Nikon Z9 Review: The Flagship With No Mechanical Shutter That Brought Nikon Back

When Nikon announced the Z9 in October 2021, a lot of people had written Nikon off in mirrorless. Sony led, Canon was catching up, and Nikon’s early Z bodies were good but not class-leading. The Nikon Z9, priced at $5,500, changed that story overnight. It’s the camera that made pros take Nikon mirrorless seriously.

It was also bold. No mechanical shutter at all. Nikon trusted its 45.7MP stacked back-side illuminated sensor to read out fast enough to do every job electronically, flash and fast action included. It does.

Five years later, with the Z8 offering the same core in a smaller body, the Z9 is still the Nikon that pros carry to the sidelines.

Video review: DPReview TV

Speed without compromise

20 fps in full-resolution raw, 30 fps in JPEG, and 120 fps at 11MP. Nikon’s buffer is famously deep: more than 1,000 raw frames in a burst. The viewfinder shows a live feed with no blackout, so you see the action continuously while shooting.

Subject detection covers people, animals, birds, vehicles and planes, and Nikon has steadily improved it through free firmware updates. Those updates have been generous, adding features like 8K at 60p raw video and faster viewfinder refresh long after launch.

A full production camera

8K at up to 60p in Nikon’s 12-bit N-RAW. 4K at 60p oversampled from 8K and 4K at 120p. Internal ProRes RAW and ProRes 422 HQ. 10-bit H.265 with N-Log and HLG. All recorded to two CFexpress Type B cards, which also accept XQD.

For many productions, the Z9 can replace a dedicated cinema camera.

Built for punishment

The built-in vertical grip holds the big EN-EL18d battery, rated at about 700 shots through the viewfinder and 740 on the rear screen by CIPA. The body is weather sealed and rugged. The 3.2-inch screen tilts in four directions for both horizontal and vertical shots.

The downsides

Weight and size. About 1.34 kilograms. It’s a camera for people who want a big body, or don’t mind one.

The viewfinder has 3.69 million dots, lower than rivals like the Sony A1 II and Canon R1. It’s bright and blackout-free, just not as detailed.

At this point the Z8 offers almost everything for less money in a smaller body. Unless you want the built-in grip and bigger battery, it’s the better buy for most.

Who should buy it

Sports, wildlife and news pros. Wedding photographers who shoot long days and want one battery to last. Filmmakers who need internal raw at 8K.

Against the Canon R1 it has much more resolution and costs less; the Canon has smarter autofocus tricks and a better viewfinder. Against the Sony A1 II it’s cheaper and records internal raw. For a do-everything pro body in Nikon’s system, the Z9 is still excellent.