ilkka_nissila

It makes sense that Nikon would advertise the 800mm as hand-holdable because it is uniquely so among 800 mm lenses of roughly comparable maximum apertures (though there are not many with exactly this aperture, there are some with nearby f/5.6 which are arguably less hand-holdable, and at the end of the day, at this focal length, perhaps 1/3 stop is not that great a difference in the quality of the finished images as it is in portability and price). However, some of the controls on the lens (such as the rear Fn button, the Memory Set button, and switches) are not accessible when hand-holding the lens in normal shooting position. This is true of just about every larger Nikon telephoto and suggests that the designers thought there are users who would be using the lens on a tripod or monopod. Otherwise there is no practical way of using the Fn button, for example, while shooting, unless it is programmed as a toggle. I personally know that I was often uncomfortable using the 500 PF hand-held for longer periods of time and consecutive hand-held shots had widely varying compositions (because I couldn't hold it in exact position). I got good results with it, but still it's less controllable when hand-held than when using a tripod. With even longer focal lengths it becomes progressively more difficult to achieve precisely composed results consistently hand held. Of course, it could be that this only bothers me and not others. 😉 I have no present plans on purchasing the 800 mm though. I think the 400/4.5 is the best suited one for my uses of the ones that they currently make. The 100-400 is nice and a flexible lens but it doesn't quite match the impressive out-of-focus rendering I see from the 400/4.5 (in posted images mostly) and also the 2/3 stops can contribute to image quality in photos of mammals especially (nocturnal ones such as deer). What is nice about the 100-400 is that it does appear to perform well wide open, and it does not change balance much when the zoom setting is adjusted. However, still I see images from the 70-200/2.8 to be crispier than the 100-400, and other people's images from the longer primes also. The 100-400 is very hand-holdable, though. Use of the rear control ring while holding the lens does get a bit awkward but it's possible. As long as the lens is not much heavier than the 100-400, I don't see any problem with temporarily holding the weight of the lens from the camera, but for a longer period of time it would not be terribly comfortable.

I think these long lenses are still primarily meant to be used on a tripod or monopod, otherwise it is not easy to figure out how those lens controls are meant to be used in practice. 😉

Okay, I was looking at a different image (p. 9). For me the problems with manual mode include the clumsy way to access EC and relatively time-consuming adjustment of shutter speed (in 1/3 stops it can take time to scroll (say) from 1/3200 to 1/200s. However, for other situations I do need the 1/3 stop control and so I'm not going to switch to full stop increments on the Z8. With the Zf the full stops are available on the shutter speed dial and 1/3 stops on the main command dial, without having to go to a menu to access the two options. E.g. when a deer goes from open area to inside a pine forest, the exposure settings needed change wildly in seconds. Aperture priority with Auto ISO handles this fairly well: A fast shutter speed with moderate ISO is suggested by the camera in bright light and when in the forest, it sets the maximum ISO I have set in the menu and achieves the rest of correct exposure by allowing the shutter speed to slow down. Often the deer stop for brief moments once in the forest, and a slowish shutter speed can work better than fast shutter speed with ultra-high ISO. Easy access to EC is important in this scenario because the forest is dark but there can patches of bright light. I am really bad at panning at slow speeds though. But moderate speeds can be OK and slow speeds can be successful once in a while.

Well, gannets feeding can involve pretty fast action in close-ups; Maybe it's an appropriate shutter speed.

The shot details say it was at ISO 2000. Two stops below sunny 16 seems reasonable with sun with a light cloud cover which is consistent with the appearance of the shot. I like A mode because it allows easy exposure compensation (EC) on the main command dial so I don't have to press and hold a button and then turn a dial to adjust EC which to me is very cumbersome in comparison. Shutter speed in A mode can be controlled with the minimum shutter speed setting in the Auto ISO menu. In the case of relatively fast shutter speed combined with small maximum aperture, the choices are not exactly luxurious. But it's interesting how differently people feel about these choices. 🙂 For birds in flight, different shutter speeds lead to different visual outcomes and the fast shutter speed is just one option. It's a lot harder to get good results with slow shutter speeds but it can happen, with the benefit of implied movement and lower noise.

On Saturday we got quite a lot of fog, and it was warmer than the forecast for the following days so I figured I'd try to find some deer to photograph, if they had come out of the woods. Z8, 100-400 at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 3600. The following one is from Monday after we got some snow. Z8, 100-400mm at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 1400. Finally some climbing. Z8, 100-400 at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 320.

