It’s been educational to have the Nikon Z 9 and the Canon EOS R3 side by side as we’ve been testing them for this issue. Once again, the philosophical differences between the two long-term rivals when it comes to the design of pro-level cameras have been plain to see. Why not do a direct head-to-head comparison? It’s no long really relevant as it’s really hard to see either attracting converts from the other camp anymore. If you haven’t already jumped ship to Sony, Fujifilm or maybe Olympus, you’re not going to desert either Canon or Nikon now that both have got up to speed with their full-frame mirrorless systems. There are definite differences in their design approaches, but they’re simply not enough to have you switch allegiances. Besides, you’ll be a Canon user because you like how it does things and, likewise, with Nikon devotees.
No, these cameras are primarily designed to do one thing and that’s to convert each brands’ high-end DSLR users to mirrorless and, in the process, counter the threat in this sector that is mostly Sony Alpha. Here, Nikon has most obviously again erred on the side of caution with the Z 9’s design while Canon has been a bit more adventurous with the R3. It’s a key difference that has been evident right from when Canon launched the F-1 to challenge Nikon’s F2 (the original F having had over 10 years of clear air). Canon also bit the bullet with a mount change in 1987 for its new EOS system so it could fully exploit the potential of autofocusing and, at the same time, opted for a much more modern design for the EOS-1 (introduced in 1989). Nikon stuck with many traditional elements for a long time – including the original F mount – and the same is true with the Z-mount cameras. But while the pro-level offering may look fairly familiar on the outside – if you’re a Nikon DSLR user – it’s a different story on the inside with Nikon appearing to have swallowed a good dosage of brave pills. There is significant thinking outside the square in terms of both the Z 9’s stills and video capabilities.
At the top of the list is the elimination of the traditional mechanical shutter, which is really something you’d have expected from Sony. Purists, take a deep breath… but, like the reflex mirror, the focal plane shutter is now really a mechanical hindrance. It’s noisy, creates vibrations and can’t work accurately at ultra-fast shutter speeds. The development of the stacked sensor architecture that enables extremely fast read-outs has prompted Nikon to go all the way, since the Z 9’s all-new BSI CMOS imager deals with the key issues of rolling distortion and very low fl ash sync speeds. It also allows for a blackout free viewfinder during high-speed shooting. Minus any moving parts, it isn’t subject to any physical wear and, of course, it’s completely silent – a simulated shutter noise is available if you want it – and there’s nothing to generate vibrations. All this is obviously very appealing if you’re a sports or wildlife photographer often using very long lenses… as is the top shutter speed of 1/32,000 second and, while we’re at it, continuous shooting at 30fps for a burst of over 1000 JPEGs with full AF/AE adjustment. This is at the sensor’s effective resolution of 45.7MP, but the JPEG quality is set to Normal with image size priority (rather than image quality priority). However, if you don’t need such big images then, at 11MP, you can shoot at 120fps, which is essentially slow-mo 4K video… again with full AF/AE adjustment. By the way, while this sensor’s effective resolution is the same as that of the Z 7II’s, the total count is actually quite a lot higher – 52.4 megapixels versus 46.9 – and we’re not really sure what the extra 5.5 million pixels are doing.
PRACTICAL PERFORMANCE
While Canon has all but confirmed a higher-res EOS R1 model is coming down the track, as far as Nikon is concerned, the Z 9 is the Z-mount mirrorless flagship, full stop… so it delivers both high res and high speed. The 120fps mode pragmatically recognises that sports photographers often don’t require big fi
