Nikon Z9
The new flagship
Nikon officially announced the development of the Z9 back in March 2021, and it was then unveiled with all specifications in the fall. Now the first cameras are about to be delivered and it becomes clear what the new flagship sports camera from Nikon can do.
Nikon Z9 at a glance
- mirrorless full frame camera
- new stacked CMOS full-frame sensor with 45.7 megapixels
- ultra-fast EXPEED 7 processor
- ISO range from 64 to 25,600
- excellent precision of automatic white balance for skin tones
- 8K video recording
- captures even the smallest subjects in the frame and recognizes faces; even when they are upside down
- blazing fast speeds of up to 120 fps with full AF
- Shoot bursts of up to 1000 frames in a row at full resolution and 20fps
- 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 their 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 4K oversampling of 8K in 60p, among other new features.
To theFirmware Update
The new body
The body of the Z9 is reminiscent of a mixture of the Nikon Z6/7 and D6, weighing about 1340g with battery and memory card. As far as connectivity is concerned, no wishes are left unfulfilled. In addition to full-size HDMI and USB-C, there is also a LAN port, which is especially important for sports photographers.
Storage is 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 calculates to 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 results in 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 and even motorcycles.
The special thing about this is that the autofocus recognizes all objects in one mode and thus enables seamless switching between different subjects while photographing/filming.
8K video
Nikon doesn't skimp on video either, providing the Z9 with video resolution up to 7680 x 4320 (8K UHD) at 30p in Apple ProRes 422 HQ (10 bit) or H.265/HEVC (8 bit/10 bit). Additionally, 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
Already at the beginning of November we were allowed to take a first look at the Z9. Juliander Enßle, photographer and trainer of the Nikon School, was already allowed to work with the camera and answered our questions about the exciting novelty.