Thom Hogan

I hear this objection a fair bit, even though I don’t accept it: the viewfinder (EVF) is too dim. 

For those of you who take raw files only, there’s a simple solution: set Tone mode to HLG. This is a better choice than just increasing Viewfinder brightness, as it doesn’t just push all brightness up, it also changes the gamma that’s applied. Essentially you’re not just increasing the overall brightness, but you’re scaling that in a way that still looks natural.

Yes, HLG implies HEIF. But as long as you don’t select a RAW+JPEG/HEIF Image quality, it doesn’t do anything to your data while still making the viewfinder better looking. 

One of the reasons I was looking at this again has to do with the Z5IIC, as one of the complaints many are having without using it has to do with the Rear LCD. I wanted to see if the HLG trick applies to the Rear LCD, too. It does not. The trick only works with the EVF. Apparently the Rear LCDs don’t use the same brightness mechanisms as the EVFs.  

There’s been a couple of different complaints I’ve seen on different fora in recent weeks that all center around “this camera/sensor produces wrong color.” Typically, these are accompanied by some casual or non-equivalent examples that “show” the problem.

My experience has been different (and not just with Nikon, but across multiple brands). And every time I’ve gone all forensic on someone what ends up happening is that we find that something wasn’t understood correctly, something was assumed, or something wasn’t done correctly by the user. Sometimes all of the above.

So let’s talk about what involves color throughout the photographic process.

• Light. Light can be continuous spectrum, discontinuous spectrum, constant or sequential. So what wavelengths are showing up at the front of the lens are the first variable that has to be understood and possibly managed. 
• Filtration. A filter on the lens and the filter over the image sensor can have impacts on the spectrum that eventually reaches the image sensor. You have control over any filter on the lens. Nikon has control over the filter over the sensor. In the DSLR era, the Nikon pro cameras (D4, D5, D6) tended to have more red sensitivity than the consumer/prosumer cameras (D500, D750, D850). I believe that tuning was deliberate to deal with low indoor lighting better (which tends to be red biased). However, in the Z System, Nikon has been pretty consistent with their filtration. I’m not finding any significant changes from model to model.
• Settings.  If you’re taking JPEGs your white balance obviously needs to be correct. Nikon’s Auto white balance is not perfect. Indeed, so much so that if you’re taking photos outdoors in natural light, I strongly recommend that you use Natural light auto instead if you require automated white balance. If you control the lighting, you should also control the white balance (using a Preset you measure correctly). The reason why this step in the sequence is important for raw files occurs in the next:
• Processing. Nikon applies what they call white balance preconditioning to the raw Diginal Numbers that are recorded in a raw file. The problem is that if your white balance is off, the preconditioning is also off, and that will have impacts further down the processing chain. If you’re using NX Studio to convert a raw file, it does the same thing as the EXPEED chip in the camera; Nikon is absolutely consistent about this. However, if you’re using a different converter you start running into interpretation and math differences. Adobe tends to produce more orange luminance (as well as other shifts), and its math engine isn’t great for big white balance swings (speed is emphasized over accuracy). Color models also play a part in this. Adobe, CaptureOne, and DxO all have different color models, and they build Nikon presets using different sample/test/change processes. It pays to learn exactly what each converter is doing, as it will impact the results. That said, I’ve been able to get solidly consistent and neutral results from all three of these, though not without some attention to detail and in the case of Adobe, some preset changes.
• Workflow. This is one area that doesn’t get enough coverage. For instance, if you use DxO PureRAW to pre-process an image, the process of taking a NEF to DNG and then into a converter seems to change the color values along the way. It’s one reason why I stopped using PureRAW, as it didn’t just add one workflow step, but several in order to correct the color integrity. You might not see it at first, but quite a few adjustments you can make (ACR, plug-ins, you name it) distort color values when you make them. You might notice this if you use huge Dehaze adjustments in ACR, for example, but that’s only one such control/change that may trigger color shifts.

I’ve written about this before, but basically when you get into these “wrong color, bad color, different color” arguments, the way you solve them is by starting with a known input (e.g. ColorChecker in known light) and a known output (e.g. Epson print on known paper, or sRGB JPEG). If the output doesn’t match the input, then the problem is somewhere in the above list. You simply follow a color-managed process and quickly discover the thing that’s making the change. 

