Rumors: the next two cameras Nikon will replace are…



The next two cameras Nikon is rumored to replace are:

The two new cameras are expected to be announced in 2024, but as we already know, there could be delays. I don’t have any specifications or other details – you know what to do if you have any.

Nikon currently has two registered but not yet announced cameras:

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Posted in Nikon Point and Shoot, Nikon Z50, Nikon Z50II | Tagged , | 332 Comments

Where are Nikon Z mirrorless cameras and lenses manufactured?


Here is the full list of current Nikon Z mirrorless cameras and lenses and the country of manufacturing (the list was updated by Nikon Japan on July 4, 2024):

Mirrorless camera (Z series) Country of origin
Z9, Z8, Z7II, Z6III, Z6II, Z7, Z6, Z5, Zf, Zfc, Z50, Z30 Thailand
NIKKOR Z Lenses
NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct
NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S
NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S
Japan
NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8
NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8
NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (Special Edition)
NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2
NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 (SE)
NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S
NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S
NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena
NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S
NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S
NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S
NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
NIKKOR Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR
NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f /3.5-6.3 VR
NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR
NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR
NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S
Thailand
NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S
NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S
NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S
NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S
NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S
NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S
NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S
NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S
NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f /2.8
NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3
NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8
NIKKOR Z MC 50mm f/2.8
NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8
NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7
China
Posted in Nikon Lenses | 93 Comments

Weekly Nikon news flash #788


→ Coming soon: new AstrHori 120mm f/2.8 MACRO 2X lens for Nikon Z-mount.



→ You can now turn your $200 Nikon 40mm f/2 into a $8,000 Noct lens with this fake lens hood.


→ It seems that Nikon USA is still canceling orders – this has been going on for a while and I thought they already fixed the issue.

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Posted in Weekly Nikon News Flash | 23 Comments

Rumors: new Nikon Z9 firmware update with enhanced AF acquisition coming soon


A new Nikon Z9 firmware update with enhanced AF acquisition is rumored to be released soon. I was told that the firmware update will be released for the Summer Olympics (end of July), but as we know from previous reports, there could be a delay. Stay tuned for updates.

Posted in Nikon Z9 | Tagged , | 183 Comments

First Nikon Zf camera price drop in the UK


We already have the first Nikon Zf camera price drop in the UK:

Amazon UK:

WEX Photo and Park Cameras:

  • Nikon Zf body only is now £2,149 or £150 off (was £2,299)
  • Nikon Zf + 40mm SE lens is now £2,399 or £120 off (was £2,519)

Currently, in the US, you can only get a small discount for Nikon Zf accessories kits.

Posted in Deals, Nikon Zf | 34 Comments

30 days with the Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens



30 days with the Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens by Bill Ferris – a wildlife/bird photographer in northern Arizona who recently upgraded from a Nikon D500/Nikkor 200-500 combo to a Nikon Z9/Nikkor 800mm PF system:

A coyote and newborn elk calf face off in a northern Arizona meadow on a summer's day. (Nikon Z9 with 800mm PF at f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 320)

A coyote and newborn elk calf face off in a northern Arizona meadow on a summer’s day. (Nikon Z9 with 800mm PF at f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 320)

OK, full disclosure…it’s not been exactly 30 days. Federal Express delivered the camera, lens and accessories on May 7. Today’s date is June 10 and my most recent shoot with the new kit was yesterday, June 9. But what’s a couple of days amongst friends?

Before getting into my early impressions, I want to share the backstory on the photography I do and what led me to purchasing this system. I’m a wildlife and bird photographer living in Flagstaff, Arizona. Phoenix and Tucson are farther south in the desert where the high will be about 110 °F (43 °C) today. Flagstaff is on the Colorado Plateau at 7,000 feet (2133 meters) elevation. A typical June day has a high in the mid-eighties.

I’m also a long time Nikon user. Since 2018, I have been shooting with a Nikon D500 and Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E VR. I’m on my second copy of the 200-500. Nikon replaced the first under warranty, due to multiple service trips to repair a failed zoom mechanism.

That combo has served me, well. The D500 has the DX version of the D5’s 20 MP sensor and autofocus system, a 10 fps burst rate, an effectively bottomless buffer, professional build quality and controls. The 200-500 is a consumer zoom lens. It was released in the fall of 2015 as Nikon’s response to the Tamron and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 zoom lenses that were popular with a growing segment who enjoy nature and wildlife photography.

Being a photographer, I naturally found shortcomings in my gear. The first to emerge was the marginal low-light performance of the kit. With a maximum aperture of f/5.6, the 200-500 was affordable, sharp wide open but challenged in the light-gathering department. Exotic prime and zoom lenses in the same focal length range are all at least a full stop faster. The D500 was equally challenged in that area. It’s APS-C sensor captures one-stop less light than a full-frame body working with the same exposure.

