Can the Z9 compare to the D4s at high ISO

Testing a D4s, a Z9 plus a mystery camera

[danbrovont]

I used a Z9 last season for football under poor light (12, 800), thought the images looked pretty good. But then this summer I picked up a D6 and have since used it under the same conditions (12, 800) and I find the images much better than the Z9 noise wise. So much so I'm going to use the D6 for all my low light work.

[SohamDas]

This video gave me a great mental satisfaction. 😅
I arranged the money for a new Z9 but instead of buying it I bought a D5 & a 400mm f2.8 used.
I think i made a right choice

[gackal]

very impressed how well the D4s still holding up against the big boys, thank you for putting the time into this

[snrl]

I have shot on a Nikon D4 for over 2 years now, and it still blows me away the quality of noise it produces at 12800 ISO. Something about this 16.2 MP sensor that is just puts out amazing pictures even in 2024. I had a D3 for about a month before I traded up to the D4, by far much better high ISO handling than the D3. If I had the money for Z9, I will still buy a D4 or D5 and some good DSLR prime glass. The Z9 is on my future upgrade list for sure, but I am enjoying the DSLR discounted pricing to much currently due to Pros dumping DSLR gear and moving to Z mount.

[apstudios]

Thank you for the comparison. It might surprise some people. I owned the D4 and D5 and now Z9. I must say I miss my D5.

[GatorWinup]

Thank you! As a hobbyist, I am satisfied with D4s. This video confirms that Z9 would only improve my capabilities in videos (which I don't have time to spend on currently). I use AI for noise removal and super-resolution so I don't see how the spec for Z9 ISO would have much real world meaning to me if I still need to post-process the files (e.g., apparently the ISO8000 pictures from Z9 would require postprocessing). Superresolution provides 4-6 times increase without sacrificing realism (especially for feathers, fabrics, and eyes, but might lose accuracy on edges or high-contrast areas). That also means the 45 MP resolution means nothing. 16 MP upscales to 64 MP without losing details (and file managements can be easier on the hardware). Of course, for high FPS shooting (120 FPS), Z9 would dominate. But I don't see how often my weekends would require me to shoot more than 10 FPS. Also, running the battery in the EVF is always a shortcoming of mirrorless.

[deovid]

I remember when the D5 came out and was being reviewed people noticed that at 6400 ISO it had a kind of noise level "reset" as if it has some sort of dual ISO sensor.

[Gibsonuk]

well, I just made a purchase on a D4s in new with 200k count! costs me 549 british pounds!! it blew me away with its condition!! came from a photographer who should win an award for looking after cameras :)

[markskinner]

Is no one going to comment on how the cameras are arranged on that top shelf….Pro body film paired with its numerical Pro body Digital! Very nice. 😊

[kaminobatto]

These findings actually make sense. Nice video👍

[DidierMOULINPhotography]

Great comparison Sean
I’ve learned that the Z9 stops at 25600 ISO which I didn’t know.
as I own a D6 I thought the the next generation flagship camera would be at least at the same level.

For indoor sport photography with my 70-200 f/2.8 at 1/1000th s I often reach 32000 ISO with the D6 with such incredible results that I’m realizing that considering my use of this camera I would never switch to the Z9…

[knoxyish]

im using a d4s an im not changing it ! if you cannot take a good pic with a d4s d850 d610 etc etc you wont with a mirrorless its you not having a latest mirrorless at 5 k

[victorboucher]

Very nice.
Thank you.
I liked the D5.

[jameshart]

Wow! The D5 was very interesting! Great video thanks

[lilyrose]

Thank you! I've been waiting for this comparison! And thanks for the extra comparison, exactly what I needed!

[DaveR]

Would have been maybe more interesting to have seen the tests, where the iso was being bumped because of a Low Light scenario as this I feel also may be a contributor to the relative noise levels. My own experience is that my D6 is way better than my Z9 in low light/ high iso scenarios.

[ronboe]

That matches my experience; when it gets dark noise becomes overwhelming. Waxy: that is a very good word to describe what programs like DeNoise do. I need to remember that. So far, I tend to limit my ISO to 6400, but when it gets dark even that is a bit high (D500, Z6II). We'll see if that holds true for the Z9.

[justinlawrence]

I have been pulling my hair out doing this comparison!! I just took my D4s out of my bag and replaced it with the Z9. man have I been eaten alive on the DPreview forms about this comparison. although the camera is faster and autofocus is out of this world, iso definitely failed to impress me. I’m hoping they fix this issue with the Z9h

[cypherdk]

Isn't the lowest native iso for the d4 and d5 64? My d810 goes down to 64 iso natively.

[kytoober]

Owning both, I would say the d4s is better in terms of the amount of noise and the quality of the noise compared to the z9. The noise is also much more pleasant, especially on parts that are incorrectly exposed. The z9 noise is jarringly nasty in appearance.

However the z9 noise cleans up way easier in editing software on the z9. If you nail your exposure pretty clean images ar high ISO...

The D4s was way ahead of its time, and even compared to the D4 was fantastic in low light...