The Nikon Z9 was one of the most talked about cameras of last year and it could be the best camera of 2022 or any year, for that matter. Our colleagues at Imaging Resource, Digital Photo Pro‘s sister site, just posted their hands-on review of the 45.7MP Nikon Z9 and, spoiler alert, they loved it.
Some of the highlights of the Nikon Z9 ($5500, body only) include its excellent image quality, superior autofocus performance, impressive suite of video features, and its brilliant ergonomics and design, according to Imaging Resource Reviews Editor Jeremy Gray, who wrote the Z9 review.
“The 45.7-megapixel sensor [in the Z9] incorporates a newly developed stacked sensor design,” Gray writes. “The move to a stacked sensor results in a much faster readout speed, which, when paired with the EXPEED 7 processor, results in improved performance across the board. The Z9’s image quality impresses, too, with the camera delivering sharp, detailed images with excellent tonality and color accuracy across a wide range of ISO settings.”
We’ve included five of Gray’s test photos captured with the Nikon Z9 with this story. Click on the photo to open the full-size image. You can see more of his Z9 test shots here and Imaging Resource‘s full Nikon Z9 gallery here.
“The Z9 includes a new autofocus system as well, which reintroduces Nikon’s famed 3D Tracking technology to the Z system for the first time,” he notes. “The camera has new automatic subject detection performance, improved Auto-area AF performance and all-around faster and more accurate autofocus. In use, the improved autofocus is incredible and is significantly better than the already impressive autofocus in the Z6 II and Z7 II cameras.”
Other things Gray liked most about the Nikon Z9 include the intuitive button placement and good controls; the useful 4-axis tilting rear display; outstanding EVF; reliable automatic subject detection; fast shooting speed options including 30 frames per second for full resolution JPEGS, 120fps for 12MP JPEGs, and 20fps for RAW files; the impressive battery life; and the handy sensor shield. On the other hand, Gray was disappointed the Z9 couldn’t quite keep pace with the Sony A1, which was one of the other flagship mirrorless cameras released last year. The Z9’s 30fps bursts are limited to JPEGs while the Sony A1 can capture RAWs at that frame rate.
A few quibbles aside, though, Gray thinks the Z9 is Nikon’s best camera yet.
“The Z9 is a testament to Nikon’s rich heritage and willingness to push technological boundaries,” he concludes. “The Nikon Z9 is an outstanding camera and Nikon’s best. If anyone has felt comfortable ignoring what Nikon is doing with its Z system, the Z9 is a clear signal that it’s time to pay attention.”
Those are just a few of the highlights of this new Nikon Z9 review. Read it in full and see all the test shots over at Imaging Resource.
Check the price and availability of the Nikon Z9: Adorama | Amazon | B&H
