The Nikon Z9’s Selectable Shutter Sounds are Actually Coming
The ability to change the sound that the Nikon Z9’s electronic shutter makes is actually coming, as demonstrated by the company during a live stream.
While Nikon said it was considering the ability to customize the Z9’s camera shutter sound last year, the beta firmware that allowed this functionality never released to customers widely.
Similar to what it did last year, Nikon shared the selectable shutter sound during a live stream that it published to YouTube which was spotted by Nikon Rumors. The discussion, which starts about two hours and seven minutes into the stream, is time-stamped above.
The Nikon presenter showcases three sounds that are currently available (since the Z9 has a fully electronic shutter, sound is entirely optional): the standard Z9 click, a more DSLR-like click, and finally a shutter sound that is more akin to what have been heard from a Nikon film camera.
In addition to the ability to select between these options, the shutter sound volume can be adjusted between one and five — one being quiet, and five being the loudest.
One of the sounds that was shown off last year was a cat’s meow, indicating that Nikon was at some point interested in giving photographers the ability to expand beyond traditional camera sounds and more into fun audio effects. That option wasn’t featured this year. That said, the company held a poll in the chat and asked viewers if they wanted the ability for the camera to make other sounds, to which 93% responded “yes.”
Technically, the custom shutter sound feature shown off in 2022 was a prototype that was made just for fun, but Nikon says the response to it was so positive that it decided to actually make it a real feature. The three shutter sounds that it shows off in the video above are slated to be released in upcoming firmware at a later date.
Given that the entire reason this became a real feature was because of positive feedback, it stands to reason that if this feature is well received, Nikon will consider adding other sounds — including fun ones such as the cat’s meow — down the line. If so, hopefully that doesn’t take another full year to come to fruition.
Image credits: Background of header photo licensed via 123RF.