But that thing is not the image sensor. The image sensor is basically agnostic in this debate. Even the filtration over the image sensor, once understood and potentially accounted for, doesn’t really play in the debate. 

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Just to be complete: I have seen two cameras in two decades where there was an image sensor/filter problem. While I’ll never know exactly what the problem was, the two most likely candidates would be a badly mismatched green pattern (alternate rows of green in the Bayer pattern had different responses) and some issue with ADC timing. However, this type of problem is extremely rare, and Nikon will take care of it under warranty should you encounter it.

I’ve taken a bit more time to look deeply into the Z5IIC. The following is the full set of differences between it and the original Z5II:

• Viewfinder: the Z5II has an EVF, the Z5IIC doesn’t.
• Rear LCD: the Z5II has a 2.1m dot LCD, the Z5IIC has a 1.04m dot one (other specs are essentially the same).
• Storage: the Z5II has two SD card slots, the Z5IIC has only one. 
• Mode dial: the Z5IIC replaces U3 with SCN (scene modes, of which there are 15).
• Other body changes: the Z5IIC loses 0.8” (20mm) in height, 2.8 ounces (80g) in weight, loses the thumb stick control, renames the AF-ON button to AE-L/AF-L, and has panda (silver over black) color option. Also, the microphone and speaker positions change.
• Menu differences: the Z5IIC adds Fish as a subject detection type, plus Film grain effect. ISO tops out at 25600, though via Hi options you can still get 1.7EV higher than that. (Note: Nikon’s Web site would predict 2.7EV higher; I think this is wrong, but see caveat at the end of this list).

I’ll add one caveat: this is all based upon a pre-production camera. When the final units appear in a few weeks, there may be small menu changes still.

Update: after discussing this with NikonUSA, they checked and found that the specs they had published were wrong. The Z5IIC mechanical shutter goes to 1/8000. I’ve also updated the Specifications page.

The C in the just announced Nikon Z5IIC apparently stands for casual, but it could also stand for creators or compact, if you’d like. Nikon also specifically calls out “user-friendly features for first-time mirrorless camera users.” In my talks with Nikon prior to the announcement, they emphasized that this new model is mostly targeting the new-to-Nikon full frame user, particularly younger users looking for a low-cost full frame camera they can grow into.

We now see the reason why Nikon never promoted the ZR as a still camera, though the ZR is a highly capable one: it would have made the Z5IIC launch marketing more difficult, despite the price differential. Nikon does want you to use the Z5IIC as a still camera, but fundamentally, it’s difficult to distinguish it from the ZR in that respect as both don’t have a viewfinder and rely upon the Rear LCD when taking still images. Which is why Nikon is putting the emphasis on the approachable design aspect of the new camera. Things Nikon cites for that include the inclusion of Scene Modes, the direct access to Imaging Recipes (Picture Controls), and all the automated features. I’ll point out, though, in my pre-release use of the Z5IIC I couldn’t find any of the more advanced features from the Z5II were left out, though. The Z5IIC is absolutely an entry-level camera that a user can grow into.

The odd autofocus addition in the Z5IIC that every photo site in the world will likely mention is Nikon's new form of subject detection. For Fish. Yes, those things that are underwater. Personally, I would have preferred Elephant. Or Cow. Or, given the number of them that seem to now occupy my backyard: Rabbit. Another curiosity is this: “fish can be detected only when Fish is selected for subject detection.” Okay then, you really have to be into fish to like this feature. Much more useful is that the Z5IIC didn’t leave out AF-ON+AF-area mode or Product review mode or Link VR to focus point, all very advanced focus options that have continually migrated down in the lineup.

Yes, I asked Nikon if they were going to mention the Nikonos connection with the new fish detection. Apparently not. But you can see very easily how a small Ikelite-type underwater housing surrounding this new camera would be an immediate must-have among the diving crowd. And speaking of water, the Z5IIC is indeed dust- and weather-resistant in build. Overlap, sealing, gaskets, check.

