Official Nikon Z9 Launch, Info, and Discussion Thread

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OOPS! Another problem...Oh wow! May have a few more guys in that thread! OK? Enough....it's silly!


From experience, the A1 AF is not foolproof - it will pick up water sparkling instead of the subject in tracking mode, it will lock on background (not often compared to many other mirrorless) and refuse to refocus, it will struggle acquiring subjects in heavy backlit situations (emphasis on heavy - say 8+ stop difference between subject and background).

But also from experience, when it came out, it was better than anything else I'd ever shot with (excepting the D6 which I never tried but better than the D5 for sure).

Beyond that, everything is hyperbole or nit-picking (at either end of the spectrum) and the Z9 is no different - it will have its rare warts and it will blow away any other focusing system Nikon has ever produced.
 
Actually a total failure to acquire a bird flying past a busy background is worse than losing a frame or two.

Once again you have your opinion. That's good, but its not always correct! It's silly to be a brand fanboy is all I am saying but people like you don't seem to get that. Go ahead and enjoy your pointing others mistakes out it won't do YOUR photography any good.

Have at it, after a while this becomes a waste of time!!
 
A Z9 is now allocated to me out of my dealer's shipment expected "next week" (no idea when). I paid for it yesterday.
Can't wait to put it up back to back, side to side, with my A1.

From what I've seen and read so far I know I'm going to have to operate this camera a little differently from how I operate my Sony cameras. I have owned a Z series camera for a couple years just to keep familiar with the Z AF modes. Obviously the Z9 will be adding the 3D and subject detect layers on top of what I know from my little Z50.

Look forward to your thoughts Geoff , I'm interested how it compares . Currently thinking about getting the 600mm F4 to go with my A1 although Z9 500mm pf sounds a nice option
 
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That would be a great birding combination if it produces results!

Exactly, I'm always using my 200-600 at 600mm , decent lens but find it a little slow at times . I recently tried a friends 600mm f4 GM and loved it, unfortunately I found it hard going back to my 200-600 . The 500mm PF is also a nice lens, lightweight and much cheaper , I've no problem selling the A1 and going for Z9 500mm PF if it performs well .
 
Just for fun I pointed my camera in wide area at the screen. It grabbed 1 out of 3 eyeballs. Obviously Not a scientific test just goofing off as I sip my coffee waiting for the sun to come up.
I think on a live subject it would grab all those eyes perfectly. Z9 R5/6 or A1 because it’s what they do 😎👍

View attachment 30139

WOW i love your train of thought, clever.

The images i posted are massively cropped, they were a fair distance, this one was taken on the D850 70-200 fl at F10, NO tracking, just standard technique using 25 points, they were used for producing calender's so JPEG saturated shots usually work better than fine art especially considering the production process for printing.

Up close on your screen i wonder if the same result would be had in the real distance shot, that's where the challenge is for any system, some systems are advanced more than others of course.

In my mind longer distance narrows the performance capability of any system hence the closer the better. there are means to dial down things so the focal points are not distracted, that's up to the user to work out LOL.
On your screen the eye is so defined so it owuld be eay to mail the eye, hats of to you i would never have thought of doing this LOL.
 
Alex Phan seems to have posted a gull series where he claims he set his AF sensitivity to 5 (sticky) on auto area af mode and yet the AF picked the BG and refers to some Z9 pro users group. Classic example of what happens when you do not take the time to learn the AF system and the user manual. Pg 600 of the Nikon manual has this defined clearly. Basically, when on auto area af, the camera defaults to a sensitivity setting between 1-3 i.e. a highly responsive setting ( which means sticky options 4 and 5 are ruled out). When on 3D tracking mode, the camera defaults to a setting of 3. If one needs a stickier setting then wide area modes are the go to options as you can then take control of a stickier AF tracking with lock on setting of 4 or 5.


YEEEEEEE, in my limited time with the Z9 and its manual, from Day one i figured out using wide and or 4 and 5 is beneficial in many cases.

The internet is made up of 1/2 % accurate technical information, 1.5% Porn, 98% Spam.

Regardless of what brand or what gear people should read the manual learn to use things as they should and lay of seeking 15 seconds of fame on the WEB.
 
I’m just saying that his technique seems to match what works for me also. I feel like even though there are huge differences there are also similarities.
I have had my A1 for 6 months but just finally had an entire week to get things dialed in.
Those birds are awesome 😎

That deserves respect........taking time to dial it in.
 
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I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!
 
I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!

I must say that I agree. Once the "mine's better than yours" posts comes into it, the discussion loses credibility and enjoyment. In all the forums I have been on, I don't think I have ever wanted or needed to go into threads or forums about any other brand and make pronouncements about the lack of ability of their cameras or lenses. It seems as though there is a certain delight by some to see Nikon fail in any way possible. I have never felt the urge to do the same in any other camera manufacturers forum or thread because I just don't care.
 
