Matt for the hidden button you can get self adhesive rubber buttons, these are designed for people with vision disorders. After a while they can be removed if desired with out damage ,if too high they can be trimmed down with a sharp knife to suit your needs. I seem to remember they can be purchased from Amazon as well. I hope this helps.
Matt, Thanks for all of the hard work that your doing. I think that you have outdone yourself. At this rate it going to be better than having a manual on this beast. As far as creators go you lead the way on the Z9.Thanks for making the best of the time that u have with this new offering.
You’ve proven that you’re one of the most fair camera reviewers on CZcams. And you actually use what you’re talking about not like some others. Well done.
Sir,Tony and Chelsea,Fro knows nothing,the Mad photographer know way more than Matt,they are true experts in their field without ever touching the Z9. Wow,some nerve Rad,some nerve.
@@daviddowling9830 Try proof reading your posts before you hit the "reply" button. In other words, learn to construct a proper and coherent sentence with the correct pronunciation.
The anti-theft would be a welcome addition. Waiting for more reviews before I decide to buy or switch to Canon or Sony after shooting Nikon for 20 years.
After 20 years and after hearing and watching all the reviews out on the Z9, you're still considering switching? I've been shooting Nikon for 40 years and was considering Canon R system until Z9 came out, and sticking with Nikon now is a no brainer. Hey, but if you like bad ergonomics and frustrating menus of the Sony or the lesser DR of Canon files and the price, well knock yourself out because I have tried most of them and I can tell you that this Z9 came out just in time.
Great video. I’d love to see a video comparing Lossless RAW and High Efficiency*. That’s the biggest thing advantage of the Z9 if there really is no difference like they say.
Sony a1 has 1/200 flash sync with electronic shutter. For 1/400 flash sync it uses a mechanical shutter, which travels across sensor even faster than electronic one. As Z9 only has electronic shutter, even while it's a bit faster than a1 e-shutter, it is still slower than a1 mechanical shutter.
….the Z9 also has a 1/200 flash sync and basically shoots at the same frame rates … so not really sure it’s scan and readout speeds are all that much faster then the A1… if they are faster at all, it’s not a material difference, just an on paper difference important only as a marketing item
“Of course, no camera is perfect…” All I want is the perfect camera, all I want is the perfect camera… ;) Thanks for the shoutout for an adapter with D lens support btw.
As someone from the electronic repair industry, I would caution against pushing too hard for account locked hardware. I think having the option for account locks deep in the settings could be a good thing, but when you push it to the extent smartphones do it leads to a difficult secondhand market landscape. We’ve now moved into solid state technology with no regularly moving parts, which tend to last much longer. All thieves need for dissuasion is the threat of enthusiasts locking cameras to GPS track able accounts. We don’t need to be forcing the less tech-savvy consumers who don’t use the camera in areas with high theft risk to remember a password or lose access to a very expensive device.
@@mikerichardson60 I do expect them to, that's how it has been for over 50 years and why a lot of buyer chose Nikon, shame to throw away 50 years of lenses and be like the other guys.
Thank you Matt! I assume that to double the size of the buffer also mean it would take the double amount of time to empty, right? As you know with the Z9 you have to lift your finger off the shutter button for about 1 second and then the camera is ready for a new burst again. My guess is that this is a strategy Nikon have chosen finding a balance between rapid bursts and longer continuous shooting thinking that most users are better served this way. Have they misjudged their user base perhaps? When we know how close to the uncompressed original the compressed algorithm is we will also know if this is a real issue or that we can safely shift to compression when we need longer continues shoots. If that’s the case, then we have the best of both shooting modes in this camera.
That these are the issues with the Z9 really has me feeling so great about it. I'm really happy for Nikon and have less worry that they will fade into obscurity. (My first camera purchase was an Olympus and my dad's camera was a Pentax)
I agree, a password+fingerprint reader would be awesome. I would let the user to start the camera and take like 50 pictures, change photo settings but i would not allow to view images or to enter the menu without a password
Anti theft is a good idea. Maybe it could be activated by a phone so police could track it real time right after a theft. Insurance companies would like that too.
Matt, I'd like to see some tethering in your upcoming studio shoot. Especially, USB vs Cat5 vs Wireless. Thanks for all of your hard work and great z9 coverage.
Whatever the performance of the Z9, the final product is the result of a compromise, and a cost analysis ; doubling the size of the internal buffer would have undoubtly increased the price of the camera, with maybe no real added value if it appears that the HE* format provides no visible loss of image quality ...; even with the current limitation of 80 frames (for compressed raw), it should be sufficient for most use cases, considering the fact that it takes only a second to clear the buffer
WELL SAID! Regarding Nikon MUST PROVIDE A WAY FOR THE Z9 TO SHOOT WITH D-SERIES LENSES! (Sorry for the capitals) I know photographers that worship the D-Series Nikon Lenses like the 180mm A/F D f/2.8 a brilliant lens that would be a dream on the Z9 for portraits! Common Nikon make an adapter for us that for many years have kept the -Series lenses..
Good points. Anti-theft can't be that difficult. D-lens adapter would be great! I have a lot of older glass that hasn't been replaced in the current line. And I just like the look of some of my favorite lenses. If I have to scrap everything, I can't not look at all systems.
Your FTZ point is spot on. I would have gone mirrorless already if not for that. As it is I have just about decided that when the situation warrants, I go to one of the GFX cameras when I can't keep the DSLRs going because of age. If I could get the new sensor in a "Z7iii", to me that would be the way to go in the future and with the FTZ adapted to my old man world I'd be happy.
