mike_halliwell

Maybe.... 😉

Hummm, some of those example shots with settings are all over the place. The Gannet shot @ 1/3200th.. why, it's a static portrait? Spot on. Subject motion blur has killed more shots than anything else, usually when I've underestimated the bird's speed 🙁

Interesting reading on the photography life review. https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-z-85mm-f1-8-s/2 This becomes relevant for the new 'wide-open' focusing option One thing to keep in mind is that the lens has a pronounced focus shift issue that can be easily seen when stopping down at all apertures from f/1.8 to f/5.6. To avoid focus shift completely, make sure to stop the lens down to the desired aperture before focusing. That’s what I had to do in order to properly measure the sharpness of the lens. Quite a difference 2 stops down makes. I'd intend to use this lens wide open.

They are currently the same price of about 500 UK pounds (no pound sign on US keyboard!) used v new. Anyone got any views? Obviously 1.4 v 1.8 but...IQ?

Z8 + Z100-400mm @ 400mm. ISO 280 f8 1/640. Honey Bee on Willow.

I was meaning using the Histogram at taking time, not processing time. 😉 Deliberate underexposure is severely reducing the info you are capturing in-camera. As long as the peak (s) remain between the 'ends', you never lose data. That's where you can drag the middle pointer to get the best midtone info. This is what happens when you use the full DR of your original posted JPEG pic, never mind the actual scene, bit overprocessed but you get the idea.

Humm, if that's the 'correct' histogram at ISO 1000 on the Z8, you're leaving about 4 stops of dynamic range on the table. You should have about 11 EVs of DR at ISO 1000 Love the composite shot. Awesome !

Nikon Z8 + 800mm PF + Z1.4TC. 1050mm. ISO 2200 1/500 f9 @56m. Cormorant.

I'm guessing there has to be a hardware reason there's no PixelShift for the Z9? ......and why isn't Bird mode available for AutoCapture in either the Z8 or Z9? It's a very obvious use for nestbox or frequent perch shooting, although I do like the timer addition.

PS. Main reason for a new FTZ is I'd hate to see the re-bent and re-straightened aperture lever shear off and go into the camera body cavity and either trash the shutter and/or IBIS. You might even jam the knackered FTZ to the body permanently! Fixing that would be many, many times the cost of a new FTZ. 😉

Fix your lens stop-screw and go and buy a new/second hand FTZ II. 😉 Which 300mm lens and Z body are you using?

Gotta hope there's no focus shift with this new addition...!

Airplanes have been added to Subject Detection Types for Auto-Capture, but still no Birds, like the Z8.

Page 11 of Firmware 5.0 Notes..with new High ISO Noise reduction is, err, interestingly non-descriptive! Noise is now 'different'....🤣

Interesting no Pixel Shift? Snapbridge WiFi looks kinda interesting.

Eclipse Junkie ? 🤣 I caught the 1999 Total in NW France with a Nikon FM2, a Sigma 600mm f8 CAT lens and some AstroSolar film. Got some OK results. Must fish them out of the archive and scan them properly. As you say, the exposure for when any amount of the sun's disc is visible should be pretty fixed and wouldn't vary enough to merit bracketing. But totality is indeed a different kettle-of-fish. However 4.1/2 mins is a long time AND the WYSIWYG EVF is priceless along with the Histogram function. Do you have a solar tracker? I have a vague memory of 1mm on the sensor (film!) for every 100mm of lens, is that about right? I remember it being hectic too....I used a rubber band to keep the Solar Film in place and it pinged off mid exposure😱 However, the film didn't move 👍 I'd be interested just how far out the coronal filaments go, so I can see why you're after increasing exposures in this way. I guess it's 'enough' when the histo 'molehill' leaves the LHS of the scale? Black is no-longer black. HDR stack maybe?

I think that might be the time for wild exposure bracketing! Spot, Centre Weighted, Matrix?? ETTR might be in order, and shoot RAW! Sadly, no total solar eclipse in the UK until 2090..... I think I might (will!) be pushing up daisies by then 😞

I had noticed that many (most?) of the Z lenses are focus breathing free? .. an anyone can de-click the A ring.. if it has one.. !

There's always been that little RED bit of decor beneath the shutter button on Nikon (D)SLRs....😉 Equally, there's nothing YELLOW on Nikon bodies.. I wonder how long the production of RED cameras with only Canon RF mount will last? Interesting that Thom thinks DX is the future too! Z500 hybrid?

Surely Nikon Yellow and RED =

I didn't even know they were for sale 🤣 Very interesting for Nikon's future direction, and the lens mount implications for the other big players.

I guess the 'obvious' test is to fully charge it and leave it OUT of the camera overnight. If it's down to 78% in the morning, its the battery dying. If its still near 100% the camera is draining it for some reason.

I'm sure no-one will want one after the Z10 comes out, so you might be in luck... 🤣

The other thing the Moon is famous for is the ultra abrasive regolith or lunar dust. Because there is no wind or water movement, the grains are unweathed, and remain very sharp. Martian and Terrestrial dust is smoothed off after billions of years of rolling motion.

Can't see that covered! There are reports of occasional transient pixel hot spot etc on sensors that are attributed to Cosmic Particles. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/811830-the-cosmic-rays-in-my-darks/