Nikon Z9 Review and Field Test

With the Z9, Nikon introduces its most advanced flagship to date, packed with groundbreaking features and several “world firsts” — but does it truly live up to the hype?​

Key Highlights of the Nikon Z9:​

• Extensive button customization for personalized control
• Advanced subject detection supporting nine distinct subject types
• Innovative design with no mechanical shutter, thanks to the world’s fastest sensor scan rate
• Ultra-high-speed capture at up to 120 fps (JPEG)
• Continuous shooting at 20 fps in full-resolution RAW + JPEG
• Pre-release capture function to ensure you never miss the moment
• Integrated GPS for precise geotagging
• Robust weather sealing for exceptional dust and moisture resistance

Well worth a mention is the 45 Megapixel stacked CMOS chip. It provides results with amazing tones and huge cropping potential.

Before diving into the Z9, let’s take a moment to understand Nikon’s current position—and why this flagship model was crucial.

Between 2010 and 2023, global digital camera sales plummeted by over 90%, according to Statista. Meanwhile, Nikon’s lens sales—a strong indicator of DSLR market activity—declined sharply, dropping from 25% to just 12% by 2024.

Nikon clearly needed to deliver something exceptional to stay competitive—especially in the rapidly evolving professional mirrorless market. The Z7, launched in 2018 alongside Canon’s R system, marked Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless body. Still, many photographers, myself included, held on to trusted DSLR workhorses like the D850.

Three years later, Nikon unveiled the Z9—a true flagship designed to sit at the top of its lineup. I held off until 2024 to purchase mine, preferring to wait until early issues were resolved. As of now, the camera has received six firmware updates, steadily refining its performance.

Field Testing​

I recently had the opportunity to put the Z9 through its paces during shoots in the Seychelles, Brazil and Spain. The assignment called for a wide range of subjects—from fashion and seascapes to fast-moving birds in flight—providing an ideal environment to test the camera’s versatility. I traveled light, bringing along a 60mm f/2.8 macro, a 14–28mm f/2.8, and my go-to travel lens: the 28–300mm f/3.5–5.6. Supporting gear included a single strobe, a reflector, and a tripod.

Camera Feel​

The addition of dual controls for vertical shooting is a fantastic enhancement, complemented by a 4-axis tilting touchscreen. While the improved ergonomics and integrated grip do add some bulk and bring the total weight to 1,340g—about 325g more than the D850—the camera still feels balanced and comfortable in hand. For users of longer, heavier lenses, the added weight actually improves handling. In October I’ll be testing it with the excellent (but hefty) 200-400mm f/4 VR, which weighs in at 3,275g.

The built-in grip provides a solid, stable feel, with controls that are largely consistent with previous models. There are 20 customizable buttons plus an additional function (fn.) button, one more than the Z8. For me, this level of customizability is key, and I’ll be exploring that in more detail next.

D850 vs. Z9

Rear Tilt Screen​

This is a feature I love allowing 4 axis rotation of the rear viewing screen. Having this ability is almost an essential item for any photographer wanting to get creative shots at high and low angles or even around corners. The mechanism itself I find a little over engineered and likely to break at some point.

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Customizing the Z9​

One of the great advantages of an all-electronic body like the Z9 is the ease of accessing updates and tailoring the camera to your shooting style. With a wide array of function buttons, customizable controls, and shooting banks, there’s a lot of flexibility built in. It’s well worth taking the time to explore these options and set up the camera to suit your workflow.

My Essential Setup Steps​

Before diving into shooting, I always make sure to configure these key settings on the Z9:

• Update to the latest firmware (currently v5.20)
• Format memory cards for a clean start
• Set image size to maximum resolution (8256 x 5504)
• Input copyright and artist information
• Select Picture Control – I prefer Vivid for rich color
• Choose Metering Mode – typically Center-Weighted or Matrix
• Enable Sensor Cleaning at startup to keep things dust-free

Additional Preferences:​

• Turn on Auto Rotate
• Adjust Camera Sounds
• Enable Touch Controls
• Activate LCD Button Illumination for low-light use

Function Buttons Setup​

Located under the Shooting/Controls menu (option f2), function buttons offer quick access to frequently used settings and features. Customizing them can greatly speed up your workflow. Here's how I have mine configured:

• Fn1 – Access Shooting Banks
• Fn2 – Center focus point
• Fn3 – Virtual Horizon for quick leveling
• Fn4 – Zoom-in View on the LCD for precise focus checking

Shooting Method – Back Button Focus​

I’ve been using back button focus for years, and I find it incredibly effective. The only real downside is if someone unfamiliar with the setup uses your camera—they might struggle to focus, since shutter-button AF is disabled. I also allow the shutter to fire even if focus isn’t locked, giving me full control in fast-paced situations.