I obviously haven't used it yet but here is my list... 1. I totally agree on the port doors. 2. I also agree on the Screen lock buttons. 3. I very agree on the camera shake when doing bursts. 4. The ability to mark or insert images as a slate. 5. It can recognize all sorts of stuff. Why not printed numbers? I shoot a lot of sports and having that data in the metadata would help. Runners, cyclists, motorcycles, cars, horse jumping, etc. To expand on that how about being able to read and import transponder numbers based on location and reading a number. 6. Custom focusing screens. The screen is digital. You could import a simple jpeg/vector overlay to frame for jobs. 7. Importing an xmp file for in camera processing. 8. No true function buttons on the front in the vertical angle. 9. I'm still not happy there is no small Raw (11-25mpx Raw. There are times you need as small of an image as possible but the processing doesn't work as a jpg) 10. Built in ND filter. This would add to size but it would be amazing. 11. Lastly a quillable burst. Where the FPS can increase and decrease based on how hard the shutter is pushed. I still am getting one anyway...
The tactical feedback gripe is a great one. Mobile phones, Apple Watches, even Apple trackpads have a great way of using haptic feedback. It's so subtle but would be super useful when mechanical shutters are totally gone.
@@mattgranger Brilliant, thanks Matt...i was editing some old D850 files today that i took before getting an R5..... I love the Nikon Raw files....If the Af on the Z9 is on point, i may well switch back.
I mentioned security features/ biometrics to a Nikon rep at a local event. All he mentioned is a Kensington lock which doesn't protect a smash and grab. Whether they or other companies follow suit is a different question.
For all Z System cameras, I’d like to be able to change the colour of the focus box. I have a problem seeing the red outline on the focus cursor in AF-S mode when I’m outside and viewing the LCD screen. It would be nice to be able to change it to another colour when I need to do it. I noticed that it’s now possible with the Sony A7iv to change it.
Awesome video... Even the nit picking I would say is justified... When on gets used to a feature and goes backwards its a hassle... When I changed my car in 2017, there were so many small features, auto unlock, auto lock, brake hold that the new one had... Now when I use my older car... I always forget to do stuff... Also don't the Z9 and A1 have the same flash sync speed... A1 has a higher one in mechanical shutter (1/400)... But in silent shutter don't they both have 1/200???
Good points, some were very very nickpicking but you said it. Completely agree with the camera security. I have been following you since D7000s came out and I went and got one.
1. Has Z9 AF beam assistant from external flash? (no speedlight beam in z5,6,7) 2. Does Z9 shown zebra while shooting or only in video mode (no zebra in z5,6,7)? 3. Can zebra be shown at the same time with focus peaking? 4. Z9 reset self-timer mode when goes to sleep or turn off?
Kudos to Nikon for producing the first real pro-body MILC, and allowing an independent review. And kudos to Matt for doing a fair analysis. One other minor nice-to-have that I've wanted for years would be making the USB terminal on-the-go. Then you can just plug in a USB stick to copy files to when you don't want to remove the card, use a cable, ethernet or Snapbridge. USB-C being fairly ubiquitous and fast nowadays, especially with SSD.
I was taking pictures of my daughter on silent on my Z6ii, first no-one got annoyed but I racked up 700 pictures 😂 I do like the vibration of a shutter
I think that future versions of the Z9 could include different shaped or textured buttons for the vertical controls; say, one convex and the other with a cross-hatched surface. I love the solid, tactile feeling of the Nikon bodies, and that’s one thing I found lacking in the GFX 100, for example. I’ve owned Jeeps for years, and Chrysler/FCA/Stellantis has a good system of differing tactile buttons on the reverse side of the steering wheel.
To test if possible... on other mirrorless cameras I own, namely, the Sony A9ii and A7r4 my biggest gripe is when shooting with the EVF in a studio environment using strobes, obviously, the live preview is turned off and the EVF then supposedly acts like an OVF, sadly this isn't quite true as in a dull (ish) studio which most are and maybe has fluorescent lighting overhead or even tungsten, etc then the EVF turns to mud, its WB is all over the place, even though your output images are fine as you have preset it but the actual image we are seeing in the EVF to do the shoot with is annoying. so has the Z9 found a workaround to boost the EVF when in a studio using strobes
0:11 - 3 -> yes, they actually should produce this camera since 2019 or 2020 latest! 6:27 - RJ45 LAN port? put there an USB-C! Microphone port? Put there an other USB-C HDMI port? How about an JU-ES-BEE-CEE port?
I have to take exception to your request that Nikon introduce camera shake into the Z9 for a tactile feedback that photos are being taken. The purpose of IBIS and VR is to REDUCE camera shake and reduce motion blur in slow shutter speed photography. I also like the fact of true silent photography. True silent is needed when shooting Equestrian (so you don't spook the horses) or in shooting Golf (so you don't spook the golfer). In those situations, my suggestion is that Nikon allow a bluetooth earbuds to be paired with the camera and a simulated shutter sound be sent to those earbuds, so the photographer hears it but no one else does. I do agree that I would like to see each port have it's own "door" or cover. Another area that Nikon needs to improve upon is the 'Shots Remaining' countdown display. With larger and larger cards available, these cards hold higher numbers of photos, yet the countdown display is no where near accurate for how many stills you have left to shoot. Nor is accurate for how much video time is left on your card.
@@BigRedDogATL no mate, I didn’t. Please listen again. I said it’s easy to loose track of the data you’re racking up now, and we need to adjust. I didn’t ask them to bring vibrations back. 👂
I think the Z9 is built with durability at the forefront. The sensor shield is considerably more durable than using a photographic shutter as a guard and probably impractical to integrate in addition to a photographic shutter. The A1 achieves its high flash sync speeds with a photographic shutter. For Z9 users there is still the option of high speed sync, not the same I know but it is there. On the durability front, I think the lower button you first mention is recessed very much for this reason due too, as it's precariously positioned on the outside and lower portion of the camera. I'd rather have a recessed button than a vulnerability.
