Z9 autofocus button assignment- opinions?

[Tibor Hrnko]

I was thinking about best use of photo shooting banks from the perspective of quickly changing the AF mode. Here are my thoughts which may or may not be useful:

Limitations are:
- applies only to photo (video) shooting menu
- extended banks have to be turned on to record shooting mode (this in fact is not so much a limitation, but worth noting IMO)
- there has to be a FN button assigned to quickly changing them, otherwise they are not quickly available

Useful setting for AF available in photo shooting menu are IMO:
- Focus mode
- AF area mode
- AF subject detection options

Setting example for setting different AF area mode to shutter button is:
Set bank A
Set Focus mode to AF-C
Set AF area mode to Wide Area AF (S)
Copy A to B
Set AF area mode to Dynamic Area AF (L)
... copy to C and D and set as needed

Using example:
Set a6: to Shutter/AF-On
Set f2*: AF-On button to AF-Area mode + AF-On (3D-tracking)
Set f2*: Protect/F4 button to Shooting Menu Bank
By pressing f4 and rotating main selector switch to appropriate bank to use the set AF area mode by half pressing the shutter button. By pressing AF-ON start tracking.

Any comments or recommendations?

 

[PeggyBaker]

Fortunately, what is being called "muscle memory" here is actually, and fortunately, something different. Rather than having certain actions "programmed" into, say, our right thumbs, what we actually have are brain synapses which have been electronically trained to take a specific action. Per the BBC Science team, " There are two kinds, both very real. The first, properly called ‘procedural memory’ strengthens the synaptic pathways in your brain for specific coordinated sequences of muscle movements that you perform often. This is what allows a guitar player to form the chord shapes without consciously considering the position of each finger, for example.". This means that if we think consciously and frequently about performing certain actions, like pressing the shutter half-way, in a different context, like on a Z9, it's pretty easy to lay down some new neural pathways. Even for codgers like me, I am finding out.

 

[BillW]

I notice that Steve has set buttons on his Z9 to change AF area alone, without also including AF On in the same button. Others have set buttons to change AF area + AF On.

If you use the shutter button to initiate AF, which approach to using buttons to change AF area makes the most sense? Would your answer be different if you use BBAF?

Are there downsides to one approach or the other?

 

[Ken Miracle]

I notice that Steve has set buttons on his Z9 to change AF area alone, without also including AF On in the same button. Others have set buttons to change AF area + AF On.

If you use the shutter button to initiate AF, which approach to using buttons to change AF area makes the most sense? Would your answer be different if you use BBAF?

Are there downsides to one approach or the other?

Personally I am with what @Steve is trying ... my Z9 has not arrived but even with my D850 and old D6 and D500's I wanted my thumb free for other duties and I wanted the simplicity of pushing one button to focus and shoot every time when I am looking through the viewfinder. When my Z9 finally arrives I will have focus points all over the sensor and even more reason to not use BBAF.

 

[jmurthy]

I am liking, tho haven't used much in real trials yet, using AFON as button to go to 3D; just that I'm forgetting completely to hit the shutter button half way to grab focus LOL Definitely going to have to finally figure out menu bank use as for static beasts (including humans) I'll likely just go to BBF and non auto/3d AF choices. Bigger muscle memory annoyance for me is the change of position for the playback button LOL

I have afarea +af on (3d tracking) to BBF. since it has AFOn , that is the only button i have to press to track a subject and keep it in focus. shoot with shutter as usual like BBF. this is the closest i can get to BBF.

 

[arbitrage]

I notice that Steve has set buttons on his Z9 to change AF area alone, without also including AF On in the same button. Others have set buttons to change AF area + AF On.

If you use the shutter button to initiate AF, which approach to using buttons to change AF area makes the most sense? Would your answer be different if you use BBAF?

Are there downsides to one approach or the other?

I have my alternate buttons only switch the AF mode but not AF. This just keeps my brain synapses working in the same manner all the time....half press shutter is the only way to initiate AF.
If I was using BBF then I'd have the alternate buttons do AF-ON also I think.

There was a time when I was slowly transitioning off of BBF to shutter and I did leave my alternative back buttons as AF-ON but in the end it can get confusing. No right or wrong way, just try it for yourself and see which way you aren't making mistakes...LOL

Now with Sony and Canon it is a little easier as they each have three back buttons under your thumb so for BBF people it makes all the sense in the world to keep each of those doing AF-ON. But with Nikon if you are BBF then your alternate buttons are all over the map so I don't know which way is best but probably easier not to have to be pushing 3 buttons at once which you'd have to do if you kept AF-ON off the alternate button and then had to push AF-ON button and you shutter to fire.

