GEAR
NIKONZ 9
not just fast, but captures highly detailed stills and video files, thanks to an 8K, 46-megapixel sensor. That makes it a master of pretty much everything. Sports and wildlife action stills? No problem, as the stacked sensor gives super- speedy AF with 3D tracking and subject recognition, not to mention fast frame rates. High-resolution stills or 8K video? Also simple, with none of the dreaded heat stroke that blights some. Fast frame rates and high bit rates in 4K video? Also a win, as 120p in 4K 4:2:2 10-bit is captured to internal CFexpress Type B or XQD cards. If you come from a DSLR world, you could think of the Z 9 as the successor to the professional D6 – albeit smaller, lighter, with more features, spec and higher resolution. And it has a D6-esque, DSLR- style body with integrated battery grip. This gives the camera a ‘pro photographer’ look and shooting experience – along with extended battery life. The second set of main control buttons, and screen that tilts for vertical shooting, are very stills- orientated, but could both be useful for vertical video recording, too. If you like the large style of body for more ergonomic shooting using the EVF, that’s all good. But it’s largely a throwback to stills, rather than video. The bigger, bulkier body isn’t ideal for gimbals or rigs. It’s
every setting – and the menus are pretty straightforward to work out. It feels like a machine made by a company with more than 50 years of experience building professional cameras for photographers – not for filmmakers, though. There’s no quick audio settings key, waveforms or built-in NDs. But you can programme the ‘i’ button to set audio levels. Many switches are customisable, including the function buttons near the lens mount. The camera’s five-axis image stabilisation works extremely well for stills and video. Although it’s not quite on par with Panasonic or Olympus Micro Four Thirds offerings in that regard. The electronic viewfinder is big, bright and clear – about as close to an optical viewfinder as you can get, thanks to its 3000 nit brightness being the highest on any camera. And the stacked sensor means no stutter when shooting stills at a high frame rate. Although the refresh rate means it’s not as seamless as other stacked-sensor cams. Speed demon Nikon claims its stacked sensor has the fastest readout of any mirrorless. So fast, the Z 9 doesn’t have a
just a bit too tall, making balancing an issue. And this is no lightweight, at 1340g/2.9lb for the body, along with battery and memory. Add a Z mount lens and it’s a bit of a beast. Usability Handheld, the camera is a joy, since the button layout is intuitive. Most of the main controls are on the right side of the back panel, but don’t quite have the solid feeling of older Nikon DSLRs. Menu and ‘i’ buttons make it very easy to quickly see
MULTI-TOOL With a variable ND filter and small shotgun mic, a tripod-mounted Z 9 sets up well for video
TESTING TIMES A full shoot including studio talking heads and motorcycle action, both stills and video, worked for the Z 9
“It feels like amachinemade by a company withmore than 50 years of experience building pro cameras”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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