Nikon Z 9: Professional Mirrorless with 45 Mpx, 20 fps, and 8K video

Nikon has finally introduced their long-awaited and previously announced first mirrorless professional camera. The Nikon Z 9 is aimed primarily at professional photographers who have the highest demands in terms of speed (AF, series pictures), performance, and robustness. Series pictures in raw and a full 45.7 Mpx are possible with 20 photos/second, while 11-Mp even at 120 fps is possible.

The Z 9 offers the shortest shutter speed thanks to its electronic shutter 1/32,000. A mechanical shutter has not been used, which should be possible thanks to the rapid readout of the image sensor without distortion (rolling shutter effects). AF offers subject recognition of people, animals, and vehicles. In addition, it is the first Nikon camera to offer video in 8K.

The Z 9 is a significant step forward for both Nikon and professional photography. The mirrorless camera is equipped with a new multi-layer 45.7 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor developed by Nikon engineers and an ultra-fast EXPEED-7 image processor. It features Nikon’s most sophisticated autofocus system and 3D tracking, powerful video functions, an exceptional electronic viewfinder display, continuous shooting of up to 20 photos per second in full 45 Mpx resolution or up to 120 photos per second (at 11 Mpx) with full autofocus and exposure metering and much more.

The Z 9 is developed for photographers and videographers who want to go beyond their limits. It is aimed at professional nature, sports, and press photographers who need an exceptional electronic viewfinder, autofocus, usability, and robustness – which even exceeds the values ​​of the D6. The Z 9 is also suitable for fashion and advertising professionals who need to use their creativity to the full with high-resolution photos and videos, as well as for videographers who want to achieve high-quality results in efficient and agile production environments.

The 493 AF point system comprises 405 automatic AF points – five times more than the Z 7II, and 10 AF point modes for the optimal AF setting for every task. The deep learning AI enables the most advanced, simultaneous recognition of up to nine different subject types. In combination with 3D tracking, a novelty in the Nikon product range of mirrorless cameras, every important moment is captured. Whether people and their identifying features, animals, or vehicles – the Z 9 recognizes the motifs and reacts immediately to changes in position, orientation and speed.

The incredible imaging performance of the Z 9 enables photographers to record exquisite 8K 24p to 60p and 4K 24p to 120p films as well as time-lapse films in-camera. 8K film material at 30p can be recorded for around 125 minutes at a time – the longest recording time among mirrorless cameras ( as of October 2021). There is also compatibility with the ProRes 422 HQ recording format (compatible with up to 4K / 60p, except for Full HD / 24p, 25p, and 30p), which reliably meets the diverse requirements of video production.

An upcoming firmware update will enable raw recording of 8K films in an even 60p. (A firmware update is required for in-camera 8K film recordings with 60p and is expected to be available in 2022) Constant AF / AE tracking and eye AF support filming, while the new N-RAW format from Nikon has manageable file sizes holds. (With N-RAW you can create files in raw quality with about half the file size of «ProRes RAW» files. Film recording in N-RAW is only possible after a firmware update – available in 2022)

Capture more than 1000 high-resolution raw images at 20 photos in a row (When using ProGrade Digital Cobalt CFexpress cards). Even recordings with up to 120 photos per second at approx. 11 Mpx in JPEG normal image quality with full AF/AE capability in the new C+ mode is possible. The world’s fastest sensor sampling rate practically puts an end to rolling shutter distortion so that a mechanical shutter was dispensed with (under the mirrorless with more than 30 Mpx, as of October 2021). Exposure times of up to 1/32,000 s in combination with the camera’s ability to capture images at ISO 64 make it possible to work with an open aperture for perfect exposure of the subject. Depth of field, even in extremely bright light.

The Nikon Z 9 is equipped with the brightest electronic viewfinder display that reaches 3000 nits. Thanks to dual-stream technology, the Z 9 offers continuous shooting at any time without black phases (viewfinder blackout), so that photographers never miss a moment. The display of the Z 9 offers a continuous real-time display, ie movements of the subject or the smallest changes in the photographed scene are continuously displayed to the photographer.

As a further novelty at Nikon, the Z 9 is equipped with a vertically and horizontally tilting 4-axis monitor, which enables photographers to adapt to the moment with fast, flexible image composition. The ergonomics of the camera, such as the arrangement of the buttons, were developed and improved together with professional photographers. The robustness of the Z 9 goes beyond that of the D6 and ensures that users can rely on their tools even under rough conditions. With the new AF mode button, the AF mode and AF area control can be switched intuitively during recording. The upper and rear LCDs and the buttons light up when the main switch is pressed to make it easier to change the settings in the dark.

Nikon Z9 price and availability

The Nikon Z9 price has been set at $5,496.95 and is now available to pre-order via the Bhphotovideo.com and Adorama.com websites. Nikon Z9 release date is December 5th, 2021.

In addition to the Z 9, Nikon has also announced three lenses and a new adapter. These are the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S as the first super-telephoto zoom lens in the Z series and the standard zoom with extended telephoto range NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S and NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, which was only presented as a preliminary or development announcement. There is also a new adapter to use the F lenses designed for SLR cameras on a Nikon Z camera.