Recent Nikon Z9 Serial Numbers

[GanacheCake]

I got mine on 24th December. Local store in Singapore. Serial number is 720106x

 

[PankajDubey]

I am curious approximately how many Z9 bodies Nikon has shipped so far, after a little more than a month since they first started shipping on December 23.

For example, in the US, serial numbers begin with 3000001. I am aware that as of a week ago, it was in the 3004*** range, i.e. fewer than 5000 shipped in the US. At this point I am quite sure that your first two digits will be 30, the third digit should still be 0. The most interesting is the 4th digit. We (at least I) don't need to know your last three digits for your privacy.

Would be interesting to have the Canadian serial 4000001 and European: 6000001 sequences also.

Thanks in advance.

Just to say that I don't have the money to buy the Z9, still , I am reading every reply in this thread

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Is the Z9 made in only one plant? If more than one, there will be serial number blocks assigned by plant as well.

Say there are two plants. One could get 1000-4999 and the other get 5000-7999 say. So we'd see units in the 5000 range made at the same time as units made in the 1000 range. And then whichever plant runs short of numbers first, gets the next block. And so on.

Being early production, I'd think there is only one plant in production. That's the usual case for a few months while they get their first pass yields up. Once the line failure issues are resolved, then they think about additional production capacity. It's rare for any new product line to exceed 70% first pass yield for some weeks.

That brings up another point. Units in the lower serial number range can come out well after ones in a higher range. Units which wound up sidetracked over to the repair line to straighten out failures in Final Test.

All this makes it impossible to gauge production numbers unless one has the Secret Serial Number Decoder Pin. And those aren't generally given out. They are Internal Use Only.

Stan

 

[shuncheung]

Is the Z9 made in only one plant? If more than one, there will be serial number blocks assigned by plant as well.

Nikon is only manufacturing the Z9 in their Thailand plant. In fact, by now all camera body manufacturing is in that plant now. That same plant was producing about 80K D300 initially back in 2007. Due to high demand, Nikon was running three shifts around the clock.

P.S. Nikon is supposed to move D6 production from Japan to Thailand this year, but I wonder whether they are still producing the D6. Perhaps it is easier to produce a bunch (a few thousand??) and let them sell off gradually to those who still want a new D6.

 

[shuncheung]

The two bodies are almost one month and 2000 apart.

More interesting information

Around 2,000 in a month for USA could mean 6,000 or more world wide in a month.

Perhaps by the end of February there will be a clear picture as to how many Nikon are producing each month.

I strongly suspect that whilst there are country codes included in the serial number, the camera increment part is unique across the board. Therefore there will never be, for example, a xxx1500 duplicate in multiple country codes - they're produced in country batches. This is the case with the Sony A1 also.

Not sure how Sony assigns A1 serial numbers, but Nikon's serial number sequences are totally separate among different countries. That is why Nikon can get away with only 7 digits total.

That is not going to be an issue for the Z9, but for example, in the earlier days of digital, Nikon managed to sell a million D300 in about a year. I am sure sales tapered off after the initial several months, but the D300 was in production for close to two years. Since Nikon uses the first (left most) digit for country/regional code, there are only 6 digits left in the serial number, and that is insufficient when there are over one million units produced.

However, I think it is way too early to draw the conclusion that Nikon is selling roughly 2000 Z9 a month in the US. Most likely Michael Hall's two Z9 bodies received on Dec 23 and Jan 24 were both produced before Nikon started shipping any Z9.

 

[michaeladawson]

Hi,

This is the way everything I've ever worked on is done. The serial part of the number increments regardless of the regional or country code part. And, usually in batches for each region or country. Blocks of builds as it were.

I doubt Nikon does it differently where they ratchet the serial number part separately for each of their country codes.

Stan

I find that hard to believe unless I am not understanding you correctly.

Based on what you said, give or take a bit, that means that Nikon has only sold/shipped 5,000 - 6,000 cameras in total from all countries.

Granted, we have to take the report of serial numbers reported here as a very broad indication as not everyone is posting on DPR.

But still, if serial numbers were assigned as you say, and Nikon had shipped let's say 20,000 units. Then we should be seeing serial numbers reported here above 10,000.

 

[Ezra2000]

lol lol your comment made my day..I love dreamland too..does not cost anything !!

 

[dacrema]

Non NPS member. Purchased from a local northern Virginia store outside Washington DC. SN 30053xx. The xx being low numbers.

I would of had to wait for the next shipment if the person just ahead of me had not canceled his order

 

[photography-lover]

The two bodies are almost one month and 2000 apart.

More interesting information

Around 2,000 in a month for USA could mean 6,000 or more world wide in a month.

