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New V3.0 firmware adds over 20 new features to the Nikon Z9 for a faster and smarter camera

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Nikon has released a new Version 3.0 firmware for the Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera. Yes, that’s right, they’ve announced a release. They haven’t announced that they’re going to release it in a week – I don’t understand why some camera manufacturers have started doing that lately. Anyway, the new firmware boasts over 20 new features, and enhancements to make it “more flexible and intelligent”.

New features include a faster, smarter and more reliable autofocus – which they’ve needed, given some of the comparisons I’ve seen against Sony and Canon – and new zoom controls, including a simulated crop-zoom in-camera in real-time while recording, even with primes. New timecode sync features have been added for video shooters, as well as smoother operation for vertical shooting and plenty more besides.

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Nikon is trying to invalidate RED’s raw video patent, arguing it shouldn’t have been granted in the first place

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It’s no secret that RED is very protective of its patents, particularly the one covering the internal recording of compressed raw video. They’ve pursued it pretty relentlessly over the years, stifling the competition and probably setting back camera development by quite a few years. DJI and Kinefinity are rumoured to have removed their internal raw capabilities over RED’s threats. More recently, however, RED’s sights have been aimed towards Nikon.

Nikon announced in April that the Nikon Z9 was going to gain internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW and 8K 12-Bit N-RAW in a firmware update. The very next month, RED sued them over patent infringement claims as a result. In September, Nikon denied that they’d done so and now we know why. They’re claiming RED should’ve never been granted the patent in the first place and this video from FrameVoyager summarises the whole saga in probably the best way I’ve seen so far.

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Nikon denies RED’s infringement accusations, ready to prove it in court

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Earlier this year, RED filed a lawsuit against Nikon blaming them for illegally copying their video compression patent. Nikon announced the new version 2.0 firmware for the Nikon Z9, and RED claimed that Nikon illegally infringed on seven patents that deal with “a video camera that can be configured to highly compress video data in a visually lossless manner.”

However, Nikon isn’t ready to give in without a fight. The company recently answered to RED’s accusations, claiming that they deny every allegation of the infringement. And from Nikon’s statement, it appears that they’re ready to prove their claims in court and challenge RED’s lawsuit.

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Nikon Z 9’s Pre-release feature makes lightning triggers obsolete

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If you’ve ever tried to photograph lightning during daytime, you know it’s almost impossible. By the time you press the shutter button, it’s gone. That’s why lightning triggers, while no guarantee of success, exist. But the addition of the new “Pre-release” feature in Nikon’s Z 9 cameras now make those triggers obsolete. It guarantees success, as I found out last week.

Over the last half-dozen years I’ve been running small-group photography trips to places around the U.S. Sedona, with many great locations nearby, moderate summer weather (at least by Kansas City standards!) and a good chance for storms has been high on my list of “need to do a workshop there.” Last week I finally did, and it was as good as I’d hoped (I’ll write a blog past about that in the next few weeks). But it was the thunderstorm we watched Thursday evening that resulted in a new “Aha!” moment for me.

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NIkon Z9 disassembly and teardown

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We’ve got some big news: The Nikon Z9 is here and ready to take on the Sony A1 and Canon R3 for the title of ‘Mirrorless Flagship.’ We can argue all day about which camera is the best, but there’s no question that this one is the biggest. Mirrorless cameras have all been lighter and more compact than their DSLR counterparts, but with Z9 and the R3, Nikon and Canon have changed that.

While there were a few notable updates with the Z7 II, it was overall a very similar camera to its predecessor. The Z9, however, is a whole new animal. Nikon has been making a lot of solid well-handling cameras across their various tiers, but this is the first one I’ve personally been excited about.

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Nikon Z9 is the first Z camera to get DSLR-like focus speeds with adapted F mount AF-S lenses

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When Nikon started shifting over from the screw-drive autofocus system of their regular F mount AF lenses to their AF-S system they started adding autofocus motors inside the lens itself. One of the key selling points at the time was that no matter which camera you were using, the lens would always rack from minimum to maximum focus at the same speed as the motor was in the lens itself.

Along comes Z mount with adapted F mount lenses and this didn’t hold true anymore, with them generally spinning slower (albeit achieving similar overall results due to the more advanced AF system). Not anymore, though. According to this video from photographer Dariusz Breś, Nikon seems to have gotten AF-S lenses spinning just as fast on the Nikon Z9 as they did with their DSLRs.

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Nikon Z9 firmware update brings improved AF and 1/96th stop shutter increments to eliminate banding and flicker

For anybody who’s ever shot video under artificial light with pretty much any kind of video camera, one thing that you’ll often be fighting is flicker. It used to be simple. If you were in the USA or Central and South America, set your shutter speed to 1/60th and you’re good. In most of the rest of the world, 1/50th is the go-to. But gone are the days of energy-wasting inefficient tungsten. Replaced by LEDs that bring a whole new host of potential flickering issues.

Nikon’s solving this issue with their latest v2.10 firmware update for the Nikon Z9 that allows you to adjust your shutter speed very precisely in 1/96th stop increments in order to match your exposure time more precisely to the frequency of the often oddly timed LED light controllers, giving you a more consistent banding and flicker-free shot from frame to frame. It also brings some AF improvements.

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It’s confirmed: Nikon Z9 sensor is made by Sony

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I know some of you must have been on the edge of your seats for this little piece of news, but now we know. After much speculation, it’s been confirmed that the Nikon Z9‘s image sensor is manufactured by none other than Sony.

The SonyAlphaRumors website published the news today, saying “the Nikon Z9 sensor is not only manufactured by Sony but also part of Sony’s patent authorization.” Interesting!

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RED sues Nikon for infringement on video compression patent

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High-end video camera brand RED is suing Nikon for illegally copying their video compression patent. Nikon introduced the system in their new firmware 2.0 update for the Z9 mirrorless camera. With the 2.0 update, the Z9 can capture 8.3K RAW video at up to 60 frames per second in Nikon’s new “N-RAW format” or up to 4.1K at 60 frames per second ProRes RAW HQ.

The lawsuit was filed in a southern California federal court and asserts that the Japanese camera manufacturer and its United States subsidiaries have illegally infringed on seven patents that deal with “a video camera that can be configured to highly compress video data in a visually lossless manner.”

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The Nikon Z9 gains internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW, 8K 12-Bit N-RAW and other new features in v2.0 firmware

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Well, these are some pretty significant updates to the Nikon Z9. Nikon has today announced the new version 2.0 firmware for the Nikon Z9. It brings with it a host of interesting new features for both photographers and filmmakers including internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW recording at 4.1K up to 60fps and 12-Bit N-RAW recording for 8.3K. 4K footage can now be oversampled from 8K and you also get finer ISO control with 1/6th step increments.

On the photography side, There’s a new Pre-Release Capture feature that starts shooting up to a full second before you actually hit the shutter. Twenty different Custom Wide-Area AF patterns have been added for tricky sports and wildlife situations, along with better AF stability, tracking performance and low-light subject detection. There have also been some improvements made to its long exposure display mode.

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