Nikon Z9 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z9 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7, 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 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 was introduced in February 2015. 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 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 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" screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has a 3.0" screen with 1,040k dot resolution. Both have Tilting screens. 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.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Nikon Z9

Nikon Z9 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.80x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7.

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. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 features a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 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

Nikon Z9 is equipped with EXPEED 7 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4:3 (3232 x 2424, 2272 x 1704), 3:2 (4592 x 3064, 3232 x 2160, 1824 x 1216), 3:2 (4592 x 2584, 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080), 1:1 (3424 x 3224, 2416 x 2416, 1712 x 1712) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon Z9 has Nikon Z lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has Micro Four Thirds 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 Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

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

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Nikon Z9, 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7) 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.

NFC on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon Z9 has a Full Size HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

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

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z9 has Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD card slots. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z9 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z9, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/500 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7. Nikon Z9 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 can shoot continuously up to 5.8 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z9 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has 23 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 ±5 EV range on Nikon Z9 and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z9 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m at ISO 100. 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.

Nikon Z9 body has dimensions of 149 x 150 x 91 mm (5.87 x 5.91 x 3.58") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 body has dimensions of 107 x 65 x 33 mm (4.21 x 2.56 x 1.3"). Nikon Z9 weighs 1340 g (2.95 lb / 47.27 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 weighs 266 g (0.59 lb / 9.38 oz).

Nikon Z9

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7

149 mm

150 mm

107 mm

65 mm

150 mm

65 mm

91 mm

33 mm