I really like that antitheft idea. 8ve heard that before and I wondered why it hasn’t happened yet. I think a face (unlocking) is probably best and a 6 digits code as an override is also better. Speed would need to be first and foremost at startup and that’s why face is probably best. You don’t want too lose the shot by struggling to enter your code or even remember it. Also find my iPhone (myNikon) feature would also be great with the ability to lock the operating system remotely, even if they can get in, and send real time area info in it by allowing it too have a cellular radio to be installed in it. Also getting a cellular radium in it (lte or 5G) can open up a lot of doors with that camera. I get we can blue tooth now and Wi-Fi too it and connect via snap bridge, which is great. Great video Matt. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
i think it should have a fully articulating screen. The flash sync thing is weird. Flash sync is base on mechanical shutter speed, this doesn't have it. If the readout is so fast it is close to what is consider a global shutter? Flashy sync should be only limited to the quality of the hss/fsp of the flash than?
The 2 port doors was to make the camera more rugged. And if you're doing some fast paced movements, it's easier to reach for one big notch in the door vs try to find the right tiny notch amount four or more doors.
I wish the screen was lined up with the lens, it's a bit off centre and it makes composition more difficult. And I wish the shutter buttons had a mode where they were pressure sensitive so the harder you press the faster the frame rate
A comparison of what is possible from the king of miniaturization, check out the UI of the Oly M1X... buttons and card door and AF for sports among many others.
Terminal covers - I'm with you on the one hand and my reasoning is about the size of the piece of "rubber". On the other hand, I'm not. As soon as you open one rubber door and plug a single connector, the weather sealing is really compromised and even having a rubber door over a single terminal creates an invalid illusion of safety.
Buffer - we seem to see that the Z 9 can do complex "raw processing" (wild-assed guessing of colors missing in the raw data) and down-sampling (reducing resolution) and compression (without losses, or with losses as in JPEG), faster than it can write data to the flash card. And the camera really benefits from faster cards. The first question is, if there was actual space left in the stacked sensor for more buffer (between sensor and Expeed 7). The second question is, if a faster or larger I/O buffer between Expeed 7 and flash cards would have been possible. That would stall the moment the camera falls back to "media speed" - as dictated by the card we use. (Within the card is a very fast buffer and a controller that runs I/O processes and protocol with the host. This controller also moves data from the buffer to the flash memory cells, applying a wear leveling process.) When the card's I/O buffer is saturated, it falls down to "media speed". As a card can be held busy with more than one thing at a time - e.g. being asked to write to different files concurrently and maybe read from files already in there - it an also be slowed down by its "IOPS" speed that is a function of the controller's and firmware's design/specifications. In a camera, I would not expect an IOPS bottleneck to be reached, but I would expect to arrive at its media speed at some point. The camera's buffer in the first place must be deep enough to not become the bottleneck relative to the card's I/O buffer (that may e.g. be limited by Voltage/power availability in the host-to-card bus within the bus's specifications dictated by the card's technology that is a version of PCIe here). Beyond that, given the very high speed of the Expeed 7 and sensor, there is limited added value of more buffer, as it is filled extremely fast. Here, the buffer depth becomes a matter of "what is photographically pragmatic" as at some point in time, the media speed is reached and we must wait for the card to fall up to controller front-end speed again. Making the camera's buffer deeper will stall the moment we bump into card media speed, but will also extend the time needed to get back to full speed again. This is an optimization problem where Nikon made a pragmatic choice, and to me it seems like the card manufacturers could do more. Aside about cards, next to (1) sustained minimum write speed, card manufacturers need to be fully transparent in the (2) buffer-to media speed behavior of their cards - these are related in a way. And card manufacturers need to be fully transparent about (3) TBW - there is no place for a ludicrous MTBF number of a card sitting in a card reader doing nothing. We, users, must be aware that the price of a card relates to (4) storage capacity, (5) top speed, (1) minimum sustained write speed, and (3) TBW. With card prices, "cheaper" means a card does less than the "expensive" card in one or all of these three - there is no free lunch. Aside about TBW: Total Bytes Written or TBW is about how many times each memory cell can be rewritten. Each cell (re) write presents the cell with an over-Voltage and wears the cell out. In electronics this would be called "brown out" I guess. Cell design determines how well a cell can survive this and determines price. A Samsung "PRO" SSD can sustain 10 times as many rewrites as an "EVO" SSD. Flash memory relies on three approaches to control the brown-out: (i) cell design, (ii) wear leveling, and (iii) physically available memory versus what is visible to user and host computer or camera. Better cell design (i) makes cards more expensive. Wear leveling places new writes in previously unused cells until the card has been fully used and then starts to reuse empty space, keeping an administration of cell usage or wear. If the card did not have wear leveling, it would have to gradually reduce storage capacity. A card's wear leveling state can be inspected with specialized software that reports card health. That software may, or may not be, available to you - depends on brand and model-series of a card. A way to increase TBW is to put more memory in than indicated on the card. The controller and firmware on the front end behave as if the space on the label is available, but the wear leveling process has more to work with. This can work out in two ways: give e.g. 2 times the cheap cells as a cheap way to get more TBW, or give more expensive cells to farther extend the TBW life expectancy significantly - there is no free lunch.
Only having 2 scroll wheels feels crazy for such a big body. Canon has two dials a scroll wheel and control wheel on the lenses or adapter, Sony A7iv has three dials and a four way scroll wheel. Kind of a big deal for quick work to not have to button then wheel.
Very fair and informative review as usual. Hopefully Nikon are listening. I’d like to see voice recognition built in to their mirrorless so instead of fumbling around for the right button and dial I could just say “exposure compensation + .7” I know they’d be some situations where it would be a challenge but in many it wouldn’t and I’d be prepared to wear a small microphone for that.
Hi, Thank you for these all videos, have followed you so long as I remember... can you please make a video for Landscape photography, Like Dynamic range, and High ISO for the nighttime sky. and How good the new Lossless RAW is (compaired to uncompressed RAW or LosslessC raw from a D850/z7)) thank you. Pre Ordered!
