My Z9 is setup and ready to go :)

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Thanks so much for those links, Nimi and John. Looks like Brad is happy with the ISO so that's really encouraging and was good reading too. I wish the video dynamic range was better, but I shoot 99% stills anyway and who knows maybe that translates differently. Keeping my order right where it is!
 
Thanks so much for those links, Nimi and John. Looks like Brad is happy with the ISO so that's really encouraging and was good reading too. I wish the video dynamic range was better, but I shoot 99% stills anyway and who knows maybe that translates differently. Keeping my order right where it is!
It's actually very high and just a little off the best-in-class. We'll see what DXOmark says when they test it. They rank the Z7II sensor very high, about the same as the A7R4 and it's been pointed out that the Z7II and Z9 sensors are very similar. Also, encoding/processing has a lot to do with DR, so it's possible that it will be improved with future firmware updates. Bottom line, looks like a winner and I am certainly excited about getting mine next month.
 
Has anyone seen a test comparing the D850 or Z7 to the Z9 in terms of dynamic range and noise at higher ISO's? Just one simple test would suffice say at ISO 6400 where you shoot the same subject with both cameras with exactly the same settings with all the internal mods disabled. I just want to be sure I don't lose any image quality over my D850 which I consider to be excellent in both those regards. Matt Grainger did one, but the settings were different and the Z9 color noise was quite a bit worse than the Z7. I'm still keeping my preorder in place, even though I am not a NPS special person, just a mere mortal. :)
Bill Claff (www.photonstophotos.net) does some of the best testing. He is not getting a Z9 but has requested images on DPReview. He has a specific type of image and format required for consistency and needs 100 images. Once done, his testing is probably the most consistent and objective available.
 
CineD did, albeit for video. My ASSUMPTION is that their results correlate to stills, although I am not certain about that. From their very detailed tests, they get 11.5 stops at SNR=2 AND 12.4 at SNR=1, so about 1.5 stops below A1.

There is probably something lost in methodology. The Z7ii and D850 are equivalent to the A1 overall. The D6 is equivalent at high ISO levels. All these cameras are close to theoretical limits at higher ISO levels and all employ dual gain to reduce noise at high ISO levels.
 
Hi @Steve and other Z9 owners, I did my initial set up of the Z9 and one of the things I wanted to customize was to assign a button override to turn subject detection off ( while subject detection is set to on in my default settings). The objective here is to instantly override and turn off the subject detection in case the camera struggles. The Z9 does not allow us to directly assign subject detect on (auto or animal detect)/off using custom control settings however there is a workaround using recall shooting functions (RSF) whereby i turned subject detection to off and that's the only setting I chose and then assigned the RSF to lens fn button.
Here's the issue I'm facing for which I need to know if there's anything I can do:
1. I set up my shutter button to shutter on and AF and set 3d tracking as my primary AF mode
2. Set the AF-On button for wide area Large
3. Set Joy stick for wide area Small
4. Front fn was set to Single point
Now, my subject detection is set to animal eye af so by default it works for 1,2 and 3 above. 4 isn't a problem because there's no subject detection for single point/ dynamic area AF modes anyway.

All good so far, but what I noticed is when I use the lens fn button to temporarily turn off subject detection, this override setting takes effect only when I use shutter AF i.e 3D tracking (1 above) and has no effect whatsoever when I use AF on button (pt 2 above) or Joy stick button (pt 3 above).

So I'm assuming RSF doesn't play well with other custom overrides. If we use custom control settings to set a specific button for an override, this function supersedes RSF 😔

Am I doing anything wrong? Any help will be appreciated.

I want to be able to use the wide area modes both with tracking and without tracking as these modes turn in to a close subject priority( similar to group area AF) when there's no subject tracking enabled.
 
Hi @Steve and other Z9 owners, I did my initial set up of the Z9 and one of the things I wanted to customize was to assign a button override to turn subject detection off ( while subject detection is set to on in my default settings). The objective here is to instantly override and turn off the subject detection in case the camera struggles. The Z9 does not allow us to directly assign subject detect on (auto or animal detect)/off using custom control settings however there is a workaround using recall shooting functions (RSF) whereby i turned subject detection to off and that's the only setting I chose and then assigned the RSF to lens fn button.
Here's the issue I'm facing for which I need to know if there's anything I can do:
1. I set up my shutter button to shutter on and AF and set 3d tracking as my primary AF mode
2. Set the AF-On button for wide area Large
3. Set Joy stick for wide area Small
4. Front fn was set to Single point
Now, my subject detection is set to animal eye af so by default it works for 1,2 and 3 above. 4 isn't a problem because there's no subject detection for single point/ dynamic area AF modes anyway.