One final thing: the Z5IIC is so like a Z5II that it has the Type D HDMI connector and both a mic and headphone jack. It supports the MC-DC3 wired remote release or the ML-L7 bluetooth remote one. Basically, if the Z5II supports it, the Z5IIC supports it, as well. Well, maybe not the rubber eyecup...

The Z5IIC lists for US$1399 body only, or US$1699 with the 24-50mm f/4-6.3 kit lens. You can get all black, or a panda style (top silver, main body black, shown at the top of this article). My preference was the panda version, which replaces the “block of black” effect with a more legacy type look. The two body options are exactly the same other than the silver versus black top plate and top controls, plus silver Front Command dial. The crazy thing is that I tested the Z5IIC with a 26mm f/2.8 prior to release in Grand Central Station in New York City and no one noticed; even the others with mirrorless cameras wandering around taking photographs paid no attention to me or caught that I was using something not yet announced. Put another way, the Z5IIC looks like a camera you expect to see. People probably thought I was using a Fujifilm or something similar. 

Essentially, Nikon has created a Panasonic S9 competitor. Given that the S9 sells for US$1499 (currently being discounted to US$1299), Nikon is starting out quite competitive here. I’m told that they originally were going to list it for a bit more, but once again decided to make their camera look discounted against direct competition. That’s been true from the original Z6/Z7 through to the Z9, and now again with the Z5IIC. Nikon’s cameras are price competitive no matter what class they’re in.

The big issue for Nikon, particularly their marketing team, is that when a bit of information about the camera first leaked, there was a loud contingent immediately complaining that there was nothing new, interesting, or innovative about the Z5IIC (they were guessing, but close to correct). The Z5IIC fills a slot at the bottom of the full frame lineup where there isn’t a lot of action going on, even with competitors; it doesn’t match up to the also compact A7CII, which has a rangefinder EVF (though it lists for US$2499, a much higher price point, higher even than the Nikon ZR).

One typical premature response I’ve seen in fora and comments is “I didn’t ask for this camera.” Well, no, if you’re reading this site, you probably didn’t. (You might still want it; read on.) However, you also haven’t bought most of the other 10 cameras Nikon has on offer right now, either. I dismiss this type of crude dismissal—because that’s the intent behind such statements—because Nikon, like all companies, has more than one customer they need to satisfy. My only guestion is whether Nikon marketing can get the message about the Z5IIC to the customer that would most respond to it. My gut feeling is no. Nikon isn’t great at marketing in the first place, and the most likely customer isn’t one that Nikon interacts with much, at all. While we have the Big Yellow Land Cruiser hitting five US locales at the moment trying to find said customer, that’s not going to scare up enough new users, methinks. 

Now, as to why you might want a Z5IIC: stick a 26mm f/2.8 lens on the front and it’s a compact, full frame camera that fits very nicely into my vest pocket. That’s exactly how I was using it in New York City: stuffing it into my pocket while walking about, pulling it out to take pictures. The reason why you use the 26mm with the Z5IIC is that the lens doesn’t stick out past the hand grip (yes, the camera has a real hand grip) so the whole package becomes pretty much a small rectangular block with nothing sticking out, and slides in and out of a large pocket very nicely. I’m likely to have much more to say about this in my upcoming review.

All that said, it seems to me that Nikon designers might have missed a turn (or are behind by a beat). The real pent-up still camera demand that Nikon is not filling at the moment is for a Z9-generation 45mp entry camera, not another Z9-generation 24mp one. Consider for a moment if Nikon had simply stuck the 45mp image sensor from the Z7II into the Z5IIC instead: suddenly, you’d have a high pixel-count camera that no other high pixel count camera comes close to in price. The current Z7/Z7II crowd is less interested in viewfinder upgrades than they are in getting the Z9-generation goodies, particularly autofocus. I suspect that for what most of the Z7/Z7II use their cameras for, a US$1999 Z7IIIC would have been a better seller than Nikon is going to get from the Z5IIC. I’m happy with the 24mp we got, but do think the 45mp sensor would have made me happier (without changing any other aspect of the camera). 

