Nikon burst into the full-frame mirrorless camera space with two consumer models in 2018, and added a more wallet-friendly entry level flavor last year. But a dedicated version for professionals has been notably absent, until now.
At this stage, Nikon is not giving too much away about the new Z range flagship, but it is coming this year. Aimed squarely at professional photographers, prosumers and movie makers, the Z9 will feature a brand new FX-format stacked CMOS image sensor and new image processing engine combination that will help "deliver the best still and video performance in Nikon history."
As you might expect, the camera looks to be bigger than the current generation Z6 and Z7 full-frame mirrorless models, though there is a vertical grip included in the only available image (which does look to be part of the camera rather than an attachment, but this could just be early rendering magic).
Sensor resolution has yet to be revealed but there is support for 8K video recording "as well as various other video specifications that fulfill diverse needs and workflows." We'll go out on a limb and say that the Z9 will boast a few more megapixels than the current range topper – the 45.7-MP Z7 II – given that Nikon is promising an imaging experience that surpasses anything that has come before in either DSLR or mirrorless camera formats.
We'd also expect the new flagship to sport fast autofocus, a sizable burst buffer, great light sensitivity, a full spread of the latest connectivity options, and all the bells and whistles to satisfy the needs of professional cinematographers. But we'll have to wait for the significant blanks to be filled in later this year.
Source: Nikon
Sony is eating Nikon's lunch.. if they don't start making these things smaller