What's the smallest full-frame mirrorless camera? Nikon vs Sony vs Panasonic

Hands pointing to the Nikon Zf, next to the Lumix S9 and Sony A7C II

Clearly the Nikon Zf is the biggest of the three cameras, but it's a mighty fine-looking device! (Image credit: Camera.Mellow)

It turns out size does matter, especially when you're considering three of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras that boast compact form factors. so when YouTuber Camera.Mellow lined up the Nikon Zf, Panasonic Lumix S9 and Sony A7C II alongside each other, the results were interesting, to say the least.

Spoiler alert! The Nikon Zf is the largest and heaviest of the three cameras and the Lumix S9 is the lightest and smallest. But a camera body is only as compact as the lenses you mount on it. And the results certainly surprised me!

As it turns out, the Nikon Zf and its Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 fare surprisingly well when stacked up next to the Lumix S9's Panasonic Lumix S 26mm f/8. The latter is a manual lens and has a very narrow max aperture, yet the Zf and its much faster, AF-capable Nikkor lens only protrude slightly more when it comes to depth.

Just How Big Is Nikon Zf vs. Lumix S9 vs. Sony A7C II? - YouTube

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All three cameras match up very well yet again, when Camera.Mellow chucks some larger lenses into the fold. The Nikon Zf gets the Nikon Z 40mm f/2, the Lumix S9 gets the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN | C and the Sony A7C II gets the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6.

But standard zoom lenses tell a different story. You see, the Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 is currently the smallest standard zoom available for the S9 and it's a bit of a whopper compared to the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6. And although it's not shown in the video, the Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 is smaller, too.

So, what's the result? Well, Camera.Mellow plumps for the Sony A7C II as his top pick, after all, it does present a great middle ground between size and capability. The YouTuber finds it a lot more difficult to choose between the Zf and the S9, ultimately suggesting the Nikon for photography purposes and the Lumix for video.

Personally, I'd opt for the Nikon Zf every day of the week. It’s got fantastic photography specs, decent video specs, and is bloomin' gorgeous.

Depending on your favorite compact full-frame mirrorless, you might be interested in the best Nikon lenses, the best Sony lenses or the best L-mount lenses.

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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