SRLNY
Member
Some nice footage of BIF in here by Ricci:
Official Nikon Z9 Launch, Info, and Discussion Thread
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thelordofthelight
Well-known member
Just finished watching Ricci's video and there's loads of interesting info in it...He says Group Area AF (Or something identical) will be added via future firmware update and also says explicitly that he is only allowed to talk about some of those items in the future firmware list.....Also, they have gotten away with 12 bit raw and all the 3 options are 14 bit (14 bit compressed, 14 bit High efficiency * and 14 bit High efficiency).
Paul B
Member
Wait for the world wide shortage of memory cards.
abc123brian
Well-known member
I just finished watching it as well. Way more detailed then I expected and all the information I was looking for. Great to see the size comparisons between the D6 and gripped Z7ii. Also, cleared up the confusion stating the camera doesn’t have a optical low pass filter.
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Dooley
New member
This exactly.I bought A1 yesterday & i have no regrets .Winter bird migration has started & i dont want to miss the actionI am also glad that Nikon has produced a great camera & hope it releases a D 850 mirrorless sucessor so that i can buy it & use it with my 500 PF
Yes that's counter intuitive. OOF shots are easy to cull. Those are objective decisions. Making subjective decisions about slightly different head/wing positions are what take all the time. Or do you guys just keep everything that's in focus?
sid_19911991
Well-known member
>>>>>>>>> JUST SAW IT. BEST REVIEW ON Z9 BIRD & ANIMAL AF SO FAR! <<<<<<<<<<<<<
Yes, this is easily spotted throughout the video.
fcotterill
Well-known member
This is the only assessment I rate as authoritative, besides Thom Hogan's synopsis based on the specs and his deep understanding. But there's a whiff of insider information. How else can Thom know about the sensor coating, unless he has his own spec tables etc?
" In conjunction with the new image sensor, we also get a change in the filter layer that sits just above it. It appears the dual-coating Nikon is referring to is mostly to suppress dust buildup. One of the layers is a new anti-static material, the other is a fluorine-based coating on the top of the layer. "
Ricci's video says the only 2 card brands, which 1. do not overheat and 2. meet the Z9 output are Delkin Black and Prograde Cobalt; their minimum write speeds are fast enough.
There is indeed a fair amount to absorb in this overview, but I do find it hilarious how he's neatly eclipsed the talking heads... and might even silence a few trolls. More seriously, Nikon appear to have woken up the need to get out timely feedback and assessments. His reliable feedback and explanations (with comparisons) have changed the previous lag to wait for reliable reviews. Obviously it is always reassuring to read authoritative reviews....
It is probable Nikon has made Ricci's semi-independent video channel a central part of his job description. He's built up a solid reputation over the past 2 years.
" In conjunction with the new image sensor, we also get a change in the filter layer that sits just above it. It appears the dual-coating Nikon is referring to is mostly to suppress dust buildup. One of the layers is a new anti-static material, the other is a fluorine-based coating on the top of the layer. "
Ricci's video says the only 2 card brands, which 1. do not overheat and 2. meet the Z9 output are Delkin Black and Prograde Cobalt; their minimum write speeds are fast enough.
There is indeed a fair amount to absorb in this overview, but I do find it hilarious how he's neatly eclipsed the talking heads... and might even silence a few trolls. More seriously, Nikon appear to have woken up the need to get out timely feedback and assessments. His reliable feedback and explanations (with comparisons) have changed the previous lag to wait for reliable reviews. Obviously it is always reassuring to read authoritative reviews....
It is probable Nikon has made Ricci's semi-independent video channel a central part of his job description. He's built up a solid reputation over the past 2 years.
Ricci's video on the 9 includes bird photography and the tracking looks mighty fine.
sid_19911991
Well-known member
This is encouraging. I guess those dust filters won't affect sharpness. No way Nikon will soften the image to protect the sensor from dust.
Phew, no AA filter. That makes me happy.
OK. So by definition it takes longer to cull more images that are more similar(due to higher fps) than less images that are less similar(lower fps). That's my point.
I had never heard of that guy until a few days ago on this site. His video is far and away the best to-date with the most useful information.
Some of the video reviews show it being used.
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I'd enjoy owning the Z9 EN-EL18 battery charger! Always wanted a single battery charger as it will be smaller.
Another interesting point from the Ricci video is that he said all AF modes as well as 20, 30, and 120fps shooting modes work on ALL "current" F mount lenses. I think he said that's 90 lenses so "current" must mean both G and E series.
FB101
Well-known member
Oh no, I get rid of 80% of the shots in focus. Trust your gut, when you see the frame for the first time, which one(S) grab you? Among those you can always nit pick.
Tell me about it. Isn't it interesting how those seemingly simple things can be so annoying. Aggravates me every time I have to pack that brick sized dual charger.
thelordofthelight
Well-known member
Yes and that was quite surprising...the one thing we know now is that the previous issues we had on the Z cameras had nothing to do with the lenses or the FTZ..those cameras simply didnt have enough juice/ processing power to get things done, so all of those were HW limitations...
I am also relieved about those new RAW formats after i watched Ricci's video.
I am also relieved about those new RAW formats after i watched Ricci's video.
