- Post score: 15
- #26
Nice. Yup, always find myself defaulting to single point; use it even to try to coax 3D into choosing where to stick (doesn't work, but I still try
).
Forced to slum it with the D6.
- Thread starter ssheipel
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).
- Post score: 15
- #27
A wise decision!
- Post score: 15
- #28
Your kindness knows few bounds
LOL
- Post score: 1
- #29
Good thing you hung on to your backup system
- Post score: 15
- #30
Yup, it certainly has removed the nagging thought I should sell the D6; had it boxed and ready to sell at one point and advertised it, but got no serious responses. Good thing, indeed.Good thing you hung on to your backup system
O
Well-known member
- Post score: 1
- #32
We are sold progress, new technology, hi tech features of which many can be of benefit.With the Z9 and 500 pf (and 1.4 tc) in the shop, post flight onto concrete, I found myself back in the DLSR world and f mount lens without a ftz world
View attachment 47703View attachment 47707
We are sold tiny increased increments of light as new expensive lenses.
We are sold so many new software features that will make us better photographers or will they.
We are sold constant change and we are happy to pay for it, All to simply use what has never really changed from the beginning and that is using a combination of Time light and speed to capture a moment in history.
When your work is largely indistinguishable regardless of using different cameras and lenses you use, then you can sit back and reflect on art, composition and wrap it in emotion to convey it to the world or just keep it to your self to enjoy.
You make what you see.........and feel
Its great to embrace or understand the new, different, the challenging, but its also great to not be dependent on it as it often just makes you the same as everyone else.
Use what you have to the best possible and that's your skill set, loose that then who are we.
I find be it the D3X Df D850 D6 Z9 they all use a largly just a combination of time light and speed, its what you do that counts.
Only an opinion
- Post score: 15
- #34
I WAS being ironic with my headline
Your points are well taken. I'm a guy that believes my D3 is still a remarkable camera, certainly when I'm not shooting wildlife. Only reason I thought to get rid of my D6 was because as a non-pro it hurts me to have the camera sit mostly idle, but given I'm now in the 'need a back up camera' situation the redundancy is no longer bothering me Cheers!
- Post score: 15
- #35
Thanks! Just financially
O
Well-known member
- Post score: 1
- #36
Its been covered in previous forum discussion..Thanks! Just financially
I have home content insurance that for $400 a year all is covered if dropped damaged stolen or traveling anywhere.
You can even nominate just the Z9 D6 and a couple of lenses..........
Only an opinion
O
Well-known member
All understood and i took it the right way LOL.I WAS being ironic with my headline
Never having a D3 but hearing only great things about it, Some of the best photos i ever made came from my D3S, i loved the fact it was only 12 mp LOL which Apple I Phones built their name on.
My D3s made awesome black and white photos for me.
My DF 16mp (redundant the day it was released i was told by so many internet trolls) is a high iso unique colour sensor excluding the frame rate, its basically a D600 caucus with a retro top and a D4 sensor tweaked, i have absolutely no issue using it to 6400 to 8000 ISO or even to at times 12800.
Some of the knockers of the DF ironically actually still have one today.
And my D3X i bought used from a Pro well over a decade ago (the best camera i have ever had) i still have it sadly with 150,000 k and because of the K no one really wants to buy it unless its $600 AUD or something silly, its worth more in parts LOL, its not worth selling, its just to stunning a camera to sell at that price, OLD is GOLD LOL.
My D3X is a very dear old friend that has brought me so many amazing moments and joy, its traveled through days of 50-55 degree Celsius, sub zero snow and ice conditions, high humidity sopping wet tropics, lots of rain, lots of salt spray, dusty environment, rolled down a huge long muddy hill side in the rain resting on a pile of mud, it took till the next day to find it.
Washed and cleaned carefully after every shoot.
NEVER FAILED.........NEVER faulted......works like a Swiss clock.
Never misses a shot, single point, so to speak nails the 2 hairs on a fly's testicle at 50 feet LOL. Or a single tread from a spiders web 10-15 feet.
Its not a Z9 or D850 but nor does it have to be, it just mastered the use of time light and speed so well, i put the 300 2.8 VR II or 70-200 FL on all three cameras Z9 D850 D3X and i need at a glance to look at the meta data to be certain which image is which, the difference is very marginal if at all easily noticeable, once identified and doing the A B flip comparison the D850 edges them all out so fractionally with better dynamic range, The Z9 edges out the D3X ever so fractionally but gee whiz DR is available in abundance in NIK anyway, the D3X delivers some incredible files in good light proving that results come more from YOU and the GLASS than anything else.