Hi Matt Can you test the dof preview to see if you can use it zoomed in at more than f5.6. As a z7 shooter, I have to use dof preview to take stills when the apature is set to say f8 to see what's in focus. With a wide lens it's hard to judge. If I zoom in and hit dof preview, it pops me back to full view. The canon R5 allows you to check focus range when zoomed in with dof preview. Thanks For security, Nikon can add an nft blockchain to prove ownership. Anything else is tricky. Iphones cannot be blocked in certain countries as the governments have local rules against us companies disabling local phones so iphones stolen in the usa are recycled to Asia. Phones are still one of the main items stolen worldwide, but it is a deterrent.
Having a pin would work depending on how it's implemented. Some of the other things with the phone works because you have a cell connection. Many people carry lenses that cost more than the camera so they throw the camera away and sell the lenses and other accessories. Some of the decisions Nikon made was to keep the camera below a certain price point.
@@RiposteThis The A1 is 730g and doesn't overheat, R3 is about 1000g with a battery grip, no overhearing as well. How they built Z9 as heavy as D6 is beyond me.
@@oscarshen6855 It does over heat, it cannot record for over an hour at 8k. R3 is only 24mp, so no thanks. It's easy to not over heat when you're building a full size body and not even providing 8k. The a1 doesn't even do things like animal eye af in video, has a super cheap LCD screen, so when you are using video, the a1 is not as good as it sounds when you realize all the corners they have cut, and still charge $1k more than the z9.
Nice video. Good to see some genuine feedback and not some emotional rant! I would like to have had another programmable button next to the AF-ON button on the back easily accessible with my thumb. On a side note…what camera plate are you using on the Z9? Do you recommend it?
Matt--one thing I haven't seen discussed: does the Z9 show real time highlights (zebras) with still photography to identify clipping before taking the shot? My understanding is that the Z6/7 series only allows that for video. Thanks!
08:28 Aah, I totally get it. I was recently doing my street shoots with the sd Quattro for a couple weeks and the third week went on to shoot with my XH1 and it just felt so odd to me. And that coming from a guy who loves that butter smooth, engineering masterpiece that is the quiet XH1 shutter. But that tactile feel is something else for sure. I love how cameras are akin to motorcycles and high-end cars.
Wow , what a surprise. The last time I watched your channel, you were selling all your Nikon gear and using that little bitty camera. "That Nikon Guy" is back
Matt, your camera reviews are always very even-handed and if I were a pro Nikon shooter (I shoot Canon) I would have a Z9 on pre-order. Now for my own review of this video: there's a lot of flickering visible in the background. I'm guessing you shot this in 4K/50 because Hong Kong uses PAL for video. Standard AC current in Hong Kong is 50 Hz. Maybe switch to 25 FPS for your future studio shoots. Thanks.
Matt for the hidden button you can get self adhesive rubber buttons, these are designed for people with vision disorders.
After a while they can be removed if desired with out damage ,if too high they can be trimmed down with a sharp knife to suit your needs. I seem to remember they can be purchased from Amazon as well. I hope this helps.
I just bit my trigger finger nail 😀
Matt,
Thanks for all of the hard work that your doing. I think that you have outdone yourself.
At this rate it going to be better than having a manual on this beast. As far as creators go you lead the way on the Z9.Thanks for making the best of the time that u have with this new offering.
You’ve proven that you’re one of the most fair camera reviewers on CZcams. And you actually use what you’re talking about not like some others. Well done.
Sir,Tony and Chelsea,Fro knows nothing,the Mad photographer know way more than Matt,they are true experts in their field without ever touching the Z9.
Wow,some nerve Rad,some nerve.
@@daviddowling9830 🤣🤣🤣
@@daviddowling9830 Jared and DPReview gave the most unbiased reviews. Great job by Nikon getting back in the game 😀
@@daviddowling9830 Try proof reading your posts before you hit the "reply" button. In other words, learn to construct a proper and coherent sentence with the correct pronunciation.
The anti-theft would be a welcome addition. Waiting for more reviews before I decide to buy or switch to Canon or Sony after shooting Nikon for 20 years.
After 20 years and after hearing and watching all the reviews out on the Z9, you're still considering switching?
I've been shooting Nikon for 40 years and was considering Canon R system until Z9 came out, and sticking with Nikon now is a no brainer.
Hey, but if you like bad ergonomics and frustrating menus of the Sony or the lesser DR of Canon files and the price, well knock yourself out because I have tried most of them and I can tell you that this Z9 came out just in time.
@@artsilva but flyingnikon boy is cautious like me and never believes in the Nikon fanboys reviews.
@@artsilva Bad ergonomics sony ?? Ahah
@@romainprovost7164 Glad you agree! The damn things are finger crushers, but if you have small girly hands then I guess its okay.
The a1 could only do 1/400s flash sync with mechanical shutter, the Z9 is electronic shutter only, so that's the reason.
Great video totally agree about the adaptor being able to use the older lenses they are amazing and I wanna use them with my new z6ii
A1 Sync at 1/400 with Mechanical Shutter , so with electronic shutter you have identical sync...but Z9 able to push a little bit above .
Great video. I’d love to see a video comparing Lossless RAW and High Efficiency*. That’s the biggest thing advantage of the Z9 if there really is no difference like they say.
agreed. i’m starting to suspect HE* might actually be mathematically lossless, and i’d love to know if that were true
Sony a1 has 1/200 flash sync with electronic shutter. For 1/400 flash sync it uses a mechanical shutter, which travels across sensor even faster than electronic one. As Z9 only has electronic shutter, even while it's a bit faster than a1 e-shutter, it is still slower than a1 mechanical shutter.
