Compare Nikon Z9 and Leica SL3

Compare Nikon Z9 vs Leica SL3 to see which is better. Check what is the strength and weakness (pros and cons) of Nikon Z9 and Leica SL3.


Compare Nikon Z9 VS Leica SL3 to see which is better

Nikon Z9 is the first flagship full-frame camera without a mechanical shutter, and it is also the first Nikon Z series camera to support 8K video. It comes with a 45.7 MP stacked CMSO sensor, Dynamic-area AF that simultaneously detects up to 9 different subject types, ergonomic 4-axis tilting touchscreen, etc...

Nikon Z9 Key Features:

  • 45.7-megapixel Stacked CMOS sensor.
  • Dynamic-area AF can detect up to 9 different subject types simultaneously when shooting stills and videos.
  • Ergonomic 4-axis vertical/horizontal tilting touchscreen monitor.
  • High-speed shutter captures 45.7MP stills at 30fps, 19MP stills at 60fps, and 11MP stills at 120fps.
  • 10-bit 8K UHD video at 24, 25 or 30 fps.

Leica SL3 is a powerful mirrorless camera designed for professional photographers and enthusiasts. Its high-resolution 60MP image sensor, combined with the Maestro IV Image Processor and advanced hybrid autofocus system, offers exceptional image quality and performance.

Leica SL3 Key Features:

  • Full-frame BSI CMOS Sensor with Triple Resolution Technology (60MP / 36MP / 18MP)
  • Maestro IV Image Processor, 8GB Buffer
  • 5-Axis Sensor-Shift In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
  • Hybrid Autofocus System (Phase Detection AF + Contrast AF + Object Detection AF + AI)
  • 5.67M dots OLED viewfinder and tiltable
  • 3.2" display with 2.3M dots
  • Up to 8K-Video and multiple video formats, including .h265 and ProRes
  • CFexpress Type B & SD UHS-II Card Slots


Reasons To Buy Nikon Z9 Mirrorless Camera

Is Nikon Z9 is better than Leica SL3? Here are some the features of Nikon Z9 more promising and recommended compared to Leica SL3.


Indicative Price

The price displayed below is only for the reference. It may vary among different retailers and shops.

Nikon Z9
$5499 vs $6995
Leica SL3
Electronic Shutter Speed Max
Nikon Z9
1/32000s vs 1/16000 Seconds
Leica SL3
Continuous Shooting Max (Electronic Shutter)
Nikon Z9
120 fps vs 15 fps
Leica SL3
Viewfinder Magnification
Nikon Z9
Approx. 0.8x vs Approx. 0.78x
Leica SL3
Display Type
Nikon Z9
Multi-Axis Tilting vs Tilting
Leica SL3
Focus Points (Image)
Nikon Z9
493 points vs 315 Points
Leica SL3
Standard ISO Min
Nikon Z9
64 vs 100
Leica SL3
Expandable ISO Min
Nikon Z9
32 vs 50
Leica SL3
Expandable ISO Max
Nikon Z9
102400 vs 100000
Leica SL3
Battery Life (Image)
Nikon Z9
~770 shots (LCD monitor) vs ~260 shots
Leica SL3
LAN Terminal
Nikon Z9
Yes vs No
Leica SL3
PC (Flash) Sync Port
Nikon Z9
Yes vs No
Leica SL3
Image Stabilisation Compensation
Nikon Z9
6.0 stops vs 5-stops
Leica SL3
Anti-dust Shutter Curtain
Nikon Z9
Yes vs No
Leica SL3
Vehicle Tracking Autofocus
Nikon Z9
Yes vs No
Leica SL3
Stacked Sensor
Nikon Z9
Yes vs No
Leica SL3


Reasons To Buy Leica SL3 Mirrorless Camera

Is Leica SL3 is better than Nikon Z9? Here are some the features of Leica SL3 more promising and recommended compared to Nikon Z9.