 

[RichF]

I am using the shutter button for what ever is currently set. Hopefully it will stay in 6 FPS for slow/no action. I then have then AF-ON button set to auto AF area and 20 FPS. I'll test this for wildlife (not BIF) to see if it works well. If Auto AF area gives me problems I'll try 3D.

too bad the camera can not recognize the lens and switch setting based upon the lens. If I have a macro or wide angle lens, my default might be single shot or a few FPS. With longer lens, then I will want to blast away.

 

[RichF]

(AF persistence setting is on).

Do you mean focus point persistence? or is this different? I can not find AF persistence in the manual.

Also what is your thoughts on 3D tracking vs Auto area AF? I tried 3D tracking and the focus points bounce around alot.

 

[Tibor Hrnko]

I have tested the AF setting on a bank of a river shooting the flying birds. I have observed these:

It is possible to set a6*: AF Activation to "AF-ON Only" for those who are used to BBAF and use dedicated lens focus buttons to obtain initial focus before switching to tracking.
Using Wide Area AF (S/L) mode to acquire initial focus seems to take longer time for the camera than using Dynamic Area AF (S/M/L)

 

[Butlerkid]

I have tested the AF setting on a bank of a river shooting the flying birds. I have observed these:

It is possible to set a6*: AF Activation to "AF-ON Only" for those who are used to BBAF and use dedicated lens focus buttons to obtain initial focus before switching to tracking.
Using Wide Area AF (S/L) mode to acquire initial focus seems to take longer time for the camera than using Dynamic Area AF (S/M/L)

What about using Auto AF to acquire initial focus?

 

[Tibor Hrnko]

What about using Auto AF to acquire initial focus?

That may be problematic if the composition has more potentially interesting targets for camera focusing SW. I was starting from the premise of giving the camera less free space to choose something random.
But it may work well with a single target on a non busy background IMO. I will give it a try on next test to see how it performs.

 

[Butlerkid]

That may be problematic if the composition has more potentially interesting targets for camera focusing SW. I was starting from the premise of giving the camera less free space to choose something random.
But it may work well with a single target on a non busy background IMO. I will give it a try on next test to see how it performs.

Agree.....I think that mode might be best when dealing with a single subject..... Just wondering if you had tried it.

 

[JLT]

I think I have found what works best for me after all the years using BB focus. I will use the BB set to large area, erratic subject and stickiness set to 4. I was able to keep my old camera’s group focus on the bird and should be able to do it fine still, and if I lose the subject for an instant the focus point will stay with the bird until I find it again with stickiness set to 4 or even 5. I have fn2 set to single point for precise focusing when the subject is on a perch per example, will use BB focusing for this as well. If I am dealing with more erratic subjects like swallows I have set the joystick push button for auto area with AF ON or I can just change the large area for auto area to use the AF ON regular back button. I also have the lens buttons set to auto area with AF ON , just in case I have trouble pushing the joystick button right in and instead move the focus point. With these settings I don’t have to mess up my muscle memory that much .

 

[RichF]

You might also try using Wide (L or S) as your primary AF point and, when you see the camera has recognized the subject, have another button set to engage 3D. I've been trying that and it works well for me,

I am using shutter release AF with Wide (L) selected as my AF area. When I press AF-On, it switches to 3D and picks up using the AF point the camera was using (AF persistence setting is on). That way, my initial lock is pretty easy - but the area not too large - and once I'm on the subject and can see subject recognition at work, I just press AF-On and can track all over the frame. I think it's easier than trying to get the small 3D area on the bird and I don't have to trust Auto not to pick the wrong thing

Still testing and playing though. I'm FAR from convinced my current method is the "best" method, but it might be something to try.

thanks. I'll try this. I already have Wide (S) as my AF area on the shutter button. I'll switch from Auto to 3D, though I have found 3D bounces around bit (sometimes a lot).

PS looking forward to video guide on how to set up the Z9. I have been trying setting with limited chance to test. Trip last weekend was cancelled since tour operator had covid. Not much in the local Chicago neighborhood - zoo was very slow except for wolves and spotted dots

 

[Kip Cotter]

Brand new to the Z9, coming from the D7100, D500, and D850. I think the idea of half-shutter press to focus stresses out a lot of BBF folks, me included. I gave it a quick run, but after thinking through things more, I don't see a need for it personally. I've currently set my Z9 to default focus of AF-C, Wide-L, with animal detection on. The AF-On is set to focus when held (typical BBF), and the shutter is only a shutter (no focus). I have set the FN1 button to switch to 3D Mode when held. I have the FN2 button set to single point focus, WITH AE-On. I also set the Movie Record button to Recall and Hold - with the only option being to turn off Animal detection.