I could navigate around these issues. I worked hard at improving my field craft and getting closer to subjects without being a disturbance to them. The closer you are, the better an animal fills the frame and the more light your camera captures from them. I invested in a quality Benro tripod and gimbal head system. Combined with the 200-500’s excellent vibration reduction (VR), I was able to use shutter speeds as slow as 1/30-second and still freeze the movement of grazing animals in early morning twilight. Wide open at 1/30 is a recipe for sucking as much available light as possible from an early morning scene.

A dew-soaked coyote pauses briefly at the edge of the Grass Flat Tank meadow. (Nikon D500 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E at 500mm, f/5.6, 1/30, ISO 1600)

A dew-soaked coyote pauses briefly at the edge of the Grass Flat Tank meadow. (Nikon D500 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E at 500mm, f/5.6, 1/30, ISO 1600)

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Posted in Nikon D500, Nikon Z9 | Tagged , | 56 Comments

Nikon Z6 III sensor readout speed measurements

Nikon Z6 III sensor readout speed measurements by horshack:

Nikon Z6 III sensor readout speed measurements

Nikon Z6 III sensor readout speed measurements

My name is Adam and go by “horshack” on dpreview. This year I started a crowd-source project on GitHub for measuring the sensor readout speeds for as many cameras as possible. The methodology involves custom firmware running on an inexpensive Arduino board that flashes its built-in LED at a known frequency, which is then photographed and videoed in each of the camera’s photo and video modes to calculate the readout speed from the number of bands that appear in the captured image. The GitHub repository includes a deep dive into how rolling shutters work, plus instructions and source code you can use to perform your own measurements.

The project’s home page is at:

https://github.com/horshack-dpreview/RollingShutter

The live results page for the project is at:

https://horshack-dpreview.github.io/RollingShutter/

For example, here are the different camera sensor readout speeds combined results (full-sensor, milliseconds):


See Adam’s previous Z6 III videos here or on his YouTube channel:

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Posted in Nikon Z6III | Tagged , | 70 Comments

Nikon 2

Nikon 2 (by RC Jenkins)

Occasionally, I bring up a hypothetical system I’d like to see from Nikon.

It won’t happen; but this is more of a thought experiment for a discussion to get the creative juices flowing for people who think creatively and to get the defensive juices flowing for people who don’t.  So get ready to pick your side and dig in. Because honestly, who really needs to hear anything at all from anyone else before just arbitrarily picking the side you already wanted to be on anyway?  Here we go (again)…

The system is called Nikon 2; and Nikon 2 is the spiritual successor to Nikon 1.  If you’re really good at counting, you’ll note that it’s also the numerical successor to Nikon 1. hmmm…what did that “1” stand for again…?  Wasn’t it the number of units they sold?  Or something like that.

Nikon 2:

  • shares the Z mount and is fully compatible with all Z lenses
  • does not have a huge selection of dedicated lenses
  • Uses the latest, greatest sensor technologies
  • Introduces novel features that would be risky or expensive for higher-end cameras
  • Is affordable for more people
  • Is designed primarily for producing online content
  • In practice, exceeds in IQ well beyond APS-C cameras and phones
  • Has a sensor that is…nope…it’s still too soon.  We need more context.

So here is one example of a Nikon 2 camera’s specifications:

  • 14-bit sensor readout: 1/240+
  • No mechanical shutter
  • HDR option on-sensor
    (can quickly take 2 shots at different exposures, like an iPhone)
  • IBIS that can move faster & further, resulting in gimbal-like stabilization
  • 4K120 12-bit raw video.  10-bit ProRes HQ 422, h.265.  HD240.
  • Direct USB-C connection to record or monitor video on a phone via app
  • 30FPS raw stills
  • Latest Expeed 7 AF
  • Priced between $500 – $1000
  • Rapid pixel-shift for 8K stills
    (Rapid, to reduce motion blur)
  • Novel features, perhaps the ability to internally rotate the sensor for portrait vs landscape
  • 4K native resolution (3820 x 2160 = 8MP); perhaps also a 6K option
  • Sensor size:  21.3 x 12 mm (16:9 native; or could be vertical-native)
    (^ There it is)

Why is it so cheap? Not only does it lack a mechanical shutter; but the sensors are far cheaper than either full-frame or APS-C. In just one simple example, suppose they use a 12″ wafer for sensors. They might be able to make 64 full frame sensors from this; but they might be able to make 240 Nikon 2 sensors from the same sized wafer. When accounting for defective sensors, each Nikon 2 sensor might be 4x (or more) cheaper, depending on the technology.  For example, stacked sensors might have a higher / compounded defect rate.  Here it is visualized:

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Posted in Other Nikon stuff | Tagged , | 140 Comments