Nikon Z9

9 Apr 2026 · Camera News

The gear NASA trusts in deep space isn't custom-built exotica — it's the same Nikon D5 you can pick up used for under a grand, chosen because its dynamic range handles the capsule's extreme shadow-to-sunlight contrast and its low-light performance works without flash in a cramped crew module. The real takeaway: NASA certification takes years, which is why the Z9 nearly didn't make it aboard — a reminder that 'older' pro bodies still earn their place when reliability matters more than specs.

11 Apr 2026 · Industry News

NASA didn't take the latest mirrorless flagship to the moon — they took a D5, and it's worth asking why. The answer is a quiet rebuke to the 'always upgrade' culture: proven radiation hardness and high-ISO performance that still holds up where no repair shop exists. For working photographers, the real story is the Z9 hitching a ride as a radiation guinea pig — NASA's already planning for Artemis III, and the data from that sensor in deep space will tell us more about stacked-sensor durability than any lab test ever could.

3 May 2026 · Camera Opinion

Four years ago, the Z9 was Nikon proving they weren't dead. What happened next is the more interesting story. Nikon kept shipping meaningful firmware, turning a 2021 body into something that competes with cameras announced last quarter. That's not common. Most flagships peak at launch and coast. If you bought a Z9 and wondered whether it would hold its value as a working tool, this piece makes the case it already has. Relevant if you're weighing a Z9 purchase against newer bodies, or justifying one to a client who asks why you're not shooting the latest Sony.

6 May 2026 · Industry News

NASA's camera testing methodology is the most brutal real-world reliability benchmark you'll never see in a DPReview spec comparison. Thermal extremes, vacuum exposure, radiation tolerance, vibration resistance, and operability in thick gloves. The Nikon D5, a camera you can buy used for under $1,500 AUD, made the cut for lunar orbit. The Z7II didn't. That's not a knock on newer gear — it's a reminder that proven high-ISO performance in extreme conditions still beats resolution and feature count when the stakes are real. Worth thinking about next time you're tempted to upgrade mid-season before you've actually stress-tested what you already own.

6 May 2026 · Camera Comparison

If you shoot wildlife or landscape and you're sitting on a Canon or Nikon ecosystem decision, this is the comparison worth reading. Not because the result will surprise you, but because it was tested in actual field conditions by photographers who live in these systems daily, not by someone swapping between bodies in a studio. The R5 II brings a stacked sensor and 30fps raw to the nature game. The Z8 matches it on resolution and speed, and Nikon shooters know the ergonomics well. The real question this answers isn't which has better specs. It's which one holds up when you're wet, cold, and chasing light in the Lake District. That's the version of the answer that's worth your time.

7 May 2026 · Camera News

NASA's camera testing process is essentially the most brutal real-world reliability audit any body will ever go through, and the results are worth knowing. The Canon R5 came through with no critical failures. The Nikon Z7 II didn't finish testing at all, knocked out by connectivity issues inside the vacuum chamber. And despite having newer mirrorless options on the table, NASA strapped a Nikon D5 to Artemis II because it already had ISS hours logged and high-ISO performance that holds up where it counts. The practical takeaway for working photographers isn't about space. It's about what actually survives when manufacturer specs meet real environmental stress. SanDisk led on card reliability too, if you're the kind of person who reads footnotes before a big job.

29 June 2026 · Mobile News

A Korean fashion photographer has released THE Tether, a wireless tethering app for Nikon cameras on iPad and iPhone. Runs over 5GHz Wi-Fi or direct camera Wi-Fi, streams JPGs for on-set review while keeping a full RAW workflow intact via memory card matching later. Supports a wide range of Z-series bodies plus the D780, with star rating, selective RAW export, external SSD support, and a fullscreen client review mode.

3 July 2026 · Industry News

Artemis II astronauts used a Nikon Z9 to photograph the solar corona during their lunar flyby, and researchers at Tokyo City University have now published findings from those images in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The paper draws new conclusions about the Sun's coronal structure from the Z9 footage.

15 July 2026 · Project News

A Nikon Z9 JPEG — f/2, 2 seconds, ISO 1600, 35mm adapted lens — shot during Artemis II's lunar flyby has contributed to a peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on the large-scale structure of the optical F-corona. The spacecraft's proximity to the Moon produced nearly an hour of totality across a roughly 51x33 degree field of view, far exceeding anything achievable from Earth. Researchers worked around the 8-bit JPEG format and gamma correction by cross-referencing field stars to confirm linear sensor response in unsaturated regions.

29 July 2026 · Lens Review

Dariusz Breś has published a hands-on review of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Art on Nikon Z bodies via the Megadap Pro+ adapter. At 525g and USD $1,059, the lens is notably smaller than its predecessor — 14% shorter, 20% lighter — and includes a stepless aperture ring, AF/MF switch, and two assignable function buttons.

9 Aug 2026 · Camera Rumour

The name 'Nikon Z70' has shown up in Apple's ProRes and ProRes RAW authorized products list — PhotoRumors flags it as either a typo or an accidental leak. Separately, a new fast, professional Nikon APS-C body is confirmed as coming soon, with no specs or date yet. PhotoRumors also calls out ongoing Z7III rumours as fabricated.

9 Aug 2026 · Industry News

Japan's IP High Court has confirmed the invalidation of a key RED patent on compressed RAW video recording, originally filed in the US in 2008. Panasonic brought the challenge; Nikon inherited the defence after acquiring RED in 2024, and the court rejected it. The patent covered visually lossless compression of RAW sensor data and was central to RED's licensing and legal pressure on competitors over many years, including lawsuits against Sony and Nikon.