Will the Nikon Z9 II be tested during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games?

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See my article on the specs I think the Z9II will have:

https://www.robertallen-photography.com/blog/nikon-z9ii-rumored-specifications

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens

I was reminded recently that the winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy were only 2 months away. And 2 months seems like a reasonable timeline for the release of the Z9 II. What better timing I thought than right before or during the Olympic games!

Is Mike Corrado (NPS Senior Manager, Pro Relations and Product Marketing lead for Nikon USA) recruiting the necessary Nikon Ambassadors to fly them to Italy to obtain promotional Z9 II content? Which ambassadors would go? I would think Rod Mar and Andrew Hancock for sure as they specialize in sports and action photography among the ambassadors. While all of this is exciting to speculate about, my excitement soon faded after my investigation below.

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens

I decided to see if there was a possible correlation between prior Nikon flagship camera release dates and Olympic game dates. Did major Nikon flagship camera release dates happen near the beginning, during or soon after Olympic game dates? Starting with the original flagship Nikon camera, the D1, here are the results:

This chart compares Nikon flagship release dates to Olympic game dates

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens

Unfortunately the chart above shows, in my opinion, that there is no overall pattern that would support the idea that Nikon releases their flagship cameras around the time of the Olympic games. Your opinion may vary but despite a few times that the release dates appear somewhat close, I found no convincing correlation.

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens

Despite what my research shows, 2 months from now still seems like a reasonable timeline for the release of the Z9 II or at least would provide the perfect testing grounds close to the release after the 2026 Olympic games. However, despite my thoughts and what I want to believe, the release date of the Z9 II remains elusive as supported by my research depicted in the above chart.

Either way, Nikon will have to respond soon to Canon’s R1 flagship. With Canon’s self proclaimed “best auto focus in the industry.” statement, Nikon will need to retaliate in a convincing way to Canon’s AF ego trip. If anything, both Canon and Sony’s A1 II (see SONY’s new firmware upgrade 4.0)will force Nikon to push the boundaries of the Z9 II even further, producing the most powerful Nikon…again!

Let me know in the comments below (no sign-in required) your thoughts on when you think the Z9 II will be released.

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens