Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon Z9

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5D and the Nikon Z9, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5D was introduced in November 2005 and Nikon Z9 was introduced in October 2021. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D over Nikon Z9.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Z9 over Canon EOS 5D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5D has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution and Nikon Z9 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,100k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon Z9 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon Z9 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Nikon Z9) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 5D has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderNikon Z9 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution. Canon EOS 5D has 96% coverage with 0.71x magnification and Nikon Z9 has 100% coverage with 0.80x magnification.

Canon EOS 5D features a 13.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200. Nikon Z9 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame Stacked CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode.

Nikon Z9 has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5D is equipped with DIGIC II processor and can take pictures up to 4368 x 2912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3168 x 2112, 2496 x 1664 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon Z9 is equipped with EXPEED 7 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5D has Canon EF lens mount and Nikon Z9 has Nikon Z lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon Z9

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z9. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Nikon Z9

Nikon Z9 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 6 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Nikon Z9

Nikon Z9 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Z9

Nikon Z9 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Nikon Z9

Nikon Z9 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5D comes with BP-511A battery pack with battery life of 800 shots and Nikon Z9 comes with EN-EL18d battery pack with battery life of 740 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II) card slot. Nikon Z9 has Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD card slots.

Shutter

Nikon Z9 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D, and up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z9. Canon EOS 5D can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Nikon Z9 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5D has 9 focusing points and Nikon Z9 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points. Nikon Z9 has detection range from -8.5 to +20 EV. The ability to focus at as low as -8.5 EV is a feature exclusive to top-tier professional cameras.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon Z9 ranges from -3 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±2 EV range on Canon EOS 5D and ±5 EV range on Nikon Z9. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z9.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Nikon Z9. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS 5D body has dimensions of 152 x 113 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.45 x 2.95") and Nikon Z9 body has dimensions of 149 x 150 x 91 mm (5.87 x 5.91 x 3.58"). Canon EOS 5D weighs 895 g (1.97 lb / 31.57 oz) and Nikon Z9 weighs 1340 g (2.95 lb / 47.27 oz).

Canon EOS 5D

Nikon Z9

152 mm

113 mm

149 mm

150 mm

113 mm

150 mm

75 mm

91 mm