….the Z9 also has a 1/200 flash sync and basically shoots at the same frame rates … so not really sure it’s scan and readout speeds are all that much faster then the A1… if they are faster at all, it’s not a material difference, just an on paper difference important only as a marketing item
“Of course, no camera is perfect…”
All I want is the perfect camera, all I want is the perfect camera… ;)
Thanks for the shoutout for an adapter with D lens support btw.
Agreed! It would make my Z5 or Z6 purchase a no brainer. Right now thinking DSLR but feel like that would be dead end.
As someone from the electronic repair industry, I would caution against pushing too hard for account locked hardware. I think having the option for account locks deep in the settings could be a good thing, but when you push it to the extent smartphones do it leads to a difficult secondhand market landscape. We’ve now moved into solid state technology with no regularly moving parts, which tend to last much longer. All thieves need for dissuasion is the threat of enthusiasts locking cameras to GPS track able accounts. We don’t need to be forcing the less tech-savvy consumers who don’t use the camera in areas with high theft risk to remember a password or lose access to a very expensive device.
completely agree, add screwdriver adapter
D lenses adapter would be fantastic, the rest of you suggestions would be nice.
I totally agree!
D lenses are silly on the most modern mirrorless Nikon. You can't expect Nikon to keep supporting old glass forever.
@@mikerichardson60 I do expect them to, that's how it has been for over 50 years and why a lot of buyer chose Nikon, shame to throw away 50 years of lenses and be like the other guys.
Thank you Matt! I assume that to double the size of the buffer also mean it would take the double amount of time to empty, right? As you know with the Z9 you have to lift your finger off the shutter button for about 1 second and then the camera is ready for a new burst again. My guess is that this is a strategy Nikon have chosen finding a balance between rapid bursts and longer continuous shooting thinking that most users are better served this way. Have they misjudged their user base perhaps? When we know how close to the uncompressed original the compressed algorithm is we will also know if this is a real issue or that we can safely shift to compression when we need longer continues shoots. If that’s the case, then we have the best of both shooting modes in this camera.
That these are the issues with the Z9 really has me feeling so great about it. I'm really happy for Nikon and have less worry that they will fade into obscurity. (My first camera purchase was an Olympus and my dad's camera was a Pentax)
it baffles me, that for all these years not a single manufacturer didn't implement some sort of anti-theft tech at least in their top line cameras
I can't wait to see, which firmware-update will come for the Z9. I was very impressed by the functions which were add for the other Z-Cams
I agree, a password+fingerprint reader would be awesome. I would let the user to start the camera and take like 50 pictures, change photo settings but i would not allow to view images or to enter the menu without a password
Love reviews like this! No camera is perfect, good photographers just work around the imperfections.
Anti theft is a good idea. Maybe it could be activated by a phone so police could track it real time right after a theft. Insurance companies would like that too.
I agree most with an adapter for my older glass.
I have the 28 1.4D and agree with adapter! The rest are meh, non-issue.. 😁
Matt, I'd like to see some tethering in your upcoming studio shoot. Especially, USB vs Cat5 vs Wireless. Thanks for all of your hard work and great z9 coverage.
Whatever the performance of the Z9, the final product is the result of a compromise, and a cost analysis ; doubling the size of the internal buffer would have undoubtly increased the price of the camera, with maybe no real added value if it appears that the HE* format provides no visible loss of image quality ...; even with the current limitation of 80 frames (for compressed raw), it should be sufficient for most use cases, considering the fact that it takes only a second to clear the buffer
WELL SAID! Regarding Nikon MUST PROVIDE A WAY FOR THE Z9 TO SHOOT WITH D-SERIES LENSES! (Sorry for the capitals) I know photographers that worship the D-Series Nikon Lenses like the 180mm A/F D f/2.8 a brilliant lens that would be a dream on the Z9 for portraits! Common Nikon make an adapter for us that for many years have kept the -Series lenses..
Agree the most with your comments regarding anti-theft provision. It wouldn't seem hard to do.
Good points. Anti-theft can't be that difficult. D-lens adapter would be great! I have a lot of older glass that hasn't been replaced in the current line. And I just like the look of some of my favorite lenses. If I have to scrap everything, I can't not look at all systems.
Your FTZ point is spot on. I would have gone mirrorless already if not for that. As it is I have just about decided that when the situation warrants, I go to one of the GFX cameras when I can't keep the DSLRs going because of age. If I could get the new sensor in a "Z7iii", to me that would be the way to go in the future and with the FTZ adapted to my old man world I'd be happy.
I obviously haven't used it yet but here is my list...
1. I totally agree on the port doors.
2. I also agree on the Screen lock buttons.
3. I very agree on the camera shake when doing bursts.
4. The ability to mark or insert images as a slate.
5. It can recognize all sorts of stuff. Why not printed numbers? I shoot a lot of sports and having that data in the metadata would help. Runners, cyclists, motorcycles, cars, horse jumping, etc. To expand on that how about being able to read and import transponder numbers based on location and reading a number.
6. Custom focusing screens. The screen is digital. You could import a simple jpeg/vector overlay to frame for jobs.
7. Importing an xmp file for in camera processing.
8. No true function buttons on the front in the vertical angle.
9. I'm still not happy there is no small Raw (11-25mpx Raw. There are times you need as small of an image as possible but the processing doesn't work as a jpg)
10. Built in ND filter. This would add to size but it would be amazing.
11. Lastly a quillable burst. Where the FPS can increase and decrease based on how hard the shutter is pushed.
I still am getting one anyway...
The tactical feedback gripe is a great one. Mobile phones, Apple Watches, even Apple trackpads have a great way of using haptic feedback. It's so subtle but would be super useful when mechanical shutters are totally gone.
As a wildlife photographer. mainly birds in flight, i would love to see a video testing that side of the Z9's performance.....