Of course the D3X is not of the latest technology.........
2 of my mates still have their D3.........they built their careers on it.
I have the D850, Z9, i rent a D6 for those special challenges, ie: indoor night basket ball or under lights night soccer matches.
I haven't mastered the Z9 yet i have had it since the 24th Dec 2021, its more complicated demanding or unforgiving than i like, but its fast,
the question currently is for me, am i the right person for this Camera.
I have noticed that MY D850 is nicer at lower iso, be it the camera or settings used ??? or psychosomatic.
But yes the D3 D3S D3X era was and still is amazing.......in those days skill sets mattered more LOL.
Photos are made, photography is an art-form, everyone is different in the way they see and feel things
Like you say wild life excluded.
Only an opinion
fcotterill
Well-known member
- Post score: 1
- #39
Life's tough in the slipstream!
Lovely images Seriously I find the D6 is a leap forward after the excellent D5. Both cameras are highly dependable, but I much appreciate using the enhanced menus of the D6, including RSF and touch screen etc. the i-Menu works very well. As with the D5, it's a superb rig with the 180-400 f4E TC14, as it also is with a 500 PF, 70-200 f2.8E etc etc....
Nothing available in ILCs comes close in the prowess of the D5(D6) sensor for lowlight imaging, IME
It is a huge mistake to underestimate the autofocus system of the D6 - bullet proof and lightening fast; the D6 hardly ever commits a false grab on a background either, provided the AF modes are configured and deployed correctly.
EDIT:
to add more context and feedback
I've put close to 20K images through my Z9 since early March: mostly wildlife. This reliance on the Z9 as a primary camera does not supersede that I became centrally reliant on a Used D5 from mid 2021. I summarized this experience on BCG forum how/why it held its own alongside a Z9 in 5 weeks of intensive photography of African wildlife. This was with the D5 almost glued to 180-400 f4E TC14, and the Z9 equally tightly paired with the 800 PF.
https://bcgforums.com/index.php?thr...th-z-tcs-for-african-mammals-and-birds.17190/
As explained in another BCG discussion , in late June I traded in the D5 precisely because it is such a good camera - to afford a discounted new D6.
I continue to use D6 alongside the Z9, as these cameras are complimentary. The Z9 has become my core wildlife camera for many subjects with its subject-recognition, silent shutter and 45mp sensor etc..... The other very big reason are the Z lenses - especially the telephotos, as I have a 400 f4.5S on order, and the Z9 is almost always on the light 800 PF or the 500 PF where subject tracking is essential.
As already noted, yet another unique advantage of the Z9 is with Teleconverters is almost always another one of my primary uses for the Z9, and/or where I need a slower TC combination: f8 and slower eg 1120 f8 / 1120 f11. Besides the obvious it cannot use Z lenses, the other most obvious disadvantages of the D6 are shutter noise and tolerance to cropping.
Nevertheless, there remain many situations when the D6 AF outguns any MILC AF - cluttered habitats and its well known resistance of the AF to Back-Grab the scene behind the subject. This applies particularly to percentage success in photographing subjects within grass and thickets for example.
For various reasons the D6 has had a bad rap, especially criticisms from 'experts' who did not own a D6, let alone tested the camera properly. (This is besides all the keyboard warriors who knew even less). To reiterate, and to add to the relatively few reviews, the D6 Rocks. To try and summarize - as with the D5 the Whole of the D6 is Greater than the sum of its Parts.
Quick summary - to qualify this post and previous I've used only Nikon since 1984, but only been able to invest in high end cameras and lenses over the past decade. I learnt over 2 years the many positives but also negatives of MILC for wildlife - one of the first adopters of the Z7. It scored many keepers - used alongside a D850. Fast fwd to mid 2021, I'd moved to a D780 (separate story but Nikon Z7 firmware fixes had repeatedly neglected the vital gap IME to used AFOn+AFMode as per D5 Triumvariate)... This Gap causes too many missed shots - highly dependent on the Subject and Scene]
Pros and Cons of high end cameras . These are extremely context dependent (including operator skill !). Sports and Wildlife overlap, yet differ radically in many ways. One reason is the variety of animal subjects and their behaviours and habitats. Focal athlete(s) in delimited scenes challenges not only cameras but equally photographers' skills.
