Nikon Z9 might mark a significant change in photography.

Nikon Z9 might mark a significant change in photography.

The Z9, Nikon’s new flagship camera, was just unveiled. With a long list of specifications created for use in the demanding fields of photojournalism, sports, nature, birding, and any other use-cases that call for a camera that shoots incredibly fast at high resolution, this camera represents Nikon’s first mirrorless camera fully geared towards professional photographers and hybrid shooters. The Nikon Z9, which costs $5,000, is also the company’s first camera to do away with a conventional mechanical shutter, enabling it to operate at new speeds and with improved focusing.

Faster speeds are ideal for sports photographers. However, it’s intriguing to consider where this technology may lead traditional-style cameras in the future. This might be the first step toward bigger format cameras adopting the computational intelligence that smartphone cameras have embraced for years.

Nikon is the first major camera maker to abandon the mechanical shutter, putting it ahead of its competitors in the race to computational photography. Sony’s A1 and A9 camera series have previously used stacked sensors for rapid readout speeds, allowing electronic shutters to be used full-time, and Canon’s forthcoming R3 will do the same. Moving to a fully electronic shutter has been the inevitable next step for cameras, but Nikon will have to prove that its electronic shutter is equal to the everyday chores and expectations of professional photographers right now.

Olympus, Panasonic, and Canon have all previously employed deep learning to some extent, which is also used in the new Z9’s object recognition focusing technology. In the end, a mirrorless camera still takes a single image that is constrained by the dynamic range of the sensor, however, it helps to enhance autofocus tracking performance.