While the Z5II has sold quite well, it’s not a primary mover in Nikon’s lineup. Most stores report to me that their top four Nikon sellers are Z50II, Z6III, ZR, and Z8. Thus, sticking a Z5IIC in with the Z5II isn’t likely to move a lot of extra boxes unless Nikon can drum up those new, young customers looking for their first full frame camera. On the other hand, launching an entry level full frame camera into the holiday season should manage to sell a fair number of product early on, as the price is quite giftable (both to others or oneself). Note what I wrote: with the 26mm f/2.8, the Z5IIC is Nikon’s new compact, full frame camera. No, it won’t fit in a shirt pocket, but the size works for vest and jacket pockets, or pretty much any small pouch or sling you would want to carry. 

My early verdict: the Z5IIC is going to be a sleeper hit. Sleeper because Nikon’s marketing won’t get the right messages to the right folk efficiently and customers will have to self discover it. Hit because this is a really good price for what is a darned good camera. What would I miss from using a Z6III or Z8? Weight. Viewfinder. Uh…Bueller? 

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Some Q&A

Have you tried it? Yes, I had an afternoon excursion with the Z5IIC in New York City. As I noted above, the panda version is quite attractive looking. A hint of legacy in a modern body.

Is the Z5IIC a Sony A7CII competitor? Not in my estimation. There are both price and performance differences that put the Sony camera into a higher class. The camera the Z5IIC most seems in competition to is the Panasonic S9.

Why wouldn’t I buy the ZR instead? You might. The ZR is at a much higher price point with more features and performance, particularly on the video side. I happen to like the ZR, as do a few others, even as a still camera. That big bright screen on the back makes it one of the most usable held-in-front-of-you cameras I’ve seen. On the other hand, the ZR is not easily grippable. The Z5IIC? Not quite as compelling on the Rear LCD front, but it’s also far lower cost and handles just like a Z5II, which is as much camera as most people need.

Is the Z5IIC’s Rear LCD too dim? Nikon wouldn’t disclose the nit value of the screen, but it seems to be about where the rest of the line other than the ZR fall. I just stepped the Monitor brightness up a step or two and was perfectly comfortable in bright daylight. Indoors that wasn’t necessary. 

What did Nikon leave off? Since this is a Z5II just with a C at the end and nothing up center top, some think that Nikon might have skimped on other features to get to the lower price point. They did, but not nearly as much as you’d think. The two basic differences other than no viewfinder are that the Z5II has two SD (UHS-II) card slots and the Z5IIC one; the Z5II has a 2m dot Rear LCD while the Z5IIC uses a 1m dot one; the Z5II has a thumb stick, the Z5IIC doesn’t; the back button is labeled AF-ON on the Z5II, but AE-L/AF-L on the Z5IIC. That’s about it for simplifications. Meanwhile, Nikon added Scene modes to the Z5IIC, which are always popular with new camera users, while keeping a ton of sophisticated things such as raw video, pixel-shift photography, pre-release capture, and virtually all of the other Z9-generation goodness. You’ll find the recently-added Film grain function and Product review focus modes, too.

Which image sensor does the Z5IIC use? The Z5II one as far as I can tell. I don’t see any spec change or Nikon marketing point that would suggest otherwise. The images I took look pretty much the same as I’d expect with the Z5II (see below). Using the same sensor means 30 fps raw video is best case (and line skipped, I believe), though most will want to use FullHD (120 fps) or 4K (60 fps) in 10-bit H.265, as those are quite good on a Z5II. N-Log and HLG are both still there in the Z5IIC.

So just how much smaller is it than the original Z5II? Specifically, 0.8” (20mm) less tall, otherwise dimensionally the same. However it also moves in and out of cases more easily without the hump. In terms of weight, the C version loses 2.8 ounces (80g). The Z30 remains the smallest and lightest no viewfinder camera in the lineup, but it also uses a smaller battery and doesn’t have a sensor VR mechanism. 

