New photos of the back of the Z9 at the Olympics

[goldaccess]

If correct it means that the Z9 has a size which is basically identical to that of a Z7II with a vertical grip.

I like the Z7II with the grip a lot!

 

[goldaccess]

Nature photography is my main interest, and I shoot a lot of my images with the camera as close to the ground/water as possible. I

I totally understand that and in some situation the tilting screen of my Zs is nice. But in the nature (which you especially call out) the screen is very often no joy to use at all because of the sunlight making the screen hard to see to start with.

 

[rhlpetrus]

If correct it means that the Z9 has a size which is basically identical to that of a Z7II with a vertical grip.

I like the Z7II with the grip a lot!

Two points compated to R3:

45 x 24 MP

Size: from these early images, R3 looks close to 1D line, Z9 much more compact.

It looks like Nikon is not releasing a Dn Z body, more like an all-purpose gripped body. I think many action/sports pro shooters prefer the Canon approach, wildlife shooters and those doing other types of photography needing more res may prefer Nikon’s.

If this is correct, Nikon may continue to loose sports/action photographers. They have already, from what we are seeing in the Olympics, it’s almost a monopoly by Canon now.

 

[rhlpetrus]

I must admit a Z9 which is lighter and smaller than a D850 would get my interest. I understand the height maybe taller but every other dimension should be smaller.

I guess everybody's preference is different. I have been using a D5 for the last 5 years and am happy with its size. Prior to that, many years ago I also used a D2X, F5, and F4. (I still own all of the above cameras.) I actually find the Z6 too small.

I am glad that the Z9 has an integrated grip, which implies a high-capacity battery such as the EN-EL18, and it has room for dual CFexpress Type B memory cards. It looks like the Z9 has no buttons to the left of the rear LCD. From the front, it also looks narrower.

I hate the idea of a really big body. Before, bodies were bigger because they had to be. The Z9 should be bigger than the rest of the Z bodies, but it would be idea if it were the size of a D850 or just smaller.

I don’t know that I like the idea of companies making massive bodies in 2021, just to remind users of back when they had to be massive.

Remove the mirror and the prism from a dslr and you potentially get a shallower and squatter camera but you still need room for everything else. Have you seen inside of a pro D body? There’s not a lot of empty space; they didn’t make the body big just for the heck of it.

Removing the mirror box lets you have a camera body that is less deep, and all Nikon 1 and Z bodies have the sensor quite close to the mount.

I like to have the integrated grip. An add-on grip would actually make the camera even bigger than one with an integrated grip. It provides space for a large battery and two CFx Type B cards.

Another issue is heat dissipation. Some of the early Sony bodies were notorious about overheating, and so is the Canon R5. Once you have 20 fps, 30 fps and/or 8K video, you may need more space to dissipate heat. I have seen some discussion that the next generation of R5 may come with a tiny fan.

After the Z9, there will likely be a Z8 that is direct competition to the Canon R5. For those who prefer a small body, you may want to wait for that or just get the R5 or A1.

What is missing from the Z7 line compared to a R5 that needs a new line?

 

[photography-lover]

If correct it means that the Z9 has a size which is basically identical to that of a Z7II with a vertical grip.

I like the Z7II with the grip a lot!

Two points compated to R3:

45 x 24 MP

Size: from these early images, R3 looks close to 1D line, Z9 much more compact.

It looks like Nikon is not releasing a Dn Z body, more like an all-purpose gripped body. I think many action/sports pro shooters prefer the Canon approach, wildlife shooters and those doing other types of photography needing more res may prefer Nikon’s.

If this is correct, Nikon may continue to loose sports/action photographers. They have already, from what we are seeing in the Olympics, it’s almost a monopoly by Canon now

no it’s not. I see a significant share of Nikon bodies and lenses.

I am also not sure what makes you think that sports shooters aren’t happy with the specs of the Z9… since we don’t know these specs.



Either they use jpg right away (and dowresed jpg will be better) or they use raw after the fact and photomechanic is more than able to manage 50mp files in a split second.