Typical deployment would be as follows: If I'm trying to focus on an animal in the relative open, I just pull up and BBF. Once focus is acquired and the item is detected, I can then choose to depress and hold the FN1 button to switch into 3D mode (while continuing to hold BBF). This let's me recompose using the entire frame and take the shot. If 3D is lost during the process, I just let go of FN1 and I'm back to Wide-L that will reacquire focus. If none of that is working, or if the animal is in dense cover, or if I want to focus on something that is in depth of a complicated scene, I just go directly to FN2 single point focus. While holding this, I then have my thumb back free to move to the joystick if I want to move the focus point.

Having the Recall "used up" to just turn off Animal Detection is probably not really necessary and might not even be helpful, but my thought was that the camera searching for an item may cause conflict at times (such as a bird in flight with poor contrast or even as it is flying away). If I really want to shoot that bird, I can just tap the movie button, turning off animal detection, and then I have Wide-L (as the default), without animal detection - a nice way to get on a bird still using BBF if the camera is struggling with detection.

Some will say this "wastes" a button by not using the shutter to acquire focus - but honestly, there are more buttons than I reasonably need in the heat of the battle. This is only one of the possible setups that truly should put a BBF person at ease. There is NO NEED to use the shutter button to acquire focus IMO. YMMV

 

[Anjin San]

thanks. I'll try this. I already have Wide (S) as my AF area on the shutter button. I'll switch from Auto to 3D, though I have found 3D bounces around bit (sometimes a lot).

PS looking forward to video guide on how to set up the Z9. I have been trying setting with limited chance to test. Trip last weekend was cancelled since tour operator had covid. Not much in the local Chicago neighborhood - zoo was very slow except for wolves and spotted dots

Hudson Henry has a similar idea…he has Auto Area AF on the shutter with focus point handoff turned on in Custom Settings and Subject Tracking on the back button. He says it's pretty outstanding for action.

 

[Chris K]

This gives me a switching-modes-while-focusing question...

Let's say there's three birds in frame. You're in Wide/S with Subject Detection and place the middle bird in the box. The Z9 recognizes its eye locks on in Wide/S. You then hand off to another AF mode while retaining the lock. Let's say either Area or 3D Tracking.

In this case, what's the difference between "handing off" to Area versus 3D tracking? Do they behave differently once they have a bird's eye locked on?

I ask because I generally get and hold locks with Area+Subject Detection, but I hear a lot of people talking about handing off to 3D tracking. I'm wondering if there's a different algorithm at play with 3D tracking in this case, or if it's all running under what you might simply call "eye tracking mode"?

 

[joe43]

I recently got my Z9 and will read all of the above carefully. On my first outing I set Aperture Priority, Af-ON for back button focusing, AF-C, Auto ISO with a minimum shutter specified, and Focus mode to Wide area Small with animal eye detection set. Those settings worked well for me. On my next outing, I will try setting one of the Funtion buttons to either Auto AF or 3D.

My real problem is the red box I see in Wide Area Small. I would love to change this color to something else like yellow or white as I am partially color blind. I can easilly see the green box when the eye is detected.

 

[Anjin San]

This gives me a switching-modes-while-focusing question...

Let's say there's three birds in frame. You're in Wide/S with Subject Detection and place the middle bird in the box. The Z9 recognizes its eye locks on in Wide/S. You then hand off to another AF mode while retaining the lock. Let's say either Area or 3D Tracking.

In this case, what's the difference between "handing off" to Area versus 3D tracking? Do they behave differently once they have a bird's eye locked on?

I ask because I generally get and hold locks with Area+Subject Detection, but I hear a lot of people talking about handing off to 3D tracking. I'm wondering if there's a different algorithm at play with 3D tracking in this case, or if it's all running under what you might simply call "eye tracking mode"?

I don't think there would be any difference whether it was eye focused or not…Hudson Henry's video shows that the setting is "focus point handoff" and it's on or off…so if you do what he does and put some area on the shutter button and Subject Tracking on another button then half press to grab initial focus and whatever focus point is in use when you hit the second button gets passed to subject tracking or whatever other mode you put on the second button. Whether it stays there or not depends on what other mode you've selected and whether the AF algorithm loses lock…at least that's what I got from the video.

I haven't read the latest update to the AF book yet although I did download it…when my Z9 gets here I will have to read in more detail and figure out what settings I'll be using…but it will probably be some combination of Steve's thoughts, Hudson's, and Moose Peterson's along with whatever tidbits I pick up on the forums.