What happened to the Z30II? I’m not completely sure, but I think it has to do with where Nikon wants to get new, young creators entering into the lineup (e.g. FX, not DX, and at a higher price point). Personally, I think a Z30II with the Z9-generation goodies would make for one heck of bottom feeder camera. With the 12-28mm PZ and 16-50mm kit lens, it would make for a svelte little kit that has quite a bit of image/video cred. I suspect, however, that Nikon’s caught up in a parts crunch. Where it puts EXPEED7 chips and how many 20mp DX image sensors it has available as they get close to a sensor upgrade probably has the bean counters pushing beans into what they think are the best piles at the moment. The Z50II would be the best place to put whatever 20mp sensors they can get (or still have). 

Will there be a 26mm bundle option? In the US, Nikon announced that there will be a “soft bundle” option available through various retailers. Ditto for the 40mm f/2. What I believe they mean by that is that if you purchase the Z5IIC with one of those two lenses simultaneously, there will be a small discount from what the price of the two items would be if bought separately. 

Can the Z5IIC be used for streaming? Absolutely. UAC/UVC support is built in, as has been the case with the full Z9-generation. Again, I couldn’t find any feature that Nikon was leaving off the Z5II other than the extra card slot and EVF.

How’s the image sensor? Again, it’s the Z5II image sensor, well proven in the field and capable of holding a pretty wide dynamic range (I can bring out more in the deep shadows and even a bit more in the highlights in this image taken down in the train tunnels, but I kind of like it like this, as it captures the feel better):

Will you write a book for the Z5IIC? Almost certainly, as it will be easy enough to use the Z5II Complete Guide as the base, adding in a couple of new features while removing or changing a few others.

Why isn’t the Z5IIC in the cameras shown in the yellow bar at the top of the site? The ZR isn’t, either. We’re starting to get camera overload, so I’m contemplating how to suggest the entire lineup without making a bunch of tiny little cameras, particularly on mobile devices looking at the site. I think things work fine as it is right now for the time being.

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Update: I’ve made a few word changes and one typo correction since the midnight post at Nikon’s official release time. However in just the few hours that have transpired since, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback and seen a lot of fora activity on the new camera, and frankly, I’m a bit shocked at how much and how many people who the camera probably wasn’t intended for seem to want to condemn it out of hand. Had the exact same camera with exactly the same specifications and performance been introduced four years ago, I’d bet that the commentary would have been exactly the opposite from the peanut gallery. 

Let me tackle a few of the most common complaints I’m seeing:

• Weight (it’s too heavy). Too many people get this wrong. If you want lighter and even smaller, get a Z30. But having wandered around with both cameras and an appropriate lens in my (big) pocket, I’m not fatigued by one and not the other, and my arms don’t ache by holding the heavier one. I have a couple of friends who have wrist issues and can’t hold a lot of weight for long, and both are using heavier cameras than the Z5IIC. Also, some heft actually helps with the hold-camera-in-front-of-you style of photography. I find that I’m having to set higher shutter speeds on my very light Ricoh GRIV than I do on my much heavier ZR, for instance. That’s not due to VR, it’s due to positional stability. Further, the Z5IIC has the full hand grip, which a lot of the lighter cameras have to give up to save weight. My sense is the Z5IIC is an appropriate weight. Not particularly light, but not too heavy to use for casual photography, as Nikon suggests it was designed for. And for the record, the Fujifilm X100VI, the so-called viral compact camera, is only 100g lighter, not as flexible, more money, out of stock, and doesn’t focus as well. 
• It’s not really a good camera for beginners. This argument seems to center around some notion that it doesn’t have a viewfinder, and that dedicated cameras, even entry ones, have viewfinders. I’ll have more to say about composing images shortly, but I’ve worked with beginners and new-to-dedicated-camera users a fair amount. Having a viewfinder actually adds a complication for them, as once the camera is up to the eye, they can’t see the controls they have available. It’s actually only once you’ve mastered a UI that putting your eye to a viewfinder and concentrating (almost) solely on composition becomes useful. 
• The display isn’t bright enough. That was my biggest concern when I first was given information about the Z5IIC before it was announced, and the reason why I asked to spend an afternoon with it before the launch. I needed to confirm that you could indeed reliably compose with the camera, even in bright light. Sure, in the brightest daylight I had to bump the brightness up a notch from the default, but the Z5IIC has the bigger EN-EL15C battery in it, so I’m not overly concerned about that. Indoors and in shade it was fine at normal brightness.      s

What I see is a lot of people trying to defend biased positions (either brand-centric, or spec-snobby). There doesn’t seem to be a lot of rationality or pragmatism in their posts. Coupled with the fact that there haven’t been very many new cameras to discuss this year, pretty much every launch recently has generated a lot of not for me-ism.

