Official Nikon Z9 Launch, Info, and Discussion Thread

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fcotterill said:
New A Chinese site reports that Nikon may improve buffer capability with a firmware update.
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I don't buy it. I suspect the buffer capability is more driven by media speed. I *suspect* what is going to happen is the firmware update is going to happen to coincide with the release of new, faster media, and they may do something like enable you to shoot raw high efficiency* in 30fps mode (which would be nice).
 
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fcotterill said:
Just Short of Magic? A Photographer’s Z 9 Story
Photographing birds soars to new heights with Nikon's flagship mirrorless camera


Just Short of Magic? A Photographer’s Z 9 Story

Nikon's Mike Corrado takes the Z 9 flagship mirrorless camera to photograph birds and returns with stunning imagery.
www.nikonusa.com www.nikonusa.com
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is it just me or does he clip a lot of the birds' wings in many of these photos? And it doesn't appear to be intentional.
 
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Hatch1921 said:
One of the reviews I recently viewed said he was setting his Z9 to HE* and leaving it there as he couldn't tell the difference between lossless compressed and HE*.
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I'm taking this with a grain of salt until someone really digs into this. I don't shoot lossless because I can "see" the differences. I shoot it because there's more image there when I process.

Ex: So from the naked eye there is nothing in a dark shadow until I push the shadows. So you could throw away all the shadow detail lower than some level and I wouldn't be able to "see" it. But, it would prevent me from pushing shadows and making the detail visible.

That said, if it turns out to be that good, then it sounds like a good thing.

Also, I don't really see the benefit unless they turn on HE* for 30fps (and I suspect they might)
 
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Random interesting tidbit in this video. He points out the D4s has the same native range as Z9. And I still hear people moan how the D5 wasn't as good as the D4s in low light.


I'm trying to keep my expectations modest, but I sure wouldn't mind a pleasant surprise on high iso performance.
 
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Darwin said:
I feel confident!!!!
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1456637260657475586
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This seems like wishful thinking to me. The total sales of the D3 over 2.5 years was under 100,000. The D800/D800E was around 400,000 over three years. This is based on serial numbers. Nikon's own financial forecast released yesterday shows just 360,000 ILC cameras for October 1 through March 31, 2022 - down from 390,000 the first half of the fiscal year. Sales of other cameras would have to fall off a cliff for there to be 140,000 Z9 cameras sold in that period.
 
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Bill G. said:
is it just me or does he clip a lot of the birds' wings in many of these photos? And it doesn't appear to be intentional.
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When you're shooting that many frame filling shots, it looks pretty good. Yes - there are wings clipped. But many people would be losing the bird completely. Black skimmers are fast. I thought focus was pretty remarkable on a subject you can barely keep in the frame.
 
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John Navitsky said:
Yep. I moved to XQD as early as possible and then moved to CFE-b as soon as possible and yet I'm still going to have to replace my slower CFE-b cards with faster CFE-b cards, lol. I guess the upside is things (generally) keep getting better.

It does tell me though to get enough fast cards for my immediate needs instead of getting extras because it sounds like even faster cards are coming out and I'll want some of those.
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You make a very good point. The question is then, "How many cards do I need?" - I've ordered three Delkin Black 128 GB CFE-b cards, which supposedly have a sustained write speed of 1710 MB/s. Two to fill the cards slots of the Z9 I've pre-ordered, and one for backup. I am now inquisitive as to how the write speeds of this card will effect my shooting with the D500 and the D850. I'm hoping it is a positive effect.

If a new card is released that is capable of 2000 MB/s, will I then need that? Only shooting with the camera will answer that question.
 
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Whiskeyman said:
You make a very good point. The question is then, "How many cards do I need?" - I've ordered three Delkin Black 128 GB CFE-b cards, which supposedly have a sustained write speed of 1710 MB/s. Two to fill the cards slots of the Z9 I've pre-ordered, and one for backup. I am now inquisitive as to how the write speeds of this card will effect my shooting with the D500 and the D850. I'm hoping it is a positive effect.

