Nikon Z9
The new flagship
Nikon officially announced the development of the Z9 back in March 2021 and it was unveiled with all its specifications in the fall. Now the first cameras are about to be delivered and it is becoming clear what the new flagship sports camera from Nikon can do.
Nikon Z9 at a glance
- mirrorless full-frame camera
- new multi-layer (stacked) CMOS full-frame sensor with 45.7 megapixels
- ultra-fast EXPEED 7 processor
- ISO range from 64 to 25,600
- outstanding precision of the automatic white balance for skin tones
- 8K video recording
- captures even the smallest subjects in the frame and recognizes faces, even if they are upside down
- rapid speeds of up to 120 fps with full AF
- Shoot bursts of up to 1000 images in a row at full resolution and at 20 frames per second
- Viewfinder without blackout
- Autofocus captures head, face and eyes, for animals face and eyes as well as cars and motorcycles
Firmware update 2.0
Nikon has just released a new firmware update for its flagship model. Firmware version 2.0 brings many new features for filmmakers and photographers. In addition to the ability to record 8K 60p in N-RAW internally, it is now also possible to record a 4K oversampling of 8K in 60p.
To the firmware update
The new body
The body of the Z9 is reminiscent of a mixture of Nikon Z6/7 and D6, weighing approx. 1340g with battery and memory card. As far as connectivity is concerned, nothing is left to be desired. In addition to full-size HDMI and USB-C, a LAN port is also installed, which is particularly important for sports photographers.
Memory is stored on CFexpress type B or XQD memory cards.
High-performance, stacked CMOS full-frame sensor with 45 megapixels
The newly developed stacked CMOS sensor of the Nikon Z9 comes with a total pixel count of 52.37 million pixels, which is calculated as 45 effective megapixels. The special feature of the new sensor is the sampling rate, which reduces distortion and thus eliminates the need for a mechanical shutter.
Together with the ultra-fast EXPEED 7 processor, this enables a continuous shooting speed of 20 frames per second at 45 MP in RAW, 30 frames per second at 45 MP in JPG and up to 120 frames per second at 11 MP.
The best autofocus system on the market?
Nikon has also set a milestone when it comes to autofocus. The intelligent autofocus system of the Nikon Z9 recognizes 9 different objects in one mode. In addition to the typical face and eye recognition for people, animals and birds, it also recognizes vehicles such as cars, airplanes or even motorcycles.
The special feature here: The autofocus recognizes all objects in one mode and thus enables seamless switching between different motifs during photography/filming.
8K video
Nikon is also not letting up in the video sector and is providing the Z9 with a video resolution of up to 7680 x 4320 (8K UHD) at 30p in Apple ProRes 422 HQ (10 bit) or H.265/HEVC (8 bit/10 bit). In addition, Nikon has announced a software update that will enable 7680 x 4320 (8K UHD) at 60p in Apple ProRes 422 HQ (10 bit).
Nikon Z9 in detail with Juliander Enßle | Online Fototage 2021
We were able to take a first look at the Z9 at the beginning of November. Juliander Enßle, photographer and trainer at the Nikon School, had the chance to work with the camera and answered our questions about this exciting new product.
