Nikon has continued to make leaps and bounds in its improvements to mirrorless cameras, and while it's a bit of a late start in the mirrorless world , it's clear that it's stepped up in a big way.
The Nikon Z9 is proof of this, Nikon's new flagship as far as professional mirrorless cameras are concerned. A really powerful and demanding full frame camera, with everything you could ask for in a highly professional mirrorless camera today (and a little more ? ).
IDEAL USER TYPE
This full-frame mirrorless camera is geared toward the professional photographer looking to make the leap from DSLR to mirrorless.
It is primarily intended for Nikon-using photographers who finally have at their disposal a highly professional mirrorless camera to combine with their equipment and SLR lenses (via adapter).
It is not a camera designed for an amateur photographer due to its features, price and even size and weight.
Here you can see his presentation video:
THE BEST OF THE NIKON Z9
The Nikon Z9 is the answer to professional photographers who expected a mirrorless camera from Nikon to meet their demands.
The ergonomics and design of this camera is in line with professional Nikon SLRs (slightly smaller than the D6), so Nikon photographers who make the leap to this impressive mirrorless will easily get used to it.
Its good grip, its sealed and robust body and a size and weight that is more in line with its SLRs than what we have been seeing in some very small and light mirrorless lenses is, however, balanced with professional lenses, which are always heavier.
It has a 4-axis vertical folding touch screen, viewfinder without blackout (you never lose sight of the scene), double card slot, image sensor protector, illuminated buttons for low-light situations, microphone to record notes of voice etc.
This 47 MP full-frame camera stands out for its impressive image quality and good dynamic range, but above all for its powerful autofocus, capable of tracking all kinds of subjects even when they take up little space in the frame.
Also noteworthy is its impressive shooting speed (up to 120 fps with full AF/AE), its color treatment or the possibility of working with highly efficient RAW file formats that reduce file size without loss of quality.
Although the price may seem outrageous for an amateur user, the truth is that in the professional range, it is a very competitive price. Around €6,500.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE NIKON Z9
| ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
|---|---|
 Robust, sealed and ergonomic body |
 Unstandardized and expensive memory cards |
| Image quality and dynamic range |
Few lenses from other brands |
| AF performance |
Weight |
| Competitive price |
NIKON Z9: FEATURES
| Model | Nikon Z9 |
| Body |  |
| lens mount | Nikon Z mount |
| Guy | mirrorless |
| Sensor | Full format CMOS FX |
| megapixels | 45.7MP |
| Processor | EXPEED 7 |
| Viewfinder | 3690K OLED electronic with 100% coverage |
| Screen | Tilt-tilt TFT touch LCD with 170° viewing angle vertically and horizontally 2100k dots |
| AF points | 493 |
| maximum shutter speed | From 1/32000 to 30 s |
| frames per second | up to 120fps with full AF/AE, 20fps at full resolution |
| integrated stabilizer | Yes, 5 axis |
| card slot | 2 (CFexpress Type B, XQD) |
| video resolution | 8k UHD |
| integrated flash | No |
| ISO | 64 to 25600 (expandable) |
| Battery Type | EN-EL18d |
| battery life | 700 shots approx. |
| sealed body | Yeah |
| Dimensions (W,H,D) | 149 x 149.5 x 90.5mm |
| Weight | 1340g |
| body only price | Approx €6,500 |
You can read the full specifications hereand in this other linkthe complete presentation.
NIKON Z9 PRICE
Buying the Nikon Z9 involves an outlay of about €6,500 which, although as I mentioned before, may seem like an excessive price, in the range in which this camera is located it is actually a very competitive price.
You can compare it with its main competitors in the following section.
MAIN COMPETITORS OF THE NIKON Z9
It is usual to look for the comparison of the Nikon Z9 with the Sony A1 or the Canon R3, but, although they have some differences, they are professional cameras with a very similar potential that will hardly convince or justify a professional photographer to make a change of brand with everything that this entails (compatibilities with the equipment, optics, etc.).
However, I will leave you with the main features regarding the Sony A1 and the Canon R3 below.
