Z9 autofocus frustration

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sdloeffler

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Greetings, i'm in Yellowstone and having trouble with my autofocus using the Z9 and a new 600 f/4 TC. Also having issues with my 100-400. everything is soft or just plain blurry. had done some test shots at home with a stuffed bear and things worked very well. I've used my Z9 and 100-400 to shoot airshows with unbelievably good results. Typically with Wide L and subject detection. I have not found any successful combos at all with any focus area / subject detection combos. it's better if I go to a single point. i did update my firmware when I got to Jackson Hole on Monday. Wondering if this is a firmware 4.0 issue? can I, or should I, reset the camera? I'm going through Steve's wildlife setup trying to figure a few things out. I know Bison are a tough customer with the dark fur and hard to see eye. just very frustrated. just wondering if anyone might have some words of wisdom. sometimes it focuses in front, and sometimes behind. not happy with the lens yet, but I'm sure it's all me.
 
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I presume you are currently indoors overnight.

If yes as a process of elimination try some indoor test shots with the 100-400 at a high ISO.
If the image is are sharp in the viewfinder and ISO is high enough to avoid camera shake blur they should be sharp when you take a test image.

You might have accidentally set ISO to 64.

Hope this helps you trace whatever the problem might be.
 
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It is hard to diagnose issues like this without seeing images, knowing your time of day, and knowing the shutter and aperture you are using would help. Just about any time during the summer months in Yellowstone and the Tetons will result in atmospheric distortion whenever the land meets the air. The further you are from your subject, the worse it gets.
In the morning, the Tetons often has a layer of fog that forms along the fields of sage brush, and this will soften your images. In the afternoon, heat absorbed by the ground re-radiates towards he sky causing heat shimmers. This is the primary cause of softness when you are shooting subjects at a distance.
Moving physically closer to the subject is the only way to mitigate this issue.

bruce
 
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Would you mind posting an image.

The most common issues are that the subject is too small in the frame, or that it is too dark and undefined. The camera needs a bright enough image to see detail and the eye. Backlit subjects can be difficult - especially if they are dark and undefined.

You can always fall back to modes that don't use subject definition - such as Dynamic or Single.

AF success depends heavily on lighting, background, and distance/subject size in the frame. The easiest is a near subject with frontlighting and a well defined face and eye. The toughest is a backlit subject, underexposed, with a busy background that includes contrast - such as specular highlights on trees or grasses.
 
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When you say, it focuses back and front, I assume there are regions that are sharp, but not where it should be.
In that case, atmosphere is not the issue.
When shooting in wide area, make sure eye detection has successfully detected the eye. Otherwise it will focus on anything in the wide area that is closest.
It happens to me very often, since I just don't notice that the little white or green square in the red box has disappeared.
Have you tried single point AF?
I have single point AF set to Fn1 button.

However, heat distortion is an issue, and also we have to accept that AF systems sometimes aren't just as accurate as we'd like.
 
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Nearly my entire summer has had horrible air. I can probably count on one hand the number of truly clear days given wildfires and all. It messes with one’s physical and mental health. Sounds like you might be shooting through what I see and breathe every day. Ugh.
 
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Thanks for all the replies and comments. Now that I'm back from Yellowstone and the Tetons and had a chance to look at my pics on the big screen, I thought I would report back.

  • Atmospheric anomalies - yes, they are real and I can see where this played a part - @Steve wins the wager
  • The focusing system is better than you think. So much so that if the box in your viewfinder is slightly over a blade of grass it will pick it up. Yes, I had a pic of a bison lying down on top of hill. I was shooting up at it, and the camera grabbed focus on a few blades of tall grass that I didn't even see at the time. The blades look exceptionally sharp! The bison head behind them, not so much.
  • picking the right focus mode for the subject is key. Sometimes it will just run home to momma if ti get's confused and you get what you get - in my case blur. I'm going to do a book called blur. It's going to be big - you just wait!
  • exotic primes take work. You don't just throw it on the camera and start shooting, not well anyway. It's humbling and somewhat demoralizing, but when everything hit the lens just shined.
  • technique - I need to work on long lens technique. it's not a 70-200.
  • I was ready to sell that 600mm TC I was so frustrated, but I will not give in. going to really digest Steve's book on focus system, and practice practice practice.
  • maybe hire @Steve for some one on one training :)
 
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The longer the focal length, the better your technique needs to be (or shoot off an appropriate mono/tripod with good head/gimbal).

The right focus mode for the job is also important, but hey, everyone learns. And the next time you go, you'll nail all the shots.
 
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sdloeffler said:
  • The focusing system is better than you think. So much so that if the box in your viewfinder is slightly over a blade of grass it will pick it up. Yes, I had a pic of a bison lying down on top of hill. I was shooting up at it, and the camera grabbed focus on a few blades of tall grass that I didn't even see at the time. The blades look exceptionally sharp! The bison head behind them, not so much.
Click to expand...
just to drill down a bit on this one a bit more...

if you are using subject detection AND it detects the subject it absolutely should not just wander off on small elements most of the time.

and you want to be watching what is happening in the viewfinder to see if the subject detection is picking up your subject, and if not, changing something.

and if you are not using subject detection, then yah, you're going to be very careful
 
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It just never seemed this hard or difficult for me to get good shots with a long prime lens on my previous D850 or D5. I was able to just attach the lens and fire away. Not so much with the Z9....
 
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VStammer said:
It just never seemed this hard or difficult for me to get good shots with a long prime lens on my previous D850 or D5. I was able to just attach the lens and fire away. Not so much with the Z9....
Click to expand...
As Cameron says, it takes getting used to. The AF system works and responds differently than that of a DSLR and the same techniques you used with those DSLRs often don't work as well with mirrorless. However, once you get accustomed to the AF system in the Z9, you'll probably like it better. It's the best Nikon AF system I've ever used.
 
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