 

[evaeva0705]

It looks like a non tilting screen , which would be a deal breaker for me. Not sure about the two bits of tape however? I first thought the tape might be to keep the screen from tilting out, but I don't see an obvious seam around the edge to support that thought.

Randy

Maybe the tape is to cover up the fact that it is a tilting screen.

I am guessing, if the humps at the bottom and the notch at the top-left indicate how you can flip the screen, should it work like this? The top-left notch won't make sense if it is a flip-out screen. Also I think this two-way flip design makes much more sense for a camera designed for vertical shooting. Flip-out screen is unusable when camera is at a vertical position, and I believe Nikon won't tolerate a half-functioning design on a flagship body.

 

[Droster]

The Z6 has the same tabs upper left side and bottom two. The only thing new is the indentation at the top of the body to facilitate the pulling of the screen from the top.

So I’m inclined to think we’re getting the same hinges and tilting mechanics.

 

[Rav King]

Looking good.

 

[shuncheung]

The Twitter account https://twitter.com/photolari that revealed the earlier images has another image of the Z9, with the F-mount 180-400mm/f4 AF-S VR.

I am sure by now, some photographers at the Olympics know who is testing the Z9 prototype for Nikon. I would imagine there are more than just one Z9 tester.

 

[shuncheung]

After the Z9, there will likely be a Z8 that is direct competition to the Canon R5. For those who prefer a small body, you may want to wait for that or just get the R5 or A1.

What is missing from the Z7 line compared to a R5 that needs a new line?

It is probably best to read what my friend Richard Cohen posted a week ago. (Full disclosure, I know Richard personally and see him a few times a year since we both, among many others, photograph eagles at a near-by nest.)

Richard has been a long-time Nikon user previously with a D850, Z6, and Z7 when Nikon first introduced the Z line. He has since upgraded to a Z7ii, but last year he also bought a Canon R5 and a couple of long Canon teles:

Loading…

www.dpreview.com

 

[Ellis Vener]

If this is correct, Nikon may continue to loose sports/action photographers. They have already, from what we are seeing in the Olympics, it’s almost a monopoly by Canon now.

 

[shuncheung]

Two points compated to R3:

45 x 24 MP

Size: from these early images, R3 looks close to 1D line, Z9 much more compact.

It looks like Nikon is not releasing a Dn Z body, more like an all-purpose gripped body. I think many action/sports pro shooters prefer the Canon approach, wildlife shooters and those doing other types of photography needing more res may prefer Nikon’s.

If this is correct, Nikon may continue to loose sports/action photographers. They have already, from what we are seeing in the Olympics, it’s almost a monopoly by Canon now

no it’s not. I see a significant share of Nikon bodies and lenses.

I am also not sure what makes you think that sports shooters aren’t happy with the specs of the Z9… since we don’t know these specs.

What is still an unknown is the cost difference. The Sony A1 is a $6500, 50MP body without the integrated grip.

I think you need some expensive electronics to capture 30 fps, and it is more expensive if you are capturing 45, 50MP at that rate compared to 24MP. Canon may have an advantage if it is considerably cheaper. Personally, I am fine with 24MP, as I have been using the 20MP D5 and D500 in the last 5 years. I'll be happy to get 45MP as long as it doesn't, e.g., double the cost, although I'll need some high-capacity CFexpress cards.

As I mentioned before, a 14-bit, lossless compressed NEF file is roughly 30M bytes. When you are capturing 30 of those every second, you need 900MB of card/disk space. That is pretty close to 1G per second. With a 45, 50MP camera, we are talking about 2G per second. I would be looking into some 512G, 1T CFexpress cards, unless you mostly shoot JPEG.

Either they use jpg right away (and dowresed jpg will be better) or they use raw after the fact and photomechanic is more than able to manage 50mp files in a split second.

 

[Matt_007]

It looks like a non tilting screen , which would be a deal breaker for me. Not sure about the two bits of tape however? I first thought the tape might be to keep the screen from tilting out, but I don't see an obvious seam around the edge to support that thought.

Randy

Maybe the tape is to cover up the fact that it is a tilting screen.