Perhaps by the end of February there will be a clear picture as to how many Nikon are producing each month.

I strongly suspect that whilst there are country codes included in the serial number, the camera increment part is unique across the board. Therefore there will never be, for example, a xxx1500 duplicate in multiple country codes - they're produced in country batches. This is the case with the Sony A1 also.

Not sure how Sony assigns A1 serial numbers, but Nikon's serial number sequences are totally separate among different countries. That is why Nikon can get away with only 7 digits total.

That is not going to be an issue for the Z9, but for example, in the earlier days of digital, Nikon managed to sell a million D300 in about a year. I am sure sales tapered off after the initial several months, but the D300 was in production for close to two years. Since Nikon uses the first (left most) digit for country/regional code, there are only 6 digits left in the serial number, and that is insufficient when there are over one million units produced.

However, I think it is way too early to draw the conclusion that Nikon is selling roughly 2000 Z9 a month in the US. Most likely Michael Hall's two Z9 bodies received on Dec 23 and Jan 24 were both produced before Nikon started shipping any Z9.

I am pretty sure that the 2 following serial numbers are both used:

- 2001222 sold in Jspan,

- 3001222 sold in a different country (I forgot where 3 is used sorry).

And we can derive from that and from reported serial numbers that Nikon has probably already shipped nearly 15,000 units in a bit more than one month.

But we do indeed not know how many they had manufactured prior to announcement and therefore it tells us nothing about the monthly production. But it seems unlikely that 3,000 per month is correct because it would mean the final production design started to be produced in July.

 

[ericbowles]

Hi,

This is the way everything I've ever worked on is done. The serial part of the number increments regardless of the regional or country code part. And, usually in batches for each region or country. Blocks of builds as it were.

I doubt Nikon does it differently where they ratchet the serial number part separately for each of their country codes.

Stan

I find that hard to believe unless I am not understanding you correctly.

Based on what you said, give or take a bit, that means that Nikon has only sold/shipped 5,000 - 6,000 cameras in total from all countries.

Granted, we have to take the report of serial numbers reported here as a very broad indication as not everyone is posting on DPR.

But still, if serial numbers were assigned as you say, and Nikon had shipped let's say 20,000 units. Then we should be seeing serial numbers reported here above 10,000.

I'd view it another way. Nikon has shipped more than 5400 units in the US. The US is normally 25% of ILC camera volume, but could be a little higher for the Z9 - maybe 30%. That suggests 16-20,000 units shipped globally to date. That's the upper end of the 3500-5000 units per month estimated as production capacity.

Compared to historical volume for a flagship level camera, that's exceptionally good. It also means NPS orders probably account for 10-12,000 units globally, meaning a high percentage of volume going forward will be for non-NPS orders and working down the pre-orders on lists.

 

[shuncheung]

I strongly suspect that whilst there are country codes included in the serial number, the camera increment part is unique across the board. Therefore there will never be, for example, a xxx1500 duplicate in multiple country codes - they're produced in country batches. This is the case with the Sony A1 also.

Not sure how Sony assigns A1 serial numbers, but Nikon's serial number sequences are totally separate among different countries. That is why Nikon can get away with only 7 digits total.

That is not going to be an issue for the Z9, but for example, in the earlier days of digital, Nikon managed to sell a million D300 in about a year. I am sure sales tapered off after the initial several months, but the D300 was in production for close to two years. Since Nikon uses the first (left most) digit for country/regional code, there are only 6 digits left in the serial number, and that is insufficient when there are over one million units produced.

However, I think it is way too early to draw the conclusion that Nikon is selling roughly 2000 Z9 a month in the US. Most likely Michael Hall's two Z9 bodies received on Dec 23 and Jan 24 were both produced before Nikon started shipping any Z9.

I am pretty sure that the 2 following serial numbers are both used:

- 2001222 sold in Jspan,

- 3001222 sold in a different country (I forgot where 3 is used sorry).

And we can derive from that and from reported serial numbers that Nikon has probably already shipped nearly 15,000 units in a bit more than one month.

Thom Hogan has a list of the country/continent coding for their DSLR serial numbers: 2 for Japan and 3 for the United States. However, those numbers deviate somewhat for Z bodies. Canada is now 4 and Europe is 6.

Earlier on this thread, there is one response from Singapore, and their serial number starts with 72, and that contradicts the claim that the last 6 digits are unique serial numbers. (The Z9 will probably not go up to 200K units. Otherwise, it would overlap with that 72 number.)