Coming sokn
@@mattgranger Brilliant, thanks Matt...i was editing some old D850 files today that i took before getting an R5..... I love the Nikon Raw files....If the Af on the Z9 is on point, i may well switch back.
agree. tactile feedback should be done as well as better buttons, doors etc. but hey where do you think a killer price came from?
Cool camera, wish I had a reason to justify the expense. I never considered the idea of a digital lock for cameras. Great idea, thanks for pushing it.
haptic feedback on the shutter buttons would be nice. also a way to have the audio feedback go to a bluetooth earbud instead of out loud would be nice
hilarious .... that beginning was fun 👍 now to see the rest ...
Another great and practical vid from Mat
I mentioned security features/ biometrics to a Nikon rep at a local event. All he mentioned is a Kensington lock which doesn't protect a smash and grab.
Whether they or other companies follow suit is a different question.
For all Z System cameras, I’d like to be able to change the colour of the focus box. I have a problem seeing the red outline on the focus cursor in AF-S mode when I’m outside and viewing the LCD screen. It would be nice to be able to change it to another colour when I need to do it. I noticed that it’s now possible with the Sony A7iv to change it.
Great video Matt, thank you. I ordered my camera, on the day it was announced.
I expect that function button on the vertical grip will be really problematic when shooting with gloves on.
You are a real photographer I agree with all your ideas
One question, Matt. Does the Z9 have Animal Eye Autofocus and tracking also in Video Mode? The A1 does not, the R5 has.
Yes it does
@@mattgranger Super 👍 Thank you!
The security idea is a very good idea.
Awesome video... Even the nit picking I would say is justified... When on gets used to a feature and goes backwards its a hassle... When I changed my car in 2017, there were so many small features, auto unlock, auto lock, brake hold that the new one had... Now when I use my older car... I always forget to do stuff...
Also don't the Z9 and A1 have the same flash sync speed... A1 has a higher one in mechanical shutter (1/400)... But in silent shutter don't they both have 1/200???
Good points, some were very very nickpicking but you said it. Completely agree with the camera security. I have been following you since D7000s came out and I went and got one.
1. Has Z9 AF beam assistant from external flash? (no speedlight beam in z5,6,7)
2. Does Z9 shown zebra while shooting or only in video mode (no zebra in z5,6,7)?
3. Can zebra be shown at the same time with focus peaking?
4. Z9 reset self-timer mode when goes to sleep or turn off?
Great video Matt. Totally agree.
Do not add extra lock to the rear screen... it is already too difficult to flip up quickly especially with gloves.
Kudos to Nikon for producing the first real pro-body MILC, and allowing an independent review. And kudos to Matt for doing a fair analysis. One other minor nice-to-have that I've wanted for years would be making the USB terminal on-the-go. Then you can just plug in a USB stick to copy files to when you don't want to remove the card, use a cable, ethernet or Snapbridge. USB-C being fairly ubiquitous and fast nowadays, especially with SSD.
I was taking pictures of my daughter on silent on my Z6ii, first no-one got annoyed but I racked up 700 pictures 😂 I do like the vibration of a shutter
I think that future versions of the Z9 could include different shaped or textured buttons for the vertical controls; say, one convex and the other with a cross-hatched surface. I love the solid, tactile feeling of the Nikon bodies, and that’s one thing I found lacking in the GFX 100, for example. I’ve owned Jeeps for years, and Chrysler/FCA/Stellantis has a good system of differing tactile buttons on the reverse side of the steering wheel.
To test if possible... on other mirrorless cameras I own, namely, the Sony A9ii and A7r4 my biggest gripe is when shooting with the EVF in a studio environment using strobes, obviously, the live preview is turned off and the EVF then supposedly acts like an OVF, sadly this isn't quite true as in a dull (ish) studio which most are and maybe has fluorescent lighting overhead or even tungsten, etc then the EVF turns to mud, its WB is all over the place, even though your output images are fine as you have preset it but the actual image we are seeing in the EVF to do the shoot with is annoying. so has the Z9 found a workaround to boost the EVF when in a studio using strobes
Yes please…. please: D mount adapter (auto focusing)
0:11 - 3 -> yes, they actually should produce this camera since 2019 or 2020 latest!
6:27 - RJ45 LAN port? put there an USB-C! Microphone port? Put there an other USB-C HDMI port? How about an JU-ES-BEE-CEE port?
Would anyone trade their D850 for this? Trying to decide lol
I have to take exception to your request that Nikon introduce camera shake into the Z9 for a tactile feedback that photos are being taken. The purpose of IBIS and VR is to REDUCE camera shake and reduce motion blur in slow shutter speed photography. I also like the fact of true silent photography. True silent is needed when shooting Equestrian (so you don't spook the horses) or in shooting Golf (so you don't spook the golfer). In those situations, my suggestion is that Nikon allow a bluetooth earbuds to be paired with the camera and a simulated shutter sound be sent to those earbuds, so the photographer hears it but no one else does.
I do agree that I would like to see each port have it's own "door" or cover.
Another area that Nikon needs to improve upon is the 'Shots Remaining' countdown display. With larger and larger cards available, these cards hold higher numbers of photos, yet the countdown display is no where near accurate for how many stills you have left to shoot. Nor is accurate for how much video time is left on your card.
I didn’t ask they introduce camera shake 😂
@@mattgranger Yes you did. You said you wanted the D6/D5 shutter slap back. That shutter slap introduced shake in the camera.
@@BigRedDogATL no mate, I didn’t. Please listen again. I said it’s easy to loose track of the data you’re racking up now, and we need to adjust. I didn’t ask them to bring vibrations back. 👂
I think the Z9 is built with durability at the forefront. The sensor shield is considerably more durable than using a photographic shutter as a guard and probably impractical to integrate in addition to a photographic shutter. The A1 achieves its high flash sync speeds with a photographic shutter. For Z9 users there is still the option of high speed sync, not the same I know but it is there.
