A new official Nikon Z9 teaser has just arrived on YouTube and hinted at the incoming flagship camera's impressive video skills.
The new promo is the second we've seen for the Nikon Z9 recently, with an earlier one on October 5 focusing more on the camera's design. Today's teaser shows the Z9 in a wildlife shooting session, fronted by a long lens that could be the anticipated 100-400mm telephoto zoom.
But perhaps the most interesting detail is the suggestion that the Z9 will go well beyond the 30-minute video recording limit seen on the likes of the Nikon Z6 II. Instead, it looks like we'll get a 80 minutes of continuous recording in 8K resolution.
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At least, that's the suggestion from Nikon's YouTube promo, which shows an in-camera view of an 8K video recording session, which eventually ticks along to one hour and twenty minutes.
Aside from that video hint, there aren't too many new pieces of information, other than a clearer look at the Nikon Z9's top-plate LCD. This appears to be larger than the one on the Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II, although it's not yet clear if this will bring any extra functionality.
The video record button pressed in the teaser also looks a bit more prominent than those cameras, but we're hoping for some bigger bombshells in the Z9's next promo videos. For example, we still don't yet know what resolution the Nikon Z9's sensor will be, even if its 8K video powers suggest either 46MP or 50MP like the Sony A1.
Either way, we do know its sensor is going to have a stacked design – and that should mean the Z9 has the power needed to join the Canon EOS R3 and Sony A1 at the pro mirrorless camera top table.
Analysis: Nikon Z9 shows off its hybrid power
We already knew that the Nikon Z9 would be one of the few full-frame cameras capable of shooting 8K video, but this new teaser shows that it could leap beyond the likes of the Canon EOS R5 and Sony A1 in terms of the practicality of that mode.
Both the EOS R5 and A1 have 30-minute recording limits in the top 8K mode – so if the Nikon Z9 can indeed keep going for 80 minutes at its top resolution, that could be a big deal for some videographers who are looking for a professional hybrid all-rounder.
That said, the Z9 could also do with some features to help make that 8K mode genuinely usable. For example, we'd like to see some compressed raw video options to help avoid the inevitable storage and workflow issues – and it'd also be good to see Blackmagic RAW and Apple ProRes RAW support included without the $200 upgrade fee we saw on the Z7 II and Z6 II.
Still, those confirmed Nikon Z9 features, plus its pro-friendly design, should see it carve out a good niche for itself among pro shooters, and well-heeled amateurs. We're expecting to see a few more teaser videos arrive before its official launch, which is likely to be sometime in the next month.
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