Z9H to come in 2024

[MILLIREHM]

We have had a discussion about global shutter in the z6 rebates thread recently

Now there is the first more specific rumor about a highspeed Z9 with reduced pixels (and a global shutter?) yet to come
https://nikonrumors.com/2023/11/14/very-early-rumors-for-a-new-nikon-z-high-speed-camera-to-be-announced-for-the-2024-olympics.aspx/

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I would be interested in this camera if it can match the kind of high ISO image quality the D6 produces. It's not really necessary or useful to me to have higher fps rates beyond the Z8/Z9's abilities. Despite having shot some indoor sports with the Z8 to test it, I didn't find any banding or rolling shutter issues with it, but I get that this depends on the environment and lights present. I also have not seen any artifacts when using flash with normal or high speed sync settings.

However, those who shoot video of fast action probably can see some rolling shutter with the Z8 and Z9 as in the high-quality video modes the sensor is read more slowly than in stills. So there would be some who can apply a global shutter and might even consider needed for their applications. There can also be some settings at which the flash would be able to give brighter exposures relative to ambient light by using global shutter with the right duration of flash. However, application of fast shutter speeds with flash might require some experimentation to get the timing of the flash pulse peak and the shutter to coincide in an optimal way. For PR value I think maybe a global shutter version would be marketable, though I'm uncertain whether it is actually the best option for different use cases, it depends on how much DR (and maybe QE) penalty there might be.

A new sensor would perhaps present opportunities to try out technologies such as cross-type phase detection sensors (quad pixel AF or similar) when the pixel count of the image is not massive it might be easier to implement these. I believe cross-type phase detection would make AF more reliable especially at moments where there is no obvious subject identified to focus on based on the subject shape.

[MILLIREHM]

Thats exactly what I am thinking. I am satisfied with my Z9s speed and did not have rolling-shutter issues so far, but it is noisier than my D6 which has better high ISO-performance. As I am preferring optical viewfinders for bright daylight I see clear advantages with EVF in low light, but that would require a lower sensor resolution that is more beneficial for low light.

And yes a global shutter brings new challenges for flashing as a lot of the shutter speeds are shorter than flash duration at full power. Of course I have no idea about whether the penalties a global shutter brings would be tolerable

[aerobat]

I have shot neither Z8 nor Z9 but have had a D850 for years. I was actually asking myself whether the sport pros nowadays are really happy using the Z9 when the light get's borderline. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a lower res Z for this usage. For my use I'm happy with the Zf for low light.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I have shot neither Z8 nor Z9 but have had a D850 for years. I was actually asking myself whether the sport pros nowadays are really happy using the Z9 when the light get's borderline. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a lower res Z for this usage. For my use I'm happy with the Zf for low light.

I'm not even sure many sports photographers have gotten as far as try a Z9 yet. ;-) 5-10 year old gear is quite normal.

[MFloyd]

I had a Z9 + lenses on loan from NPS Switzerland. I am a usual D6 sport photographer. Z9 is a NOGO for the time being. Main reason; low light performance.

D6 is a far superior camera compared to the D5, but felt out the general attention (Z-launch, COVID ?).

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I had a Z9 + lenses on loan from NPS Switzerland. I am a usual D6 sport photographer. Z9 is a NOGO for the time being. Main reason; low light performance.

D6 is a far superior camera compared to the D5, but felt out the general attention (Z-launch, COVID ?).

I agree generally with that. I too have the D6 and find its autofocus much nicer to use than the D5 and more reliable in sports situations than the Z8. The D6 has a lower pitched sound than the D5 and is less distracting. It probably fell out of potential customers' eyes because COVID prevented a lot of sports events from happening and some web sites that pushed mirrorless hard (such as dpreview) didn't review it, many people likely assumed it was not reviewed because  it wasn't notable enough to review. Dpreview did complement the 1DX III because of its live view focusing abilities and seemed to be sorry that it was a DSLR. So it was pretty obvious why they didn't care to review the D6, because they wanted manufacturers and photographers to go mirrorless, start shooting videos (whether they wanted or not) and buy all new kit whether it is better for the job or not. I think the D6 thanks to its custom group area with human subject recognition is the easiest way to shoot sports for me, and the most reliable out of all the technologies I've used. The Z8 finds spectator eyes quite often, and can be stuck there especially at high frame rates rather than the athlete. This happens very easily when shooting at 15-20 fps while at slower rates it is less erratic in this area.

I also find the D6 more fun to shoot with, due to the optical viewfinder, and it's easier for me to do single frame at a time shooting with the intention of getting the highest rate of keepers, minimizing editing time and getting the most of my personality into the shots.

With the VR 200/2G II the Z8 (which is what I have instead of the Z9) does work very nicely though, with the f/2 aperture I can go in low light and the image quality at ISO 1250 is OK. But I still find the colours and tones more pleasing from the D6 at high ISO, so I use the D6 when using, e.g., the 300/2.8. I'm amazed how much negative response and discrediting comments I get when I say these things on some other forums.

[MILLIREHM]

The odds were against the D6 from the beginning because a lot of people considered it as nothing new compared to D5 and the last of its kind on a dead end street. There is a lot of cross-referenced belief that everything has to be mirrorless now, and i also see advantages in D6s AF and plan to use mine more often. What I'd like to have is a firmware upgrade with improved subject recognition (like the Z9 has) but Nikon hasn't done noting in this aspect. Even though they are focussing massively on the Z system they could to a little bit more than nothing for optimizing their F-mount flagship for which they have taken some 1000 Euro more than for the Z9. Maybe they sold too little of them to deem it worthy.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Subject recognition in a DSLR is limited by the resolution of the matrix metering sensor. Of course, they could increase it and add Expeed 7 to make it have similar subject detection features as a Z9. But now this is not likely to happen.