The Nikon Z9 is officially its new full-frame flagship – here’s our analysis of all its rumored specs.
The Nikon Z9 is now officially its incoming full-frame mirrorless flagship camera for pros, thanks to a recent development announcement. While we have very few official specs to go on, some recent rumors have potentially filled in the sketch that Nikon has drawn for a camera that it’s promised will ‘surpass’ the Nikon D6, its current top-of-the-range DSLR. This makes the Nikon Z9 something of a watershed moment for cameras – as the spiritual successor to the Nikon D6, it marks the end of an era where DSLRs were the format of choice of pro sports flagships. The rumored specs for the Nikon Z9, which we’ve examined in depth below, provide a few hints as to why Nikon has decided that now is the time to make a mirrorless equivalent of the D6. Another huge factor is the Z9’s choice of sensor tech, which is one of the few things that Nikon has, so far, officially confirmed. Overall, the Nikon Z9 is shaping up to be a very capable and expensive hybrid camera, intended to provide the speed and image quality (for both stills and video) that pros demand. It will sit above the Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z6 II, and will compete, almost spec-for-spec, with the incredibly advanced Sony A1. But how exactly is it planning to do that and in what ways will it take Nikon’s mirrorless camera tech forward? Here’s our analysis of all the latest rumors that Nikon will reportedly be test-driving at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Nikon Z9 is expected to be released towards the end of the year, with Nikon Rumors claiming it’ll be in “the fall of 2021”. In other words, sometime between September and November. It seems feasible that Nikon will use demo shots around the Tokyo Olympics, which start on 23 July, to tease the camera, then announce an on-sale date within the next month or two after the games finish. However, right now, all Nikon has officially said is that “information regarding the release of this product will be announced at a later date”. So we’re awaiting further official updates on that. How much is the Nikon Z9 likely to cost? Naturally, it’s expected to be considerably pricier than the likes of the Nikon Z7 II. In fact, it will part of an interesting new category of mirrorless cameras aimed at very well-heeled enthusiasts and demanding professionals. Right now, the latest speculation is that the Nikon Z9 will cost between $6,000 and $7,000, which would likely equate to around £6,000 / AU$10,700. These are currently very rough guesses, but that price tag would put it in similar territory to the Sony A1, which costs $6,500 / £6,500 / AU$10,499. At that price, there are several very attractive competitors. You could spend a little less on the Fujifilm GFX100S, which has an even larger medium format sensor, but slower burst shooting. The Z9’s rumored price is also roughly twice as much as the Nikon Z7 II – though as we’ll see, the Z9 does promise to take Nikon’s mirrorless cameras to another level. Design is where the Nikon Z9 separates completely from cameras like the Canon EOS R5 and Sony A1. It looks much more like a Nikon D6 DSLR, with a large battery grip. The Z9 will apparently leave out the D6’s second rear display, but that’s a simple monochrome mode screen, so wouldn’t be a huge loss – as long as the functionality is compensated for elsewhere. You can expect the Nikon Z9 to be lighter than the monster 1.