All good so far, but what I noticed is when I use the lens fn button to temporarily turn off subject detection, this override setting takes effect only when I use shutter AF i.e 3D tracking (1 above) and has no effect whatsoever when I use AF on button (pt 2 above) or Joy stick button (pt 3 above).

So I'm assuming RSF doesn't play well with other custom overrides. If we use custom control settings to set a specific button for an override, this function supersedes RSF 😔

Am I doing anything wrong? Any help will be appreciated.

I want to be able to use the wide area modes both with tracking and without tracking as these modes turn in to a close subject priority( similar to group area AF) when there's no subject tracking enabled.

Yeah, I'm finding Nikon's customization options lacking on the Z9. I think the a1 spoiled me - things like this are easily assignable to a button (and this is far from the only customization gripe I have with the camera). I'm actually kind of shocked at how limited the Z9 customization options are - it explains why everyone is doing all sorts of workarounds.

At any rate, I think you're right - I've noticed Nikons only like to have one custom thing going on at a time. I too can't get it to change AF areas with one button and disable subject detection with the other.

One hackey workaround would be to use a custom shooting bank. You could set bank A up however you like, copy it to bank B, and while in bank B, turn subject detection off. Then, customize fn2 for Shooting Banks (sadly, the lens function buttons don't allow a toggle or press and turn option - another needless limitation). Then, as you hold fn2 you can jump from one bank to the other. Less than ideal, but it would work.
 
Yeah, I'm finding Nikon's customization options lacking on the Z9. I think the a1 spoiled me - things like this are easily assignable to a button (and this is far from the only customization gripe I have with the camera). I'm actually kind of shocked at how limited the Z9 customization options are - it explains why everyone is doing all sorts of workarounds.

At any rate, I think you're right - I've noticed Nikons only like to have one custom thing going on at a time. I too can't get it to change AF areas with one button and disable subject detection with the other.

One hackey workaround would be to use a custom shooting bank. You could set bank A up however you like, copy it to bank B, and while in bank B, turn subject detection off. Then, customize fn2 for Shooting Banks (sadly, the lens function buttons don't allow a toggle or press and turn option - another needless limitation). Then, as you hold fn2 you can jump from one bank to the other. Less than ideal, but it would work.

Oh darn, the a1 spoiled you. If you could see the big ole grin on my face right now. So, about that a1 pdf……..hahahahaha. Just kidding. I look forward to anything new you have to publish. It’s like waiting for Christmas. Being someone I follow closely and try to mimic in my process I value what you do.
 
Yeah, I'm finding Nikon's customization options lacking on the Z9. I think the a1 spoiled me - things like this are easily assignable to a button (and this is far from the only customization gripe I have with the camera). I'm actually kind of shocked at how limited the Z9 customization options are - it explains why everyone is doing all sorts of workarounds.

At any rate, I think you're right - I've noticed Nikons only like to have one custom thing going on at a time. I too can't get it to change AF areas with one button and disable subject detection with the other.

One hackey workaround would be to use a custom shooting bank. You could set bank A up however you like, copy it to bank B, and while in bank B, turn subject detection off. Then, customize fn2 for Shooting Banks (sadly, the lens function buttons don't allow a toggle or press and turn option - another needless limitation). Then, as you hold fn2 you can jump from one bank to the other. Less than ideal, but it would work.
Oh geez, looks like I'm gonna have a long day of figuring out my setup tomorrow. Was hoping for an easy transition.
 
To those of you who have already received your Z9....

I would love to hear any experience/advice you might have for using any of the older "G" model big primes (400, 500, or 600). I have a 500mm F/4G and I'm curious how it does with the Z9. I've seen numerous folks discussing whether the 20 fps frame rate will overwhelm the G lenses.
 