Finally, I should point this out: AI is pattern matching. When new things come out and the majority of posts about it are forum discussions and comments on articles, AI will scrape those discussions and repeat it when you ask things such as “is the Nikon Z5IIC a good camera?” I typed that exact question into my chatbot this morning and then watched its thinking:

     …Research camera guidance for a Nikon Z5IIC question  …Searched the web  …Fetched: Nikon Z5IIC announced: $1399, no viewfinder [from redsharknews.com]! …Planning a brief overview  …weighting the new viewfinder-free Nikon against its trade-offs

The result was as you might expect: good for casual photos and travel but with caveats. The AI engine specifically said to consider the Z5II instead, which indicates that it had already managed to detect that the patterns it saw were stacking up on the “it doesn’t have a viewfinder” posts. 

Nikon made two Development Announcements today, just prior to the kickoff of IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) in Amsterdam. Both have a RED tint to them.

The first deals with Nikon’s upcoming Z CINEMA lenses (back with the all caps that NIKKOR also uses; apparently the Caps Lock key is stuck in the lens marketing room). The news here is fivefold:

• The first lens will be the NIKKOR Z CINEMA 50mm T1.9 VV.
• There will be nine lenses in the set.
• All nine will be T1.9.
• The VV stands for a larger image circle in order to cover the RED V-RAPTOR [X] VV image sensor, which is larger than the FX (full frame) size in Nikon’s still cameras (41x22mm as apposed to 36x24mm).
• These new lenses will feature a “highly precise” autofocus system.

The image accompanying the press release shows the 50mm version in enough detail to show that it has an aperture ring that’s lockable (though labeled IRIS), geared focus and aperture rings, plus an A/M switch.

It’s likely that the 50mm t/1.9 lens will be shown in Amsterdam this week, and perhaps others might be behind glass, too.

In Nikon’s second press release, Nikon officially announced plans for the 2.0 firmware expected for the ZR, to be offered sometime before the end of the year. Nikon specifically called out three features:

• Log3G10 and REDWideGamutRGB tone modes will be added to the H.265 compression options.
• A new High ISO NR option, also when using H.265, provides more control over noise reduction.
• Focus peaking will now be available when recording R3D NE raw video.

A future ZR update in 2027 will add open gate recording and anamorphic desqueeze display.

Meanwhile, RED CONTROL and RED CONTROL PRO, which were designed for the original RED cameras, will now be able to remotely control a ZR, as well.

That’s right, I have a new book available: Mastering Nikon Video. 

My latest book is intended for Z System camera users that struggle with understanding what Nikon did to support video, and how to get the best video results out of their camera. Yes, Nikon says just flip the Live View switch, but there are a ton of consequences and things to deal with when you flip that switch. This book explains everything you need to know about recording video, and in a way that you can understand. 

With Mastering Nikon Video I’m doing something a little different than I normally do. Typically once I’ve finished writing a Mastering book, I both spend some time doing a deeper edit on it as well as pass it by a few well-chosen readers to see if there are things I need to flesh out more. This time, however, I’m releasing the book immediately upon completing the full, initially-edited version. I’m doing that for two reasons:

1. “Explain video more” has been the number one book request for quite some time among my customers. They know my visual creator background actually started mostly with filmmaking and video, and they want to learn everything I know about that, not the simple video instructions I provide in my Complete Guides. In releasing this book a bit earlier in my process than I typically do, I’m trying to satisfy all that pent up demand I’ve been ignoring.
2. I have several aspects of the book I want to work on more, but I’m first curious as to whether readers agree with what those are or have other video issues they want me to address. I’d rather spend my next writing efforts filling in gaps or adding explanations that you need rather than relying upon my own ideas of what might benefit from some more work. Since I provide free updates when I do revise a work, you’re not really losing anything by getting this early version.