One way of comparison is to rank respective features of these Nikon flagships. So all the important positives and negatives for one's subjects, how and where they're depicted:
Autofocus in all its complexities;
lmage Quality - Tones, Lowlight performance, Pixels/per/duck ie "Croppability";
Shutter Noise vs Silent Shutter;
Frame Rates and novel MILC features notably PreCapture;
Professional MILCs are almost Mature. In the Z9, Nikon has fixed almost all the gaps in the "Non-Pro MILCs" and added so many new features. Nevertheless all these MILC Positives definitely do not sideline the Pro DSLRs. These models continue to deliver, and the D5 and D6 still stand as tall as ever. But no camera is perfect for all conditions.
I'm all the more impressed with these features, the more I shoot my D6. Compared to the D5 and D850, the D6 Autofocus system has an uncanny ability to nail sharp focus on a bird's eye more precisely. And the former cameras are not shirkers on this! [Thom Hogan has also mentioned the D6 has better AF precision]
The D6 AF is also very snappy, which again sets it apart for wildlife photography. These differences really stand out compared to all the other DSLRs. The D6 is at its best for subjects in and within vegetation, where MILC too often finds tricky to single out subject versus scene without often being helped.
In word, this difference amount to SnapShooting.
In hindsight of using both the D6 and Z9 intensively, It is clear IME the Z9 is not 100% superior, even with its excellent Subject-Recognition, silent shutter, PreCapture, Fps etc where it outperforms all DSLRs. As has been said and repeatedly, this is where the Nikonian is free to enjoy a mixed F and Z solution.
Lenses are as Important - if not more so... Date the Bodies, Marry the Lenses. It's about right tools for the right job. Obviously so much else depends on the Glass that one invests in. With either Z9 or D*, the 500 PF is a nifty rig, and the 180-400 f4E TC14 on either a D6 or Z9 is IMHO the best rig for photographing African mammals: from small antelope to pachyderms, unless one seeks an animal scape with wider FoV or conversely to magnify fine details of an elephant or buffalo, for example.
This is also injects complications and advantages with Lens Mount - thus which camera works on which lenses. IME the FTZ is seamless and causes no problems whatsoever in actual use away from the keyboard. The facts are the F Nikkors perform better with their TCs on the Z9 than DSLRs.
800mm and Beyond... As I also summarized elsewhere, it's clear the 800 f6.3S PF is a remarkable game-changer , as more and more Zed photographers continue to appreciate.....[at least when they can actually get their hands on this elusive optic!] Obviously, DSLRs cannot go here to pair with any of the superb Z Nikkors. After reviewing thousands of images, it is also very clear this prime has changed my wildlife photography in terms of fundamental strategy. Access to sharp imaging @ 1120mm (even @1600mm minimum haze permitting) has opened up a new world. So looking ahead a sharp 800mm is a certainty in my Wildlife photography: including with Teleconverters. [another aside, the collapse in prices of F Nikkors ? Panic to Sell (Upgrade) is I basically swopped out my Used 400 f2.8E FL for a 800 f5.6E FL + bespoke TC125. The main reason is to have 800 f5.6, 1000 f7.1, 1120 f8 on a DSLR or Z6. This F prime is one the best quality optics ever made by anyone.... However the Z9+800 PF is definitely beats it totally in a hiking 'Commando' Kit].
End of Long Summary. As the technology stands, including existing lens systems and camera features/reliability, the Z9 and D6 are complimentary tools.
Lovely images
Seriously I find the D6 is a leap forward after the excellent D5. Both cameras are highly dependable, but I much appreciate using the enhanced menus of the D6, including RSF and touch screen etc. the i-Menu works very well. As with the D5, it's a superb rig with the 180-400 f4E TC14, as it also is with a 500 PF, 70-200 f2.8E etc etc....Nothing available in ILCs comes close in the prowess of the D5(D6) sensor for lowlight imaging, IME
It is a huge mistake to underestimate the autofocus system of the D6 - bullet proof and lightening fast; the D6 hardly ever commits a false grab on a background either, provided the AF modes are configured and deployed correctly.
EDIT:
to add more context and feedback
I've put close to 20K images through my Z9 since early March: mostly wildlife. This reliance on the Z9 as a primary camera does not supersede that I became centrally reliant on a Used D5 from mid 2021. I summarized this experience on BCG forum how/why it held its own alongside a Z9 in 5 weeks of intensive photography of African wildlife. This was with the D5 almost glued to 180-400 f4E TC14, and the Z9 equally tightly paired with the 800 PF.
https://bcgforums.com/index.php?thr...th-z-tcs-for-african-mammals-and-birds.17190/
As explained in another BCG discussion , in late June I traded in the D5 precisely because it is such a good camera - to afford a discounted new D6.
