used for MP4 |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
| Screen size | 3.2″ | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 1,040,000 | 2,100,000 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Tilting screen | Yes | Yes |
| Display detail | Vari-angle TFT, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels | Four-axis horizontal/vertical tilt, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | 0.39-inch XGA OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, 1.02× magnification and 19.5 mm eyepoint; maker maximum brightness claim 1000 cd/m² | 0.5-inch Quad-VGA OLED, approximately 3.69 million dots, 100% coverage, 0.8× magnification and 23 mm eyepoint; blackout-free display with high-frame-rate option |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 250 photographs | 770 photographs |
| Body weight | 495 g (better) | 1160 g |
| Release detail | Announced in November 2024; Nikon US states availability in late November 2024. Month precision is retained because an exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed. | Nikon Japan explicitly records first sale on 24 December 2021; US announcement on 28 October specified availability within 2021. TechRadar's later regional delivery-delay wording does not override the confirmed Japanese first sale. |
| Recording media | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot supporting UHS-II, in the battery compartment | Two CFexpress Type B/XQD slots; overflow, backup, RAW/JPEG separation, duplicate JPEG recording and card copying |
| Ports | USB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone output, the latter also supports MC-DC3 remote release | USB-C SuperSpeed USB, full-size HDMI Type A, 3.5 mm microphone/headphone sockets, ten-pin remote terminal and threaded flash-sync socket; RJ-45 Ethernet 1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T |
| Wireless connections | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; built-in GNSS supports GPS, GLONASS and QZSS with location/time recording and track logs |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL25a; CIPA approximately 250 monitor shots with power saving enabled or 230 without; EVF 240 with power saving or 220 without. Tested with NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR; movie battery-life claim 55 minutes. EN-EL25 compatibility gives shorter battery life; Photography Blog's 300-shot EN-EL25 narrative is not the current maker claim. | EN-EL18d; CIPA monitor approximately 770 shots with power saving or 740 without; EVF 740 with power saving or 700 without. Nikon's separate continuous-shooting test gives approximately 5310 shots; movie battery claim approximately 170 minutes. Earlier EN-EL18-series batteries give fewer shots. |
| Charging | USB charging and power with compatible equipment; optional EH-8P adapter | USB charging/power delivery and MH-33 external charger; optional EH-7P charging supports EN-EL18d/18c/18b, while earlier battery revisions retain restrictions; optional EH-6d with EP-6a power connector |
| Dimensions | Approximately 127 × 96.8 × 66.5 mm | Approximately 149 × 149.5 × 90.5 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 495 g body only or 550 g including battery/card, excluding body cap | Approximately 1160 g body only or 1340 g with battery/card, excluding body cap and shoe cover |
| Materials | – | Weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body with integrated vertical grip; maker operating range −10°C to 40°C |
| In the box | EN-EL25a battery, AN-DC29 strap, USB-C cable and BF-N1 body cap | EN-EL18d, MH-33 charger, AN-DC24 strap, UC-E24 USB cable, HDMI/USB cable clip, BS-1 shoe cover and BF-N1 body cap; current UK included-accessory tiles also list EH-7P UK adapter |
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