With the release of firmware 3.0 for the Z8, is Nikon leaving their “flagship” Z9 behind?

Jul 4

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Let’s get it out in the open right away, the Z8 officially leads the “flagship” Z9 in features. Even though Nikon says the “Z9 is the most powerful Nikon ever” and still does, this appears to be no longer the case

Nikon Z9 with the VR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G lens

According to Thom Hogan, Nikon writer and essayist, says the following Z8 features are missing from the Z9:

HEIF support — the only Z9 generation camera without this is the Z9.
Pixel shift — the only Z9 generation cameras without this are the Z50II (no IBIS) and Z9.
Flexible Picture Controls — the only Z9 generation camera without this is the Z9.
Manual focus subject detection — the only Z9 generation camera without this and its related features is the Z9.
Focus range limiter — The Z9 can only do this in Auto capture.
Maximum aperture focus — The Z8 will be the only camera to do this with the new firmware.
New Wide-area AF (C#) patterns — the Z8 will be the only camera to do this.
C15 and JPEG fine for Pre-release capture — others have the former, only the Z8 has the latter.
(there are over a half-dozen more things missing in the Z9, but they're not as major as the above).

I think this list is being kind to the Z9, since it leaves off one of the biggest features of the Z8’s 3.0 firmware update: The ability of the Z8 to do either exposure bracketing or focus stacking while pixel shifting. Also, factor in the following Z8 features absence from the Z9:

Select from more presets for commonly used LED light and billboard frequencies to prevent flicker.
Quickly revert back to the original, unedited version of an image with a new [Jump to Source Image] custom setting.
Convert captured RAW or JPEG images to HEIF format with your chosen compression ratio and upload them to an FTP server.
Easily filter images in-camera by date taken, making it easier to find the right image.
Freeze fast action with a new high-speed frame capture + [C15] option, available in both Normal and Fine image quality.
Set “Nikon” and “Z8” as default metadata fields on ProRes® 422 HQ footage in Apple’s Final Cut Pro.

Why would Nikon be loading up the Z8 with features the Z9 “flagship” doesn't have? And, when you consider these are not minor differences, these are functions that are highly desirable by many Nikon users, the cavern of feature differences on the Z9 becomes even more bazaar. Now, I’m really glad I sold both of my Z9s early on and replaced them with the Z8.

Nikon Z9 with the VR 200-500mm f/5.6E lens

So, what do I think is going on here. I think the deprecation of features on the Z9 could only point to one thing: Nikon is saving those Z8 features and many new ones that the Z8 doesn’t have for the future Z9II.

However, even considering this optimistic outcome (if true of course), I’m sure it still leaves Z9 owners questioning if their investment in the Z9 was worth it, that spending the original release price of $5,499 still leaves them with a feeling of pride, owning the best Nikon has to offer (at least that’s what I felt early on in my ownership of the Z9, prior to the release of the Z8.) Seeing a less expensive Nikon eclipse the “flagship” feature set of the Z9 must make some Z9 users feel a sense of betrayal by Nikon.

Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens

What is also alarming is what if this happens again during the 2nd generation of the Z8/Z9, will we see a repeat during the Z8II/Z9II during their production lifetime where the features of the Z8II eventually surpass the ones found on the Z9II? Will this speculation diminish the sales of the Z9II knowing that if photographers wait long enough for the release of the Z8II and Z8II firmware releases, they will get features earlier then waiting for the Z9III.

Will you jump on the Z9II at the time of initial release even though there is the possibility that the Z8II will exceed the feature set of the Z9II at some point during their production life time?