I am guessing, if the humps at the bottom and the notch at the top-left indicate how you can flip the screen, should it work like this? The top-left notch won't make sense if it is a flip-out screen. Also I think this two-way flip design makes much more sense for a camera designed for vertical shooting. Flip-out screen is unusable when camera is at a vertical position, and I believe Nikon won't tolerate a half-functioning design on a flagship body.

Surely those are hinges at the bottom (outline showing beneath the tape) and it folds downwards? The top left notch seems to be where a clasp is for locking securely and for opening up. It may also fold out sideways like Panasonic / Fuji cameras and it does seem the LCD is very deep. I think much is hidden by the tape.

 

[Bobby V]

All that grousing about Nikon not having any mirrorless cameras at the Olympics seems rather petty now

 

[michaeladawson]

The Z6 has the same tabs upper left side and bottom two. The only thing new is the indentation at the top of the body to facilitate the pulling of the screen from the top.

So I’m inclined to think we’re getting the same hinges and tilting mechanics.

That's sort of too bad. The one issue I have with the Z6/7 tilting mechanism is that it only tilts up or down for landscape work. The is no accommodation for portrait orientation shooting.

I'd be fine not having a tilting screen at all. But if Nikon is going to include the feature it should be useful for both landscape and portrait orientation.

 

[adski]

The Twitter account https://twitter.com/photolari that revealed the earlier images has another image of the Z9, with the F-mount 180-400mm/f4 AF-S VR.

I am sure by now, some photographers at the Olympics know who is testing the Z9 prototype for Nikon. I would imagine there are more than just one Z9 tester.

Well that appears to be #2 judging by the sticker next to the LCD, so perhaps at least one more is out there



I really like what I’m seeing so far.

 

[rhlpetrus]

After the Z9, there will likely be a Z8 that is direct competition to the Canon R5. For those who prefer a small body, you may want to wait for that or just get the R5 or A1.

What is missing from the Z7 line compared to a R5 that needs a new line?

It is probably best to read what my friend Richard Cohen posted a week ago. (Full disclosure, I know Richard personally and see him a few times a year since we both, among many others, photograph eagles at a near-by nest.)

Richard has been a long-time Nikon user previously with a D850, Z6, and Z7 when Nikon first introduced the Z line. He has since upgraded to a Z7ii, but last year he also bought a Canon R5 and a couple of long Canon teles:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65331354

I totally agree with him, even if, for my own needs, the Z7 line is all I need. So, his point, if I understood it well, is that there is need for a larger body for use with longer lenses, and one should not need to go for the gripped pro bodies for that.

Now, Canon is splitting the R line into a video-centric camera, R6, and a larger high-res body, R5. Nikon same, except high-res body is same as videocentric one. I don’t think it makes sense to have another line, but just adapt the high-res body, making Z7III larger. But maybe Nikon will have a larger Z8 and keep Z7 as is. But, two very close high-res lines? Not likely.

 

[rhlpetrus]

If this is correct, Nikon may continue to loose sports/action photographers. They have already, from what we are seeing in the Olympics, it’s almost a monopoly by Canon now.

Not all of those white-barreled super-telephoto and zoom lenses we are sing at the Tokyo Olympics are Canon lenses, many are made by Sony.

I know, but Canon’s leadership is pretty clear. Either way, Nikon’s presence is much reduced from the days when the D3 was able to help an impressive comeback by Nikon. The R3 seems to be exactly what sports/action photographers have been using, in a ML body. The Z9 looks much smaller and, if 45MP or more, looks more like a hybrid line. Maybe landscapers and wildlife shooters will like it better, but it looks like Nikon may be throwing the towel in action photojournalism.

--
Renato.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhlpedrosa/
OnExposure member
http://www.onexposure.net/
Good shooting and good luck
(after Ed Murrow)

 

[NickZ2016]

Now, Canon is splitting the R line into a video-centric camera, R6, and a larger high-res body, R5. Nikon same, except high-res body is same as videocentric one.

Kind of hard to be more video centric than the R5. Especially when compared to the R6.

 

[NickZ2016]

Just a thought. Why have it so close to the left side unless it swings that way? They didn't get rid of those buttons to make a fashion statement. The screen would have blocked them when swung out to the left.