exposure issue in 3d tracking on z9

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toneloc1958

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I have been running into n issue on my z9. When I switch from any other focus method to 3d tracking the image becomes over exposed and blowing out. I am using auto iso and have tried adjusting exposure compensation. It has happened repeatedly. While photographing a perched bird, during a sporting event. It is usually when there is an abundance of light, sunny day, sky shooting but will also occur in dark situations ie: under canopy.
 
here are 2 pics in sequence I was switching using function button to 3d from wide area
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I have tried all from highlight to spot and then finally matrix, it appears to me that the the eye detect finds the eye and auto exposes for it and then overrides another exposure metering I am using.
 
what subject do you have locked in the former? there is a bias for subject and an additional bias for eyes iirc. so if you don't have a subject/eye lock in the former but do in the latter that's going to make a difference i think (and if you consider, it's a lot better exposure for the SUBJECT in the latter image -- ie, his face)
 
I have been running into n issue on my z9. When I switch from any other focus method to 3d tracking the image becomes over exposed and blowing out. I am using auto iso and have tried adjusting exposure compensation. It has happened repeatedly. While photographing a perched bird, during a sporting event. It is usually when there is an abundance of light, sunny day, sky shooting but will also occur in dark situations ie: under canopy.
It looks to me like the camera switched from metering on the young batter's shirt to metering on the darker background and opening up a stop or two in the process. With no exposure compensation dialed in metering off the batter's shirt would result in about half to a full stop of underexposure but when metering on the background the shot would end up around a half to full stop overexposed which looks pretty close to the shift between those two images.

I've only shot with the Z9 a couple of times and never in 3D tracking mode so I can't comment on how that camera handles metering in that mode but it seems conceivable that when the camera has to read all available AF points to carry out 3D tracking it might also incorporate a lot more of the sensor data in its metering even if that's an unintentional side effect.

I'd probably set up a controlled test shooting a dark (e.g. black) piece of cardboard that fills the frame with a smaller gray or white circle in the middle that fills the expected metering area and then switch from your normal AF mode to 3D tracking. My guess is that when the camera switches to 3D tracking it also switches to a broader area metering mode. If so, when you have a relatively dark background and a relatively bright but small bright subject there can be a big switch in overall exposure settings when switching to 3D AF.
 
Now that I think of it I had a similar issue with recall shooting function adjusting shutter speed even tho it wasnt selected in the parameters. It was completely random when it would happen (so it seemed) Im NPS and sent them videos of the bug, they were stumped. I eventually came across the menu option B7 "Keep exp. when f/ changes" I turned that to off and the issue went away.
 
what subject do you have locked in the former? there is a bias for subject and an additional bias for eyes iirc. so if you don't have a subject/eye lock in the former but do in the latter that's going to make a difference i think (and if you consider, it's a lot better exposure for the SUBJECT in the latter image -- ie, his face)
I had eye detect large area then I use a function button to switch to 3d tracking so I can recompose shot and not have the limitations of the box. I did have exposure compensation set to -1.0 to overcome highlights being blown out and bring back shadows in post auto iso
 
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