Z9…A Need To Vent

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DougC

DougC

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I have been a Nikon user since 1969. FTN’s, Nikkormat, 8008S, N90S, 13 DSLR’s as well as countless lenses and accessories. I have only had 2 repairs on my equipment in all those years. I have never considered any other brand until today. If I could sell all my equipment and get enough to jump ship, I would do it without looking back. Just read another post on social media about another NPS member getting a second Z9 body from Nikon. This is simply bulls**t IMHO. I am not a whiner or crybaby by nature but after waiting in line for months my patience has worn very thin.
Thanks for listening.
 
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John Navitsky said:
so, i know it sucks, but i suspect the number of those "line jumping" second units is probably pretty small.
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I'm not so sure. I have some pre-orders out for it from announcement day (although I have since changed my mind and am sticking with the A1) but one of the shops I have an order in with is very communicative.

Their narrative has changed quite a bit since the beginning when pre-orders became available. A couple of months ago, I inquired as to the status of my place and was told I was near the top of the line and it wouldn't be much longer. Over the next couple of months, I've seen the communication to those with pre-orders in with this particular shop become less and less optimistic about early pre-orders getting theirs sooner and now it seems that it will be later.

The general consensus seems to be that NPS orders are still being pushed to the front of the line - and once the Z9 became seen as a success by many, more and more NPS members began to place orders and that pushed the non-NPS back and continues to do so. I've also seen quite a few people opt to apply and join NPS simply for the benefit of going to the front of the line. I know Nikon's criteria for NPS is higher than Canon's or Sony's (at least in my personal experience), but nonetheless, it is happening.
 
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DougC said:
I have been a Nikon user since 1969. FTN’s, Nikkormat, 8008S, N90S, 13 DSLR’s as well as countless lenses and accessories. I have only had 2 repairs on my equipment in all those years. I have never considered any other brand until today. If I could sell all my equipment and get enough to jump ship, I would do it without looking back. Just read another post on social media about another NPS member getting a second Z9 body from Nikon. This is simply bulls**t IMHO. I am not a whiner or crybaby by nature but after waiting in line for months my patience has worn very thin.
Thanks for listening.
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Is your order with a local shop or one of the large retailers? I suspect I'd still be waiting for Adorama or B/H. But our tiny little shop here in Anchorage came through with the second shipment from Nikon. Not an NPS order.
 
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John Navitsky said:
yah, it's unfortunate we don't have a lot of transparency here. when did you order and was it through a local brick and mortar, nikon direct, or a big place like b&h?
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I ordered the day of the announcement from both places but later in the day. I knew going in I'd have to wait as a result but am primarily going off the initial communication from the retailers themselves stating my place in line and how long they expected it to take based on incoming allotments. Large regional retailers with a decent online presence - not as big as BH, but not small by any means. I'd prefer to leave their names out of it because other than this, they've been good to me and I don't think this is really their fault as from my understanding they are being told how to handle it by Nikon.

There was also an e-mail they sent out to all pre-orders stating that the NPS orders had been completely fulfilled and that non-NPS would start getting theirs - only to later state that new NPS orders had come in and were being fulfilled which suggested to me that NPS was still being pushed to the front of the line and the cause in stagnation with my place in line.

It's not a big deal for me even though it seems like it. I knew going into that it would take a while and was trying other systems in the interim. I have only opted not to cancel my pre-order to see how long it actually takes to get called for one. I plan on cancelling and allowing the next person in line to get it instead. I'm not a big fan of buying and selling for a markup, so not going that route.
 
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I recently read a post elsewhere that a fellow went to BestBuy site, and searched Z9 about every hour or two. after a couple days it popped up available and he snapped it up. (he was challenged but kept insisting it is fact)

I'm on list there and am an elite member, but I'm still waiting. For me, I am not concerned and I may pass if it finally comes avail.
 
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Yeah, I've seen them come up on Best Buy a couple of times. Just bookmark the actual product's page and throw it on your browsers hotbar. I just clicked it every now and then and saw it pop up a couple of times. Opted not to get it but it's definitely showing up and honestly if you aren't having luck with your pre-order, you probably have a better chance of getting it this way (watching BBY) and just cancelling your pre-order once you do.
 
