No Nikon Z9 II for the Winter Olympics? Rumor mill blames delay on component shortages and Red integration

If you were expecting the rumored Nikon Z9 II at the beginning of the year, then you may have to wait a little longer. That’s according to a post on Nikon Rumors, which is reporting that the second coming of Nikon’s first mirrorless flagship “will be delayed further”.

Of course, everything we know – or think we know – about the Nikon Z9 II is camera rumor conjecture, given that the ‘Big N’ hasn’t even confirmed the camera’s development. However, with the Nikon Z9 having been announced way back at the tail end of 2021, Nikon’s pro-grade behemoth is definitely entering upgrade-cycle territory.

And with Italy hosting the Winter Olympics this year, it was widely assumed that the Nikon Z9 II would be announced in time for the international sporting event, as is often the case with flagship professional cameras. However, with the opening ceremony in just a couple of weeks and news of a supposed delay, that no longer looks likely.

Still, I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled during the proceedings in the unlikely event I can spot a potential prototype – as was the case with the original Z9, which was spotted multiple times at the Tokyo Olympics before it was officially revealed.

As for why the Nikon Z9 II might be delayed, Nikon Rumors' anonymous sources have pointed towards Red tech integration or trouble sourcing certain components. The latter certainly wouldn’t be surprising, given that it’s dogged the industry for several years, and we know that the Big N is busy bringing the Nikon and Red brands closer together.

In my opinion, there’s no great rush for a Z9 II. Nikon has been very committed to updating the existing Z9 to the point that it’s far from the same camera that was released in 2021. And for the time being at least, the Expeed 7 processor seems to be coping with everything Nikon is throwing at it.

We’re also living in an age where we’re arguably reaching camera-tech saturation – and I, for one, would prefer to wait for a Nikon Z9 II that’s a comprehensive upgrade rather than an incremental step up that has to rely on firmware releases further down the line.

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Want more Nikon Z9 content? I think it's the most important Nikon camera of the mirrorless era (so far…). Alternatively, check out the Nikon Z9 in a smaller body, the Nikon Z8 – I reckon it could remain in my kit bag for a decade AT LEAST. And finally, check out the best lenses for the Nikon Z8 and Z9.