No, it's not April Fool's Day: the Nikon Z9 has a shutter sound effect that makes the noise of a cat's meow.
Despite being a flagship professional camera, the Nikon Z9 is apparently not taking itself too seriously. At the Big N's presentation for the CP+ 2022 event in Japan, two of its representatives demonstrated a host of the camera's features – including the ability to make the shutter sound like a cat (play the video below).
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The Nikon pair showed, with no small amount of smiles and chuckling, that the Z9 can make the sound of a meowing cat when the shutter is depressed. Remember that the Nikon Z9 has no mechanical shutter; it is purely electronic, and therefore any sound emitted is a completely synthetic one. And, thus, doesn't have to be the sound of an actual camera shutter.
"Please, in the middle of the night it's not a fighting cat that can be heard outside the apartment," one of them joked.
The duo also demonstrated the camera shutter playing a recording of one of them speaking, suggesting that you can record your own sound and completely customize the noise your camera makes.
Via very broken machine-translation it seems like other effects, such as trains, may also be considered. Nikon Rumors was able to ascertain that more relevant shutter sounds – namely those of the Nikon D750 and Nikon F4 – were also being looked at.
The key is that these new sound effects would be introduced via firmware updates – and entirely depending on how the public reacts. And it does appear that Nikon (or, at least, Nikon Japan) is seriously considering the move.
"That's something that's in production right now," said one of the presenters. "The function itself is will not necessarily be installed in the Z9 in the future. I've been thinking about it, and it's been a long time ago… so I said I'd like to see everyone's reaction."
What do you think – is this too daft for a professional-grade camera that costs nearly six grand? Is it better fitting a more lifestyle camera like the Nikon Z fc? Or is it a brilliant idea, bringing the fun back into photography, that other manufacturer's should duplicate?
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