I should emphasize, while this is an early version, it’s a complete, finished book. I step through everything you need to know, providing both background and reasons why things are as they are in Nikon’s video implementation. That means addressing every VIDEO RECORDING menu option and every g Video Custom Setting. But it also means a complete history and explanation about frame sizes, frame rates, compression, plus much more. Three additional areas of typical confusion (exposure, focus, and tonal choices) are all dealt with directly with their own chapters. I’m confident that everyone who gets this book will be learning something about Nikon video that they don’t already know. 

While the printed page count may seem short (~270 pages in paperback PDF format [I also supply an ePub file for ereaders]), I’ve tried to be direct and concise with this book, as I want you to really read it from start to finish. Again, I have my own ideas about where I might eventually expand and elaborate it for future versions, but I really want to hear your opinions before I tackle fleshing everything I can out of the “mastering video” title. 

Click here to order the book. 

30 fps and be there...

Z9 owners were regularly treated to a “new camera” via the massive firmware releases that periodically added features and customizations. This near constant iteration resulted in a lot of positive press for Nikon, and established the Z9 as a critical pro tool with ever-expanding abilities. 

Ironically, the last truly big Z9 update was from version 5.20 to 5.30 back in December of last year, and it did not address a number of things still missing in the Z9 that other Z9-generation cameras now have (apparently no Z9 user needs to get their images to the cloud, let alone a Nikon cloud). So all that positive feeling has now started to dissipate. Even more so because big firmware updates for other cameras haven’t been happening this year, either.

ZR users, for instance, have expected some of the key missing “cinema” elements to be addressed, but in the almost year since the camera appeared we’ve only gotten a few modest bug fixes. Bug fixes are always welcome, but just as with the seminal Z9, Nikon received a plethora of feedback that should have driven bigger firmware updates with the ZR, as well. We just haven’t really seen any reaction out of Tokyo (or is it Los Angeles?) yet. 

This is a tricky territory to navigate (firmware updates, that is). On the one hand, if you save “big” features, functions, and performance changes up, the next full iteration of a model looks more impressive and has more things marketing can do some AI slop on in the eventual press release (Nikon’s press releases are now so formulaic, I can write them in my sleep, so an AI should be able to do this tout suite [hmm, another article idea]). On the other hand, serious users buying US$2000+ cameras aren’t buying every generation of a camera, but still want to feel like their brand is not neglecting them as tech keeps ticking onward.

As readers of my sites know, I’m an advocate of skipping generations. Don’t buy every generation of a camera (e.g. Z6, Z6II, and Z6III). Buy a product, use it through a complete update cycle and rejoin the buying with the subsequent later cycle (e.g. Z6, then Z6III). Cameras have been remarkably good for almost two decades now, so chasing incremental improvements really doesn’t pay off. You need a major platform change to get useful things. 

Or you need a Big Firmware Update ;~).

Nikon has been hoist on their own petard at this point, though that tends to get misrepresented by many. Many felt the big firmware updates with the Z9 that uncovered a slew of new features and kept me busy updating my book was a sign that Nikon was listening to users and improving their product willingly. 

Not exactly. As many of you may remember, I characterized it differently. The Z9 hardware was ready before the Z9 firmware was. Nikon shipped the initial camera with quite a few things that had been on the software critical path left out, then kept the firmware team executing until they had finally caught up with all the originally intended features. Coupled with that, they did listen better and incorporate some user suggestions along the way, including a couple of mine, but the primary reason we got big firmware updates was that the Z9 wasn’t finished when it was launched. 

And again, the Z9 still isn’t finished. Nikon Imaging Cloud, Flexible Picture Controls, several Custom Settings, HEIF support, and a few more items have appeared on subsequent Z9-generation cameras but never made it to the progenitor. I’m sure a Z9II will pick up those things, and thus the slipped schedule of the Z9II may be the reason why we didn’t get a Z9 firmware 6.0 to incorporate them, as the Z9II was supposed to happen sooner. 

