Official Nikon Z9 Launch, Info, and Discussion Thread

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

Member's gallery
EricBowles said:
I don't think he's taken the time to learn the camera. I'd put him in the intermediate or novice category at this point when it comes to the Z9.
Click to expand...

i 1000% agree. i shot the a1 for a week and a half, and while my experience made it possible for me to get reasonable results and get a bit of a “feel” for the camera, i in no way was getting the maximum out of the camera.

i personally feel he is being a bit passive aggressive throughout this whole process saying in one sentence that he wasn’t sure the other cameras could do any better and then saying the other cameras are better in the next.

in the end, i don’t know how the z9 will stack up against the other mirrorless flagships, but, while i do find seeing him shoot various situations are data points, i dare say i don’t put a lot of stock in Jarred’s assessments.

i feel like people are kind of loosing their minds because a “popular” guy is paying some not fully negative attention and not scrutinizing the content carefully
 
Member's gallery
OK, his written report is much better than the IG screenshoot before. One interesting tidbit I found is that he didn't know Nikon prioritises focus speed in their 70-200 and similar zooms, but not in the 1.8 primes - this is a known fact since F-mount time. Was reported even for the (IIRC) 105mm f/1.4 and 58mm f/1.4 F lenses, which were kind of slow focusing, but at least definitely slower than the 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8. I don't know about longer focal length primes.

Overall, for Fro, the report is quite positive for the Nikon, e.g. focus:

With that being said, it’s lightyears ahead of the Z6 and Z7 and I could use it without an issue. I think I would on occasion miss some images that the Sony or Canon wouldn’t miss, but it would be fine.
Click to expand...

Or banding due to led lighting:

There’s only so much you can do with these LED lights and I think the Nikon handled it really well. This was just a crap lighting situation that really pushes all cameras to the extreme. This is just one concert setting, I shot with MUCH BETTER lighting the next night and got some great images, I will share those another time.
Click to expand...

And finally the summary is:

The good news is, i’ve shot two concerts, birds flying and a basketball game so far. Is it perfect….no, is it horrible, far from it. It has it’s quirks, it needs some tweaks and I will pass my findings back to Nikon and everyone else who’s interested.
Click to expand...

So yes, I think this is overall pretty good report.
 
Member's gallery
iustin said:
OK, his written report is much better than the IG screenshoot before. One interesting tidbit I found is that he didn't know Nikon prioritises focus speed in their 70-200 and similar zooms, but not in the 1.8 primes - this is a known fact since F-mount time. Was reported even for the (IIRC) 105mm f/1.4 and 58mm f/1.4 F lenses, which were kind of slow focusing, but at least definitely slower than the 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8. I don't know about longer focal length primes.

Overall, for Fro, the report is quite positive for the Nikon, e.g. focus:



Or banding due to led lighting:



And finally the summary is:



So yes, I think this is overall pretty good report.
Click to expand...

I've shot concerts in similar or worse lighting with the Z 50mm f1.2 S and find that focus hunts, is hard to lock in and often doesn't lock in at. You'd think it would be better than a Z 35mm f1.8 S but, in my experience (IME), it isn't. This is with Z6ii and Z7ii's. In normal light the 50mm 1.2 doesn't have this problem although it is a bit slow. This behavior with the 50/1.2 has been reported elsewhere.

Typical exposures might be 1/80s to 1/200s at f2.8 to f4 at ISO 6400 so motion blur from the performers is the main problem. With the Z 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 focus is fast, tack sharp and not a problem IME.
 
Member's gallery
EricBowles said:
Eye AF being jumpy is probably a setting. Normally you want AF as fast as possible for stills, but for video that looks awful. But fast AF means it's not as sticky - so it's a balance. If Eye AF is jumpy but it is moving to the face, you're probably still getting every frame in focus.

I don't think he's taken the time to learn the camera. I'd put him in the intermediate or novice category at this point when it comes to the Z9. He has not spent enough time with a Z7ii or Z6ii to have a fast learning curve. He's probably advanced when it comes to the A1 because that's what he's using.

For real assessment, you probably want to look for someone who has spent enough time to optimize settings and how to get the most out of the camera - the way most owners would use it. You don't spend $6000 on a camera and expect a point and shoot or iPhone.

