Nikon’s New Firmware for the Z9 Camera Adds Useful New Features

Nikon’s Z9 flagship camera is still widely favored among many professional users. Now it’s been beefed up further with a new firmware update.

The firmware version 4.0 update for the pricey-but-superb mirrorless camera is available from Nikon’s firmware page on its website and is worth downloading for the improvements it brings to the Z9.

The update also serves as a reminder of just how digitally changeable modern cameras have become.

Instead of working like the purely mechanical gadgets of previous camera generations, today’s digital cameras operate much more like compact computers: They can suddenly deliver wholly new capabilities with a simple software update that you can perform from home.

All of these new functional improvements do of course depend on a camera’s hardware being designed to manage them right from the day you buy it and this is worth remembering.

However, it’s still interesting that manufacturers like Nikon can pack so much latent functionality into their devices, and then simply activate it at a later date based on their own schedules.

The pricey Z9 flagship camera is an obvious candidate for this kind of digital magic and with update version 4.00, it gets better overall.

For one thing, Nikon has lowered the minimum ISO of the Z9 to 200 for video during N-Log shooting. This lets filmmakers expand their exposure options and manage better video under a broader range of lighting conditions.

The same update feature also helps the camera deliver better dynamic range and less noise overall.

Another feature of update 4.0 is a new auto-capture function. This lets you pre-program specific criteria into the Z9 camera so that if they’re met, it will shoot automatically.

Examples of automatic triggers include the camera detecting motion, or detecting the presence of a moving subject at a certain specific distance. One obvious use case for this with the fairly rugged Z9 is wildlife shooting in remote locations.

Other feature and function improvements that your Z9 can now have with update version 4.00 include:

• Improvements in focus
• Pre-Release buffer expansion
• Further custom controls
• Exposure delay mode
• Refined manual focus functionality
• Playback additions
• Further high-resolution zoom functions
• Slow-motion video shooting enhancements.

Among the additions offered by update 4.0 are some quirky ones too. One of these is the ability to increase the electronic shutter volume in the Z9.

For photographers used to the satisfying click of mechanical shutters in older analog and DSLR cameras, this might just hit the spot during photo shoots.

Like other Nikon firmware updates for its cameras, Firmware 4.0 is available completely free of charge on this page of the Nikon USA website.

You should also check out the whole list of other firmware updates for the Z9 and other Nikon Z Series cameras in case you haven’t had a chance to download some of them. Those are all available here and sorted by camera model, firmware number and firmware release dates.

Highly Recommended

8 Tools for Photographers

Check out these 8 essential tools to help you succeed as a professional photographer.

Includes limited-time discounts.

Learn more here

You'll Also Like These:

Best Nikon Lenses in 2023 (DSLR & Mirrorless) FX & DX Best Wedding Photography Gear Nikon Z7 Review Best Full Frame Camera (DSLR & Mirrorless) Best Nikon Camera in 2023 Nikon Z6ii Full Frame Mirrorless Camera Review