On a slightly related topic (sorry if it belongs to another thread), Nikon launched a settings guide for wildlife photography for the Z8 and Z9: https://download.nikonimglib.com/archive6/jsNgx001E7HK063uyaG39rhhoL57/Z9Z8_TG_Wildlife_(En)01.pdf I found it interesting that in the wildlife guide, they suggest setting auto ISO max ISO to 2000; I've sort of come to the conclusion that the Nikon 45 MP sensor works at its best up to 2000 and above that the 24 MP and 20 MP sensors come onto their own, but this doesn't quite mean that there is no benefit to the high resolution above 2000, it's more subtle than that. But I find it interesting that Nikon would themselves come to the same recommendation. (I think this is widely disagreed upon, but as a user of multiple cameras I've come to these conclusions. 😉) They also have settings guides for sports, auto capture, and video. In DSLRs I found that one could better understand some aspects of the logic of the autofocus modes by reading the corresponding guides. https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/589/Z_9.html It does seem a bit bewildering, how many options there are for settings nowadays. Even when shooting, I sometimes end up getting tangled up in settings. I have been taking the first deer photos of the spring on Saturday and Monday, and I don't find it at all easy to come up with the right AF area settings that would work for a variety of scenarios. Deer tend to be dark and perhaps the AF has sometimes hard time recognizing the closest subject's face and eye(s). Most of the time things work well but some of the time I do get out-of-focus results. I do like the silence of the Z8 in this situation it allows photography to continue for a longer time. For photographs of people I like the custom wide-area modes the most, making horizontal bars that cover the area where I would typically have faces, but with wildlife I've come to like the wide-area S best, as it allows a certain amount of specificity while enabling subject detection. Hopefully this is something I'll learn to do better in the future. 😉

Well, none of us work for Nikon or if we did, we probably wouldn't be able to talk about product details. 😉 From the past Z8 and Z9 update history, most features are the same, but the latest updates always seem to include something the other camera didn't get, in this case wide-open viewing for manual focus mode, and in the Z8's case there is Pixel shift. I imagine the reasons for this can be twofold: 1) product differentiation: Nikon would like people to find each model exciting on its own and justify for people to purchase that particular model, even if we already own some other cameras. 2) Nikon firmware engineers didn't have enough time to implement and test all features and so the FW updates are launched with what they finished on time. Bird detection could be more demanding computationally and maybe it would adversely affect battery performance in Auto Capture? Or there could be some issue that they haven't been able to resolve yet. I don't know. 😉 They may also want to sell the Z9 II and Z8 II models soon, so leave something for those models perhaps. 😉

It's the sensor which moves freely when the power is off or when LV is not active. In other models such as the Z8, the sensor is locked in position. I believe Nikon changed the ibis design to squeeze it into the thinner body of the Zf.

If you have several minutes of totality and your camera takes full size raw shots at 20 fps I don't know how there could be a situation where there is not enough time to get some correctly exposed frames. Personally I don't want to take any risk with my eyes and would not take off protective glasses even during totality as such experiences are not worth it for me to get a view of the event - I really need my eyes, and know people who have done solar photography and diminished eyesight as a result. Anyway I cannot see how several minutes would not be enough to get some correctly exposed frames. I am not saying it's not good to do one's research - it is, prepare as well as you can. To the original question, no, there does not appear to be a way to bracket in one direction only. I would do the following: set up the manual exposure for the partial eclipse based on trial shots with the normal bright sun in the frame and the filter on. Maybe shoot with slight bracketing sequences. When the totality comes and the shots go dark, then switch to automatic exposure (aperture priority) and run broad brackets. This way you don't have to change the manual exposure settings by a large amount between the different phases; by switching between M and A modes the camera will do that for you and once totality ends you can go back to M and the camera will remember the original settings. Switching between large contrasts (normal viewing of the partial eclipse with filter on and the totality without filter) in manual mode would take some time cycling across 1/3 stops. The Zf has the nice option of easy access to full stops on the shutter dial and I've really come to like it (1/3 stops are available on request from the main command dial). This is a faster way to make large exposure changes, but I would still do it by using M and A and M modes, in that order. What the FW 2.0 of the Z8 added is larger set of increment options: Increments of 1.3, 1.7, 2.3, and 2.7 EV have been added to options available when ¹⁄₃ step is selected for Custom Setting b2 [EV steps for exposure cntrl]. Increments of 1.5 and 2.5 EV have been added to options available when ¹⁄₂ step is selected for Custom Setting b2 [EV steps for exposure cntrl]. Bracketing programs with increments of 2.0 EV or more offer a maximum of 5 shots. I would imagine some of those options would work for you, setting the camera to bracketing burst and CH to do the brackets quickly and continuously.

Not at all an expert on the topic but will check anyway: Do you have a filter to protect the camera during the photography? https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/how-to-photograph-a-solar-eclipse.html Nikon suggests to take a sequence of shots at a broad range of shutter speeds of the midday sun and then base the exposure settings for the eclipse on the results of those test shots. During totality you take the filter off and I would guess one then should use automatic exposure to get to correct exposures during that phase.

