Subject tracking with Nikon Z6II firmware 1.2

[Rassie]

I installed the new firmware in my Z6II and had a brief moment today to try the subject tracking on a soaring turkey vulture against clear blue sky. The bird was doing figure-eight type loops relatively low overhead. I put the subject tracking on the bird and fired 8 frames in Continuous High while engaging AF-C with the back button. Camera was hand-held with the Nikkor 200-500mm F/5.6 lens mounted.

Reviewing the images afterward I see every one of them has the focus box on the bird and every one is in focus. The bird appears all over the frame from the middle to the edges - a result of my unsteady hand-holding. I tried this with the previous firmware with this same combo and it was a disaster. The camera kept losing lock on the bird and that made me conclude focus tracking is only good for nearby, slow-moving subjects.

Initial impression is that the subject tracking on the ZII cameras is now greatly improved with firmware 1.2.

 

[airestudiosmt]

Rassie - great to know that you had great success. I updated my last night, but have not had a chance to get out and test. I might try tonight - some common loons are in the area

 

[Udall1973]

Rassie, that's huge as far as I am concerned. Can you please publish the shots some or all?

 

[Andy Work]

Initial impression is that the focus tracking on the ZII cameras is now greatly improved with firmware 1.2.

I'm not a mirrorless guy but I am glad to hear that.

 

[Rassie]

Rassie, that's huge as far as I am concerned. Can you please publish the shots some or all?

I originally thought I had shot 14 images, but it turns out the camera was set to save each image as NEF + JPEG Fine so there were only eight images. Here's a sequence of five of the eight images shot in that burst. I specifically did not crop in order to show where in the frame the bird was with each shot. I also didn't expect to get good quality images since they are underexposed in some cases and of course the bird was not close enough to expect to see much detail. I do think the sequence shows how well the subject tracking worked all across the frame.

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[Icarus]

So here's a sequence of some JPEG images. I specifically did not crop in order to show where in the frame the bird was with each shot. I also didn't expect to get good quality images since they are underexposed in some cases and of course the bird was not close enough to expect to see much detail. I do think the sequence shows how well the subject tracking worked all across the frame.

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Wow, looks good. My camera is always waving around when I shoot BIF, which is why I went for mirrorless (Z7iII). I had a good experience last evening after downloading 1.2.
Saw a distant hawk flying and shot some shots, but didn't use focus tracking because I didn't have time and I've never used it. But did use auto focus area. Shot off about
8 frames before I lost bird. I ended up with two okay shots. So there's hope for our Z cameras.

 

[Ductape]

I had full intentions of trying that while out tonight, but never got around to it. Thanks for the update, I look forward to the same results.

 

[DRwyoming]

Great demo shots Rassie. I installed the firmware upgrade on my Z6 II this evening and can't wait to get out and see if I notice any differences in AF behaviors.

Thanks for starting this thread.

 

[Steve]

Sadly, I had a very different experience with seagulls last night with that firmware. Although the tracking box didn't lag, it still took far too long to lock on and it still dropped them nearly 80% of the time. Video coming soon. The truth is though, Nikon doesn't say it improves the AF performance, only that it improves the display position of the box.

 

[Udall1973]

Steve, as a longtime Nikon wildlife shooter this disappointing news indeed. The technology of Nikon is historically world class but clearly they have fallen behind. Hope they catch up for the good of the industry. Hope is not a good strategy however and I recently bought the Sony a1.

 

[Rassie]

Sadly, I had a very different experience with seagulls last night with that firmware. Although the tracking box didn't lag, it still took far too long to lock on and it still dropped them nearly 80% of the time. Video coming soon. The truth is though, Nikon doesn't say it improves the AF performance, only that it improves the display position of the box.

I had this question before. I wonder if the subject tracking does worse with light-colored birds (less contrast) than with dark ones? Gonna have to do some more testing. I also at that time put the tracker on an airplane flying overhead and it tracked fine. I didn't shoot any images of it, but tracking the plane in the viewfinder seemed to be working fine.

