Help Identifying a Particular Sort of Image Defect

[EricKlees]

100% heat shimmer/haze. I got this SAME exact ghosting image issue with my Z9+800PF for like 5 or 6 straight times out a few weeks ago. I am usually getting about 90-95% hit rate with focus. I was shooting 1500-2000 images each day out and struggling to get just 5 or 6 images even worth thinking about saving and processing strictly due to soft images with some like this ghosting. It was bad enough I thought the VR was giving issues and turning off VR and shooting 1/4000 to 1/6400 shutter speed made no difference and a couple times had the service setup to send the lens and body into Nikon nit never submitted. Then a couple weeks ago I was out and there was no shimmer and shot 7100 images in about 4 hours of 80 Eagles fishing and fighting for fish. I had a total of about 120 images that were soft and a few that were my fault.

Let me also say that my normal settings is that my VR is 100% of the time set to VR Sport, all my in camera stuff like NR, Distortion control, Vignetting all of it is off, shoot in Flat PC. So nothing was different. I even reinstalled the Camera and Lens FW lol. Nothing made sense till I was out and shot with no shimmer. There is rarely shimmer in high winds, like 15-20mph winds. If you can, I would go out then and see how things are

So the gear is fine. I never in my life had so many consecutive days in a row with such horrible shimmer and the shimmer was a bit more unique then I had seen before with that ghosting. I haven't read through the whole thread, so unless you have pinpointed as direct issue or gear related cause, I would say this is 100% shimmer

 

[EricKlees]

Nailing focus is a skill. Even with the same camera and technology, someone who practices, uses good technique, and concentrates will have a much higher hit rate. I'm not saying that is the issue here - just in a general sense. At 100-200%, I can see a difference over a set of images and pick better or worse images - all of which achieve focus.

100% concur Eric. Some probably know I do Z9 and Z8 setup and technique one on one video calls since shortly after the Z9 was released. I see many people have issues with the Z9 and Z8, even after the Bird SD was released. Prior it was much worse. But not everyone works well with every mirrorless brand. The Nikon Z9/Z8 required much more from the user to nail focus with the AD system then others like Sony (the point and shoot) and Canon (a bit easier then Nikon). Now, it's much more automatic with the Bird SD and Auto Area AF mode but I still get 5-10 people a week that do sessions with me.

But I had someone call me from a Sandhill Cane trip in the Midwest and was having issues with their Z8. It turned out to be shimmer and a bit far. Some you just have to hold their hands and it takes them longer to get what's going on

 

[Doug Herr]

I don't see anything but atmospheric disturbance in the 2nd photo. It's something I've seen too often in my own photos and it's very familiar to me.