[mnholt]

> It’s a shame Nikon couldn’t use CFexpress Type A cards like we saw on the Sony A1 and A7S III, which can still fit SD cards in their ports. Of course, given that Type A cards are manufactured by Sony, it’s understandable why Nikon wouldn’t want to use their competitor’s innovation on their flagship.

I don't see how it is a shame. Nikon ensured users will have a better, more consistent user experience by going with Type B slots. Type A cards have half the theoretical max throughput [0] and cost more per GB. I suspect most people using a $5,500 camera don't put high importance on SD card compatibility.

I think Sony uses Type A CFe due to their small bodies.

[0] https://www.lexar.com/en/FAQs/what-is-the-difference-between...

[kilobit]

> Nikon wouldn’t want to use their competitor’s innovation on their flagship

Not sure where the author gets this idea, especially considering that the Z9 uses a sensor made by Sony [0]. Yes, technically it is made by Sony Semiconductor and not Sony Imaging, but they are still the same company.

[0] https://www.dpreview.com/news/8444379621/techinsights-effect...

[spoonjim]

The point of a Type A is that it can fit an SD card, so if you need a card in a remote location you can get it conveniently.

[mnholt]

I understand that, but I think the target users of the Z9 would much rather have faster I/O. There are a number of articles and videos benchmarking the Z9 and the buffer performance is directly correlated to the speed of the storage. If Nikon went with Type A/SD their theoretical max buffer speed would get cut in half.

[nsriv]

It's one of those "limited consumer choices to ensure best experience" things. Using an SD card and it's slower I/O speeds would meaningfully degrade the video and burst capability, blackout free still shooting of the camera, so might as well enforce a higher standard tk ensure a uniform experience.

[numpad0]

A benefit of Type B is that it can host a 2230 M.2 adapter. You can take out a laptop SSD and put into a camera, almost like we all did in 200s with iPod mini and dSLR back then.

[127]

Single memory card adds +10% to the price of a used Nikon Z6