Nikon Z9 Announcement from Nikon—Big Promises, Few Details
Nikon on March 9 issued a press release which sure looks like desparation. Market leaders Sony and Fujifilm don’t issue such things. My recollection is that Canon did for the R5, but Canon is also a laggard in market share terms at this point.
Premature enough that the Z9 form factor isn’t even yet pinned down: “appearance of the camera may differ from the photo shown above”, captioning the low-res image of a big brick camera design that looks like a DSLR. And a camera that no one is going to love for its size and weight.
The Z9 is “scheduled for release in 2021” which is not the same as saying it will ship in 2021, since schedules are subject to change.
But rest assured that it will bring “an unprecedented imaging experience from capture to workflow exceeding that of previous digital-SLR and mirrorless cameras”. But never mind the details, which aren’t offered until a “later time”, or that Nikon-designed workflow software is sure to be as big a turd as have all other vendor-supplied software failures ever been.
I do hope that Nikon succeeds in re-invigorating their market share, because the market needs at least four strong competitors—we all win when these companies battle it out.
NIKON IS DEVELOPING THE NIKON Z 9 FULL-FRAME FLAGSHIP MIRRORLESS CAMERA
MELVILLE, NY – Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the development of the first flagship model for which the Nikon Z mount has been adopted: The Nikon Z 9. The full-frame (Nikon FX-format) mirrorless camera is scheduled for release in 2021, and represents a significant leap in technology and performance.
The Z 9 brings together Nikon's groundbreaking technologies to deliver the best still and video performance in Nikon history, meeting the advanced needs of professionals in a wide range of genres. It utilizes a newly developed FX-format stacked CMOS sensor and new image-processing engine. In response to the growing needs of professionals, advanced enthusiasts and cinematographers, it includes support for 8K video recording as well as various other video specifications that fulfill diverse needs and workflows. The Z 9 embodies ultimate usability as a tool, offering users an unprecedented imaging experience from capture to workflow exceeding that of previous digital-SLR and mirrorless cameras.
Information regarding the release of this product will be announced at a later date.
For more information about current Nikon products, including the Nikon Z series camera line and NIKKOR Z lens lineup, please visit www.nikonusa.com.
Roy P has an industry and photographer viewpoint:
Yes, they are trying to stem the bleeding. On the B&H site, if you search for Z lenses, you will find a modest, but pretty complete line up of essential staples for the Z system. It’s clear they are scrambling to transition to mirrorless.
I think they will have enough of a core loyal base to hang on to, but a lot of damage has been done, as people have left. I was a Nikon user since buying the D100, through the D810 and the D4. But those were my last DSLRs, and that was like in 2013, when the original Sony A7R came out. I was among the first to exit Nikon and DSLRs, but only because I had been a user of the Sony NEX since 2011, and familiar with Sony. One of my friends, an ardent Nikon fan and a wildlife / bird shooter finally threw in the towel in 2019 when the Sony A9 II came out.
So Nikon has lost a lot of its user base – I’d guess a good 50%, maybe more. Sony has been the biggest beneficiary, with Canon as the second biggest. It will be interesting to see what the new market share numbers are like for the 35mm full-frame segment. I’d guess Sony and Canon are #1 and #2, with neck-and-neck market share, in the 20-25% range, maybe more, and Nikon is probably now down to something like 10%.
DIGLLOYD: I wish Nikon the best of luck. But I can’t see being a buyer of a big bulky brick camera just so I can have the 8K video and fast sports shooting.
