Nikon Z9 v4 Firmware

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garyd03

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Upgraded my Z9 to firmware v4.
Has anyone else had issues with the 3D tracking since the upgrade. Seems to have a mind of its own. Much slower than v3.1 Does not lock and stay on the target with animal eye tracking.
Dont think I am the only one but trying to find out if its a major problem.
 
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This has been discussed on this closed thread. Best to take a read of this before re-opening the issue ! :)

Issues with FW 4.00

Had a 2-hour newborn baby session. It was a struggle!! I'm planning on downgrading back to 3.10 The AF is "TOO SENSITIVE" and jumping around everywhere. 3D also jumped. It might be perfect for birds and animals, but it's a nightmare for babies. For a long time, the AF was set to Auto-area on...
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garyd03 said:
Upgraded my Z9 to firmware v4.
Has anyone else had issues with the 3D tracking since the upgrade. Seems to have a mind of its own. Much slower than v3.1 Does not lock and stay on the target with animal eye tracking.
Dont think I am the only one but trying to find out if its a major problem.
Click to expand...
I’m in touch with Nikon about it.
Call them, create a ticket, and upload your findings.
I loaded the image in NXStudio and made a GIF showing 3D going astray.

Google ShareX
It’s a good free tools to capture a screen as a GIF or MP4, etc.

Nikon asked me to share the original NEF’s which I did.

Please take the time to contact them. It will do us all a favor.
 
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I have discussed with Nikon UK. They are looking into it. I suspect they know about the problem as they promised a response yesterday and it did not come. When I called they said they were working on it. We dont have the option to revert to 3.1 as it no longer available in Europe for download. Also they advise not to do it. I have seen suggestions to do a factory re set. That will only reset the settings not the firmware.
 
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garyd03 said:
Upgraded my Z9 to firmware v4.
Has anyone else had issues with the 3D tracking since the upgrade. Seems to have a mind of its own. Much slower than v3.1 Does not lock and stay on the target with animal eye tracking.
Dont think I am the only one but trying to find out if its a major problem.
Click to expand...
I thought I was witnessing the same behavior that you describe. Was hoping to see if anyone else noticed. Thanks for posting.
I was unable to find the firmware 3.1 online anywhere.
 
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This appears to me to be where the issue is coming from as noted the Z9 4.0 firmware download page:
Under
■ Other Changes
• Improved the accuracy of [3D-tracking] for small, fast-moving subjects when [Auto], [People], [Animal], or [Vehicle] is chosen for [AF subject detection options] and no subject of the selected type is detected.

I have noticed that if the camera is not convinced it has found an "animal" then it has a tendency to try something else. Ironically with earlier versions a frequent complain was that it would not switch to focusing on something else when no selected subject was found.

I was perfectly happy that it did not do this since I have my video record button set up to toggle subject detection off and on using Recall Shooting Functions (hold) with AF subject detection options off the only thing checked in the options.

• Improved focus accuracy for dark, low-contrast subjects.

The improved 3D-tracking for small fast moving subjects is very good as long as it recognizes the subject (for me birds) and the improved focus accuracy for dark, low contrast subjects is a very good improvement for my bird ID photography with my Z800pf.

These other improvements have for now outweighed the issue of 3D giving up if it is not convinced a subject is found so I did not go back to 3.1.
 
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garyd03 said:
Upgraded my Z9 to firmware v4.
Has anyone else had issues with the 3D tracking since the upgrade. Seems to have a mind of its own. Much slower than v3.1 Does not lock and stay on the target with animal eye tracking.
Dont think I am the only one but trying to find out if its a major problem.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind it is subject tracking not "eye tracking" ... it still goes in a progression of whole subject, then head then possibly the eye. If the eye is not visible it still may find the whole bird and the head.
 
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JoelKlein said:
I’m in touch with Nikon about it.
Call them, create a ticket, and upload your findings.
I loaded the image in NXStudio and made a GIF showing 3D going astray.

Google ShareX
It’s a good free tools to capture a screen as a GIF or MP4, etc.

Nikon asked me to share the original NEF’s which I did.

Please take the time to contact them. It will do us all a favor.
Click to expand...
I never do software updates immediately, be it cameras computers what ever, i usually wait a few months, for good reason.

In the case of cameras, i let Nikon do the updates along with a sensor clean while i wait, usually i have a little lunch down stairs in the cafe.

I think your issue is more around WHY things worked before why not now not so well.

Canon has just had or are having a software compatibility issue with a recent upgrade, why or what i cant recall.

It never ends does it.

I am all for bringing out a Dumb Camera PLEASE, LOL.

Next we will have a race on for who can list the most different subject detection items or APPs to buy.............

Only an opinion
 
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O said:
I never do software updates immediately, be it cameras computers what ever, i usually wait a few months, for good reason.

In the case of cameras, i let Nikon do the updates along with a sensor clean while wait usually i have a little lunch down stairs in the cafe.

I think your issue is more around WHY things worked before why not now not so well.

Canon has just had or are having a software comparability issue with a recent upgrade, why or what i cant recall.

It never ends does it.

I am all for bringing out a Dumb Camera PLEASE, LOL.

Next we will have a race on for who can list the most different subject detection items or APPs to buy.............

Only an opinion
Click to expand...
Still jealous that you can drop in on Nikon :)
 
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No need to talk to Nikon. It's likely a borked fw update.

