EXPEED 7 era: New philosophy for Nikon Z8, Z9 and Zf

When the flagship **Nikon Z9**, and then **Nikon Z8**, first came into my workshop, the first thing I did was open mount protective shutter. And imagine the surprise of inexperienced photographers: * “Master, there is no mechanical shutter here!” Why then write mileage in EXIF?”*.

Let's look at how frame counting works in the **EXPEED 7** generation of processors.

Revolution in Nikon Z8 / Z9: Complete rejection of mechanical shutters!

1. Sensor Shield:What you see in the Z8/Z9 mount shaft when removed lens is **NOT a shutter**, but a durable protective screen from dust! It closes only when the carcass is turned off.
2. Electronic shutter 1/32000 sec:Thanks to ultra-fast readout of the Stacked CMOS sensor There was no longer any need for curtains. The Z8/Z9 has no mechanical wear on the shutter at all!
3. What does the counter show in EXIF:The `ShutterCount` tag in Nikon Z8/Z9 shows the total matrix activations (electronic pulses). This is an indicator of the total operating time of the processor and sensor.

Nostalgic Nikon Zf: Mechanics + Style

Unlike the Z8, the stylish full-frame camera **Nikon Zf** is equipped with a full-fledged mechanical shutter! In it EXPEED 7 processor keeps parallel records of:

• `MechanicalShutterCount` - Operating time of physical shutters (up to 200,000 frames).
• `TotalShutterCount` - Total shooting, including electronic shutter.

Nikon EXPEED 7 shutter parameter table

Camera model	Presence of a mechanical shutter	Physical wear and tear of mechanics
Nikon Z9/Z8	None (Sensor Shield only)	0% (Curtain wear is not possible)
Nikon Zf/Z6 III	Has a mechanical shutter	Normal wear and tear on mechanical shutters