Few thoughts in no particular order on the Nikon Z 9 which I’ve been using since just before Christmas last year. I had previously been using the Nikon D6/5 but sold them both and switched to a fully mirrorless setup: the Nikon Z 7 and the Z 9.
The Z 9 feels and handles like any other professional Nikon camera I’ve used. The menus are a bit more polished but 10 mins after picking it up from Camera Centre UK in Cardiff I was out and shooting with it. It’s very familiar to anyone who has used a Nikon camera before. In terms of its size the camera is less chunky than the D6 - presumably due to the lack of shutter. I’m glad it takes the existing D5/6 batteries too.
Z 9 seems to combine the best of Z 7 and D6 cameras together - silent shutter, gps fast/accurate focus tracking, very responsive and good editing and networking capabilities.
The main difference I’ve noticed is the autofocus system which is incredible. The tracking functions are excellent and mean I can get pictures that would be much more difficult with the Z 7. I’m getting a lot more pictures in focus and attempting a lot more pictures I wouldn’t have otherwise tried.
Being able to shoot 20fps with a blackout free viewfinder is also a big plus over the Z 7 - it can be very easy to forget that you are taking pictures at all if the camera is set to be completely silent.
The battery seems about twice as good as the Z 7 and half as good as the D6. I use the wireless networking functions fairly heavily which no doubt runs the battery down considerably. Being able to charge via a USB C cable is very useful. When travelling it means a camera, laptop and phone can all be charged from one plug and two cables.
The protective shutter that covers the sensor when a lens is removed is an absolute godsend. I was surprised it was off by default in the menu system. I had to clean the Z 7 sensor monthly if not fortnightly.
One of my least favourite things with the Z 7 was the momentary delay in the viewfinder turning on after being raised to the eye - no doubt it was milliseconds but felt like an age at times, particularly when something was happening in front of you! The Z 9 is considerably faster.
20fps is very useful - even if it’s just in a press conference where you want to capture a brief moment where someone is gesturing or pointing. It gives far more options.
Would be good to see the release of the NX Mobile Air app. I know it’s been released in the US but for some reason it doesn’t seem to have been released in Europe yet.
It would be nice if Nikon could find a way of grouping images shot in a single burst together - similar to how the iPhone manages burst photos. Scrolling through on the back of the camera can take a long time with long bursts at 20fps and it’s a nightmare at 120fps.
