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Nikon Z 9

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.

Rubbish at Cardiff Bay

LICENCE IMAGES: https://archive.matt-horwood.com/gallery/010421-Rubbish-Cardiff-Bay-Cardiff-Wales/G0000P1qpPtYqkP0

Protest at Cardiff Central Police station

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 17: A protest outside Cardiff Central Police Station on March 17, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. Legislation giving police greater power to crack down on protests has passed its second reading in the House of Commons with a majority of 96 votes, amid anger at the way officers broke up a vigil for Sarah Everard where women were handcuffed and arrested. Sarah Everard, 33, disappeared after walking home from a friend's house on March 3. Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the 33-year-old's kidnap and murder.

LICENCE IMAGES: https://archive.matt-horwood.com/gallery/170321-Cardiff-Central-Police-Station-protest-Cardiff-Wales/G0000J4.s.TV_WrY/

"Reclaim These Streets" protest at Cardiff Police Station

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 15: Protestors hold signs outside Cardiff Bay police station during a protest on March 15, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. Labour has announced it will oppose a new law handing police greater powers to crack down on protests amid anger at the way officers broke up a vigil for Sarah Everard where some women were handcuffed and arrested. Sarah Everard, 33, disappeared after walking home from a friend's house on March 3. Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the 33-year-old's kidnap and murder

Vigil for Sarah Everard and Wenjing Lin at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 13: A vigil for Sarah Everard and Wenjing Lin on the steps of the Senedd, home of the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff Bay on March 13, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. Sarah Everard, 33, disappeared when walking home to Brixton from Clapham in south London last week. Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her kidnap and murder. Wenjing Lin, 16, died following an incident at her family's Chinese takeaway in Treorchy Wales. Chun Xu, 31, has been charged with her murder.

February - Daily Life in Wales

More coronavirus images from South Wales in February - archive.matt-horwood.com

Coronavirus vaccine sculpture

BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM- FEBRUARY 05: Artist Luke Jerram's sculpture of the coronavirus and coronavirus vaccine in glass at the Paintworks on February 05, 2021 in Bristol, United Kingdom. The sculpture, which is one million times larger than the actual vaccine nanoparticle, marks the ten millionth vaccination to be administered in the UK. Five limited editions of the artwork will be sold with all profits going to the global charity Médecins Sans Frontières to help communities heavily impacted by the pandemic. Testing positive for Covid-19 himself in November, Jerram says he is still feeling the effects of the virus. "When I created a sculpture of Covid-19 back in March, little did I know I would later be among those to contract the virus."

LICENCE IMAGES: https://archive.matt-horwood.com/gallery/050221-Coronavirus-And-Vaccine-Artwork-Bristol-England/G0000jf8yGynZCaI

PPE Flight from Cambodia lands at Cardiff Airport

CARDIFF, WALES - MAY 1: A shipment of PPE from Hangzhou, China, arrives at Cardiff Airport on May 1, 2020 in Cardiff, Wales. The plane is understood to contain 460,000 fluid-resistant gowns and follows a delivery of of 200,000 items of PPE from Cambodia earlier this week. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who returned to Downing Street this week after recovering from Covid-19, said the country needed to continue its lockdown measures to avoid a second spike in infections.

Clap For Carers - Press Photography

V.E day in Wales

Wales commemorates the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) with a pared-back rota of events due to the coronavirus lockdown. On May 8th, 1945 the Allied Forces of World War II celebrated the formal acceptance of surrender of Nazi Germany.

Air Tattoo 2019 at RAF Fairford - editorial photography

Discovery of Witches UK premiere

Snow in Cardiff, South Wales - press photography

Snow in South Wales as the Beast from the East hits the UK again. The Met Office have issued an amber weather warning for snow.