Nikon Camera Serial Numbers | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan

Nikon DSLR camera serial number meaning

www.dslrbodies.com

But we do indeed not know how many they had manufactured prior to announcement and therefore it tells us nothing about the monthly production. But it seems unlikely that 3,000 per month is correct because it would mean the final production design started to be produced in July.

If Nikon could only manufacture 3000 to 3500 Z9 a month, there would be shortage for months to came and it would have been very unwise to price the Z9 as low as $5500. Various scalpers would make the profit that should have gone to Nikon for several months.

 

[michaeladawson]

Hi,

This is the way everything I've ever worked on is done. The serial part of the number increments regardless of the regional or country code part. And, usually in batches for each region or country. Blocks of builds as it were.

I doubt Nikon does it differently where they ratchet the serial number part separately for each of their country codes.

Stan

I find that hard to believe unless I am not understanding you correctly.

Based on what you said, give or take a bit, that means that Nikon has only sold/shipped 5,000 - 6,000 cameras in total from all countries.

Granted, we have to take the report of serial numbers reported here as a very broad indication as not everyone is posting on DPR.

But still, if serial numbers were assigned as you say, and Nikon had shipped let's say 20,000 units. Then we should be seeing serial numbers reported here above 10,000.

I'd view it another way. Nikon has shipped more than 5400 units in the US. The US is normally 25% of ILC camera volume, but could be a little higher for the Z9 - maybe 30%. That suggests 16-20,000 units shipped globally to date. That's the upper end of the 3500-5000 units per month estimated as production capacity.

Compared to historical volume for a flagship level camera, that's exceptionally good. It also means NPS orders probably account for 10-12,000 units globally, meaning a high percentage of volume going forward will be for non-NPS orders and working down the pre-orders on lists.

Maybe I misunderstood you then. I took the various responses to mean that Nikon does NOT reuse the serial portion of the serial number in other countries. Which I believe is incorrect.

For example, what I thought you were saying is, if there was a Z9 in the US with serial number 3004123 then there would not be cameras in other countries with serial numbers like 2004123 or 6004123.

But yes, my understanding has been that the "4123" portion of the serial number is used in other countries with the appropriate prefix.

 

[michaeladawson]

If Nikon could only manufacture 3000 to 3500 Z9 a month, there would be shortage for months to came and it would have been very unwise to price the Z9 as low as $5500. Various scalpers would make the profit that should have gone to Nikon for several months.

That's just totally faulty logic. So if Nikon can only make 1000 cameras per month they're going to charge $10,000? Let's bring the parts shortage into it as well. Let's say Nikon has the production line capacity to produce 5,000 bodies per month. But because of parts shortages (that they surely know about) they can only make 2,000 per month. Do you really think Nikon is going to charge $7000 now?

There is supply and demand of course. But the actual reality of how much something is worth in raw material costs doesn't just get tossed out the window. Buyers know what the expected price is of these cameras. And they also have competitors to keep them in check.

Sony can't get parts, apparently, for their A6xxx cameras. If they could get enough parts to make 1,000 per month does the cost now go up to $3,000 per unit (or some such number)? Of course not.

 

[shuncheung]

If Nikon could only manufacture 3000 to 3500 Z9 a month, there would be shortage for months to came and it would have been very unwise to price the Z9 as low as $5500. Various scalpers would make the profit that should have gone to Nikon for several months.

That's just totally faulty logic. So if Nikon can only make 1000 cameras per month they're going to charge $10,000?

I never said that, though. $10,000 is a price you Michael comes up with.

Let's bring the parts shortage into it as well. Let's say Nikon has the production line capacity to produce 5,000 bodies per month. But because of parts shortages (that they surely know about) they can only make 2,000 per month. Do you really think Nikon is going to charge $7000 now?

Of course Nikon should. If Sony can sell the A1 for $6500, and Nikon can also sell the D6 for $6500, why can't Nikon sell the Z9 for $6500 to $7000? For the most part the Z9 matches the A1 but it also has the vertical grip built-in.

That is precisely why car dealers are now charging way above sticker prices for new cars. It is all about supply and demand.

 

[shuncheung]

Maybe I misunderstood you then. I took the various responses to mean that Nikon does NOT reuse the serial portion of the serial number in other countries. Which I believe is incorrect.

For example, what I thought you were saying is, if there was a Z9 in the US with serial number 3004123 then there would not be cameras in other countries with serial numbers like 2004123 or 6004123.

But yes, my understanding has been that the "4123" portion of the serial number is used in other countries with the appropriate prefix.