Well Nikon's response to RED's lawsuit was along those lines, and the case was withdrawn by both parties. However, it is not public if there was some kind of an agreement between the two (apart from not continuing the lawsuit). Anyway, my hope is that this kind of very general interpretation of patents involving software and algorithms that are fairly obvious to people who are knowledgeable in the field would not be pursued in the future. RED use a particular algorithm in a camera covered by some patentand others want to use their own algorithms in their own csmeras which IMO they should be able to especially if the algorithms are quite different. I hope things turn for the better now and companies can start using raw video compression more freely, rather than having to either not use raw or use completely uncompressed raw which is very impractical for high-resolution video. There are a lot of video formats that are different from each other and a lot of software that is compatible with some file types and not with others, e.g. N-RAW is not supported by Adobe Premiere. Some standardization and opening up of the file formats would be helpful to users.

You could say that most Z lenses have less breathing than is typical of lenses mainly designed for still photography, but there is still some minor breathing in some of them. I guess for the most part it is diminished to the point where it is not visually distracting within clips where the focus is adjusted during the take. I recall that a few lenses still have noticeable breathing though. Hmm, there are no clicks on the rings on the Z lenses (apart from the Noct which might have; I have not used it). I do think Nikon should offer more damped and definitely non-accelerated control rings. Some would like to see clicking and marked aperture rings on select lenses designed for the Zf and Zfc in mind. To me the existing control rings are too easily moved and the acceleration when using it to control aperture is maddening. But overall the first generation of Z lenses are really good. And they are more video friendly than most F-mount lenses (you can adjust the focus throw on most of the mid and higher-end cameras, also the autofocus works decently and is nearly silent). I hope Nikon retires RED's abuse of patents which has damaged the industry. Visually lossless RAW is a trivial non-invention and was being used in still cameras and I have read that it had even been used in a cinema camera before RED got it patented with a slight modification and absurd level of generalization used in the interpretation. I hope Nikon doesn't inhale that kind of culture and get infected.

No, the snapbridge connectivity remains if the camera is turned off, that's the whole idea of the design based on a combination of low-power bluetooth and wifi: the low-power bluetooth remains in operation and transfers files even when the camera is off and is not disconnected. However, it can only transfer small files suitable for emailing or social media using the low-power bluetooth mode. Wifi is used for larger files and it is unfortunately easily disconnected (on my iPhone it always disconnects if I use another app on the phone than Snapbridge itself, so it can be frustrating, but this is because the iPhone doesn't want one app to monopolize wifi, I suspect). Anyway, if you turn off Snapbridge and wifi, it should not use those wireless communication functions. However, airplane mode may be the safest way to do it with any kind of certainty. As I noted I have not had battery drain issues, but I don't have the D500. Maybe there is a bug.

You don't really need to turn on airplane mode, you can simply turn off all the communication features of the camera individually. Airplane mode is simply a shortcut that turns all of them off using one menu switch. I never observed undue battery drain with Nikons (apart from the first use where internal batteries are charged).

While I haven't used the latest versions of the Fuji, I did have an X100S and it couldn't really focus on a moving subject (person walking towards the camera). The Fuji also didn't focus on moving subjects in candle light which my DSLRs at the time could do, although not with 100% consistency. The images at high ISO settings had the appearance of turning faces into plastic mannequins with no texture, even when shooting RAW. I tried newer versions of the X100 series in stores and every time I tried a sequence of shots with approaching people it failed to focus on them. I was shooting a royal wedding procession in Windsor (mainly to prove myself I had the patience, and I did, but it was quite taxing having not to leave my spot for 7-8 hours just to get 3 seconds of action), and someone was using a Fuji mirrorless camera next to me. I got about 10 good shots from those three seconds while my fellow spectator couldn't get the subjects in focus with the Fuji. This mirrored my experience with the Fujis and so I haven't really gotten into them again, though the X100 VI is tempting in some ways. I don't really have any issues shooting street with the Zf or Z8. The shots come out in focus consistently (even when moving towards the camera) and they can be very fast to shoot with. For static people who are not walking the Fuji did work OK. I just don't want a camera which cannot handle whatever I throw at it.

On a related note, Adobe launched pixel shift support for the Z8 in their software. I have not yet tried this feature but I suppose I could do some studio shots to see how the results look. I am sceptical about outdoor uses, though.

Do you have focus priority set on focus, release or release+focus? I can imagine that when in focus priority there may be situations where the user thinks they got a shot but the camera did not take it because the lens was not in focus at the time. I don't remember not getting shots stored in the way that you describe with the Z8. I am not saying there could not be a bug.

You can also shorten the EVF activation time by setting the monitor mode to "Viewfinder Only" or "Viewfinder Priority 1/2". These are changed by pressing the button to the left of the viewfinder.