Released On
Leica SL3
2024-03-07 vs 2021-12-24
Nikon Z9
Sensor Resolution (Effective Pixels)
Leica SL3
60.3 Megapixel vs 45.7 Megapixels
Nikon Z9
Image Resolution Max
Leica SL3
9520 x 6336 vs 8256 x 4644
Nikon Z9
Video Resolution Max
Leica SL3
8192 x 4320 vs 7680 x 4320
Nikon Z9
Has Mechanical Shutter
Leica SL3
Yes vs No
Nikon Z9
Shutter Speed Min
Leica SL3
3600s vs 30s
Nikon Z9
Mechanical Shutter Speed Max
Leica SL3
1/8000 Seconds vs NA
Nikon Z9
Continuous Shooting Max (Mechanical Shutter)
Leica SL3
7 fps vs NA
Nikon Z9
Viewfinder Resolution
Leica SL3
5760K dots vs 3690K dots
Nikon Z9
Screen Resolution
Leica SL3
2300K dots vs 2100k dots
Nikon Z9
Standard ISO Max
Leica SL3
100000 vs 25600
Nikon Z9
Weight
Leica SL3
769.7g Body Only vs Approx. 1340 g
Nikon Z9
Built-In Bluetooth
Leica SL3
Bluetooth 5.0 vs Yes
Nikon Z9
Video Recording Limit
Leica SL3
No Limit vs 2 hours 5 minutes
Nikon Z9


Common Strength And Weakness Of Nikon Z9 and Leica SL3


Sensor Size
Nikon Z9
Full Frame vs Full Frame
Leica SL3
Sensor Cleaning
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Video Frame Rate
Nikon Z9
8K @ 30p vs 8K @ 30p
Leica SL3
Has Global Shutter
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
Has Rolling Electronic Shutter
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Display Size
Nikon Z9
3.20 inches vs 3.20 inches
Leica SL3
Viewfinder Refresh Rate
Nikon Z9
120 fps vs 120 fps
Leica SL3
Has Touch Screen
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Built-In Wi-Fi
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
HDMI Port
Nikon Z9
Type-A HDMI Connector vs Type-A HDMI
Leica SL3
Type C USB Port
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
External Microphone
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Headphone socket
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Memory Card Slots
Nikon Z9
2 vs 2
Leica SL3
Optical Low-Pass (Anti-Alias) Filter
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
AF Joystick
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Slow Motion Video
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Autofocus Tracking
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
AF Assist Illuminator
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
In-body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
NFC
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
Built-in Flash
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
External Flash
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Face (Human) Detection Autofocus
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Animal/Bird Autofocus
Nikon Z9
Yes vs Yes
Leica SL3
Flash Sync Speed
Nikon Z9
1/200s vs 1/200s
Leica SL3
Insect Autofocus
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
Pixel Shift Multi Shoot
Nikon Z9
No vs No
Leica SL3
Image Color Dept (Bit Dept) Max.
Nikon Z9
14 bit NEF (RAW) vs DNG: 14bit
Leica SL3