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Oh geez, looks like I'm gonna have a long day of figuring out my setup tomorrow. Was hoping for an easy transition.
With a camera like this, I find that setting it up is sort of an evolutionary process. I kind of set what I think will work well, try it out for a bit, look at other options and ways of doing things, and try those. Over time, the setup comes together. It won't take too long for me with this camera since I'm very familiar with Nikon, but man, it took some serious field time before I finally had the a1 dialed in. Regardless, just do little things and try them out as you go, it'll come together :)
 
With a camera like this, I find that setting it up is sort of an evolutionary process. I kind of set what I think will work well, try it out for a bit, look at other options and ways of doing things, and try those. Over time, the setup comes together. It won't take too long for me with this camera since I'm very familiar with Nikon, but man, it took some serious field time before I finally had the a1 dialed in. Regardless, just do little things and try them out as you go, it'll come together :)
how much of the settings do you think you can port from a Z6 or Z7 II?
 
how much of the settings do you think you can port from a Z6 or Z7 II?
Quite a few. The cameras have more in common than they don't. Most of the settings I'm not sure about relate to button customization and AF. Although much of the AF system is the same, I want to se e how the improved - and the new - AF areas operate in the field. I'm sure the AF settings I used before probably aren't the same as what I'll want to use with the Z9. On the other hand, most of the other settings are the same and work the same.
 
Quite a few. The cameras have more in common than they don't. Most of the settings I'm not sure about relate to button customization and AF. Although much of the AF system is the same, I want to se e how the improved - and the new - AF areas operate in the field. I'm sure the AF settings I used before probably aren't the same as what I'll want to use with the Z9. On the other hand, most of the other settings are the same and work the same.
that was my impression from reading the manual. Hope my Z9 arrives tomorrow.
 
As a quick update, I had the camera out today a bit at a sort of local park. I drenched the camera (and the 100-400) in the falling, wet snow for about two hours with no ill effect. AF seemed really good. Subject Detection seemed to work pretty well for the birds and mammals I was playing with too. Not perfect (no camera is), but I'd tentatively say it's more or less on-par with the competition. Sometimes it did really well, sometimes it missed completely. Kind of like the R5 and a1 :)

It was nice not to have to fuss with switching between mammals and birds as I have to with the a1, and man, that startup time is super impressive. Easily the best I've ever experienced with a mirrorless camera. Powering on is very nearly instantaneous. Lots more shooting to do, but so far, it's a solid performer.
 
@Steve I found a quick fix for this problem, although a partial fix. I just thought it is a dumb idea to use 3D tracking with subject detection set to off whereas a wise choice to use wide area L ( My favourite AF mode on the Z9) with the option to turn subject detect off. So I simply swapped my AF area mode buttons. Now my shutter is set to wide are L and AF on set to 3d. With this, when I press my lens fn button that has an RSF override for subject detection to turn off, it works like a charm. So the wide area L modes will have tracking enabled by default which works amazingly well most of the time and for times when the tracking box struggles or when I absolutely need close subject priority, I can just press the lens fn button and use this mode like the traditional group area AF with CSP.

Yeah, I'm finding Nikon's customization options lacking on the Z9. I think the a1 spoiled me - things like this are easily assignable to a button (and this is far from the only customization gripe I have with the camera). I'm actually kind of shocked at how limited the Z9 customization options are - it explains why everyone is doing all sorts of workarounds.

At any rate, I think you're right - I've noticed Nikons only like to have one custom thing going on at a time. I too can't get it to change AF areas with one button and disable subject detection with the other.

One hackey workaround would be to use a custom shooting bank. You could set bank A up however you like, copy it to bank B, and while in bank B, turn subject detection off. Then, customize fn2 for Shooting Banks (sadly, the lens function buttons don't allow a toggle or press and turn option - another needless limitation). Then, as you hold fn2 you can jump from one bank to the other. Less than ideal, but it would work.
 
how much of the settings do you think you can port from a Z6 or Z7 II?

The catch is going to be how much you are using some of the settings on your Z6ii/Z7ii. If you are used to using Wide AF modes, adjusting AF Lock On, and following your subject to keep it in the AF box, your transition will be pretty easy and intuitive. If you are not adjusting Lock-On and are only using 1-2 AF modes all the time, the transition will be a little tougher because you'll spend more time testing and configuring menus and settings.
 
