A bit late to the game, I know, but I've recently purchased my first Nikon mirrorless and Z lens: a Z8 and 400mm f/4.5 with 1.4x teleconverter. It's far too early to give any kind of review but here are my initial findings.
NoiseAlso applies to the Z9. Due to the VR (Vibration Reduction) kicking in, upon switching on/start-up and shut-down the camera makes a loud clunking sound. A minor point one might think but if you're working on shy creatures such as foxes and badgers, any loud noise can have a massively negative impact on their reaction.
However, if you're using a tripod or shooting action with a fast shutter speed (or a slow one when panning come to that), then VR isn't always necessary. Therefore, if you switch off VR, although there is the initial clunking sound (albeit a little quieter), if you set your camera's Standy to, say, 30 seconds and after a while depress the shutter to start it up, there is just a very soft sound. Plus, it uses a fraction of the power.
Battery consumption. 1 hour with the Standby timer set to No Limit. VR ON / OFF: 60%
Battery consumption. 1 hour with the Standby timer set to 30 seconds. VR ON / OFF: 3%
To reduce drainage further, Switch Picture review to OFF (PLAYBACK MENU) and Viewfinder/LV viewing to Prioritize Viewfinder.
WeightHaving been using the Nikon D850 and 200-400mm f/4 for many years (combined weight 4.3 kg), this new combination at just 2.3kg is an absolute blessing and, on my part, well overdue! I can now walk around with a wildlife set-up around my neck!
VRAmazing! Never would I have attempted hand-holding my old combo at any shutter speed less than 1/250th second but with this I'm confidently shooting at 1/15th!!
Viewfinder sizeMENU > SETUP > Viewfinder display size (photo LV)One noticeable BIG thumbs up and a feature I haven't heard anyone mention and yet is a god-send to spectacle wearers is the ability to change the size of the viewfinder image from Standard to Small. This effectively reduces the magnification and enables such wearers (like me!) to view the entire image without looking around the viewfinder. Brilliant! The lower viewfinder magnification was one of the reasons I went for the Olympus EM5 MKIII.
