Z9 Release Thread

[Hugh_3170]

Shame about the FTZ-II not supporting AF for Nikon D lenses and lacking support for an aperture follower tab.  Oh well, maybe I will just have to wait for the FTZ-III.  LOL   

[Birna Rørslett]

Nikon is vague whether the FTZ-II has aperture coupling or not. They do state 'metering mode' with AI lenses, but what this entails is anyone's guess. I need to see the device in hand.

[Jan Anne]

Good to see Nikon is back on top showing the competition what a proper pro camera looks like, what a beast.

Will skip the Z9 for now but am exited to see it’s features trickling down in the Z6/7 cameras.

[Nikfuson]

The FTZII has a little something on the right hand side...

[Nikfuson]

According to the compatible lens overview (e.g. AF-Nikkor-24mm f2.8D) it should have the aperture coupling.
Link:
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/camera-lenses/mirrorless-lenses/index.page#!/tag:lR8:F%20Mount%20Digital%20Cameras%20(via%20Adapter)

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The Z9 has Expeed 7. It has always been the case in the past that Nikon have used the same Expeeds across the lineup, generation after generation. My guess is that the next Z6/7 models will feature this fast new processor and can run better AF algorithms.

I saw an impressive comparison by Matt Granger of the Z9 + FTZ II + 200/2 vs. the same lens on the D6. The subject was walking towards the camera. The D6 got 80-90% in focus and the  Z9 100%. Very impressive performance from the Z9! Adapted lens no less. I still want to see how the camera focuses adapted lenses in low light.

[Jan Anne]

I still want to see how the camera focuses adapted lenses in low light.

Exactly, low light AF with tele lenses always was the achilleshiel of the first iterations of mirrorless cameras, also the reason why tele lenses are usually only introduced after the second or even third version of the AF system.

Under perfect light conditions everything usually works as designed with most cameras but the better ones keep going when the going gets tough. After my misfortunes with tele lenses on the Sony a7R, a7RII and a7S it was a breath of fresh air to use the D500 with near perfect AF in all conditions.

If Nikon cracked the AF in low light it will be the next step for mirrorless vs DSLR, time will tell.

[chambeshi]

The 400 S and 800 S look like they are PF primes (cf appended graphic with sihouettes). All considered Nikon already has produced an impressive lens system for the Z Mount, which will be even better after ~4 years.

As for the Z9, the specs and early launch demo videos are very impressive, as is the slightly lowered price!

6299€ in Finland, I would expect the real price to be somewhat lower. The D6's comparable price is 7499€ so the new camera is clearly less expensive. It's also less expensive than Canon's R3 (6399€) or Sony's A1 (7595€).

No preorder here. ;-)

But I noticed the updated roadmap has 24 mm DX compact prime and 26 mm FX compact primes, two 400 mm primes, one 600 mm and an 800 mm.

Finally a DX wide-angle prime lens.

[Birna Rørslett]

If I'm lucky and Nikon really delivers according to promises, I just might have the camera next month.

[Bent Hjarbo]

According to the compatible lens overview (e.g. AF-Nikkor-24mm f2.8D) it should have the aperture coupling.
Link:
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/camera-lenses/mirrorless-lenses/index.page#!/tag:lR8:F%20Mount%20Digital%20Cameras%20(via%20Adapter)

it was also compatible with the old one, but you don't get EXIF data.

[ThomasAdams]

Anyone see any information on how the noise and DR stack up against the Z7 II?

[Akira]

The announced 400/2.8 has a built-in 1.4x TC.  I wonder if it would cannibalize the market for a 600/4.0?

Another interesting lens is the 26mm one.  I would suspect that it is intended for the movies rather than the stills.  I realize that the wide end of the zooms on many video cameras are equivalent of 28-29mm.  On the 16:9 format, a 26mm lens would be closer to that focal range.

[Jack Dahlgren]

The announced 400/2.8 has a built-in 1.4x TC.  I wonder if it would cannibalize the market for a 600/4.0?

Another interesting lens is the 26mm one.  I would suspect that it is intended for the movies rather than the stills.  I realize that the wide end of the zooms on many video cameras are equivalent of 28-29mm.  On the 16:9 format, a 26mm lens would be closer to that focal range.

26mm sounds like a nice focal length for urban photography. Sometimes 24 is a bit too wide, and 28 too long.
I put a pre-order in for Z9 - I expect it will probably be next year as I have no sort of priority at all.

[Roland Vink]

The announced 400/2.8 has a built-in 1.4x TC.  I wonder if it would cannibalize the market for a 600/4.0?

I fully expect the 600/4 to also have a built-in TC, so you would buy a lens depending on whether you need 400-560mm range, or 600-840mm range.

The updated roadmap also shows another 400mm lens and an 800mm lens. The new 400mm is short which suggests it is a PF lens. The top is the same size as the 58mm Noct so probably has 95mm filter size. This would allow a maximum aperture of f/4.5. With a 1.4x TC it would give a 560/6.3. The lens/TC combination brackets the 500/5.6 PF, I'm no sure why they didn't just make a Z version of the 500PF as it is a very popular lens.

The 800mm is only the same length as the Z 400/2.8 so is also a PF lens. If the aperture is f/5.6 the top should be the same size as the 400/2.8, but it appears a bit smaller. Maybe the aperture is f/6.3, assuming the profile is accurate.

[Akira]

26mm sounds like a nice focal length for urban photography. Sometimes 24 is a bit too wide, and 28 too long.
I put a pre-order in for Z9 - I expect it will probably be next year as I have no sort of priority at all.

Then the lens should be like f2.8 and made as small as possible.  Am looking forward to seeing your Z9 in Tokyo next year. 

I fully expect the 600/4 to also have a built-in TC, so you would buy a lens depending on whether you need 400-560mm range, or 600-840mm range.

The updated roadmap also shows another 400mm lens and an 800mm lens. The new 400mm is short which suggests it is a PF lens. The top is the same size as the 58mm Noct so probably has 95mm filter size. This would allow a maximum aperture of f/4.5. With a 1.4x TC it would give a 560/6.3. The lens/TC combination brackets the 500/5.6 PF, I'm no sure why they didn't just make a Z version of the 500PF as it is a very popular lens.

The 800mm is only the same length as the Z 400/2.8 so is also a PF lens. If the aperture is f/5.6 the top should be the same size as the 400/2.8, but it appears a bit smaller. Maybe the aperture is f/6.3, assuming the profile is accurate.

Not long after Nikon had released the latest versions of F-mount 600/4.0 and 400/2.8 employing FL elements, both Sony and Canon released the rivaling models which were roughly 1kg lighter than the Nikon ones.  Canon released RF mount versions apparently using the same optics.  Combined with lighter mirrorless bodies like A1, A9 or R3, their advantages in weight was significant.

The 400/2.8 with the integrated 1.4x TC could be a nice counter punch to Sony and Canon, even though Z9 is much heavier than A1 or R3.

I also suspect that the smaller 400mm would be a PF lens.  The 600mm and 800mm with integrated TCs would be interesting.  The TC for the 800mm could be a 1.25x one?