 

[Steve]

Steve, as a longtime Nikon wildlife shooter this disappointing news indeed. The technology of Nikon is historically world class but clearly they have fallen behind. Hope they catch up for the good of the industry. Hope is not a good strategy however and I recently bought the Sony a1.

Keep in mind that I'm STRICTLY referring to the tracking mode itself, not the overall tracking. Stick the Z cameras in Wide (S) and they usually deliver.

 

[Steve]

I had this question before. I wonder if the subject tracking does worse with light-colored birds (less contrast) than with dark ones? Gonna have to do some more testing. I also at that time put the tracker on an airplane flying overhead and it tracked fine. I didn't shoot any images of it, but tracking the plane in the viewfinder seemed to be working fine.

Could be. I was hoping to see an improvement but it just wasn't there for those guys. Also, as a comparison, my Sonys handle the seagulls like they're nothing - it's a rare sequence where they even think about dropping the target. It's tough when you shoot the two system side by side and compare the tracking modes - Nikon isn't even close. For regular AF modes though, it is better. Nikon isn't at Sony level, but I can happily shoot in single point, wide small, etc all day long and get what I need.

 

[Udall1973]

Could be. I was hoping to see an improvement but it just wasn't there for those guys. Also, as a comparison, my Sonys handle the seagulls like they're nothing - it's a rare sequence where they even think about dropping the target. It's tough when you shoot the two system side by side and compare the tracking modes - Nikon isn't even close. For regular AF modes though, it is better. Nikon isn't at Sony level, but I can happily shoot in single point, wide small, etc all day long and get what I need.

I am so used to the Nikon AF modes which involve the placement of the focal point by the shooter e.g. group, etc, that my skill set is refined by usage over the years. That said, the Sony seems like cheating to me with the camera picking up the focus load especially on fast moving BIF. I am perplexed why this largely software issue seems out of reach of Nikon, for the moment. I am certain they will gain on Sony but why oh why is it taking so long? Come on Nikon.

 

[Steve]

I am so used to the Nikon AF modes which involve the placement of the focal point by the shooter e.g. group, etc, that my skill set is refined by usage over the years. That said, the Sony seems like cheating to me with the camera picking up the focus load especially on fast moving BIF. I am perplexed why this largely software issue seems out of reach of Nikon, for the moment. I am certain they will gain on Sony but why oh why is it taking so long? Come on Nikon.

Sony has had a ton of programming practice, both with stills and video. The thing is, I hope Nikon does get it together. I am enjoying my Sony gear, but my heart belongs to Nikon. I prefer their ergonomics (although the Sony is growing on me) and I actually like their AF options better. It's just that the Sony AF options work better at the moment

 

[Udall1973]

Sony has had a ton of programming practice, both with stills and video. The thing is, I hope Nikon does get it together. I am enjoying my Sony gear, but my heart belongs to Nikon. I prefer their ergonomics (although the Sony is growing on me) and I actually like their AF options better. It's just that the Sony AF options work better at the moment

Wow, nicely said, my sentiments exactly down to the ergonomics and AF options. Wish my Nikkor glass worked with the Sony bodies with full functionality. I know, dream on. ;-(

 

[smkunder]

Sony has had a ton of programming practice, both with stills and video. The thing is, I hope Nikon does get it together. I am enjoying my Sony gear, but my heart belongs to Nikon. I prefer their ergonomics (although the Sony is growing on me) and I actually like their AF options better. It's just that the Sony AF options work better at the moment

Steve, what do you think us loyal Nikon folks should do? It seems like we have been waiting awhile for them to catch up, but at some point we have to make a decision.

 

[Steve]

Steve, what do you think us loyal Nikon folks should do? It seems like we have been waiting awhile for them to catch up, but at some point we have to make a decision.

It's so hard to say, everyone is in a different position and it's tough to predict the future. All I know is right now Sony has the stuff that works and Nikon has promises. However, I also think Nikon may have another D3 moment with the Z9. For that matter, the 2.0 firmware might make significant changes to the Z6/7ii. The biggest issue is no one has a completely mature mirrorless system (not even Sony - no 300 .28/4, no 500 F/4, no 800, etc) and it's a few years before we know how this shakes out. My advice is if you can hold off, that's the way to go. I you can't (which is fine too), go with a system that has what you want now and don't wait on vaporware / promises.

