The camera market will follow in 2023 Ketchup Effect: First comes almost nothing, and then everything at once. While you still have it in your own hands with the sugary tomato paste, the customer who is interested in photos and videos is quite helplessly at the mercy of the manufacturers’ marketing strategies.
At both ends of the spectrum there are methods of quietly and secretly and extreme hype. Both were observed this week, with all their advantages and disadvantages. Nikon is generally quite secretive, meticulously takes care of compliance with embargo periods and then still delivers what the inevitable leaks predict: A Baby Z9, like the Petapixel colleagues in their test video call the Z8.
The Baby Z9 makes the transition easy
Looking beyond the sheer specs, the Z8 is not only smaller than the Z9, it’s even smaller than the very popular D850 from the digital SLR era. So you still have “enough in your hand”, but still a more compact camera than was previously possible. That doesn’t quite match the Alphas, which are almost dainty in comparison, but understatement has never been part of the specification for Nikon’s top models.
And while many veterans swear by the built-in upright handle, in most situations it’s dispensable – it’s also available as an accessory for the Z8. Anyone who travels a lot and photographs events, action and sports, for example, tends to look more at the capacity of the battery, and that’s where the Z8 really lags behind the Z9: According to the CIPA standard, only 340 instead of 740 pictures are required with one charge, and that’s it for example for a whole day at an event from a wedding to a festival today simply not enough. After all: The battery of the Z8 is the old acquaintance EN-EL15, of which the Nikonist surely still has a few at hand.
The fact that the Z9 lacks a mechanical shutter and GPS receiver, and there is only one CF Express slot (plus one for SD), is easy to get over as a cost-cutting measure. More importantly, the Z9’s sensor and AI autofocus have been adopted identically. Nikon has literally slimmed down the Z9, but has not skimped on the flesh. The fact that it is also intended to motivate the last to switch to the mirrorless world is also reflected in the price: with the 24-120 Nikkor as a kit, it costs 5,500 euros, and is therefore still 500 euros less than just the body of the Z9. Of course, these are professional prices, but still a fair offer in the context.
Nikon misses an opportunity…
Since we are also in the professional field when filming with up to 8K in Nikon’s RAW (ProRes only works with 4K), one design decision by Nikon is surprising: the Z8 also has a real folding display, with which you can also see yourself the Z9 doesn’t. Instead, there is only the well-known and quite fragile mechanism of the Z9, which is great for taking photos and films, for example from low or high angles, but still: the possibility for a short moderation without a second person or external display would be helpful. For a tenth of the price, Canon’s new entry-level vlogging camera, the PowerShot V10, can do the same.
And even if you hardly only create vlogs with the expensive Nikon part: Why shouldn’t what is then probably the best camera in the house also be suitable for all applications? A look at the dedicated film cameras makes this even clearer: the EOS C70 from Canon, which costs the same, has exactly this folding display, which Nikon may still frown upon. An opportunity was missed. Incidentally, how well the Z8 can film can be seen in the Petapixel video mentioned at the beginning, because it was shot entirely with the new camera. And with autofocus, because that now works very reliably with this generation when filming.
… just like Sony’s top smartphone
The rumors that even the renowned Japanese business medium Nikkei was spreading about Sony’s new stacked CMOS sensor were less reliable. It was supposed to be in the next iPhone, but it ended up first in the Sony flagship Xperia 1 V. Once again it drove Hype-Train and even promised a revolution in compact cameras with attached telephones, because the devices have been sold primarily for their photo and video functions for years. In view of the miracles expected, such as at least twice the light sensitivity and much less noise, it is definitely a disappointment at the highest level if the quality “only” came out as the last iPhone.
In the current market, 1,400 euros for such a smartphone is reasonable, but the expectation was different. The sensor called “Exmor T for mobile” is only 1/1.35 inch in size, why is unknown. Other manufacturers are already using 1-inch sensors, and even Sony itself a year ago with the Xperia Pro-I. The apps for photo and video are a bit “pro”, but – see Nikon – potential was wasted there too, because if you can already connect your Alpha to your smartphone via USB to connect your cell phone as a monitor: why then not just install a proper camera control for the DSLM via the larger display? One can only hope for updates.
Differentiation via software has its pitfalls
The fact that cameras are also software products, as regular readers of our column already know, is now also openly admitted by the manufacturers. It is important to check very carefully whether it is worthwhile for the customer to differentiate between the two models, particularly with regard to the firmware. Panasonic made that clear. Although they announced in January that some of the video functions of the Lumix S5IIx can also be retrofitted in the S5II, which is 300 euros cheaper – but not exactly which ones and at what price. Now it turns out that the S5II can handle RAW output via HDMI from June via an update that costs 200 euros, but not, among other things, live streaming via a smartphone. In this respect, our recommendation is: the S5IIx is better for filming.
In general, you shouldn’t make a purchase decision for a camera based on what it might be taught by a new firmware. But according to what the camera is when it comes to market. The software does not change anything in terms of mechanics and electronics. Surprising functions such as the lossless zoom when filming with the Z9 or that the Lumixes can now also handle Blackmagic Raw – which was not promised in January – are by no means guaranteed. Especially with the video formats or the cooperation with accessories such as gímbals, it is about third-party intellectual property, license costs or a general unwillingness to open one’s systems can get in the way.
Stock photographer sues against LAION
Even before the AI Act of the EU, for which there were 1012 meetings with 551 lobbyists, the powerful operators of the platforms for so-called artificial intelligence are threatened with the already existing law getting in the way. In Germany, too, there is now a sensational lawsuit, because the stock photographer Robert Kneschke not only sees his copyright violated. Among other things, he wants photographers to participate financially in the profits if new ones are generated and used commercially on the basis of their images. But that’s not all, as with ketchup – the background article on the lawsuit against LAION is our recommendation for a long read over the weekend.
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