Coupled with no new cameras in a year, the decline in big firmware updates means that Nikon hasn’t much to crow about on the camera front. Correct that: they’ve had nothing to squawk about. Connect that with price increases and Nikon PR has had a bad year. Is it a wonder that sales are down from forecasts? 

Let me conclude by offering my thoughts on the coming months. I suspect that we will get another big firmware update this fall or winter, and specifically for the ZR. Nikon needs to shore up some things on their only current cinema camera if they want to hold serve. But other than that, I think it won’t be until the Z9II hits that we see anything else on the feature, function, customization, or performance side that is significant. We’ve just gone through a cycle of bug fix updates for most models, and nothing new appeared during that, so I believe Nikon is holding the Next Big Things for the Z9II launch at this point. 

And of course you’re going to start peppering me with questions about when that will be. My best estimate has been and continues to be start-of-the-new-year plus or minus a month. In other words December 2026 through February 2027. However, as I’ve talked with manufacturers, suppliers, and others in the know recently, we’ve had multiple cameras postponed in 2026, not just from Nikon. The memory shortage is obviously not helping, but I’ve seen reports of several other components that are causing severe timing issues for the camera companies. So my Z9II expected date may slip further. Still, my current estimate is somewhere very near the year changeover; I haven’t yet heard anything that would change that prediction.

Here’s the real problem Nikon is facing. It’s not the lack of big firmware updates. It’s not delays in shipping new products. Nope, it’s really the fact that in long periods of quiet as we’re currently experiencing, the lack of any Nikon marketing messaging erodes confidence in the user base. Users wonder whether or not there’s a bigger issue with their brand of choice. Particularly when other companies that recently passed Nikon by—(cough) Sony—seem to be more active and moving forward with interesting products and messages. 

I’ve written it before: Nikon is their own worst enemy, and that starts with product marketing and extends to all marketing and customer relations. The real issue is that there’s no consistency to Nikon’s messaging, and they often go into complete periods of message lapse that worries their best customers, and each time that happens it causes a few more to leak to other brands. Nikon did not really address this issue in the DSLR era, and now that’s extended well into the mirrorless era. It’s a fundamental flaw in their organization and management, and one that doesn’t play in the current world expectation of overcommunication. 

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Bonus coverage: On a related note, it has now been almost three months since the development announcement for the 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S. The most likely user of this lens, the sports photographer, is just starting up their big fall schedules, and once you’re into that cycle, you’re not really looking to update or add to your gear, as your hands are full just going from game to game and delivering images to clients. Several Nikon-wielding sports pros have been asking me “when will this lens appear?” That’s a little tricky, in that development announcements tend to happen three to six months prior to actual launch. We’re just about to head into that window, so it could be any time in the next month or two. But again, the silence is not helping Nikon, and delivering in October would be a big miss in terms of when that lens would have been most appreciated and purchased. And if it slips past December delivery, it would be a huge miss, in that it would miss year-end tax write-offs for this same group. Put a different way, anything past December would reduce the urgency at which the sports professional might consider picking up this lens. 

Things aren’t helped by the fact that Nikon doesn’t have a D500 update in the Z-mount (e.g. Z70 or Z90 speed-oriented camera). The 120-300mm (and 420mm with the teleconverter invoked) has very solid use cases for sports with FX bodies, but those users alone would limit the upside of that lens. 120-300mm (and 420mm with teleconverter) would be a solid wildlife lens on DX, expanding the sales market, as it would be effectively 180-450mm f/2.8 with a 630mm f/4 option. 

So once again I have to take issue with the coordination of product planning between the camera group and the NIKKOR lens group: it’s like they’re not on the same page. The sum of the parts (cameras, lenses) should actually be greater than the sum of the parts when product management gets their job done correctly. I’ll note that Nikon missed their goal of a 2:1 attachment rate (two lenses sold for every camera sold), and is mired down just under the historical 1.5:1 rate. What I’m writing about here is one of the reasons for that result. Nikon’s lack of marketing messaging of any note is another. (I’m sure Nikon will blame it on component shortages, tariffs, and other things, but they’re wrong: the real issue lives in the corporate offices and could be seen by installing a mirror.)