Nikon z9 just froze, what is with that?

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lancej

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Hi,
Anyone know why this may have happened.
Brand new z9, latest firmware, battery fully charged, fast Belkin black 325 gb card with tons of room on it, shooting horse images at 20 frames per second; then the camera mid session just stopped firing and would not turn off. Quick internet search back in hotel room , suggested to remove the battery and put it back in and this seemed to work.
My question why did this happen as this really was an issue? Having your kit in a workshop freeze up in the middle of a session is a hassle. Now I don’t trust it not to do it again , anyone else have this Z9 issue or know why it might have happened?
Never happened with my d 850 .
 
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JamesFarrell said:
Just curious: When you first started to use the Delkin (I assume that's the card you meant) did you format the card in the camera? While I am no expert, it seems the best practice for a new CFexpress B card is to do a full format IN THE Z9, when you use the card for the first time. A lot of these issues seem to be related to card issues. Assuming you rescused whatever images you recorded to a computer, I'd try a full format with the card in the Z9 and see if that solves the issue.
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James hi, good question , yes I did a full format with a brand new delikin black card that was never used before. Shot about 700 new images on it since this last post and the Z 9 worked fine , but in back of my mind is what if it just freezes up again ?
 
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lancej said:
Thank you, yes I believe at one point there was an E error message showing meaning ?
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Also just curious, what lens were you using? Could there have been a bad connection with the lens (ie. dirty contacts)? This has been a sporadic finding with the Z9, and if it happens again, you might consider returning the camera if you can. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on what causes this to happen but it does appear to be more frequent with some Z9s than others.
 
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lancej said:
Thank you, yes I believe at one point there was an E error message showing meaning ?
Click to expand...
I got my Z9 in Dec'21 have had 2 issues so far
1. There was a shutter error message that was a serious one and i had to send my camera back to Nikon and they replaced the faulty sensor shield - after the replacement it has been perfect.
2. I use prograde cobalt cards and when I was trying to format the card in slot 1 the camera just kept flashing the green led and that thing didn't turn off at all. I had to switch off the camera and every time I tried to format that card i faced the same problem. It was a CF Express card failure and i received a replacement card.
 
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thelordofthelight said:
Did it display any error message?
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Thank you, I believe at one point there was an E error message showing meaning ?
ricardo00 said:
Also just curious, what lens were you using? Could there have been a bad connection with the lens (ie. dirty contacts)? This has been a sporadic finding with the Z9, and if it happens again, you might consider returning the camera if you can. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on what causes this to happen.t
Click to expand...
Hi, a brand new Nikon S 400 f4.5 lens. Ironically this was very first time I used this lens for any length of time beyond a few test shots when purchased . When I went back later and used my old dslr 70-200 mm 2.8 with z Adapter everything was fine.
Vicintheshed said:
An ‘E’ error on the top lcd denotes no card detected. Could it have an overheating card?
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thank you, I have no idea but these Bellki. black were highly rated for Z9 . Shot 1,000 images today on it and it worked fine , but again with 70-200 mm lens .I wonder as another person suggested if it was 400 lens and contacts causing it. I will experiment with The lens annd Z9 again when I get back home.
 
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thelordofthelight said:
I got my Z9 in Dec'21 have had 2 issues so far
1. There was a shutter error message that was a serious one and i had to send my camera back to Nikon and they replaced the faulty sensor shield - after the replacement it has been perfect.
2. I use prograde cobalt cards and when I was trying to format the card in slot 1 the camera just kept flashing the green led and that thing didn't turn off at all. I had to switch off the camera and every time I tried to format that card i faced the same problem. It was a CF Express card failure and i received a replacement card.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your thoughts here. All this new technology is sure not as flawless as we are led to believe.
 
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I think most of us have had one camera or another experience a lockup and need battery removed and reinserted. Typically it’s a rare event but if it happens frequently there’s likely a problem. I don’t think this is something unique to the Z9.
 
