Development of flagship Z9 in progress

[pluton]

The compactness of an F6? Swell.

If it has the in-camera sound clip recording like the high-end D2/3/x/s etc., I'm all in.

Yes...and, hopefully, external always-on displays for all the settings as the other pro cameras have had.

[Akira]

So, looks like this years Olympic games will definitely be on then!

No way!   

[Snoogly]

So, looks like this years Olympic games will definitely be on then!

That is very funny, but also depressing for those wot live here and are paying the price for this nonsense both in financial and health terms :-( Covid is basically pushed under the carpet, in a quest to make Japan look safe enough for this nonsense.

I wonder if the Z9 will be ready in time. Maybe it will already be for sale at a discount by the time the ‘2020’ Olympics happen!

[David H. Hartman]

That is very funny, but also depressing for those wot live here and are paying the price for this nonsense both in financial and health terms :-( Covid is basically pushed under the carpet, in a quest to make Japan look safe enough for this nonsense.

In 2019 people in the US, especially the elderly contracted influenza and then pneumonia as a complication. Many died of pneumonia. In 2020 influenza and pneumonia fell off the charts.

In 2019 Hydroxychloroquine, approved for the treatment of malaria for 65 years had an excellent safety record. If you traveled to a country where malaria is prevalent you took it before leaving. Then in 2020 Hydroxychloroquine would kill you.

In 2019 it was fine to tell people to take vitamin D and zinc to boost their immune system, not so in 2020.

[Akira]

The idea of hosting the Olympic games in Tokyo without solving the problem with the damaged nuclear power plants in Fukushima was totally ridiculous in the first place.

Anyway, let us stop straying (sorry that I am to blame!) and go back to the main topic here.

At least in terms of the user interface, Nikon should follow the pattern of their flagship DSLRs which has been familiarized among the professionals.

[Jack Dahlgren]

In 2019 people in the US, especially the elderly contracted influenza and then pneumonia as a complication. Many died of pneumonia. In 2020 influenza and pneumonia fell off the charts.

In 2019 Hydroxychloroquine, approved for the treatment of malaria for 65 years had an excellent safety record. If you traveled to a country where malaria is prevalent you took it before leaving. Then in 2020 Hydroxychloroquine would kill you.

In 2019 it was fine to tell people to take vitamin D and zinc to boost their immune system, not so in 2020.

I credit staying home and social distancing with the healthiest year yet. Usually I catch a cold or something, but this year nothing at all. Not commuting has been giving me extra hours in the day. Some changes are for the better.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I wonder if the Z9 will be ready in time. Maybe it will already be for sale at a discount by the time the ‘2020’ Olympics happen!

From what I've read, if the Tokyo Olympics are not taking place in July this year, they'll be cancelled  altogether and the next Olympics will be the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, and Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024. This is partly because the Olympics affect broadcasting schedules and moving other events further to give space for the Olympics becomes just too difficult.

My guess is the Z9 would be announced in the fall so that they can say that "within the year" was accurate and gradually become available by the end of 2021 or early 2022. So at the 2022 Winter Olympics it might be in use. But, since it's seems it won't be a specialized sports camera but an allrounder, it might not be all that important whether it is used at the Olympics or not.

[MFloyd]

Z9 is an interesting development. In the meantime, the présence or absence of the Z9 will not change the world.

[Jack Dahlgren]

Z9 is an interesting development. In the meantime, the présence or absence of the Z9 will not change the world.

The only “flagship” Nikon I have is an F3, but the Z9 makes me think I may finally break the pattern of choosing something further down the lineup. So, while it won’t change the world, it may change me.

Meanwhile, I hang on with the Z6 with cracked and scratched rear display.

[John Geerts]

Meanwhile, I hang on with the Z6 with cracked and scratched rear display.

What happened to your display, Jack?  An accident?

[Snoogly]

Whither be the Z8?

[Jack Dahlgren]

What happened to your display, Jack?  An accident?

Construction sites are treacherous and I slipped on some gravel. No real harm, it is just some scratches and a crack in the cover glass.

[Bill De Jager]

Whither be the Z8?

Great question.  There has to be enough distance in features and performance between the Z7 and a hypothetical Z8 for both to be viable, if there is even going to be a Z8.  Given how close the Z5 is to the Z6, there's been speculation that the Z6 and Z7 classes will move up in features and performance in their next iterations.  That would leave less space for a Z8, unless it goes off in a whole different direction like being a serious video camera.  We'll just have to see.

[Roland Vink]

It looks like the Nikon naming convention for Z cameras is different from the F mount DSLRs:

- Single digit for FX models (Z5, Z6 .. Z9), and double digit for DX (Z50)

- higher number represents higher-spec (more professional) model, with Z9 being at the top. This is different from the F cameras where single-digit models (lowest number) were the pro cameras.

- to represent a new generation, the base model number stays the same with suffix added (Z6 -> Z6II). How will that be continued into the future - will we have Z6III, Z6.4, Z6.5 ?

[Snoogly]

I could never get my head around the DSLR naming system - too many ranges! But the Z seems restricted by there being only one range. I wonder how the average 'consumer' made the right decisions when buying a DSLR.

Reminds me a little of Apple when Steve came back. A plethora of ranges and computers were cut down to relatively few.