I continue to use D6 alongside the Z9, as these cameras are complimentary. The Z9 has become my core wildlife camera for many subjects with its subject-recognition, silent shutter and 45mp sensor etc..... The other very big reason are the Z lenses - especially the telephotos, as I have a 400 f4.5S on order, and the Z9 is almost always on the light 800 PF or the 500 PF where subject tracking is essential.
As already noted, yet another unique advantage of the Z9 is with Teleconverters is almost always another one of my primary uses for the Z9, and/or where I need a slower TC combination: f8 and slower eg 1120 f8 / 1120 f11. Besides the obvious it cannot use Z lenses, the other most obvious disadvantages of the D6 are shutter noise and tolerance to cropping.
Nevertheless, there remain many situations when the D6 AF outguns any MILC AF - cluttered habitats and its well known resistance of the AF to Back-Grab the scene behind the subject. This applies particularly to percentage success in photographing subjects within grass and thickets for example.
For various reasons the D6 has had a bad rap, especially criticisms from 'experts' who did not own a D6, let alone tested the camera properly. (This is besides all the keyboard warriors who knew even less). To reiterate, and to add to the relatively few reviews, the D6 Rocks. To try and summarize - as with the D5 the Whole of the D6 is Greater than the sum of its Parts.
Quick summary - to qualify this post and previous I've used only Nikon since 1984, but only been able to invest in high end cameras and lenses over the past decade. I learnt over 2 years the many positives but also negatives of MILC for wildlife - one of the first adopters of the Z7. It scored many keepers - used alongside a D850. Fast fwd to mid 2021, I'd moved to a D780 (separate story but Nikon Z7 firmware fixes had repeatedly neglected the vital gap IME to used AFOn+AFMode as per D5 Triumvariate)... This Gap causes too many missed shots - highly dependent on the Subject and Scene]
Pros and Cons of high end cameras . These are extremely context dependent (including operator skill !). Sports and Wildlife overlap, yet differ radically in many ways. One reason is the variety of animal subjects and their behaviours and habitats. Focal athlete(s) in delimited scenes challenges not only cameras but equally photographers' skills.
One way of comparison is to rank respective features of these Nikon flagships. So all the important positives and negatives for one's subjects, how and where they're depicted:
Autofocus in all its complexities;
lmage Quality - Tones, Lowlight performance, Pixels/per/duck ie "Croppability";
Shutter Noise vs Silent Shutter;
Frame Rates and novel MILC features notably PreCapture;
Professional MILCs are almost Mature. In the Z9, Nikon has fixed almost all the gaps in the "Non-Pro MILCs" and added so many new features. Nevertheless all these MILC Positives definitely do not sideline the Pro DSLRs. These models continue to deliver, and the D5 and D6 still stand as tall as ever. But no camera is perfect for all conditions.
I'm all the more impressed with these features, the more I shoot my D6. Compared to the D5 and D850, the D6 Autofocus system has an uncanny ability to nail sharp focus on a bird's eye more precisely. And the former cameras are not shirkers on this! [Thom Hogan has also mentioned the D6 has better AF precision]
The D6 AF is also very snappy, which again sets it apart for wildlife photography. These differences really stand out compared to all the other DSLRs. The D6 is at its best for subjects in and within vegetation, where MILC too often finds tricky to single out subject versus scene without often being helped.
In word, this difference amount to SnapShooting.
In hindsight of using both the D6 and Z9 intensively, It is clear IME the Z9 is not 100% superior, even with its excellent Subject-Recognition, silent shutter, PreCapture, Fps etc where it outperforms all DSLRs. As has been said and repeatedly, this is where the Nikonian is free to enjoy a mixed F and Z solution.
Lenses are as Important - if not more so... Date the Bodies, Marry the Lenses. It's about right tools for the right job. Obviously so much else depends on the Glass that one invests in. With either Z9 or D*, the 500 PF is a nifty rig, and the 180-400 f4E TC14 on either a D6 or Z9 is IMHO the best rig for photographing African mammals: from small antelope to pachyderms, unless one seeks an animal scape with wider FoV or conversely to magnify fine details of an elephant or buffalo, for example.
