Z9 is coming

Ton14

photobunny said:

A interesting wee thing I have noted since the Z9 came out. I get more people asking about my Z6 and trying it out then finding it amazing in the photo blind and then being even more impressed with the Z9. Even around some forums there seems to be more confidence in trying the Z6/Z6ii for wildlife than before when everyone just said to switch to the Canon R5 or R6.

Calumet NL is currently selling the Nikon Z6 and Z7 and also combinations with lenses at a 25% discount, while stocks last.

The Nikon Z6 body € 1199.25
The Nikon Z7 body € 1949.26

A nice moment to start with an FF body from the Z series.
The Nikon Z FC body now costs € 949.- so the Nikon Z6 seems a better choice.

Keeping an eye on the offers the coming period seems very useful to me.

photobunny

https://photos.photobunny.co.uk/_DSC4245.JPG here is one of the jpg from the 120 fps mode if anyone is curious how it does.

donaldejose

Good enough for internet or full page sports magazine usage. Not good enough for poster size; but don't need to shoot poster images at 120 fps.

rmp

Was that "eye focus?"

photobunny

Nah that was just focus in the general area through a window. I'll find something more interesting and get a better jpeg up.

photobunny

A full wee burst of 120 FPS mode on a rather boring bird: https://photos.photobunny.co.uk/burst.zip

A low ISO bird eye AF (make sure to 100% it): https://photos.photobunny.co.uk/Long-Tailed+Tit.jpg

ISO 16,000 image (As high as I would go with the Z9):
https://photos.photobunny.co.uk/pancake.jpg

rmp

Looks pretty sharp to me. The reflections in the eye are sharp.

Ton14

Wow a burst of 1400, very impressive and the ISO 16.000 is perfect to use. What a camera.

photobunny

Ton14 said:

Wow a burst of 1400, very impressive and the ISO 16.000 is perfect to use. What a camera.

Yep, I have that bird on many a wall now. People really liked it. ISO 16,000 is pretty great. I also used 14,400 on the Z6 and had fantastic results. At 25,600 the Z9 looks naff unless you get a lot of pixels on your subject and good light. I set 16,000 as my auto ISO in manual hard stop (I think others are going for 12,800 and then pushing in software from there).

Ideally I wouldn't shoot at 16,000 but I only had my 500 f/5.6 with me and that was still 1/125s hand held. Foresight tells me to shove on the 70-200 f/2.8 until there is enough light for a f/4.0 and f/5.6. But then I lose reach until my 400 f/2.8 TC comes and solves all the low light early morning issues.

spraynpray

Pretty impressive!

starralazn

Hey, haven't been on in awhile but, I ordered a Z9 June 11th, and it's supposed to be here tmr
I ordered from nikonusa

mhedges

Nice!

I have been on the fence about getting one. If it didn't have the grip I certainly would. But I really don't want a camera with built in grip.

starralazn

In general I've found integrated vertical grips to be pretty bulky(F4, D4), but the mirror less bodies are p small so I'm thinking it won't be too bad...

Searcy

I think my next body will be the Z9 but I'm in no hurry. So far the Z6 is a better camera than I am a photographer and a lot of the events I have been shooting for years died with the Covid shutdowns so... No hurry.

donaldejose

And now a Z1 for $8,000 in 2024. Likely? Possible? or just as stupid as his lighting?

mhedges

Doesn't make sense to me. What would it have that Z9 doesn't?

donaldejose

Watch the video, he explains. Double the sensor power, 85 megapixels, super slow speed video, AF focuses where your eye looks, more mp in the viewfinder, etc. Undoubtedly, each or most of these features will come in future Nikon bodies. When and which body? I think the Z8 will remain the top image quality and highest megapixel body in the line up, not a Z1. Hope we see an announcement with its stats in about a month. I think this generation of the Z8 will be about 60 mp and have Z9 AF with reduced fps speed. The Z8II (released about 2025) will have the 85 to 100 mp sensor and the Expeed 8 processor. The Z9II (released about 2024 will be the first use of the Expeed 8 processor and whatever new features it can support. There is an interesting question here though. Why did Nikon not start the top pro mirrorless body as Z1 since it started the top pro Nikon DSLR at D1? Has Nikon reserved the Z1 name for a future "top pro" mirrorless body which it will then follow up with Z2, Z3, Z4 until it runs into a conflict with the Z5? What is the new mirrorless naming convention? Will it start at number 5 which the Z5 and if so, why? No Z1, Z2, Z3 or Z4 unless they are much cheaper bodies or maybe rangefinder bodies? Are we now going to be getting a Z9, then a Z9s, then a Z10 followed by a Z10s, etc? Or are we going to get Z9, Z9II, Z9III, Z9IV, etc? I guess the follow-up of the Z6II will be the first time we may know how the new naming convention will go.

photobunny

The Z1 is frankly a stupid idea because the things it is purported to have aren't possible so soon after the Z9 and would just be a Z9ii. The expected bodies for 2022 are the Z6iii and Z7iii. The Z90, Z5ii, Zf, Z8, and Z50ii are all expected in 2023. There is no room in the lineup for a flagship of the flagship and frankly Nikon will know they need to get out the Expeed 7 editions of the main selling bodies which is why the Z6iii and Z7iii are proposed to launch together in October/November this year, 2 years after their predecessors, and the first of the second generation bodies to follow the Z9.

donaldejose

Agreed with your expected line up for 2022 and 2023. All the new bodies will be welcome. But will Nikon adopt the Z1 name for a top body sometime in the future? Maybe. Or this alternative for a Z1 body.

mhedges

As much as I would like a Z8 this year I agree with photobunny - They need to get the V3 Z6 and Z7 out first.

donaldejose

All 3 will come out this year and early next year.

IanG

In case anyone wondered - here in France the situation is pretty much the same as the rest of Europe in terms of Z9 availability. This said, I ordered mine on the 13th of September in Toulouse - and received it yesterday (11th October) !

I think 1 month is pretty reasonable really - can't stop, busy playing!

Best - Ian

mhedges

So now that it's starting to become available I'm considering caving and getting a Z9. Question - what's the learning curve like for folks that have only used the command dial / user mode style cameras?

photobunny

mhedges said:

So now that it's starting to become available I'm considering caving and getting a Z9. Question - what's the learning curve like for folks that have only used the command dial / user mode style cameras?

You can set it to manual with auto ISO and all but forget it at that. Well I only shoot wildlife so I just have it on set and forget mode and adjust things as I need to. I haven't used nor needed to use the memory banks. Out the box it is pretty easy to use, no more difficult than a Z6.

mhedges

photobunny said:

You can set it to manual with auto ISO and all but forget it at that. Well I only shoot wildlife so I just have it on set and forget mode and adjust things as I need to. I haven't used nor needed to use the memory banks. Out the box it is pretty easy to use, no more difficult than a Z6.

Thanks. On Z6 I do use the three different user modes; configured as follows:

U1: Tripod work (IBIS off, BBF, auto ISO with 30 second maximum shutter speed)
U2: General handheld (IBIS on, aperture priority, normal auto ISO)
U3 Sports (Fast auto ISO)

I'm still wavering. Even though the battery life is supposed to be very good I'd still probably want a second, and maybe a tripod bracket too. Additional cost isn't too much but psychologically it's offputting.