Nikon Z9 vs Leica SL3 Specs


Nikon Z9
Leica SL3
General
Released On
2021-12-24
2024-03-07
Model Number
Z9
SL3
Indicative Price
$5499
$6995
Lens Mount
Z Mount
Leica L-Mount
Sensor
Sensor Type
Full-frame Stacked CMOS sensor
Full-frame BSI CMOS sensor
Sensor Size
Full Frame
Full Frame
Sensor Resolution (Effective Pixels)
45.7 Megapixels
60.3 Megapixel
Sensor Dimension
35.9 x 23.9 mm
Sensor Cleaning
Yes
Yes
Stacked Sensor
Yes
Has 45.7MP stacked CMOS image sensor
No
Images
Image Resolution Max
8256 x 4644
9520 x 6336
Image Recording Format
JPEG
RAW (NEF)
DNG (raw data)
JPG
Pixel Shift Multi Shoot
No
No
Image Processor
EXPEED 7
Maestro IV Processor
Image Color Dept (Bit Dept) Max.
14 bit NEF (RAW)
DNG: 14bit
JPG: 8bit
Videos
Video Resolution Max
7680 x 4320
8192 x 4320
Video Frame Rate
8K @ 30p
4K @ 120p
FullHD @120p
8K @ 30p
4K @ 60p
FullHD @120p
Slow Motion Video
Yes
Yes
Time Lapse Video
Yes
Video Recording Limit
2 hours 5 minutes
No Limit
However limit is dependent upon factors like memory
power
and internal camera temperature.
Video Formats
MOV (Linear PCM)
MP4 (AAC)
MP4 (h.265; h.264; AAC Audio)
MOV (h.265; h.264; ProRes; LPCM Audio)
Video Color Dept (Bit Dept) Max.
12 bit
Unknown
Shutter
Shutter Type
Electronic shutter
Mechanical Focal Plane Shutter
Electronic Rolling Shutter
Has Global Shutter
No
No
Has Rolling Electronic Shutter
Yes
Yes
Has Mechanical Shutter
No
Yes
Shutter Speed Min
30s
3600s
Mechanical Shutter: 3600 Seconds (60 Minutes)
Electronic Shutter: 60 Seconds
Electronic Shutter Speed Max
1/32000s
1/16000 Seconds
Mechanical Shutter Speed Max
NA
1/8000 Seconds
Continuous Shooting Max (Mechanical Shutter)
NA
7 fps
Continuous Shooting Max (Electronic Shutter)
120 fps
15 fps
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
Electronic Viewfinder
Electronic Viewfinder
Viewfinder Resolution
3690K dots
5760K dots
Viewfinder Magnification
Approx. 0.8x
Approx. 0.78x
Viewfinder Refresh Rate
120 fps
120 fps
Display
Display Type
Multi-Axis Tilting
Tilting
Display Size
3.20 inches
3.20 inches
Screen Resolution
2100k dots
2300K dots
Has Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Focus Features
Focus Points (Image)
493 points
315 Points
Focus Points (Video)
Autofocus Tracking
Yes
Yes
AF Assist Illuminator
Yes
Yes
With Built-in LED
In-body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
Yes
5-axis in-body Vibration Reduction (VR)
Yes
5-axis image stabilization
Image Stabilisation Compensation
6.0 stops
5-stops
Face (Human) Detection Autofocus
Yes
Yes
Animal/Bird Autofocus
Yes
Yes
Only Animal Detection
Insect Autofocus
No
No
Vehicle Tracking Autofocus
Yes
No
Exposure
Standard ISO Min
64
100
Standard ISO Max
25600
100000
Expandable ISO Min
32
50
Expandable ISO Max
102400
100000
Design
Weight
Approx. 1340 g
769.7g Body Only
~853g With Battery
Dimensions
Height: 149.5mm
Width: 149mm
Depth: 90.5mm
Height: 108mm
Width: 141.2mm
Depth: 84.6mm
Memory Card Slots
2
2
Storage Type
CFexpress (Type B)
XQD
Slot 1: CFexpress Type B
Slot 2: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Optical Low-Pass (Anti-Alias) Filter
No
No
AF Joystick
Yes
Yes
Anti-dust Shutter Curtain
Yes
No
Power
Battery Type
EN-EL18d Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Leica BP-SCL6 Lithium-ion battery
Battery Life (Image)
~770 shots (LCD monitor)
~740 shots (Viewfinder)
~260 shots
Battery Life (Video)
~170min (LCD monitor and Viewfinder)
Connectivity
Built-In Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
IEEE802.11b/g/n
Built-In Bluetooth
Yes
Bluetooth 5.0
HDMI Port
Type-A HDMI Connector
Type-A HDMI
Type C USB Port
Yes
Yes
Micro USB Port
No
No
External Microphone
Yes
3.5 mm Stereo mini jack
Yes
3.5 mm stereo jack
Headphone socket
Yes
3.5 mm Stereo mini jack
Yes
3.5 mm stereo jack
LAN Terminal
Yes
No
PC (Flash) Sync Port
Yes
No
NFC
No
No
Flash
Built-in Flash
No
No
External Flash
Yes
Yes
Flash Sync Speed
1/200s
1/200s
DXOMARK Sensor Scores
DXOMARK Overall Sensor Score
98
DXOMARK Color Depth (Portrait)
26.3
DXOMARK Dynamic Range (Landscape)
14.4
DXOMARK Low-Light ISO (Sports)
2451