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I've been on a Z9 list since the day it was announced, but every day that goes by and I don't have it is one day closer to me deciding to cancel the order. It's not that I'm getting impatient, but that I'm unable to get out to shoot as much as I want, and with prices on everything going up as they are, I'm going to be less likely to be able to travel for photography in the future. In that case, I just can't justify the expendature for the Z9. The lack of communication from my dealer isn't helping, either, although the lack of communications from them is likely an off-shoot of the lack of communication from Nikon.
 
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Whiskeyman said:
I've been on a Z9 list since the day it was announced, but every day that goes by and I don't have it is one day closer to me deciding to cancel the order. It's not that I'm getting impatient, but that I'm unable to get out to shoot as much as I want, and with prices on everything going up as they are, I'm going to be less likely to be able to travel for photography in the future. In that case, I just can't justify the expendature for the Z9. The lack of communication from my dealer isn't helping, either, although the lack of communications from them is likely an off-shoot of the lack of communication from Nikon.
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I haven’t heard from them in my order yet either. Unless the rising cost of things is going to be a hindrance, I wouldn’t cancel as there is a good chance you’ll have to pay more later. There were other price increases already from Canon.
 
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I had a boss whose favorite saying was "it is what it is". I pre-ordered a Z9 on the day it was announced through a local brick and mortar store, which is a major Nikon distributor in the area. I avoided the well known online photography stores because I knew their waiting lists would be huge. I am not an NPS member. I had no idea how long it would be, but I knew it was going to take a while and I needed to be patient because I didn't want to sell my 4 Nikon bodies and glass worth a lot more than those bodies and move to either Canon or Sony. While waiting, I kept taking great photos with my D850 / D500 combination. 15 1/2 weeks after I placed the order, my brand new, beautiful, magnificent Z9 came in. Anyone who deals with Nikon knows they are ALWAYS late shipping new product and never make enough to meet demand. It is what it is.
 
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The NPS individual did not get it through the NPS program unless they are a Nikon Ambassador. In the past I could buy two new pro cameras but with the Z9 camera I was limited to a single one. It worked much the same when I was a CPS member with allocations of new cameras.

I have found it takes 6 months to have a ready supply of any new camera where I could buy one immediately. With the Z9 I recommend working with a smaller camera dealer who will have a smaller allocation than a B&H but also not have hundreds of backorders in place.
 
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DougC said:
I have been a Nikon user since 1969. FTN’s, Nikkormat, 8008S, N90S, 13 DSLR’s as well as countless lenses and accessories. I have only had 2 repairs on my equipment in all those years. I have never considered any other brand until today. If I could sell all my equipment and get enough to jump ship, I would do it without looking back. Just read another post on social media about another NPS member getting a second Z9 body from Nikon. This is simply bulls**t IMHO. I am not a whiner or crybaby by nature but after waiting in line for months my patience has worn very thin.
Thanks for listening.
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I completely agree that it's extremely frustrating. I preordered on the day of release and have yet to receive my Z9. My most recent info from B&H is that it may be another month (at least). I'm sticking with B&H because of the tax savings. If that is not a consideration for you, there seem to be a good many non-NPS people who have secured a Z9 by keeping tabs on Best Buy (stock appears randomly and briefly), or ordering through Nikon USA, or through a regional or local dealer.

My thought on Nikon's policy of favoring even very recent NPS orders is that's it's a pure business decision. If pros are becoming more interested in the Z9, then they sooner or later will become more interested in Z lenses, etc. Pros have to be a larger and more consistent source of revenue from flagship products than we amateurs.
 
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Barbara said:
I completely agree that it's extremely frustrating. I preordered on the day of release and have yet to receive my Z9. My most recent info from B&H is that it may be another month (at least). I'm sticking with B&H because of the tax savings. If that is not a consideration for you, there seem to be a good many non-NPS people who have secured a Z9 by keeping tabs on Best Buy (stock appears randomly and briefly), or ordering through Nikon USA, or through a regional or local dealer.