This is also injects complications and advantages with Lens Mount - thus which camera works on which lenses. IME the FTZ is seamless and causes no problems whatsoever in actual use away from the keyboard. The facts are the F Nikkors perform better with their TCs on the Z9 than DSLRs.
800mm and Beyond... As I also summarized elsewhere, it's clear the 800 f6.3S PF is a remarkable game-changer , as more and more Zed photographers continue to appreciate.....[at least when they can actually get their hands on this elusive optic!] Obviously, DSLRs cannot go here to pair with any of the superb Z Nikkors. After reviewing thousands of images, it is also very clear this prime has changed my wildlife photography in terms of fundamental strategy. Access to sharp imaging @ 1120mm (even @1600mm minimum haze permitting) has opened up a new world. So looking ahead a sharp 800mm is a certainty in my Wildlife photography: including with Teleconverters. [another aside, the collapse in prices of F Nikkors ? Panic to Sell (Upgrade) is I basically swopped out my Used 400 f2.8E FL for a 800 f5.6E FL + bespoke TC125. The main reason is to have 800 f5.6, 1000 f7.1, 1120 f8 on a DSLR or Z6. This F prime is one the best quality optics ever made by anyone.... However the Z9+800 PF is definitely beats it totally in a hiking 'Commando' Kit].
End of Long Summary. As the technology stands, including existing lens systems and camera features/reliability, the Z9 and D6 are complimentary tools.
Last edited:
Very nice Steven. I particularly like the first image with it's perspective and DOF.
O
Well-known member
- Post score: 2
- #41
Life's tough in the slipstream!
Lovely images
Nothing available in ILCs comes close in the prowess of the D5(D6) sensor for lowlight imaging, IME
It is a huge mistake to underestimate the autofocus system of the D6 - bullet proof and lightening fast; the D6 hardly ever commits a false grab on a background either, provided the AF modes are configured and deployed correctly.
100% agree, and why i leave my Z9 at home and use the hired D6 for those challenging critical lower light shoots.
It is sticker than mirror less regardless of brand.
I find for me it just nails and sticks at what ever i point it at.
I am a fan of 45mp from my D850 Z9, hence i have a Z9, but as i have mentioned before if i am doing a soccer match under lights at night or an in door basketball match under lights, as i am Nikon its the D6 period.
Only an opinion
- Post score: 15
- #42
Thanks, re the images. I jumped to the D6 from the D3 (so never had the 4 or 5), but watched with some amazement when many so called 'reviewers' were so disappointed that the leap from D5 to D6 was not quite revolutionary enough for them they began the Nikon trashing. Only person I've heard diss the D6's AF is the Canon salesguy at my local camera storeLife's tough in the slipstream!
Lovely images
Nothing available in ILCs comes close in the prowess of the D5(D6) sensor for lowlight imaging, IME
It is a huge mistake to underestimate the autofocus system of the D6 - bullet proof and lightening fast; the D6 hardly ever commits a false grab on a background either, provided the AF modes are configured and deployed correctly.
(true story). And yah, there's no getting around the high mpg = shitty ISO performance (sorry Z9; thank gawd for AI noise reduction), so am more than happy with the D6's mpg count Been using it for a bit of indoor event work lately, and with a 1.2 lens on the D6 I'm reminded that it IS possible to shoot in the dark That all said, the Z9 is also a great camera. I simply have no need to compare the two. One thing of the Z9 (and assuming all mirrorless) is the battery life sucks (oops, in comparison ). Cheers!
O
Well-known member
If its deadly important, a one chance only opportunity, in very challenging conditions, low light, challenging background, a super important paying job, where i cant fail, and there will be no excuses no exceptions for failure..i use the D6 .......
I use the 400 2.8, 600 f4, 300 2.8, 70-200fl, 14-24........or 24-70.....these tools all sing a love song in harmony with the power and performance of the D6, combined they are just all fast sharp accurate with Brilliant image files especially at high iso. Its the right tool for me every time.
I am not taking anything away from MY Z9, for me its just a different tool, i do love the 45mp at 10-20 fps if and when needed.
Only an opinion.
I use the 400 2.8, 600 f4, 300 2.8, 70-200fl, 14-24........or 24-70.....these tools all sing a love song in harmony with the power and performance of the D6, combined they are just all fast sharp accurate with Brilliant image files especially at high iso. Its the right tool for me every time.
I am not taking anything away from MY Z9, for me its just a different tool, i do love the 45mp at 10-20 fps if and when needed.
Only an opinion.