Save your settings, reset the camera and just reinstall the 4.0 update. No need to install a previous few first. Just re reinstall 4.0 then reload your settings and that will square away the 3D tracking issues. 3D is without question noticeably improved over fw 3.10
 
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Ken Miracle said:
Still jealous that you can drop in on Nikon :)
Click to expand...
There nice people at Nikon Sydney, they usually service me and many other people immediately with things like sensor clean updates or minor things, they also help go through things with me if i have questions, its all face to face, there great and frankly is one of the major reasons i am with them.

There on the fifth floor and just down stairs a few doors along is major complex full of restaurants cafes shops cinema free parking, if its a job that will take a couple of hours i usually take in a movie at the cinema, they SMS me when its ready and bingo i pop back upstairs, happy days.

When i lived in New York for a while i would jump the ferry and cab it up to B and H and spend hours there. Never dealt with Nikon there but B and H had a good service department.

Mate, Nikon Sydney, there service and support along with NPS access is all 1st class, yes i am very lucky, many of my mates say there with Nikon for the service and access for support.

I was on the Gold Coast interstate doing a coverage of an international event, i needed a D6 in hurry, one arrived express over night the following morning to my hotel.

Another time I was out covering the finals of a major equestrian event, to my horror my camera dropped a shutter, my spare was being used by my second shooter, i called NPS and asked if i could pickup a loaner, an hour and half later this girl showed up with a D4s loaner, fantastic. She also took my camera back to service saving me the time, 2 days later i got a call saying my D4s was ready with a new shutter assembly and fully serviced, i had basically worn the thing out and didn't damage the sensor, luckily, LOL. I was planing to replace the shutter shortly anyway.

Sadly this modern world we are spearheading into is changing and in many cases not so much for the better.

I think HO Nikon Japan hasn't a clue how good Nikon in Oz actually is. We are a small tribe of 25 million on the largest island on earth, so we fly well below the radar, often, not a bad thing actually.
 
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I have only had limited time to play around with my Z9 with the 800 6.3 attached to it after updating my bodies. The Z9 with 3D tracking seemed to struggle with keeping focus on the eye of some small birds, but at the moment I thought it could have been the lighting, I had other things to attend to so just put it away and have not had time to try again. I have had one other problem I thought was a little strange, I had the 105 2.8 macro lens attached to one of my 2 Z9 bodies, I could not get the aperture to go below 4.5. I switched the lens to the other body and it worked fine going down to 2.8, switched it back to the other body and still the same thing. I saved my settings then did a camera reset, then re-loaded my settings and everything went back to normal with the aperture going down to 2.8 just like nothing was ever wrong.
 
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vandy said:
I have only had limited time to play around with my Z9 with the 800 6.3 attached to it after updating my bodies. The Z9 with 3D tracking seemed to struggle with keeping focus on the eye of some small birds, but at the moment I thought it could have been the lighting, I had other things to attend to so just put it away and have not had time to try again. I have had one other problem I thought was a little strange, I had the 105 2.8 macro lens attached to one of my 2 Z9 bodies, I could not get the aperture to go below 4.5. I switched the lens to the other body and it worked fine going down to 2.8, switched it back to the other body and still the same thing. I saved my settings then did a camera reset, then re-loaded my settings and everything went back to normal with the aperture going down to 2.8 just like nothing was ever wrong.
Click to expand...
That’s because that even though maximum aperture is f/2.8, the max aperature at 1:1 is f/4.5.
 
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vandy said:
I have only had limited time to play around with my Z9 with the 800 6.3 attached to it after updating my bodies. The Z9 with 3D tracking seemed to struggle with keeping focus on the eye of some small birds, but at the moment I thought it could have been the lighting, I had other things to attend to so just put it away and have not had time to try again. I have had one other problem I thought was a little strange, I had the 105 2.8 macro lens attached to one of my 2 Z9 bodies, I could not get the aperture to go below 4.5. I switched the lens to the other body and it worked fine going down to 2.8, switched it back to the other body and still the same thing. I saved my settings then did a camera reset, then re-loaded my settings and everything went back to normal with the aperture going down to 2.8 just like nothing was ever wrong.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the mood swings of the digital electronic computerized camera world called advancement in technology LOL.

With the eye tracking, 3 d tracking, subject detection, and all those focus options, I don't worry to much about it, time will help a lot here, i personally feel we put to much dependency or pressure on needing these features. I tend to use it less than more often, for me it works better in ideal conditions and specifically suitable subjects, and yes light is our best friend or worst enemy.

Below are some quick snaps using, mostly low res camera with say 50mm 1.4 D or 300mm lens, all hand held and getting seriously close using old school skills LOL.


Notice the eye tracking subject detetction on the DF LOL.............. Joking

There not perfect or esoteric fine art shots, but shows we can still get some eyes in focus ourselves if we wish, its easy, LOL.

The Gorilla was initially a long way away and the image is a massively cropped image, i loved his expression, my eye contact with him which was a mistake it made him charge with lighting speed so much so you couldn't see him coming, he was just that quick, i was shocked frozen, the fact i was 20 feet up above him saved me being seriously hurt. I wont do that again. I feel bad i upset him.

Its good to embrace new technology, but i feel we shouldn't give up on our well learned skill sets, they still work, and don't play up on you LOL.

The model in the bath is really unedited but the D4s did well using just the 50mm 1.4 D.

The seagull was on the D3X 300 2.8 VR II hand held ( heavy) with a 2 times TC III making it 600mm, i cant remember exactly.

The lion was actually taken with my 50mm 1.4D on the Df, i was only 2 meters away.

I have a image of a Rhino charging me for being to close, i will dig it up.


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