My thought on Nikon's policy of favoring even very recent NPS orders is that's it's a pure business decision. If pros are becoming more interested in the Z9, then they sooner or later will become more interested in Z lenses, etc. Pros have to be a larger and more consistent source of revenue from flagship products than we amateurs.
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Nikon is counting on their products in the hands of professionals to inspire new Nikon customers/users.

As far as me cancelling my Z9 order, I'd not do it and order it later at a higher price; I'd more than likely wait until a Z9 inspired enthusiast's camera was released, and get that one if I wanted to finally go mirrorless.
 
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Hut2 said:
What are the sales numbers?
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[edited to minimize strife]

the answer of course is we don't know.

i _suspect_ sales for z9s right now are higher than sales of the a1 _right now_, but that's partially because the a1 has been out a while and there is a pent up demand for a viable nikon mirrorless pro sport body.

but that doesn't really tell us much about how all this will turn out long term.

i do think it's reasonable to say that the z9 will probably sell very well in the long run and that won't be a knock on the a1, it's simply all the nikon peeps who wanted to upgrade to a mirrorless pro sport body now can.

but even if the z9 outsells the a1 in the long run as well, that doesn't mean anything either. at this point we can see that sony, nikon and canon will all have viable options and a following.
 
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John Navitsky said:
that's weird logic. something is either worth buying or not. if it wasn't, people wouldn't be buying it.
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Not really. There's a lot of people who love Nikon and held out long enough to finally see something tangible in Nikon's future. Sadly, it cost $5500 to get what the competition has had for years and at lower price points, so yeah, it's understandable that the demand would be higher for the Z9 because in the realm of Nikon, for Nikon users/loyalist, it's the only game in town that manages to bring anything notable to the table.

Meanwhile, Sony has had stacked sensor and top tier AF since 2017. Canon since 2020 (AF wise).

Sony's customer base has more options and is diversified across multiple camera bodies such as the A7SIII or the A7RIV or the A9/II. Nikon doesn't have equivalent competitions in those realms, not realistically. You could argue for the Z7II and the A7RIV. If Sony didn't have those cameras then suddenly released the A1, the demand for it would have been insane as well.

Watch how many Z9s hit the used market when a Z8 or w/e shows it face with a lower price point and comparable AF. The Z9 sales are high because if you want to be in the Nikon ecosystem and have AF that isn't several years behind the competition, it's what you have to buy. Nikon isn't dumb. If they had released an economically competitive equivalent of an R5 before they released the Z9, the Z9 sales would NEVER had reached the numbers they did.
 
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Subutai said:
Meanwhile, Sony has had stacked sensor and top tier AF since 2017. Canon since 2020 (AF wise).
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so? canon and nikon have been far behind sony, but now all three have competitive products. keep in mind it’s harder to catch up from so far behind.

Their customer base's demand has more options and is diversified across multiple camera bodies such as the A7SIII or the A7RIV or the A9/II. Nikon doesn't have competition in those realms, not realistically. If Sony didn't have those cameras then suddenly released the A1, the demand for it would have been insane as well.
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at the moment. we can reasonably predict the next gen cameras will bring competitive performance to the rest of the line.

Watch how many Z9s hit the used market when a Z8 or w/e shows it face with a lower price point and comparable AF. The Z9 sales are high because if you want to be in the Nikon ecosystem and have AF that isn't several years behind the competition, it's what you have to buy. Nikon isn't dumb. If they had released an economically competitive equivalent of an R5 before they released the Z9, the Z9 sales would NEVER had reached the numbers they did.
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so you’re arguing a1 sales are low because the a9, a9ii, etc?! 😄

seriously, if canon could have built the r3 in the r5/r6 timeframe, they would have. everyone is building what they can, when they can. sony has had a long head start, the others are here now.

the thing is, it’s very hard to build something you don’t know how to build. but once you do, the next one is both easier and better.

why can’t we just be happy at our fortune to have so many options of incredible performance for our choosing?
 
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