 

[jeffnles1]

It's so hard to say, everyone is in a different position and it's tough to predict the future. All I know is right now Sony has the stuff that works and Nikon has promises. However, I also think Nikon may have another D3 moment with the Z9. For that matter, the 2.0 firmware might make significant changes to the Z6/7ii. The biggest issue is no one has a completely mature mirrorless system (not even Sony - no 300 .28/4, no 500 F/4, no 800, etc) and it's a few years before we know how this shakes out. My advice is if you can hold off, that's the way to go. I you can't (which is fine too), go with a system that has what you want now and don't wait on vaporware / promises.

I'm kind of in the same wait and see boat myself. The D500 and my collection of Nikon glass (and a couple Sigma and Tamron lenses) is meeting my needs at the moment. Some of the Mirrorless advantages are "very nice to have" such as WYSIWYG in the viewfinder, ability to see live histogram in the viewfinder and absolutely the ability to shoot video without holding the camera out at arm's length. I'd hate to give up a couple of the Nikon lenses like the 105mm F2.8 Micro and the 200-500 which are my 2 most frequently used lenses. As long as the D500 is working for me I'm holding off to see where the mirrorless stuff shakes out.

 

[Venkatesh VT]

It's so hard to say, everyone is in a different position and it's tough to predict the future. All I know is right now Sony has the stuff that works and Nikon has promises. However, I also think Nikon may have another D3 moment with the Z9. For that matter, the 2.0 firmware might make significant changes to the Z6/7ii. The biggest issue is no one has a completely mature mirrorless system (not even Sony - no 300 .28/4, no 500 F/4, no 800, etc) and it's a few years before we know how this shakes out. My advice is if you can hold off, that's the way to go. I you can't (which is fine too), go with a system that has what you want now and don't wait on vaporware / promises.

Unless Nikon gets it correct on Z II series subject tracking ,nothing much can be expected on Z9.I think Nikon does realise that it has to showcase the tracking capability in Z ii series to get a flag ship status for Z9 & be of a challenge to A1
The way i see it Nikon does know that unless Z ii tracking (through firmafre upgrades ) get good review in the hands of the shooters in real world situations ,Z9 delivery date can not be announced
Ricci does mention in his latest firmware update video that he has not tested subject tracking(i think he is being dipomatic about it)
We are happy with our D500 & 850 & two 500 PFs

 

[Charlie Lasswell]

Currently, my plan is to wait for the R3 and Z9 to come out and then rent each one to try it out. I really want the Z9 to be killer. I am, however, finding the waiting game more and more difficult to play. It gets old fast. Every time I wish the whole sequence was tack sharp, or that more fps would have captured a better wing position, or that having focus points across the entire screen would make things a lot easier, then I wonder "what am I waiting on?". It seems like waiting on Nikon leads to more waiting on Nikon. I'm a very patient person, until I'm not.

 

[DaveR]

Currently, my plan is to wait for the R3 and Z9 to come out and then rent each one to try it out. I really want the Z9 to be killer. I am, however, finding the waiting game more and more difficult to play. It gets old fast. Every time I wish the whole sequence was tack sharp, or that more fps would have captured a better wing position, or that having focus points across the entire screen would make things a lot easier, then I wonder "what am I waiting on?". It seems like waiting on Nikon leads to more waiting on Nikon. I'm a very patient person, until I'm not.

This is pretty much where I am. Currently happy with my D850 and 500 5.6 PF but keen to move on to something better. I still have my original Nikon F from back in the 70's so I have been with Nikon since the stone age! However, I have an inheritance coming through in the next few months which will give me the means and choice to change platforms so I look at the Canon and Sony gear with interest. The Canon R5 looks to be so far ahead is terms of autofocus and their 600 f4 is nearly a kilo lighter than Nikon's current offering. The R3 is going to be interesting for sure. I'm hoping Steve will do a review on the A1 soon as it looks to be an great camera.

