After numerous teasers, Nikon is officially introducing its new flagship, the Z9 full-frame camera. Judging by the specs, Nikon wants to make it a cinema camera par excellence and aims to professional videographers and cinematographers. The Z9 (in a future firmware update) will be capable of shooting 8K60p ProRes RAW and a new flavor of Nikon’s RAW (defined as N-RAW) internally.

Nikon Z9 flagship: Going for broke

Nikon goes for broke with the newly announced flagship, the Z9. After declaring $262 million annual losses, the company has decided to put all its cards and efforts into this camera. And indeed, Nikon has done a tremendous job, at least on paper, since the specs are mind-blowing. In this article, we’ll focus ONLY on the video capabilities and possibilities of the Z9.

8K/30p. In-camera. No overheating

With an innovative body design that efficiently dissipates heat, the Z9 records 10-bit 8K UHD video at 24, 25, or 30 fps internally for over 2 hours straight—with no risk of overheating (At a temperature of 23°C/73.4°F), from its stacked full-frame CMOS sensor (45.7MP). You can also grab a still from a video shoot by saving a 33-megapixel frame right from your footage.

4K/30p from oversampled 8K

The Nikon Z9 allows you to record dense 10-bit 4K UHD footage in-camera with full pixel readout from the Z 9’s sensor at 24, 25, 30p as ProRes 422 HQ or H.265 video. You can also shoot 4K UHD slow-motion sequences up to 120p. A 2.3x crop format with a full pixel readout is available for getting closer to your subject without changing lenses.

Codecs: ProRes HQ

Nikon Z9 allows recording at SDR, HLG, and N-Log: Selectable tone mode. Furthermore, ProRes 422 HQ by capturing 10-bit 4:2:2 video up to 4K UHD/30p in-camera is also possible. All is done internally.

Structure: Sensor Shield

The Nikon Z9 is armed with a rugged structure that is characterized by a Magnesium alloy shell with heat dissipation and cold tolerance down to -10°C/14°F. Moreover, the Z9 has a unique Sensor Shield that automatically closes when you remove a lens. This mechanism blocks dust and accidental touches and thus protecting the sensor when changing lenses on the field.

ProRes RAW and a new flavor of RAW (N-RAW)

Now, this is the most exciting news for professional filmmakers. According to Nikon, on a future firmware update (in 2022), the 8K recording options will be extended, offering 12-bit RAW 8K/60p in-camera: N-RAW (Nikon’s original RAW video format), and ProRes RAW HQ. That’s very intriguing since the Z9 will be the first mirrorless camera to shoot ProRes RAW internally. However, we all remember the case of Kinefinity MAVO Edge and the elimination of the ProRes RAW codec due to patent issues. Hence, it will be interesting to see how Nikon solves that. Anyway, the N-RAW sounds promising as long as this new RAW will be compatible with professional NLEs.

Price

Nikon introduces its flagship with a competitive price tag of $5,500. The Z9 can be preordered from the B&H and Adorama websites.

Closing thoughts

Spec-wise, the Nikon Z9 offers the highest parameters within all mirrorless flagships, not just for Nikon, but for Canon, Sony, and Panasonic. Nevertheless, it all comes down to the footage. Till now, from what I’ve seen, the quality is not mind-blowing. For instance, explore the sample videos below:

In my opinion, it looks good and solid but lacks the cinematic look and feel. However, I could be wrong about that. What do you think?

Product List

Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers:

• Nikon Z 9 Mirrorless Digital Camera
  • BUY on B&H
  • BUY on ADORAMA