I have to give him credit for publishing feedback during his learning curve. It just needs to be recognized for what it is.
Click to expand...

As a bird photographer, I'll be curious how "sticky" you can set it up, I'm guessing there's a setting to tell the camera once I've focused on my initial subject, please stay on it as tight as possible no matter what, so Mr. Great Gray won't suddenly go out of focus passing in front of a tree. I'm very optimistic it'll work great.
 
Member's gallery
Hut2 said:
Beware of anyone that is overly positive as well. At least put some rubber boots on lol
Click to expand...

absolutely agreed. i take a lot of what was said by the ambassadors in the rollout with a huge grain of salt. in this case, not so much because i thought were lying, but more they seemed to be unaware of the capabilities of the competition
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
Jared said the jumpy AF was a problem even with the lock on setting on 5. I was using the Z9 couple of days back and I did notice the AF point was sensitive, i.e it constantly tries to work on a precise area/ adjust the AF box size based on the hierarchy ( identify the birds head first and then around the eye/ head and then zero in on the eye) but never did it move drastically or miss focus. But looking at some of the videos on A1 or R5 etc. that's the same way those cameras seem to behave too.

padrepaul said:
As a bird photographer, I'll be curious how "sticky" you can set it up, I'm guessing there's a setting to tell the camera once I've focused on my initial subject, please stay on it as tight as possible no matter what, so Mr. Great Gray won't suddenly go out of focus passing in front of a tree. I'm very optimistic it'll work great.
Click to expand...
 
Member's gallery
Looking at the last shot Fro takes in the series...The lead singer is walking down a dark alleyway, sidelit by a bare bulb. He is a small part of the overall frame. Conditions are ISO 12,800, f3.2, 1/250s, f=14mm using the Z 14-24 f2.8 S zoom. Wish the focus parameters where in the EXIF but I can't find them.

The shot is grainy, but the eye looks tack sharp.

Probably would be beyond the capabilities of a Z6ii or Z7ii to pull off in an unrehearsed scenario like this.
 
Member's gallery
Hut2 said:
You could post on his Instagram and see what he says. I’d be curious to hear it myself.
his style of photography isn’t really in my area interest per se but I do enjoy some of his insight and he is fun to watch…
Click to expand...

Sadly he didn't write this on his Instagram, but on the blog post, which doesn't have comments.

I think between Nikon shooters this is known - short-to-mid-tele primes are usually not speed-monsters, just designed for light. You can see the comment here about 50mm f/1.2, it's slower even than the f/1.8 primes. I think the long telephoto primes are optimised for speed, but otherwise Nikon seems to keep fast AF motors in the fast zooms.

I'm not sure it's a good technical/business choice, but it is what it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hut
Member's gallery
iustin said:
Sadly he didn't write this on his Instagram, but on the blog post, which doesn't have comments.

I think between Nikon shooters this is known - short-to-mid-tele primes are usually not speed-monsters, just designed for light. You can see the comment here about 50mm f/1.2, it's slower even than the f/1.8 primes. I think the long telephoto primes are optimised for speed, but otherwise Nikon seems to keep fast AF motors in the fast zooms.

I'm not sure it's a good technical/business choice, but it is what it is.
Click to expand...

I just realized that's also true in the Fuji system. The 56/1.2 and 50/1.0 have incredible optics, but focus slowly. The 200/2 focuses very fast (but tracks like crap). I wonder if there is a tradeoff and the engineers assume that only longer teles are used in situations requiring fast focus.
 
Member's gallery
EricBowles said:
Eye AF being jumpy is probably a setting. Normally you want AF as fast as possible for stills, but for video that looks awful. But fast AF means it's not as sticky - so it's a balance. If Eye AF is jumpy but it is moving to the face, you're probably still getting every frame in focus.

I don't think he's taken the time to learn the camera. I'd put him in the intermediate or novice category at this point when it comes to the Z9. He has not spent enough time with a Z7ii or Z6ii to have a fast learning curve. He's probably advanced when it comes to the A1 because that's what he's using.