Setting it up is simple:

1. Make sure the AF-ON button is enabled (this is the default). You can confirm under Custom Controls (Menu f2).
2. Go to the Custom Settings Menu (pencil icon), open the Focus menu (a), and set a6 to “AF-ON only.” This disables autofocus from the shutter button and hands full control to the AF-ON button.

Shooting Banks (Full setup guide available on my blog)

If you shoot a wide range of subjects, using Shooting Banks is a major advantage. These banks—labeled A through D—allow you to store nearly all camera settings, including exposure mode (e.g. Shutter or Aperture Priority), ISO, bracketing, and more. You can even rename each bank for quick identification, making it easy to switch setups on the fly.

Here’s how I have mine configured:

Bank ‘A’​

Freezing action/ Quick shots

Single point continuous focusing,
Fixed iso, program mode or shutter priority, no tracking, matrix metering

Bank ‘B’​

Interiors

Aperture priority
2 Second delay
0.2 seconds shutter delay
Bracket mode 3 frames with 3 stop variances between each
Iso fixed to 400
Timer mode (on dial)
Tripod mounted

Bank ‘C’​

General Purpose
Auto iso, program mode, single point continuous focusing, no tracking, center average metering

Bank ‘D’​

Action and Tracking

AF-C
Wide Tracking
Bird eye detect
15 fps
Shutter priority
Auto Iso

Issues:​

After setting up my ‘D’ bank which is quite complex in its functions, Back button focus across all Banks was altered and had to be reset.
Exposure Delay mode doesn’t appear to stay locked in with each Bank

Modifying Banks for specific shots.​

Having settings stored as Banks makes it easy to quickly switch to specific scene setups, while still allowing on-the-fly adjustments when needed. I typically use Bank A or the general-purpose Bank
During a shoot in Seville, I wanted to capture a sense of movement by introducing panning and motion blur, which required switching to Shutter Priority mode and reducing the shutter speed to 1/30 sec or slower. Once I got the shot, I simply switched back to my usual shooting bank.

The Z9 is a heavy and bulky camera but I decided to try some panning. I did four shots of this carriage at 15 sec as it passed by. No test shots and all came out perfectly. The camera is remarkably balanced and easy to hold

Tracking & Subject Detect​

The Z9 has Nikons most advanced tracking system coupled with multi subject detection you have 10 modes to choose from and over 400 AF points

The Auto Focus functions are:
3D Tracking (Following subjects across the frame)
Auto Area AF (Detect subjects based depending on their behavior and type)
Subject Tracking AF (Unique for Sports and Wildlife)

Subject Detection (9 total)
Vehicle Detection (specific for cars, planes, etc)
Animal Detection (cats, dogs, birds, etc)
Face/Eye detect (people)

With all these options, the goal is to consistently capture sharp images.
I tested several scenes in the Seychelles, and the Z9 performed exceptionally well when tracking birds in flight against clear backgrounds. Unfortunately clutter or distractions led to loss of auto tracking/focus even after modifying settings.

While shooting in Brazil I noticed that eye detection was only consistently effective with closer subjects filling the frame. I had hoped that advancements in processing speeds would allow the system to instantly detect and track even fast-moving, erratic hummingbirds. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that the number of missed, out-of-focus shots—whether using subject or eye detection—was still too high.

To be fair, photographing hummingbirds is notoriously difficult.
Most photographers either use high-speed flash setups or pre-focus on frequently visited spots to increase their chances of success.

Subject Detect fails to lock on

Forgetting Subject and eye detect​

As a result, I switched to single-point, continuous autofocus without relying on subject detection assistance.
With the switch my image success rate moving from 10% to 80%

With the addition of Pre Release which I will discuss later I was able to gain a few extra frames without even pressing the shutter. Ill go into greater detain on my specific technique in a later blog.