Will the Z9 be a killer is the million dollar question for me. Given how far they seem to be behind the competition and how long we are waiting for them to catch up I'm starting to lose hope and this, I think, is Nikon's big problem. If they lose lifelong users like myself then it will hit them hard and they will face an uphill battle to get us back.

Whatever happens, if I change platforms I will surely miss the 500mm PF. which is a truly awesome lens and no one else out there has anything like it - yet.

 

[ChrisM]

Unless Nikon gets it correct on Z II series subject tracking ,nothing much can be expected on Z9.I think Nikon does realise that it has to showcase the tracking capability in Z ii series to get a flag ship status for Z9 & be of a challenge to A1
The way i see it Nikon does know that unless Z ii tracking (through firmafre upgrades ) get good review in the hands of the shooters in real world situations ,Z9 delivery date can not be announced
Ricci does mention in his latest firmware update video that he has not tested subject tracking(i think he is being dipomatic about it)
We are happy with our D500 & 850 & two 500 PFs

I would watch to be a little less assured of filling in ones own conclusions on where Nikon can or cannot go with the Z9. The sensors used in the Z7(II) and Z6(II) are not remotely as capable as the generic mirrorless stacked sensors in the Sony A9(II) and A1. I am sure you are aware of the much faster readout speed of these stacked sensors, and that these sensors were designed from the ground up to function as ideal sensors in a mirrorless camera, joined by a processor designed generically for mirrorless performance.
The Z6II and Z7II are still built around base sensor/processor hardware from the golden dslr age, modified or duplicated to help things along a bit, but far from being called generically mirrorless hardware.
The Z9 is what Steve says: a promise, and the Sony A9(II) and A1 are real and work. It does not take all that much imagination (not to be confused with wishful thinking) to be fairly sure that the Nikon Z9 is going to be a quantum leap over the Z6(II) and Z7(II). Surely Nikon needs further development of its software, but what would you think the Nikon engineers have been doing behind the scenes since the Z9 was on the drawing table? The fact that it can not all be performed by the inherently limited hardware of the Z6(II) and Z7(II) says very little about what is to come.
Ánd, let's not forget: the native Nikon mirrorless birding/wildlife lenses are all still to come, but fairly close around the corner: 100-400, 200-600, 400/4 and 600/4.

A little side note for those that remain dogged about Sony having it all figured out AF wise without regards to the hardware (even with all native bodies and lenses): just read through all the long and lamenting threads on the performance (or rather: lack of it) of the Sony A7RIV with the FE200-600mm G lens....

 

[Steve]

Unless Nikon gets it correct on Z II series subject tracking ,nothing much can be expected on Z9.I think Nikon does realise that it has to showcase the tracking capability in Z ii series to get a flag ship status for Z9 & be of a challenge to A1
The way i see it Nikon does know that unless Z ii tracking (through firmafre upgrades ) get good review in the hands of the shooters in real world situations ,Z9 delivery date can not be announced
Ricci does mention in his latest firmware update video that he has not tested subject tracking(i think he is being dipomatic about it)
We are happy with our D500 & 850 & two 500 PFs

I honestly think we'll see something with the 2.0 firmware that improves tracking. I tend to agree that it would be good to see the MKii cameras with better tracking to instill al little faith in the upcoming Z9. However, I'm not sure it's 100% necessary since if the tracking is on a1 level a few reviews is all it takes to persuade buyers.

As for Ricci, I agree that he's being careful (and I do like the guy - he does a great job). That's one reason I'm glad not to be a Nikon Ambassador - I can speak my mind without worry of repercussion!

 

[Steve]

Currently, my plan is to wait for the R3 and Z9 to come out and then rent each one to try it out. I really want the Z9 to be killer. I am, however, finding the waiting game more and more difficult to play. It gets old fast. Every time I wish the whole sequence was tack sharp, or that more fps would have captured a better wing position, or that having focus points across the entire screen would make things a lot easier, then I wonder "what am I waiting on?". It seems like waiting on Nikon leads to more waiting on Nikon. I'm a very patient person, until I'm not.

That's the problem right now. Sony has gear, Nikon has promises. Although Nikon's promises may materialize into something spectacular - time will tell.