If a new card is released that is capable of 2000 MB/s, will I then need that? Only shooting with the camera will answer that question.
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Unfortunately the new Delkin Black cards, while they should work in the D500 and D850 (if the camera firmware is updated), will likely not be faster than good XQD cards. Indeed, they may be a bit slower in camera (but possibly faster to upload to a computer with the right reader) -- Thom Hogan may have noted that, if I recall. Those cameras were not designed with hardware to take advantage of the CFe speed. I'd still get CFe cards now rather than XQD, as they will be better in the future in your Z9.
 
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John Navitsky said:
Correct, CFE-b might be a tad slower in the D500 and friends, but it doesn’t really matter because you can can still shoot fast
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The Delkin Power - which is a slower card - was slightly slower in the D850 and D500. It was around 200 MB/s compared to 220 MB/s for XQD. Slower cards were much slower. The Delkin Black and other fast cards could very well be a little faster in the D500 and D850. Hopefully someone will test them.
 
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EricBowles said:
This seems like wishful thinking to me. The total sales of the D3 over 2.5 years was under 100,000. The D800/D800E was around 400,000 over three years. This is based on serial numbers. Nikon's own financial forecast released yesterday shows just 360,000 ILC cameras for October 1 through March 31, 2022 - down from 390,000 the first half of the fiscal year. Sales of other cameras would have to fall off a cliff for there to be 140,000 Z9 cameras sold in that period.
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Well, if you are right, perhaps the wait wont be long at all then if they are producing 35k a month!
 
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Darwin said:
Well, if you are right, perhaps the wait wont be long at all then if they are producing 35k a month!
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35k cameras a month? Of all models, or just the Z9? That number irons out to about 1150 cameras per day, which seems too low to be for all of their models, and too high for one that sells for $5.5k US, and for even more in other places. At least on a consistent, prolonged basis. And I doubt that Nikon plans on producing a camera on a line that only operates at capacity for a few months before it slows down or ceases production.

I talked to the owner of the store with which I placed my pre-order, and he was unable to tell me how many Z9s they would get at their store when it initially arrives, but told me that in the past, Nikon has been fairly good about getting them enough cameras to meet the stores pre-order numbers. It has been, for the most part, customers who wait to purchase a camera after their release who end up waiting for them.

However, current manufacturing and shipping issues are throwing a monkeywrench into the system and making the whole thing a crapshoot.
 
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Whiskeyman said:
Which would explain why some tests of write speed comparing XQD and CFExpress cards reported lower write-to-card performance when utilizing CFExpress cards in cameras like the D500 and D850.
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Yes - but it was a very early card, and many of the cards were slow then. I would not assume that is the case without a test for faster cards. I also expect to see a firmware improvement for Z6ii and Z7ii write speed. I won't draw any conclusions until I have firmware 2.0.
 
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PeterKelly said:
I have just had an update from my local camera store. Based on a conversation they have had with Nikon they feel ” confident ” that I will get my camera “in 2021”

I’m not counting my chickens yet……………..( but I did just order a Delkin Black 😎)
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do you know where you are in the queue and are you NPS? just curious as to what to expect.
 
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The 35,000 was a mistranslation by the writer. It's actually 3,500 a month. As for the 400,000 number, that doesn't add up. It would equate to roughy 2 billion in sales on the Z9 alone in a market that in total is valued at 12 billion.

Plus, as others have mentioned, it would put the Z9 at 10x the sales of the D3 in its first year. Not realistic. It's likely that the production is 3,500 a month and the pre-orders are 40,000.
 
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PeterKelly said:
I’m not NPS and I am either number 1 or 2 on their list.
I was pleased with the news but won’t be confident till the camera is in my hands
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Thanks for the info. I think I am around number 5 on the list, but unsure. They didn't think it would be too long to get. Hoping to get it not long after release. Hope you get one in the first batch.
 
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