On the durability front, I think the lower button you first mention is recessed very much for this reason due too, as it's precariously positioned on the outside and lower portion of the camera. I'd rather have a recessed button than a vulnerability.
Can you test high ISO vs Z7. Also, show the difference with the high efficiency and efficiency star variations close up to see the difference.
the bus bandwidth and speed also matters when data is transfered from buffer to card. so, it might not make a difference if future cards are faster.
I really like that antitheft idea. 8ve heard that before and I wondered why it hasn’t happened yet. I think a face (unlocking) is probably best and a 6 digits code as an override is also better. Speed would need to be first and foremost at startup and that’s why face is probably best. You don’t want too lose the shot by struggling to enter your code or even remember it. Also find my iPhone (myNikon) feature would also be great with the ability to lock the operating system remotely, even if they can get in, and send real time area info in it by allowing it too have a cellular radio to be installed in it. Also getting a cellular radium in it (lte or 5G) can open up a lot of doors with that camera. I get we can blue tooth now and Wi-Fi too it and connect via snap bridge, which is great. Great video Matt. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
@Photogopinion I think it would be better though, and there are clever ways to do it. It wouldn’t be perfect. No doubt it’s the way of the future.
i think it should have a fully articulating screen. The flash sync thing is weird. Flash sync is base on mechanical shutter speed, this doesn't have it. If the readout is so fast it is close to what is consider a global shutter? Flashy sync should be only limited to the quality of the hss/fsp of the flash than?
The 2 port doors was to make the camera more rugged. And if you're doing some fast paced movements, it's easier to reach for one big notch in the door vs try to find the right tiny notch amount four or more doors.
I wish the screen was lined up with the lens, it's a bit off centre and it makes composition more difficult. And I wish the shutter buttons had a mode where they were pressure sensitive so the harder you press the faster the frame rate
😂
A comparison of what is possible from the king of miniaturization, check out the UI of the Oly M1X... buttons and card door and AF for sports among many others.
Hello Matt, do you know of an L bracket for the Z9? This is an absolute must have for landscape/macro work … really enjoy your videos!
Great video! Classic t-shirt 👌👍🔝
HI Matt! Could you please test it out for small birds and birds In flight?
Yep.
Terminal covers - I'm with you on the one hand and my reasoning is about the size of the piece of "rubber". On the other hand, I'm not. As soon as you open one rubber door and plug a single connector, the weather sealing is really compromised and even having a rubber door over a single terminal creates an invalid illusion of safety.
Not sure having vibrations feedback is the best idea for the sensor.
I am not asking them to add vibrations - just that the lack of feedback is something you have to adjust to.
Great honest review Matt , Z9 exciting camera and well done on your real life testing with no BS and the real deal review !
Hey Matt, after this time using Z9 do you have and points that you would like to add to or remove from this list ?
Excellent idea for security
Buffer - we seem to see that the Z 9 can do complex "raw processing" (wild-assed guessing of colors missing in the raw data) and down-sampling (reducing resolution) and compression (without losses, or with losses as in JPEG), faster than it can write data to the flash card. And the camera really benefits from faster cards. The first question is, if there was actual space left in the stacked sensor for more buffer (between sensor and Expeed 7). The second question is, if a faster or larger I/O buffer between Expeed 7 and flash cards would have been possible. That would stall the moment the camera falls back to "media speed" - as dictated by the card we use. (Within the card is a very fast buffer and a controller that runs I/O processes and protocol with the host. This controller also moves data from the buffer to the flash memory cells, applying a wear leveling process.) When the card's I/O buffer is saturated, it falls down to "media speed". As a card can be held busy with more than one thing at a time - e.g. being asked to write to different files concurrently and maybe read from files already in there - it an also be slowed down by its "IOPS" speed that is a function of the controller's and firmware's design/specifications. In a camera, I would not expect an IOPS bottleneck to be reached, but I would expect to arrive at its media speed at some point. The camera's buffer in the first place must be deep enough to not become the bottleneck relative to the card's I/O buffer (that may e.g. be limited by Voltage/power availability in the host-to-card bus within the bus's specifications dictated by the card's technology that is a version of PCIe here). Beyond that, given the very high speed of the Expeed 7 and sensor, there is limited added value of more buffer, as it is filled extremely fast. Here, the buffer depth becomes a matter of "what is photographically pragmatic" as at some point in time, the media speed is reached and we must wait for the card to fall up to controller front-end speed again. Making the camera's buffer deeper will stall the moment we bump into card media speed, but will also extend the time needed to get back to full speed again. This is an optimization problem where Nikon made a pragmatic choice, and to me it seems like the card manufacturers could do more.
Aside about cards, next to (1) sustained minimum write speed, card manufacturers need to be fully transparent in the (2) buffer-to media speed behavior of their cards - these are related in a way. And card manufacturers need to be fully transparent about (3) TBW - there is no place for a ludicrous MTBF number of a card sitting in a card reader doing nothing. We, users, must be aware that the price of a card relates to (4) storage capacity, (5) top speed, (1) minimum sustained write speed, and (3) TBW. With card prices, "cheaper" means a card does less than the "expensive" card in one or all of these three - there is no free lunch.
