I see your point, but when you said same specs in the first post, that cried out FX, not DX, to me. I, too would have loved for Nikon to concurrently release, or just announce, a Z90, as you describe it, and sell a million of them. As far as owning both the Z9 and the hypothetical Z90, based upon your example of the D5 and D500, there might be some of that. But if I owned the Z9, I can't see purchasing a Z90. How I managed to own both the D500 and D850 was that I thought that I'd go with the D500 and purchased it first, planning to use it an my D750 in the field. However, I had issues with picking up and tracking my subjects with the reduced field of view of the DX format D500, but saw how much more detail was in the D500 files over the D750's. Afterwards, I purchased my D850. If I had purchased the D850 before the D500, I really doubt that I would have purchased the D500. The only reasons I haven't sold my D500 and D750 is that my children, no longer children, use them and I plan to let them have them if they want them. I even have two copies of the 70-200 mm AF-S lens; one is the E FL version and the other is the G model. One is inoperable (won't autofocus), but is going to Nikon Service for repair soon. When I get them back, it will also get passed on to my kids.I assumed it was obvious, but let me explain. That would be a theoretical D500. Zx0 is nikon's naming standard for crop sensor cameras. The D500 was like a baby D5 but at a $2,000 price point back in 2016 and focus points went to the edges vs the D5. The D5 was $6,500 at the time. Auto focus was the same system, frame rate was similar (10fps vs 12fps), build quality, etc. In my opinion, they don't have a great crop/DX camera yet. I am not impressed with the Z50 and the Zfc is a fun camera I would like to own but doesn't meet my purpose so I can't justify it.
Also, I bet the D500 has sold way more units than the D5. I saw a lot of people own both a D850 and a D500....even some that owned both a D5 and D500. I feel for those enthusiasts that can afford/justify a Z9, they would probably get a Z90 too. It would be smart for Nikon to make one in the z lineup to reach D500 crowd. I personally can not justify spending $5,500 for a camera that is not going to make my photos 250% better vs a "z90." And I am 100% sure there are way more people right now in the same boat I am. If you can afford and justify purchasing the Z9, go for it! I thank you for supporting Nikon and further funding the development of a Z90.
As far as if the Z9 will make my photos 250% better than what they are now, I see some potential for that happening. With the eye-priority autofocus and the improved frame rate, the potential to get a "wall hanger", as Steve Perry says, should go way up. One of the pros I visit informs me that his keeper rate went way up due to both the improved focus modes and increased frame rate shooting with his Canon R5. He's shooting Birds-In-Flight at least 80-90% of the time, and he gets more in-focus shots and more frames over time, allowing him to get better wing positions in more of his shots and having more of them in focus.
As far as supporting Nikon, I'm doing more than my share in the digital camera body department, but according to Nikon data, I'm a bit below average when it comes to how many lenses per camera I own.