Absolutely. Initial set-up was so easy as it was just like any other Nikon camera (DSLR/Mirrorless) but as I started shooting in the last couple of days, I felt there are some finer nuances with each setting that can be so handy. I was thinking of having a faster way to use AF tracking with lock-on. i.e, set 3 as default but override to 5 (Sticky) when the situation demands. This can be done using an RSF override but the gotcha with that is that the Z9 allows only one RSF assignment and I used that for subject detect off. So the other work around I figured is to set the track-on setting to 5 by default and forget it because a lot of us will anyways assign multiple AF-on buttons ( I use 3D, Wide-Area L, Dynamic and Single point assigned to different buttons of an instant override). 3D tracking will resort to a lock-on setting of 3 (which is very responsive) regardless of what we set as defaults (5 in my case) and when I want the AF box to be stickier (use a setting of 5), I simply use another mode like the wide area or Dynamic area modes.

The catch is going to be how much you are using some of the settings on your Z6ii/Z7ii. If you are used to using Wide AF modes, adjusting AF Lock On, and following your subject to keep it in the AF box, your transition will be pretty easy and intuitive. If you are not adjusting Lock-On and are only using 1-2 AF modes all the time, the transition will be a little tougher because you'll spend more time testing and configuring menus and settings.
 
@Steve I found a quick fix for this problem, although a partial fix. I just thought it is a dumb idea to use 3D tracking with subject detection set to off whereas a wise choice to use wide area L ( My favourite AF mode on the Z9) with the option to turn subject detect off. So I simply swapped my AF area mode buttons. Now my shutter is set to wide are L and AF on set to 3d. With this, when I press my lens fn button that has an RSF override for subject detection to turn off, it works like a charm. So the wide area L modes will have tracking enabled by default which works amazingly well most of the time and for times when the tracking box struggles or when I absolutely need close subject priority, I can just press the lens fn button and use this mode like the traditional group area AF with CSP.

I'd tread with caution using that approach. 3D - and mirrorless tracking in general - is pretty good overall. However, it's not perfect. If you 3D track the face of an animal with eye detection off, as long as that face is in profile, you're golden.

In my experience where it gets tricky with tracking modes like that is when the subject's face is either straight at the camera or turned a bit, like at a 45 degree angle. In cases like that, tracking modes sometimes stick around the eye - but often jumps to just in front or or in back of the eye. If you're close enough that DoF isn't covering you, you'll end up with a soft eye. Normally, that's when (without tracking modes), we'd drop to a small AF area and do our best to keep it on the eye. However, that's a very DSLR way of doing things :)

Tracking modes (like 3dD) with eye detection change the game. Once locked, they remove the requirement for chasing the eye around with a single, static AF point when the subject's face isn't in profile. While tracking modes alone aren't enough to stick to that eye consistently, once eye detection is enabled they often are. It actually gives us one of our biggest advantages with mirrorless - you can lock onto an eye and compose however you like, regardless of where that AF area started (you can't do this with a bounded AF area like the wide modes). Usually, the camera will stick with the eye pretty well and stay on it as the animal turns its head. I'm not sure about the Nikon yet, but I know it's not unusual for my Sony to stick with the eye of a bird even when it's facing directly at the camera! No tracking mode without eye detection can do that.

IMO, 3D is the last mode I'd want to disable subject detection on. Of course, I haven't fully tested the system so maybe it's different with the Nikon. My limited time in the field yesterday doesn't lead me to believe so, however.
 
As a quick update, I had the camera out today a bit at a sort of local park. I drenched the camera (and the 100-400) in the falling, wet snow for about two hours with no ill effect. AF seemed really good. Subject Detection seemed to work pretty well for the birds and mammals I was playing with too. Not perfect (no camera is), but I'd tentatively say it's more or less on-par with the competition. Sometimes it did really well, sometimes it missed completely. Kind of like the R5 and a1 :)

It was nice not to have to fuss with switching between mammals and birds as I have to with the a1, and man, that startup time is super impressive. Easily the best I've ever experienced with a mirrorless camera. Powering on is very nearly instantaneous. Lots more shooting to do, but so far, it's a solid performer.
Sounds promising. Thanks for your updates!
It will also be interesting to get your impressions of the 100-400 s lens, and if you’ve tried it with a Z TC-1.4.
 
Sounds promising. Thanks for your updates!
It will also be interesting to get your impressions of the 100-400 s lens, and if you’ve tried it with a Z TC-1.4.
The 100-400 seems pretty good - it sure is weather sealed really well! The images yesterday were sharp and AF was snappy. I think I'll end up doing a full review, by my initial feelings is that it's a winner.
 
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