Aside about TBW: Total Bytes Written or TBW is about how many times each memory cell can be rewritten. Each cell (re) write presents the cell with an over-Voltage and wears the cell out. In electronics this would be called "brown out" I guess. Cell design determines how well a cell can survive this and determines price. A Samsung "PRO" SSD can sustain 10 times as many rewrites as an "EVO" SSD. Flash memory relies on three approaches to control the brown-out: (i) cell design, (ii) wear leveling, and (iii) physically available memory versus what is visible to user and host computer or camera. Better cell design (i) makes cards more expensive. Wear leveling places new writes in previously unused cells until the card has been fully used and then starts to reuse empty space, keeping an administration of cell usage or wear. If the card did not have wear leveling, it would have to gradually reduce storage capacity. A card's wear leveling state can be inspected with specialized software that reports card health. That software may, or may not be, available to you - depends on brand and model-series of a card. A way to increase TBW is to put more memory in than indicated on the card. The controller and firmware on the front end behave as if the space on the label is available, but the wear leveling process has more to work with. This can work out in two ways: give e.g. 2 times the cheap cells as a cheap way to get more TBW, or give more expensive cells to farther extend the TBW life expectancy significantly - there is no free lunch.
Nikon needs to take a look at Sony's LA-EA5 lens adapter for inspiration.
The Anti-Theft considaration is really a point!! Thanks.
i'll be putting a little bump sticker on the function button then ;)
Only having 2 scroll wheels feels crazy for such a big body. Canon has two dials a scroll wheel and control wheel on the lenses or adapter, Sony A7iv has three dials and a four way scroll wheel. Kind of a big deal for quick work to not have to button then wheel.
There is another on the new lenses
Thanks Matt
Very fair and informative review as usual. Hopefully Nikon are listening. I’d like to see voice recognition built in to their mirrorless so instead of fumbling around for the right button and dial I could just say “exposure compensation + .7” I know they’d be some situations where it would be a challenge but in many it wouldn’t and I’d be prepared to wear a small microphone for that.
Very valid points
Great video with lots of feedback on the new system. Good call on the antitheft security request. Seems like a no brainer!
Hi, Thank you for these all videos, have followed you so long as I remember... can you please make a video for Landscape photography, Like Dynamic range, and High ISO for the nighttime sky. and How good the new Lossless RAW is (compaired to uncompressed RAW or LosslessC raw from a D850/z7)) thank you. Pre Ordered!
Hi Matt
Can you test the dof preview to see if you can use it zoomed in at more than f5.6. As a z7 shooter, I have to use dof preview to take stills when the apature is set to say f8 to see what's in focus. With a wide lens it's hard to judge. If I zoom in and hit dof preview, it pops me back to full view. The canon R5 allows you to check focus range when zoomed in with dof preview. Thanks
For security, Nikon can add an nft blockchain to prove ownership. Anything else is tricky. Iphones cannot be blocked in certain countries as the governments have local rules against us companies disabling local phones so iphones stolen in the usa are recycled to Asia. Phones are still one of the main items stolen worldwide, but it is a deterrent.
Please Demonstrate on camera flash photography with the auto focus assist for like events.
You may find the af is powerful enough not to need af assist
Having a pin would work depending on how it's implemented. Some of the other things with the phone works because you have a cell connection. Many people carry lenses that cost more than the camera so they throw the camera away and sell the lenses and other accessories.
Some of the decisions Nikon made was to keep the camera below a certain price point.
I dont like the rubber flaps covering the ports. making them a solid door would have been great. on my Z6 they just dont close like they used to.
The most important point, how did they manage to make the camera so heavy without mirror or even a mechinical shutter?
Takes a lot of metal to cool a camera that can shoot 8k for over an hour.
@@RiposteThis The A1 is 730g and doesn't overheat, R3 is about 1000g with a battery grip, no overhearing as well. How they built Z9 as heavy as D6 is beyond me.
@@oscarshen6855 It does over heat, it cannot record for over an hour at 8k. R3 is only 24mp, so no thanks. It's easy to not over heat when you're building a full size body and not even providing 8k. The a1 doesn't even do things like animal eye af in video, has a super cheap LCD screen, so when you are using video, the a1 is not as good as it sounds when you realize all the corners they have cut, and still charge $1k more than the z9.
@@oscarshen6855 the A1 can't shoot 8K for 2hrs.. Big difference
Nice video. Good to see some genuine feedback and not some emotional rant! I would like to have had another programmable button next to the AF-ON button on the back easily accessible with my thumb. On a side note…what camera plate are you using on the Z9? Do you recommend it?
Matt--one thing I haven't seen discussed: does the Z9 show real time highlights (zebras) with still photography to identify clipping before taking the shot? My understanding is that the Z6/7 series only allows that for video. Thanks!
how does it work at night(life)? focusing fast moving objects at night.
A good anti theft measure could be a retina scanner within the evf when the camera turns on
Dynamic range tests with different video codecs and shooting profiles!
08:28 Aah, I totally get it. I was recently doing my street shoots with the sd Quattro for a couple weeks and the third week went on to shoot with my XH1 and it just felt so odd to me. And that coming from a guy who loves that butter smooth, engineering masterpiece that is the quiet XH1 shutter. But that tactile feel is something else for sure. I love how cameras are akin to motorcycles and high-end cars.
Wow , what a surprise. The last time I watched your channel, you were selling all your Nikon gear and using that little bitty camera. "That Nikon Guy" is back
I sold Nikon DSLR and bought Nikon mirrorless
the entro shocked me!
Why is the resolution of the viewfinder so lower than the Canon R3 ? This is something Nikon should have worked on....
Matt, your camera reviews are always very even-handed and if I were a pro Nikon shooter (I shoot Canon) I would have a Z9 on pre-order. Now for my own review of this video: there's a lot of flickering visible in the background. I'm guessing you shot this in 4K/50 because Hong Kong uses PAL for video. Standard AC current in Hong Kong is 50 Hz. Maybe switch to 25 FPS for your future studio shoots. Thanks.
Noticed that too...
Rear light is a battery powered usa led light fyi 👍🏼
@@mattgranger thanks. Still, it was noticeably flickering. Maybe from the front light? It didn't affect your face that I could see.
How does the Z9 handle banding when shooting with strobing light sources with electronic shutter only?
+1 for AF-D capable adapter
awesome, i've signed the petition as well, great idea for camera companies to implement this.