Nikon shows impressive autofocus tracking and high-speed shooting for its upcoming flagship Z9 camera

 

 

The third teaser video for the upcoming flagship full-frame mirrorless Nikon Z9 camera is here. In the first teaser video, we got our first look at the back of the Nikon Z9, including seeing the new dual-tilt touchscreen in action. Last week, the second teaser highlighted the Z9's 8K/30p video recording capabilities.

The new teaser video showcases different autofocus technologies and continuous shooting performance. Considering autofocus first, we see subject tracking in the form of Eye AF on fast-moving athletes and subject tracking for motorsports. Recently, Canon divulged that the upcoming EOS R3 mirrorless camera will include tracking for two-wheeled, four-wheeled and open cockpit race cars, so the inclusion of similar tracking technology on the Z9 will help drive competition among motorsports photographers. The race is on.

In the above video, we also see, but mostly hear, the Nikon Z9 firing at high speed using an electronic shutter. It's unclear if the Z9 is shown shooting at its maximum speed, but if so, we think it's shooting at just above 20 frames per second. We heard around 35 frames in about 1.6 seconds. It's shooting with full autofocus tracking at this speed, which is impressive. Its primary competition, the Sony A1 and Canon EOS R3 both promise up to 30fps continuous shooting electronic shutter, so will the Nikon Z9 keep pace? A very exciting three-camera shootout seems to be in the making.

 

 

We expect one more final Z9 teaser next week, so stay tuned to Imaging Resource to see what else Nikon wants us to know about the Nikon Z9 ahead of its eventual release.