Well, different sources give slightly different explanations, here is one: https://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_info/technical_solutions/d500_tips/useful/vibration_reduction/ "Sport mode limits vibration reduction to the minimum needed for subjects that are moving quickly and unpredictably. When the camera is hand-held, the image in the viewfinder remains as stable and smooth as when the camera is mounted on a monopod, making subjects easier to track during panning and high-speed burst photography. When the lens is mounted on a D500, all of this can be accomplished without reducing frame rate or increasing shutter lag. Sport mode balances vibration reduction with smooth display when you are photographing sports, aircraft, birds, or other moving subjects. Choose NORMAL for more powerful vibration reduction when photographing landscapes and other static subjects. The differences between sport and normal modes are summarized below. SPORT NORMAL Suited to Moving subjects Stationary subjects Motion in viewfinder Smooth Jerky Burst performance Better Worse " This is another: https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV_article?articleNo=000044848&lang=en_GB Here it says "Normal mode is recommended for most general scenes. In this mode, slow and wide camera movement is regarded as the photographer recomposing a shot and blur-correction operation is limited accordingly. Normal mode also includes automatic panning detection." In the Z8 online reference manual, it says the following: " When [Normal] is selected for lenses that support vibration reduction, the image in the viewfinder may jiggle before the shutter is released, but this is a natural consequence of how vibration reduction is performed and does not indicate a malfunction. [Sport] or [Off] can be used should you find the motion distracting. [Normal] or [Sport] is recommended for panning shots. In [Normal] and [Sport] modes, vibration reduction applies only to motion that is not part of the pan. If the camera is panned horizontally, for example, vibration reduction will be applied only to vertical shake. [Normal] and [Sport] are also recommended if the camera is mounted on a tripod or monopod. Note, however, that [Off] may be a better choice with some tripods depending on shooting conditions. Settings may vary from lens to lens; consult the lens documentation for more information." So, either Normal or Sport VR is recommended for panning shots.

Sport VR mode is not to do with axis of movement but it basically allows easier tracking of erratically moving subjects that change the direction of movement frequently, and basically leaves some of the movement not corrected so that the user can more easily follow the changing movement. Normal mode corrects more of the shake with the expense that it tends to be more difficult to track erratic movement and the image shifts more between shots as the correction of a single image is prioritised over easy tracking. Panning is recognized by either sport or normal mode. Using sport mode is not an indication that you are panning but shooting an erratically moving subject that can change direction at any time and you're willing to take a slight hit on the effectiveness of the stabilization as a trade-off for easier tracking and viewfinder stability. You may be better at it but when I'm panning and following a flying bird the bird is unlikely to stay in the same spot across the sequence and typically the wings show active movement it would be unusual for a static part in the frame to indicate the subject. I guess it's possible in a highly skilled pan to detect the subject based on its stability in the frame but not at my skill level. I am more willing to bet on the usefulness of detecting the part that is moving than the part that is not ... 😉

I thought that detection something that moves in the frame could be a useful criteria for subject to be focused. When there is active movement in a scene it could focus on that subject automatically. So it's a bit opposite of what you'd like I guess? Degree of motion (terminology subject to precise definitions) could be used as a user-given parameter to characterise the subject to settle between such different requirements. However, when there are a lot of user-given parameters, in unexpected situations the values will most likely be off, with less desirable outcomes.

Snapbridge can also be used to upgrade firmware. However, I would just get the card reader for it has other benefits.

I was told by Nikon's authorized service that the motors that are in frequent use tend to work reliably while ones that are stored away for long periods of time unused can be found not to start again with increased probability. So if you have a lens and you use it regularly it should work for a long time, on average. If it's not being used on a regular basis it might not work in the future. When buying used lenses, one can not really know what the usage history is, but it is probable that a lens that is being sold might have been unused for some time (why else would it be on the used market?).

The 70-200/2.8 FL is an excellent lens, and with the TC-14E III is is very good at f/5.6 or f/8. If your intention is to shoot at the long end and with TC, it's probably better to use a native lens that doesn't require a TC to get there, especially if you need to shoot wide open a TC rig isn't ideal. I think the 70-200 + 1.4X does a good job for landscape photos (well stopped down & on tripod). The 300 PF is sensitive to shutter vibration and to get optimal results one needs to use either (1) a tripod, (2) fast shutter speed, or (3) either electronic shutter or electronic front curtain shutter (EFCS) if working at intermediate shutter speeds (1/125s or thereabouts). If you have been using not quite fast enough shutter speeds, I am not surprised that you find it soft. The D780 allows EFCS to be used with Quiet continuous (Qc) mode, use that and you should get very sharp results. However, even the 300 PF is a little on the short side for bird photography, unless you have a hide and / or are willing to put in a lot of time. The 500 PF is much better suited to the task.