I think you agree with what I wrote yesterday in this earlier response: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65875089

For camera bodies, Nikon has been using 7-digit serial numbers. The first, left-most digit (or sometimes two digits) is the destination country/continent. The remaining 6 digits are not unique among a camera model. Otherwise, those 6 digits couldn't possibly represent the over-one-million D300 manufactured from 2007 to 2008, and continued into 2009.

There was also this earlier response that there are 2001222 in Japan and 3001222 in the US: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65878494

But such examples are difficult to prove. It is very tough to find two bodies in two countries with matching serial numbers in the last 6 digits.

 

[photography-lover]

If Nikon could only manufacture 3000 to 3500 Z9 a month, there would be shortage for months to came and it would have been very unwise to price the Z9 as low as $5500. Various scalpers would make the profit that should have gone to Nikon for several months.

That's just totally faulty logic. So if Nikon can only make 1000 cameras per month they're going to charge $10,000?

I never said that, though. $10,000 is a price you Michael comes up with.

Let's bring the parts shortage into it as well. Let's say Nikon has the production line capacity to produce 5,000 bodies per month. But because of parts shortages (that they surely know about) they can only make 2,000 per month. Do you really think Nikon is going to charge $7000 now?

Of course Nikon should. If Sony can sell the A1 for $6500, and Nikon can also sell the D6 for $6500, why can't Nikon sell the Z9 for $6500 to $7000? For the most part the Z9 matches the A1 but it also has the vertical grip built-in.

That is precisely why car dealers are now charging way above sticker prices for new cars. It is all about supply and demand.

I agree with this.

And we have to think in terms of system too. With the recently announced 400mm f2.8 TC and 800mm PF. With the F mount 200mm f2.0, 120-300mm f2.8, 180-400mm f4 TC and 500mm f5.6 (all of them focusing incredibly well on the Z9), the Z system is very very far ahead of the Sony one for long glass shooters. And the gap is increasing. The only advantage Sony has is the 200-600 but Nikon should release one within a few weeks. The 600mm f4 can be advantageously replaced by the 400mm and 800mm. And one is coming anyways.

That would have been another reason for Nikon to price the Z9 higher if they had not been able to produce enough of them.

Besides that’s exactly what Canon has done. We hardly hear about the R3 at all, quantities sold must be minuscule. That’s why Canon obviously priced it to not sell. They probably also knew full well that eye focusing AF wouldn’t work for many users.

 

[ericbowles]

Maybe I misunderstood you then. I took the various responses to mean that Nikon does NOT reuse the serial portion of the serial number in other countries. Which I believe is incorrect.

For example, what I thought you were saying is, if there was a Z9 in the US with serial number 3004123 then there would not be cameras in other countries with serial numbers like 2004123 or 6004123.

But yes, my understanding has been that the "4123" portion of the serial number is used in other countries with the appropriate prefix.

Hi Mike

Yes - the last 5-6 digits may be duplicated across regions. There would be cameras with 2004123 and 6004123 with the first digit representing the region.

This site has some perspective on serial numbers by region for various bodies. It's not complete and does not reflect the most recent cameras very accurately. But you can add up the numbers used for each region and get some perspective on flagship cameras. For example, the D3 sold about 100,000 units over it's life.

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/camera.html

My sales estimate is based on shipped ILC units for each region, and while the mix could be different it's as good as anything and aligns with other volume estimates.

--
Eric Bowles
https://bowlesimages.com/

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/camera.html

Unfortunately for a semi independent confirmation of how many Z9 Nikon are making - this site has not updated for over a week.

Reports in the region of a 6XXX number for USA indicate maybe as many as 20,000 already delivered world wide.

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

You did understand me correctly. I was voicing some doubt as to how Nikon worked their serial numbers. As in it dosen't conform to the usual worldwide standards I have to follow.

After a side discussion with Thom Hogan, he knows for sure the way they do their serial numbers. And Nikon does, indeed, utilize their country code such that they duplicate serial numbers in the rest of the string.

So everyone is, indeed, correct in using the counts they have been using.

Stan

 

[shuncheung]

You did understand me correctly. I was voicing some doubt as to how Nikon worked their serial numbers. As in it dosen't conform to the usual worldwide standards I have to follow.

Interesting, I wasn’t aware of such standard.

After a side discussion with Thom Hogan, he knows for sure the way they do their serial numbers. And Nikon does, indeed, utilize their country code such that they duplicate serial numbers in the rest of the string.

By chance, I also pointed out this thread to Thom, but more on the total number of Z9 shipped so far. However, that is a moving target.

The thing is that Nikon’s serial number scheme is not consistent. They announced the D3 and D300 on the same day ( 23 August, 2007), but the D300 has country-coded serial numbers while the D3 has just one sequence. The country codes for D bodies are not completely the same as those for Z.