I must say that I agree. Once the "mine's better than yours" posts comes into it, the discussion loses credibility and enjoyment. In all the forums I have been on, I don't think I have ever wanted or needed to go into threads or forums about any other brand and make pronouncements about the lack of ability of their cameras or lenses. It seems as though there is a certain delight by some to see Nikon fail in any way possible. I have never felt the urge to do the same in any other camera manufacturers forum or thread because I just don't care.
I agree as well. I check this thread every so often to see how the Z9 is performing, but I realize I’m wasting time trying to filter out these “mine’s better than yours” posts.

When Steve completes his testing and review, as well as other actual Z9 owners, I’m sure there will be some very useful and credible discussions, comparisons, and information to digest. Hopefully they’ll start new threads, since I probably won’t return to this one again.
 
I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!
Yeah…seems like it’s just descending into augments and almost to name calling…which is unusual on this forum. As Steve said…we re comparing Ferraris and Lamborghinis and each flagship will win a few situations and lose a few. I’m with you…hinkin* about muting the thread.
 
I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!
How do you mute a thread?
 
With the flagship cameras it's nothing more than splitting hairs. They will all have their strengths and weaknesses most of which are probably imperceptible unless under controlled test conditions. Most, maybe all of the folks on this forum are wildlife photographers. Wildlife photography by its nature is seldom consistent enough, or repeatable enough to make absolute calls on any of this.
 
I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!
I must say that I agree. Once the "mine's better than yours" posts comes into it, the discussion loses credibility and enjoyment. In all the forums I have been on, I don't think I have ever wanted or needed to go into threads or forums about any other brand and make pronouncements about the lack of ability of their cameras or lenses. It seems as though there is a certain delight by some to see Nikon fail in any way possible. I have never felt the urge to do the same in any other camera manufacturers forum or thread because I just don't care.
I agree with both of you. A long time back, I had lunch with some folks in a camera club, and most of them used Canon gear, and they were really piling it on (somewhat in fun) over a couple of us being Nikon users. Finally, one of the more respected people at the table asked something like "Well, if your gear is so much better, why aren't your photos so much better?" The table got very quiet relative to the subject of brands after that.

With that being said, it is ultimately about the photographs, and not about the gear. We are free to use whatever gear we choose, and can decide for ourselves which provides us with the best product. Also, to browse and read which threads on this forum we so choose and any for which we choose otherwise. I have full confidence that Steve and Rose will step in if it gets too out of hand so as to be unhealthy for the forum.
 
I'm sorry to say, but over the last ~6-7 pages this thread has become for the second time worthless to read, but now it seems to persist in that. Was actually a readlly enjoyable thread before the Z9 was released; thanks for all the comments from that time. And with that, muting the thread.

Not sure at all what's the worth of the recent comments, to be honest, except to make people feel good about their choices. It certainly doesn't add any actual info to debate endlessly whether waiting for Z9 was worth or not, or exactly which flagship is more flag or more ship. Bye!
I must say that I agree. Once the "mine's better than yours" posts comes into it, the discussion loses credibility and enjoyment. In all the forums I have been on, I don't think I have ever wanted or needed to go into threads or forums about any other brand and make pronouncements about the lack of ability of their cameras or lenses. It seems as though there is a certain delight by some to see Nikon fail in any way possible. I have never felt the urge to do the same in any other camera manufacturers forum or thread because I just don't care.
I agree as well. I check this thread every so often to see how the Z9 is performing, but I realize I’m wasting time trying to filter out these “mine’s better than yours” posts.

When Steve completes his testing and review, as well as other actual Z9 owners, I’m sure there will be some very useful and credible discussions, comparisons, and information to digest. Hopefully they’ll start new threads, since I probably won’t return to this one again.
Yeah…seems like it’s just descending into augments and almost to name calling…which is unusual on this forum. As Steve said…we re comparing Ferraris and Lamborghinis and each flagship will win a few situations and lose a few. I’m with you…hinkin* about muting the thread.
How do you mute a thread?
Unwatch button/option for the thread. See the top of this thread
Another option useful is to hit the Ignore Tab on the Members Profile. Nice to be able to follow a Thread like this Z9 Thread and not have to deal with the Trolling bs.....


I also agree. This is more a study about psychology than photography.

And how can the posters even be real photographers? They seem to be on forum day and night...No time for photography. And they don't even own the Z9! No value added.

It's just a few posts, Jesus Murphy don't take it so personally.... 😬

In a thread about the Z9, more than half the posts are about how much better is the Sony A1. Many posted before the Z9 was even released. It takes an amazing amount of hubris to imagine all these extraneous posts are even respected, let alone valuable!!!!!?

Lots of hints have been dropped in the past.

Many of us are just tired of weeding though all the polluting dreck on this and the other threads devoted to Nikon and the Z9.
 
FYI here is the focusing points and the box is on the bird but clearly can’t focus on it. Let’s hear the arguments as to why this is ok? View attachment 30109View attachment 30110
Shot in DX mode from waaaay too far away.... so who cares if it cant lock onto a bird in the next county? It's a garbage shot anyway, If youre using shots like this from any camera its going to suck regardless of af accuracy lol
 
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