I am encouraged by Nikon HQ announced that the mirrorless product line was being a new path for them, treating the body as a computer where features could be added and would be, throughout the product cycle. They obviously built the Z cameras to a higher level of materials and tech than needed, establishing them as long term investments, unlike the disposable Sony line that is expected to be replaced every update. We know the firmware works, it has been demonstrated and people who have used it think pretty highly of it. Surely there is tweaking but to set a date of release suggests it is pretty sorted out. The design from the beginning was ao have a data bus that could keep up with new tech that has specs finalized but not available yet.
I had a client over this afternoon who is a sound designer for theater and film and does documentaries for a national public TV network in Europe and discussion drifted to equipment and his whole studio is waiting on the ProResRAW update to the Z cameras and plans to sell off all their high-end cameras and get a dozen Z6. In the video world, the Z6 is a major advance in low cost but rugged advanced cameras. Getting RAW with only a $600 recorder/monitor is like printing free money. Nikon shows a lot of focus in the future. They might even change the marketing and ownership model. Instead of replacing hardware every couple years, build a tough flexible architecture and sell fewer (Sony sales are high because everyone who bought an a7 has replaced the body a couple of times in 4 years) but sell feature advances. For example, if Nikon added RAW to internal storage, how much would that firmware be worth? $100, $200, $500? How much would it be worth for sports or BIF shooters for a firmware update next year for D5 killer AF performance? Several hundred dollars at least. The Z6/7 has the processing horsepower to do it, faster processor, bus and data storage than a Sony a9 which has pretty darn impressive AF tracking performance.
Nikon must have new blood in the executive suites for this change in vision. It makes me confident my investment in glass and bodies has a long term value.