NIKON Z9 VS. SONY A1
Let's see one of the most common comparisons since they are two very powerful cameras with similar features but also with some differences:
| Model | Nikon Z9 | sony a1 |
| Body | |
 |
| lens mount | Nikon Z mount | E-mount |
| Guy | mirrorless | mirrorless |
| Sensor | Full format CMOS FX | Full frame Exmor R CMOS sensor |
| megapixels | 45.7MP | 50.1MP |
| Processor | EXPEED 7 | BIONZ XR |
| Viewfinder | 3690K OLED electronic with 100% coverage | 9.44 MP OLED electronic with 100% coverage |
| Screen | Tilt-tilt TFT touch LCD with 170° viewing angle vertically and horizontally 2100k dots | 3.0″ and 1.44 MP flip-up touch LCD |
| AF points | 493 | 759 |
| maximum shutter speed | From 1/32000 to 30 s | From 1/32000 to 30 s |
| frames per second | up to 120fps with full AF/AE, 20fps at full resolution | 30fps |
| integrated stabilizer | Yes, 5 axis | Yes, 5-axis and up to 5.5 steps |
| card slot | 2 (CFexpress Type B, XQD) | 2 (CFexpress Type A, SD) |
| video resolution | 8k UHD | XAVC HS 8K |
| integrated flash | No | No |
| ISO | 64 to 25600 (expandable) | 100-32000 (expandable) |
| Battery Type | EN-EL18d | NP-FZ100 |
| battery life | 700 | 430 shots approx. (viewfinder)/ approx. 530 shots (LCD screen) |
| sealed body | Yeah | Yeah |
| Dimensions (W,H,D) | 149 x 149.5 x 90.5mm | 128.9 x 96.9 x 80.8mm |
| Weight | 1340g | 737g |
| body only price | Approx €6,500 | Approx €7,300 |
The main differences between these two cameras are weight, size, and price.
The rest of the main features are those of advanced professional cameras, fields in which both meet with excellence.
NIKON Z9 VS. CANON R3
Another of the usual comparisons when we think about buying the Nikon Z9 is the Canon R3. Let's see its main features as well:
| Model | Nikon Z9 | Canon R3 |
| Body | |
 |
| lens mount | Nikon Z mount | Canon RF mount |
| Guy | mirrorless | mirrorless |
| Sensor | CMOS FX | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II |
| megapixels | 45.7MP | 24.1MP |
| Processor | EXPEED 7 | DIGIC-X |
| Viewfinder | 3690K OLED electronic with 100% coverage | 5.76 million dot OLED electronic with 100% coverage |
| Screen | Tilt-tilt TFT touch LCD with 170° viewing angle vertically and horizontally 2100k dots | 8.2 cm 4.2 MP fully articulating touchscreen |
| AF points | 493 | 759 |
| maximum shutter speed | From 1/32000 to 30 s | From 1/8000 s to 30s (mechanical) |
| frames per second | up to 120fps with full AF/AE, 20fps at full resolution | up to 30 fps or 12 fps with mechanical shutter |
| integrated stabilizer | Yes, 5 axis | Yes, up to 8 steps |
| card slot | 2 (CFexpress Type B, XQD) | 2 |
| video resolution | 8k UHD | 6K |
| integrated flash | No | No |
| ISO | 64 to 25600 (expandable) | 100-102400 (expandable) |
| Battery Type | EN-EL18d | LP-E19 |
| battery life | 700 | 860 |
| sealed body | Yeah | Yeah |
| Dimensions (W,H,D) | 149 x 149.5 x 90.5mm | 150 x 142.6 x 87.2mm |
| Weight | 1340g | 1015g |
| body only price | Approx €6,500 | Approx €6,440 |
As you can see, both cameras move in the same segment of both prices and benefits.
There is a difference in the weight or in the folding screen for which you need a fully articulated screen, in the video resolution or in the MP, but both perform perfectly in their field.
NIKON Z9 MANUAL
If you are looking for the manual for this professional mirrorless camera, you can download it on Nikon's own website.
GALLERY
Here are some sample images taken with the Nikon Z9:
If you are looking for a Nikon camera or want to know more about accessories, lenses, etc., do not miss our complete guide to Nikon cameras and lenses, where you will find all the information collected about this powerful brand.