High-contrast scenes have traditionally delivered the most reliable autofocus results. One of the key advantages of a fully digital system with AI integration is that performance can continue to improve through firmware updates.

This October, I’ll be leading one of my regular photo safaris to East Africa—my first with the Z9. I’m particularly interested to see how features like eye detection perform in challenging scenarios, such as tracking well-camouflaged big cats weaving through tall grass. In the past, I’ve relied on my trusted manual techniques, which have yielded results like the image below.

Pre Release​

Nikon’s Pre-Release Capture feature isn’t entirely new—it follows a trend set by other manufacturers. Canon has Pre/Continuous Shooting, Sony offers Pre-Capture, Fujifilm uses Pre-shot ES, Olympus calls it Pro Capture, and Panasonic labels theirs Pre-Burst. Despite the different names, the underlying concept remains the same.

The feature works exactly as intended. With a half-press of the shutter button, the camera begins capturing images continuously for a set duration, temporarily storing them in a rotating buffer. Once the shutter is fully pressed, those pre-recorded frames are saved along with the new shots—ensuring you don’t miss the moment. I use back button focus with a prerelease of 1 prior seconds and max post burst. The Z9 also allows a post release sequence that can be limited to safe card space.

• Buffer: 1 second, 0.5 seconds, or 0.3 seconds
• Burst Rate: Max 120 FPS
• Limitations: JPEG Normal,120 FPS limited to 11 megapixels; 60 FPS limited to 19 megapixel with a DX crop; 30 FPS at full resolution.

Although I’ve developed a strong ability to anticipate wild animal behavior, this feature will still be incredibly useful on safari, helping reduce missed shot opportunities. I’ll be shooting at 20 FPS, which allows me to capture both high-resolution JPEGs and RAW files.

Hopefully, Nikon will introduce firmware updates soon that enable higher frame rates for RAW capture in pre-release mode. Of course, to take full advantage of this speed, fast memory cards and efficient buffer handling are essential—especially when shooting extended bursts in challenging, fast-paced conditions.

Tonal Range​

The tonal range of the Z9 is exceptional.
With an impressive 14.4 EV dynamic range at ISO 64, the camera delivers beautifully balanced tones across everything from landscapes to portraits. This range allows shadow details to be recovered without sacrificing highlight integrity.

When combined with the high resolution, it offers exceptional flexibility for cropping without compromising image quality.

Monochrome images:​

You can also take advantage of the camera’s wide tonal range to process RAW files directly in-camera, shoot in monochrome using digital filters, or apply your preferred adjustments during post-processing. I personally opt for the latter, as it allows me to preserve the original RAW files and, more importantly, I rarely have the time while on location to experiment with in-camera edits.

Aftercare​

Although the Z9 is designed for professional use, it’s not immune to water or dust damage. After shoots in the Seychelles and Brazil, I noticed some corrosion on the hot shoe—nothing critical, and the camera still functioned perfectly. However, having a no-questions-asked warranty turned out to be a smart investment. Nikon assessed the damage at over $1,000, citing some internal issues as well. The repair process took about 3 to 4 weeks, and when I got the camera back, it was good as new—sensor cleaned, firmware updated, and fully restored.

Conclusion​

The Nikon Z9 combines the familiar feel of a traditional DSLR with the innovation and refinement of a modern digital flagship. Despite its robust, chunky appearance, it’s surprisingly comfortable and intuitive—especially for users new to dual-control setups for vertical shooting. From its lightning-fast frame rates to its impressive 45MP resolution, the Z9 is built to deliver, no matter your subject. It’s a camera designed not just to meet your expectations, but to exceed them for years to come.

Wish List​

• RAW capture available across all burst and pre-release shooting modes
• Improved subject detection and tracking, particularly for erratic, small subjects and busy, cluttered environments
• Custom bank names displayed in menus and settings when active
• Shutter release delay option to better integrate with locked shooting banks

For more samples and details of settings/menus visit the blog: https://www.exposuretours.com/

Images shot on location: The Seychelle Islands, Brazil and Seville, Spain
Model credit: Emer McDaid

All images in this article © Exposuretours.com

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

A great review, Bryan. Thank you!