Nikon Z9 vs Nikon Z6 II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z9 and the Nikon Z6 II, 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 Z6 II was introduced in October 2020. 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 Z6 II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Z6 II 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 and Nikon Z6 II have 3.2" Tilting screens with 2,100k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature 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 Z6 II has a built-in 0.5" Electronic viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage and 0.80x 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 Z6 II features a 24.5 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 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.

Nikon Z6 II has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

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 Z6 II is equipped with Dual EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 6048 x 4024 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3936 x 2624 (DX crop), 4016 x 4016 (1:1), 6048 x 3400 (16:9) with 1:1, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have 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

The cameras have a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (6 stops of compensation in Nikon Z9 and 5 stops of compensation in Nikon Z6 II). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are 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

Cameras have 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

Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z6 II have 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 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) Type-C inputs for data transfer and battery charging. Nikon Z9 has a Full Size HDMI and Nikon Z6 II has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Z9 comes with EN-EL18d battery pack with battery life of 740 shots and Nikon Z6 II comes with EN-EL15c battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z9 has Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD card slots. Nikon Z6 II has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B / XQD and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II).

Shutter

Nikon Z9 has Electronic shutter. Nikon Z6 II has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z9, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon Z6 II. Nikon Z9 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps. Nikon Z6 II can shoot continuously up to 14.0 fps.

Focusing

Both cameras have Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with Nikon Z9 having 493 focusing points and from -8.5 to +20 EV detection range and with Nikon Z6 II having 273 focusing points and from -6 to +19 EV detection range. The ability to focus at as low as -8.5 EV is a feature exclusive to top-tier professional cameras. and Nikon Z9 having from -8.5 to +20 EV detection range and Nikon Z6 II having from -6 to +19 EV detection range. 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 and Nikon Z6 II range from -3 to +17 EV and -4 to +17 EV respectively 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 both models.

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 and via Hot Shoe to Nikon Z6 II. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Nikon Z9 body has dimensions of 149 x 150 x 91 mm (5.87 x 5.91 x 3.58") and Nikon Z6 II body has dimensions of 134 x 101 x 70 mm (5.28 x 3.98 x 2.76"). Nikon Z9 weighs 1340 g (2.95 lb / 47.27 oz) and Nikon Z6 II weighs 705 g (1.55 lb / 24.87 oz).

Nikon Z9

Nikon Z6 II

149 mm

150 mm

134 mm

101 mm

150 mm

101 mm

91 mm

70 mm