Lab – Nikon Z9: facing the competition, an almost flawless electronic shutter


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To stand out from the competition, Nikon offers its Z9, the first hybrid without a mechanical shutter, which puts forward an electronic shutter without risk of deformations linked to the rolling-shutter, or almost. A statement that we wanted to verify.

Nikon Z9

Introductory price €5999

  • Fnac.comFnac.com

    5,999.00

  • Miss DigitalMiss Digital

    5,999.00

  • Digit-photo.comDigit-photo.com

    5,999.00

How the pricing table works

Sony Alpha 1 (A1)

Introductory price 7300 €


Sony Alpha 1 (A1)
LesNumuelles star winner 2021/2022

  • Fnac.comFnac.com

    7,299.00

  • Digit-photo.comDigit-photo.com

    7,299.00

  • Miss DigitalMiss Digital

    7,299.90

How the pricing table works

Keen to catch up and even overtake its direct competitors, Nikon has launched a tech-packed one-piece hybrid, the Z9. High burst speed, stabilized 45-megapixel sensor, reinforced case or even 8K video, the Z9 hardly makes any concessions. Above all, Nikon made an impression by explaining that it had dropped the mechanical shutter. Curtain on the curtain! Only the electronic shutter remains, allowing to reach up to 20 fps and even 120 fps, but with 11 megapixel jpegs.

A case without a mechanical shutter

To limit the deformations linked to the rolling-shutter which appear during the acquisition of the image by the sensor, the Nikon Z9 uses, like the Sony Alpha 1 (A1), a so-called “stacked” sensor, coupled to the processor of the beast. This is supposed to provide the sensor scan rate “the fastest in the world” so as to eliminate almost all deformations. This type of deformation being all the more marked when using an electronic shutter, we were intrigued to see how the Nikon fared.

We had already seen the progress made by photo manufacturers in this area during our tests of the Sony Alpha 1 (A1), and with stunning results. Also, quite naturally, we wanted to oppose the new challenger to its two direct rivals, the Canon EOS R3 and therefore the Sony A1. We got our bike out and spun its rear wheel very quickly, even more than during testing with the A1.

From left to right: Nikon Z9, Sony A1 and Canon EOS R3.

From left to right: Nikon Z9, Sony A1 and Canon EOS R3.

Facing the Sony Alpha 1 (A1)



Sony Alpha 1 (A1)


Nikon Z9

Thus, as you can see, it is almost impossible to decide between the Nikon Z9 and the Sony A1. They offer a very similar and almost perfect result. Admittedly, the spokes are not all always very straight in both cases, but these deformations remain acceptable, knowing that the wheel was turning really fast and that this scenario will occur extremely rarely in the field.

Facing the Canon EOS R3



Canon EOS R3


Nikon Z9

We observe quite similar results with the Canon EOS R3. The deformations are very limited, proof that a level has been reached by the various manufacturers. The comparison with devices not equipped with stacked sensors is then always very relevant and the results impressive.

Facing the Nikon Z7 II



Nikon Z7 II


Nikon Z9

So, to stay with Nikon, we suggest you observe the difference between the Z9 and a shot of the Z7 II from our previous tests. The evolution is quite remarkable. Here we can clearly see the advantage of sensors stacked and new treatments due to the processor. An image with too fast movements can quickly become unusable with the Z7 II while the distortions, certainly present, remain minor and completely acceptable with the Z9 and its peers.

To reach the upper level, it will probably be necessary to wait for the arrival of the sensors at global shuttercapable of exposing the entire image area at once.



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