Nikon Z9 First Impressions Review

The Z9 may be Nikon's most important camera in a decade. In our Nikon Z9 first impressions review we'll tell you everything you need to know about this exciting mirrorless camera.

See full resolution Nikon Z9 sample photos from this episode:

0:00 - Intro
0:49 - Sample photos
1:30 - Design and handling
3:08 - Battery
3:36 - Media
3:55 - Flash photography
4:47 - Displays
6:34 - Sensor
8:13 - More samples!
9:04 - Raw compression
9:40 - Buffer
11:04 - 3D Tracking
12:31 - Flicker control
13:50 - Battery life
14:21 - Autofocus performance
16:50 - Final impressions

Rental equipment provided by The Camera Store
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[ArwinHouse]

I’m not a Nikon shooter and will probably not buy this one. But I’m super excited that Nikon finally seems to catching up. Huge cred to Nikon. It’s a beast and I take my hat off! Congrats to all the Nikon shooters 🙂

[aussie]

Out of the channels posting Z9 vids I chose yours to watch first. More reputable information than some others 👍🏼

[silences]

Nikon is back in the game! For my needs.. its the best camera there is today.

[mmlips]

So good to see Nikon alive and well. Cut my teeth on a Nikon F2. Like a lot of folks, went to Sony when they came out with the A7, but still a Nikon fanboy at heart.

[IanHobday]

Huge congrats to Nikon for pulling this off. Very impressive camera and I look forward to more reviews.

[seantomlinson]

I can't believe it, competent Nikon marketing! First time ever!

[u]

Tracking the two athletic sprinters is cool and all but it remains to be seen if it can track a Jordan Drake at full speed

[nb]

GO NIKON!! 😁 I always appreciate your honest, neutral reviews. As a Nikon shooter, I’m really excited about the improvements they have made. I don’t mind the slightly heavier weight because I like the balance it give me when using heavier lenses. Nikon is showing that they are still in the game with this competitive camera and I could not be happier!👍🏽

[LastXwitness]

being lucky enough to have shot one of these cameras already.. I agree it was extremely impressive and redefines the flagship tier at that price point. As far as the buffer goes we uses Pro Grade Cobalt cards which we didnt run into that shorter buffer issue at all to be honest. As memory progresses itll just keep getting faster and cheaper which is great

[arthurzhaoran]

It's such a great pleasure to see the high end mirrorless market heats up! High end camera is always a good indication of what the rest of the lineup looks like and this looks very promising😀

[ratgirl]

You guys and Kai—my top go-to guys, I can’t stomach fro nor that asinine couple—thanks for timely vid drop. You guys rock!

[ellarpc]

This is the best looking video so far on DP review. Colors looked very pleasing, dynamic range looked amazing and highlight roll off was so smooth. Most of that could be due to cloud coverage but it looked great.

[TheChindoboi]

video and picture quality looks out of this world!

[af]

Still rocking a D810, mainly because most mirrorless features don't impress me enough to sacrifice the body/buttons/heft/natural view finder etc. But, this is the first mirrorless that impresses me, I hope they make the next Z7 body a bit heftier with a few more buttons, remove the shutter as well and in one or two years I might upgrade when all the stars have aligned. Until then, I am still in love with my D810.

[jacobh]

Last year, after testing several hi-res cameras I switched to the Z7II for my fashion and beauty portraits. Next to my H6D. The Z glass is phenomenal and the raw files are hands-down the best in terms of tonality, dynamic range and color accuracy. Only the S1R came close. It’s great to see this Z9 being a such a leap forward, even though it is not a camera I need in my workflow.

[freedoctor]

The return of the king!
This will be an exciting machine!
Nikon is about to rise!

[mattgranger]

Hi guys - which cards did you use? I note you got 40/70/150 in the different raw modes. With Prograde Cobalt I got X/550/1860 shots (didn't take note of lossless sadly). That's a huge difference.

BTW - I just saw this part of your video - the response video I made was not aimed at you, FWIW.

Finally someone thought about protecting sensor from dust during change of the lens.

[ccmdav]

There’s some confusion apparently about the refresh rate of the viewfinder. Kai and Polin are both saying it’s 120 Hz. Not having it in my hand I can’t say for sure. It makes sense that the viewfinder ought to be able to refresh as quickly as it can shoot continuously at 11MP. I also doubt that it matters very much in practice, but I’d like to see some more clarity about that number.

[hitmanhart]

Impressed and really happy this worked out as expected.