While many in the film and video industry are still waiting to see what the Nikon acquisition of RED Digital Cinema will bring here heading into 2025, in some small ways Nikon is already improving their offerings for videographers.
The recent Nikon Z6 III has proven to be quite highly reviewed by video pros, and the Nikon Z9—which came out a few years ago—remains very popular as well. Still, Nikon is still on the grind just releasing a new firmware update to the Z9 which expands the camera’s video capabilities pretty significantly.
A previous update expanded the Nikon Z9 to be able to record internally 12-bit N-RAW video at up to 8.3K at 60p, while this latest firmware enhancement adds shutter angle controls which should be quite helpful for working videography professionals. Let’s take a look.
Nikon Z9 Firmware Update 5.10
The major news here is really the addition of a shutter angle mode which is set to add some pretty significant functionality to the Nikon Z9. Shooters will now be able to set the shutter angle to be 15 steps between 5.6-degrees and 360-degrees. This means that shooters will no longer need to select a shutter speed based on their frame rate as well as give further control of the best motion blur for your shots.
Nikon has also announced that this new update will include some customizable video monitoring and assist tools to let shooters change the color of the zebra pattern display. Users will also be able to customize more display aspects like size, position, and brightness transparency—including your waveform monitors and histograms.
An Update to the Nikon Z9
Overall this is another pretty notable upgrade to the Nikon Z9, which is still quite capable as a high-end mirrorless camera with its FX-format 45.7MP BSI stacked CMOS sensor. The Z9 also features a high-resolution chip that benefits landscape, portraiture, and other detail-oriented genres, as well as enables the advanced video recording at resolutions up to 8K that we mentioned before.
The Z9 is still one of Nikon's most capable video cameras as well, with a variety of resolutions and frame rates including N-RAW recording at up to 8.3K at 60p or 24p; 4.1K at up to 120p; 5.3K at up to 60p with a 1.5x crop; and 3.8K at 120p with a 2.3x crop.
Specs and Availability
The Nikon Z9 firmware update 5.10 is out and available to download for free here. If you’d like to explore more of the specs and purchase options for the Nikon Z9 you can check those out below as well.
- 45.7MP FX-Format Stacked CMOS Sensor
- EXPEED 7 Image Processor
- 8.3K 60p N-RAW, 4.1K 60p ProRes RAW
- 8K30p and 4K120p Video, 10-Bit Internal
- Up to 20 fps Raw, 30 fps JPEG Shooting
- 493-Point AF, AI-Based Subject Detection
- Blackout-Free Real Live Viewfinder
- 3.2" 4-Axis Tilting Touchscreen LCD
- Vertical Grip, 2x CFexpress Type B Slots
- 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS
Nikon Z9 Mirrorless Camera
Delivering speed, image quality, and connectivity, the Nikon Z9 is a professional-grade camera characterized by its newly developed sensor, advanced AF performance, and high-resolution 8K video recording.
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