The Clash of the Titans!

August 23, 2021

A head-to-head comparison of the three flagships from Canon, Nikon and Sony at the time of writing this note. Both Canon and Nikon specifications are based on speculation and may be different when the actual one comes out. Thought this be interesting to see.

The Clash of the Titans. Akhil Vinayak Menon Photography

Nikon Z9

SENSOR: 45 megapixels, stacked BSI CMOS
LENS MOUNT: Nikon Z (full-frame & APS-C mirrorless)
STILL IMAGES: 8256×5504-pixel full-res,
VIDEO: Up to 8K 30p
ISO: 64-25,600, Hi1, Hi2
AUTOFOCUS: Allegedly much-improved; addition of cars & motorcycles to AF tracking
SHOOTING SPEED (FPS): Up to 30 FPS RAW still capture @ full-resolution, up to 120 FPS or 160 FPS @ lower resolution
SHUTTER SPEEDS: Unknown
STABILIZATION: Unknown
VIEWFINDER: 5.76-megapixel, blackout-free EVF, 120 Hz
LCD: Improved LCD, fully-articulating
CONNECTIVITY: Built-in GNSS, Gigabit LAN, USB-C, Wifi
STORAGE: Dual XQD/CFX card slots
BATTERY: Same form factor as Nikon D6; new battery will allow USB-PD charging
BODY CONSTRUCTION: Same level of durability as Nikon D6
SIZE: Unknown
WEIGHT: Unknown
PRICE: Unknown; best guess: ~$6.5K

Canon R3

SENSOR: 24 megapixels, BSI, stacked CMOS
LENS MOUNT: Canon RF (full-frame mirrorless)
STILL IMAGES: 6000×4000-pixels,
VIDEO: Up to 4K RAW
ISO: Unknown
AUTOFOCUS: Allegedly much-improved, low-light capable down to EV -7; addition of cars & motorcycles to AF tracking, now with “Deep Learning” and Eye Control
SHOOTING SPEED (FPS): Up to 30 FPS RAW still capture
SHUTTER SPEEDS: Unknown
STABILIZATION: Up to 8 stops w/ optical IS and IBIS
VIEWFINDER: Unknown
LCD: Unknown, touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY: 5GHz wifi, accessory shoe
STORAGE: Dual CFE/SD
BATTERY: Same as Canon 1DX III
BODY CONSTRUCTION: Same level of durability as Canon 1D-series
SIZE: Exact dimensions unknown
WEIGHT: Unknown
PRICE: Unknown; best guess: ~$6.5K

Sony A1

SENSOR: 50 megapixels, stacked BSI CMOS
LENS MOUNT: Sony E (full-frame)
STILL IMAGES: 8640×5760-pixel full-res, 14-bit raw ARW
VIDEO: 8K 30p, (H.265/XAVC HS 4:2:0 10-Bit) 4K 120p (H.265/XAVC HS 4:2:2 10-Bit)
ISO: 100-32000, expandable to 50-102400
AUTOFOCUS: 759-point AF, face/eye detection, Real-Time tracking
SHOOTING SPEED (FPS): 30 FPS w/ electronic shutter, 10 FPS mechanical shutter
SHUTTER SPEEDS: up to 1/8000 sec mechanical, 1/32000 electronic
Flash sync up to 1/200 sec electronic & 1/400 mechanical
STABILIZATION: Yes, sensor-based, up to
VIEWFINDER: 9.4M-dot EVF, 0.9x magnification, up to 240 FPS refresh rate, blackout-free
LCD: 3-inch, 1.44M-dot touchscreen TFT LCD
CONNECTIVITY: HDMI, (full-size) 1Gb ethernet, 10Gb USB-C/PD, USB-2 (micro), PC sync, headphone, microphone, dual-band 2.4 / 5GHz MIMO wifi
STORAGE: Dual SD (UHS-II) / CFexpress Type A slots
BATTERY: NP-FZ100, 530-shot rating, in-camera USB charging
BODY CONSTRUCTION: metal body, fully weather-sealed
SIZE: 5.07×3.81×2.74 in (128.9×96.9×69.7 mm)
WEIGHT: 1.6 lb (737 g)
PRICE: $6,498 (B& H)