FB101
Well-known member
Depends on how much time you spend on each frame. If the pictures are technically fine, you can fly through until you find one that stands out.
I was out one day - for some real photography - and the announcement post already runs 15 pages!!!!
Here are some partial answers:
The Buffer of 20 frames is small, but it's effectively a lot larger. The key is using a high performance card. Effectively the burst length is almost endless if you have a fast CFExpress card because the camera is writing the images as fast as you can shoot. File size will make a difference and with reduced size the buffer is endless. Nikon will publish a chart that will provide the different combinations, but the key is to have a fast CFExpress card like the ProGrade Cobalt or Delkin Black. We've already seen huge variation in write speed depending on the card, and that's going to increase. If you have a slow card, it's really not practical to use 20 fps, but a fast card can handle it easily. Nikon has been working to reduce their RAW file size and make the processing more efficient - and that shows up here.
The price at $5499 US was a surprise to me, but not completely. Nikon has had a strategy since 2017 to reduce their costs to operate and manufacture. There is a lot of streamlining and reuse. Part of the reason is to allow sharing across models which reduces cost. They also moved manufacturing to Thailand where they have higher volume equipment and ample capacity. The other part of the strategy is likely that they are making it cost effective to choose Nikon over alternatives - even if it means selling a new A1 or R3. Nikon continues to emphasize the lenses that are part of the system. The most recent financials had Nikon selling 1.8 lenses per camera body - up from 1.4 lenses per camera body just three years ago. At the upper level, you're buying even more, so Nikon is looking at this as a $10-15,000 system or more - not a $5500 camera body.
Several of the Ambassador programs emphasized creativity or other capabilities with the new Z9. The high frame rate allowed a burst that captured the ball coming off the bat in baseball - something hard to time precisely even with 20 fps. With 120 fps you can get the ball coming off the bat for every hitter. Think what that does when a bird has a fish in it's mouth. Another capability was Animal Eye AF at the edge of the frame. Kristi Odom had a photo of a mountain goat with the eye barely in the frame - something not possible without both mirrorless and Eye AF. Another photographer was photographing a model through a railing using Eye AF - something applicable to shooting wildlife through branches or grasses. There were some examples of exactly that from one of the wildlife photographers. I think we'll see a lot more examples over the next few days from around the world. But the real point is the photographer does need to evolve and embrace the new capabilities.
Here are some partial answers:
The Buffer of 20 frames is small, but it's effectively a lot larger. The key is using a high performance card. Effectively the burst length is almost endless if you have a fast CFExpress card because the camera is writing the images as fast as you can shoot. File size will make a difference and with reduced size the buffer is endless. Nikon will publish a chart that will provide the different combinations, but the key is to have a fast CFExpress card like the ProGrade Cobalt or Delkin Black. We've already seen huge variation in write speed depending on the card, and that's going to increase. If you have a slow card, it's really not practical to use 20 fps, but a fast card can handle it easily. Nikon has been working to reduce their RAW file size and make the processing more efficient - and that shows up here.
The price at $5499 US was a surprise to me, but not completely. Nikon has had a strategy since 2017 to reduce their costs to operate and manufacture. There is a lot of streamlining and reuse. Part of the reason is to allow sharing across models which reduces cost. They also moved manufacturing to Thailand where they have higher volume equipment and ample capacity. The other part of the strategy is likely that they are making it cost effective to choose Nikon over alternatives - even if it means selling a new A1 or R3. Nikon continues to emphasize the lenses that are part of the system. The most recent financials had Nikon selling 1.8 lenses per camera body - up from 1.4 lenses per camera body just three years ago. At the upper level, you're buying even more, so Nikon is looking at this as a $10-15,000 system or more - not a $5500 camera body.
Several of the Ambassador programs emphasized creativity or other capabilities with the new Z9. The high frame rate allowed a burst that captured the ball coming off the bat in baseball - something hard to time precisely even with 20 fps. With 120 fps you can get the ball coming off the bat for every hitter. Think what that does when a bird has a fish in it's mouth. Another capability was Animal Eye AF at the edge of the frame. Kristi Odom had a photo of a mountain goat with the eye barely in the frame - something not possible without both mirrorless and Eye AF. Another photographer was photographing a model through a railing using Eye AF - something applicable to shooting wildlife through branches or grasses. There were some examples of exactly that from one of the wildlife photographers. I think we'll see a lot more examples over the next few days from around the world. But the real point is the photographer does need to evolve and embrace the new capabilities.
I'm not fully understanding the Auto Focus part. If the actual focusing is done in the lens, will our current lenses be able to give us the same ultra-fast focusing the ads talk about? Does this question make sense?
One of the videos shows the guy using the current f mount 180-400 with the current FTZ adapter so I can only think the answer is yes.
Darwin
Well-known member
Just the thought of hand-holding a Z9 with an 800mm 5.6 PF lens makes Nikon the absolute KING in my mind. Think of what the 500 pf was like the first time you used it. Now, imagine insane autofocus with 800mm reach that's lighter than a 500 F4 and sharp enough to hide any difference to the naked eye. Wow, if it happens, wow.
Ricci says yes; tested several f mount lens and says was told yes for rest, basically.