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Steve W said:
I think most of us have had one camera or another experience a lockup and need battery removed and reinserted. Typically it’s a rare event but if it happens frequently there’s likely a problem. I don’t think this is something unique to the Z9.
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Thank you Steve, and and at prices they charge hopefully as rare as you suggest. Cheers
 
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Mine has locked up a few times for sure. The last time a battery pull didn't fix it but since I still had access to the menus I was able to save my settings to the memory card, reset the camera, and then load the settings back. That did it but I ended up sending it in for repair once I got back from that trip. Still in progress....
 
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I have had one issue with my Z9, it appeared to lockup but I could power it off and back on and it has been fine ever since. I am at about 180,000 image now. My issues is here
My concern is that settings data becomes corrupt after being retained through a number of firmware updates. I have been in the habit of resetting the firmware to factory settings, updating the firmware and then just putting my settings back in manually. I does take a little time but it walks me through settings again and gives me a chance to cleanup some settings as well. I always worry about the data conversion from one firmware to the next being handled correctly.
 
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Steve said:
Mine has locked up a few times for sure. The last time a battery pull didn't fix it but since I still had access to the menus I was able to save my settings to the memory card, reset the camera, and then load the settings back. That did it but I ended up sending it in for repair once I got back from that trip. Still in progress....
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Thank you great suggestion if this happens again like yours did.
 
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MartyD said:
I have had one issue with my Z9, it appeared to lockup but I could power it off and back on and it has been fine ever since. I am at about 180,000 image now. My issues is here
My concern is that settings data becomes corrupt after being retained through a number of firmware updates. I have been in the habit of resetting the firmware to factory settings, updating the firmware and then just putting my settings back in manually. I does take a little time but it walks me through settings again and gives me a chance to cleanup some settings as well. I always worry about the data conversion from one firmware to the next being handled correctly.
Click to expand...
Thank you a little more work but as you suggest maybe the way to go here.
 
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I repeadedly have faced issues with Z9 with 500 PF . It would suddenl show err message & show Aperture as 0 instead of 5.6
This happens invariably in the middle of a shooting session
When I sent it to Nikon service centre they could not replicate it & retuned it
After that too I am facing the issues
To resolve the issue I tried it with a rented 400 F 4.5 & did not face any issue
The end result is I had to buy a new 400 F 4.5 so that the issue does not come up again
Keeping my fingers crossed that the issue does not crop up again
 
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Venkatesh VT said:
I repeadedly have faced issues with Z9 with 500 PF . It would suddenl show err message & show Aperture as 0 instead of 5.6
This happens invariably in the middle of a shooting session
When I sent it to Nikon service centre they could not replicate it & retuned it
After that too I am facing the issues
To resolve the issue I tried it with a rented 400 F 4.5 & did not face any issue
The end result is I had to buy a new 400 F 4.5 so that the issue does not come up again
Keeping my fingers crossed that the issue does not crop up again
Click to expand...
None of the camera companies or electronics companies are ready to believe in what their customers say. Maybe they're worried about some potential class action suit if they acknowledge an issue? The first reaction is always a denial. Now if you still insist they just accept the product and send it back with a standard BS "everything works as it should".

I have had terrible experiences with both Nikon and Sony (haven't owned any other brand). When I faced the shutter error due to sensor shield, the first thing I did is to pull my phone out and take a pic. Every time it recurred, I just recorded a video using my phone. When I went to the service centre, as usual they just truned on the camera and said it works. I then showed them the photo and several videos and they immediately accepted the unit for repair. The front desk asked me to share the videos and they forwarded it to the service manager. I received a call from the service manager the very next day and he said he already escalated the issue to Nikon Japan. He then requested me not to share the videos on social media etc. 😂
Eventually my faulty sensor shield was replaced with a new one and the faulty one was sent to Nikon Japan for further investigation, at least that's what the service manager claimed. But then, my camera works fine since this incident.