For real assessment, you probably want to look for someone who has spent enough time to optimize settings and how to get the most out of the camera - the way most owners would use it. You don't spend $6000 on a camera and expect a point and shoot or iPhone.

I have to give him credit for publishing feedback during his learning curve. It just needs to be recognized for what it is.
Click to expand...
What I don't like about his "tests" is that he has no controls for any of it. If he really wanted to properly compare the cameras, which he does in his review/report, he would have at least used the other cameras in the same setting at the same time, and also in as similar configurations as possible, to keep the variables involved as constant as possible. When it comes down ot it, his reports seem to reflect his perceptions, not some measurable effect or performance. In this regard, he is like many others on the web, and unlike very few.

I frequently work with people who are technical equipment testing professionals, and his methods aren't technically sound, and therefore his reporting isn't really important to me. I view it as entertainment, if I view it at all. A lot of views/"clicks" on youtube.com just reinforces P.T. Barnum's wisdom.


Hut2 said:
Nikon thinks enough of his ability to give him 2 so far....lol
Click to expand...
What a waste! They should have sent the second one to Steve; or better yet, to me!
 
Member's gallery
Nimi said:
I just realized that's also true in the Fuji system. The 56/1.2 and 50/1.0 have incredible optics, but focus slowly. The 200/2 focuses very fast (but tracks like crap). I wonder if there is a tradeoff and the engineers assume that only longer teles are used in situations requiring fast focus.
Click to expand...
Never mind that the depth of field at those apertures is very slim.
 
Member's gallery
Whiskeyman said:
What I don't like about his "tests" is that he has no controls for any of it. If he really wanted to properly compare the cameras, which he does in his review/report, he would have at least used the other cameras in the same setting at the same time, and also in as similar configurations as possible, to keep the variables involved as constant as possible. When it comes down ot it, his reports seem to reflect his perceptions, not some measurable effect or performance. In this regard, he is like many others on the web, and unlike very few.

I frequently work with people who are technical equipment testing professionals, and his methods aren't technically sound, and therefore his reporting isn't really important to me. I view it as entertainment, if I view it at all. A lot of views/"clicks" on youtube.com just reinforces P.T. Barnum's wisdom.



What a waste! They should have sent the second one to Steve; or better yet, to me!
Click to expand...
He said he was going to do a test soon where are three cameras are shooting the same subject at the same time. Though not perfect, I do like that test. I agree with what you’re saying regarding his concert shoot, it was based on perception. I watch him primarily for entertainment as well, but his Reviews aren’t the worst. I wish he was better at admitting when he made a mistake and acknowledge it. I hoping at least Steve gets his in the first batch as I’d like to hear his feedback.
 
Member's gallery
Nimi said:
I just realized that's also true in the Fuji system. The 56/1.2 and 50/1.0 have incredible optics, but focus slowly. The 200/2 focuses very fast (but tracks like crap). I wonder if there is a tradeoff and the engineers assume that only longer teles are used in situations requiring fast focus.
Click to expand...

it certainly seems designers have a primary use case in mind when designing lenses. as an action shooter i often warn people that not all lenses focus fast enough for action and lament that there is no metric around the af speed of lenses so we know what to expect. and even when it comes up in reviews, the data is pretty fuzzy and likely only in comparison to some other lens you probably don’t have
 
Member's gallery
The same old pattern repeats yet again. Influencer posts to social media feeds with the latest and greatest ie expensive gear
...which is highly desired by keen photographers...
...Influencer receives anticipated attention including dozens of posts and threads in forums...gets new subscribers let alone thousands of clicks....

So we see Matt Granger trying to shoot birds, because he has THE camera, which few others have seen yet. This happened with D850 and D6, Z7, Z6.... etc
And a notorious Nikon basher is now flavour of the month, with a "return to Nikon" kicking off in mid Oct on NR by posting attention-seeking comments. Nikon takes their calculated risk getting Z9 on priority to get even more orders. So be it. This is the modern world of marketing.

Oh well, Brad Hill has more blog posts pending; Thom Hogan has never been quieter, testing and writing about the Z9 presumably. Both have a record of writing reliable test reports: preliminary as they may be after ~2 weeks testing a complicated Pro camera in the field.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top