Nikon Z9 vs Nikon D70

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z9 and the Nikon D70, 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.

Nikon Z9 was introduced in October 2021 and Nikon D70 was introduced in April 2004. 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 Nikon Z9 over Nikon D70.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D70 over Nikon Z9.

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

Nikon Z9 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Nikon D70 has a 1.8" Fixed screen with 130k 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 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

Nikon Z9 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution and Nikon D70 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. Nikon Z9 has 100% coverage with 0.80x magnification and Nikon D70 has 95% coverage with 0.75x (0.50x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

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 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Nikon D70 features a 6.1 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.7 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 1,600.

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

Nikon Z9 is equipped with EXPEED 7 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. Nikon D70 can take pictures up to 3008 x 2000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2240 x 1488, 1504 x 1000 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon Z9 has Nikon Z lens mount and Nikon D70 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon Z9 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-C sensor in Nikon D70 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

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

Nikon Z9 comes with EN-EL18d battery pack with battery life of 740 shots and Nikon D70 comes with EN-EL3 battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z9 has Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD card slots. Nikon D70 has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II, compliant with UDMA), MicroDrive card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z9 has Electronic shutter. Nikon D70 has Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z9, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D70. Nikon Z9 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps. Nikon D70 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z9 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points and Nikon D70 has . 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 ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z9 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D70.

Flash

Nikon D70 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 11.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Standard ISO hot-shoe contact with safety lock. Nikon Z9 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon Z9 and 1/500 sec on Nikon D70.

Nikon Z9 body has dimensions of 149 x 150 x 91 mm (5.87 x 5.91 x 3.58") and Nikon D70 body has dimensions of 140 x 111 x 78 mm (5.51 x 4.37 x 3.07"). Nikon Z9 weighs 1340 g (2.95 lb / 47.27 oz) and Nikon D70 weighs 679 g (1.50 lb / 23.95 oz).

Nikon Z9

Nikon D70

149 mm

150 mm

140 mm

111 mm

150 mm

111 mm

91 mm

78 mm