Long story short - if you sense any trouble with the gear, just grab that phone and capture a video/photo. Ultimately, all that matters is evidence.
 
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thelordofthelight said:
None of the camera companies or electronics companies are ready to believe in what their customers say. Maybe they're worried about some potential class action suit
Long story short - if you sense any trouble with the gear, just grab that phone and capture a video/photo. Ultimately, all that matters is evidence.
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I have started noting the defects
Here is a screenshot of moisture seeping in Z9 display Nikon claimed that it is weather sealed ( it happened after some rain)
I had Sony 1 exposed at the same time & nothing happened to it( it’s another story that Sonys battery cover is very fragile & broke recently)
I hav yet to take it to Nikon service centre
8BC1B035-8608-4204-89EC-CD540B14FC79.jpeg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

The moistur did go away after some time . How the it failed the weather sealing test
 
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Venkatesh VT said:
I have started noting the defects
Here is a screenshot of moisture seeping in Z9 display Nikon claimed that it is weather sealed ( it happened after some rain)
I had Sony 1 exposed at the same time & nothing happened to it( it’s another story that Sonys battery cover is very fragile & broke recently)
I hav yet to take it to Nikon service centre

The moistur did go away after some time . How the it failed the weather sealing test
Click to expand...
Weather sealed doesn't mean that it is also gas sealed. Moisture can penetrate in the form of vapor and then condense inside. It happened to me, too.
When you shoot in very humid condistions (I mean air humidity) it can happen.
Venkatesh VT said:
I repeadedly have faced issues with Z9 with 500 PF . It would suddenl show err message & show Aperture as 0 instead of 5.6
This happens invariably in the middle of a shooting session
When I sent it to Nikon service centre they could not replicate it & retuned it
After that too I am facing the issues
To resolve the issue I tried it with a rented 400 F 4.5 & did not face any issue
The end result is I had to buy a new 400 F 4.5 so that the issue does not come up again
Keeping my fingers crossed that the issue does not crop up again
Click to expand...
Have you tried to replace the FTZ before and check all the contacts, even on the 500PF?
 
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Krümelkraft said:
Weather sealed doesn't mean that it is also gas sealed. Moisture can penetrate in the form of vapor and then condense inside. It happened to me, too.
When you shoot in very humid condistions (I mean air humidity) can happen.

Have you tried to replace the FTZ before and check all the contacts, even on the 500PF?
Click to expand...
It did not happen with A1 & that’s what matters in the field . More over when the moisture entered nothing could be read on the display till it cleared
I regularly cleaned my contacts & still it used to happen
 
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Venkatesh VT said:
I have started noting the defects
Here is a screenshot of moisture seeping in Z9 display Nikon claimed that it is weather sealed ( it happened after some rain)
I had Sony 1 exposed at the same time & nothing happened to it( it’s another story that Sonys battery cover is very fragile & broke recently)
I hav yet to take it to Nikon service centre
View attachment 60710
The moistur did go away after some time . How the it failed the weather sealing test
Click to expand...

Looks as if you have a cover around your Z9 camera. My suggestion - That may allow liquid to flow onto and pool upon the screen.
 
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Venkatesh VT said:
I have started noting the defects
Here is a screenshot of moisture seeping in Z9 display Nikon claimed that it is weather sealed ( it happened after some rain)
I had Sony 1 exposed at the same time & nothing happened to it( it’s another story that Sonys battery cover is very fragile & broke recently)
I hav yet to take it to Nikon service centre

The moistur did go away after some time . How the it failed the weather sealing test
Click to expand...
For what ever its worth, I've seen condensation like this on the top LCD of a D500, but in my case it came from changing batteries in a moist & humid environment. I'm guessing there was a drop or two of water on the battery I inserted into the camera. It dried out fine in a dehumidifier over night and I was good to go the next day. I guess I won't make that mistake again.
 
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