Z9 First Date Jitters

[David Berry]

Mike…

My Nikon digital camera is ancient, so — assuming that I were handed a Z9 or Z8 to try out — I’d set the new camera to its ‘auto everything’ mode and spend a day or two becoming acquainted with the beast.

Later I’d swap to my customary default mode — manual with auto-ISO — and familiarise myself with that… and so on, until I was sufficiently confident to venture into faster frame rates, tricky exposures and AF for moving subjects.

… David

 

[fcotterill]

I also added a Z9 to my D5 and D850, admittedly after owning a Z7 previously; and today use a D6 with Z9's. These distinctly different Nikon flagships share several underappreciated, powerful similarities for wildlife photography.

Modern flagship Mirrorless cameras are designed to work efficiently at the cutting edge across all genres. I never use the networking capabilities and rarely take video. It's sobering to recognize that the Z9 is also a high-end cinematography camera besides all its features for Still photography.

Not surprisingly, there's a big if not daunting learning curve to fine-tune a Z9. Many experienced owners continue learning, and experimenting with different setups. And I forget the more obscure settings after weeks/months lapse of Menu burrowing. This is part of the fun IMHO and it's healthy to keep learning, and honing muscle memory

My first suggestion is turn off the Vertical Shutter release, which has caught out many new Z9 owners. To do this, turn the outer ring to the L position. Also turn off touch screen for now Settings Menu (wrench icon), until you're ready to use this powerful feature to work for you.

And make sure the Z9 is in Airplane mode (only time I go into the Network Menu).

As you learn important settings, it's useful to add these Menu items into MyMenu where there are simple to revisit.

I also suggest to start with the familiar AF modes only. Under a8 in the Custom menu, turn off the unfamiliar AFmodes, and set the Z9 into fully Manual mode and capture some images with full user control over the exposure settings.

With the camera working for you, Experiment with different frame rates and the shutter sounds to get used to two of the novel features. Explore different capabilities of your Z9 from there, and grow into the extremely powerful multi mode AF system; tweaking your Custom menus for Button controls and the iMenu.

Enjoy your Z9, it's worth the learning curve.

 

[arbitrage]

My bet is there is nothing wrong with that camera. The latest post is almost certainly inadvertently hitting the vertical shutter release as others already pointed out. Turn that off unless you are intending to use the vertical shutter.
As far as 1970 IQ....it would help if you could show us some more examples. So far we have an f/18, ISO 10,000 example that is underexposed so probably really ISO 25,600 IQ plus whatever diffraction effects are present from being stopped down 5+ stops. The **** IQ on that shot is what I'd expect from those settings.
If you can show some examples of 1970 IQ from a reasonable ISO and f/stop then I may change my mind about the camera not being defective.

That said, for peace of mind, I'd return this Z9 as the seller is willing to do so. Buy a Nikon refurbished and see if there is any difference.

 

[Megaera]

Apologies if this has already been suggested in previous posts…..but would it be possible to hire a Z9 for a week-end? This way, you could carry out direct comparisons of your own Z9 and the hired equipment….
Just a thought.

 

[EricBowles]

I think Cameron is on the right track - you may be hitting the secondary vertical release on the grip of the camera. Setting that release to Lock might be just the solution for a "possessed camera". The other possible issue is a problem with the shutter release itself, but since there are two shutter releases, the solution of locking the vertical grip release still makes sense.

As far as images are concerned, be sure you are using Nikon NXStudio to review images. That software - free from Nikon - eliminates any issues with presets or processing and gives you a chance to look at settings. Lightroom and Camera Raw need to be set to apply Camera Settings on Import in your Preferences.

I would save your current settings to a memory card, and then try a complete camera reset. Normally that is done with a refurbished camera, but it's always possible it was not.

There is a setting for shutter sensitivity. It could be that you have the shutter set for the fastest speed. This is not the frame rate - some people like a more sensitive shutter than others.

Even at default settings, you may find at 100% viewing the images are not what you want. The default camera settings for Sharpening are set with low intensity, high radius, and no masking. For portraits those settings are a good starting point, but for landscapes they are way off. The defaults also include a lot of other settings that can affect image quality - like Auto for High ISO Noise Reduction and Auto for Active D-Lighting. Both of those should be set to Off if you intend on processing the raw image - at least until you understand the settings.

It's certainly an option to return the camera. If you are wondering about camera gremlins, it's an easy way to get a fresh start. Having a friend or camera store employee look at the camera - especially another Z9 owner - is also a good idea.

I would not give up on the camera. You're off to a rocky start with a camera that is a major upgrade from your D5. It's a great camera. You'll get comfortable with it. The number of questions you have sounds daunting, but we're all here to help. Just take one issue at a time.

 

[mikeroelaf]

All good points too. I realize the "comparison" of my 2 examples, not apples to apples I agree. But, I was just trying to show, to me, the freakish looking Z9 image at high zoom, regardless of the helmet shot. I've just never seen anything like it. And as mentioned in another reply, I've never owned a 45mp camera either.

Aside from my initial testing with not so optimal shutter speed, aperture and iso on a basically very overcast day, I get it. My next outing, I will bring both my D5 and the Z9 and shoot with the F mount 70-200 2.8 and swap the lens between bodies at each shot with similar shutter, aperture, iso settings. I am curious how the backgrounds will look comparatively zoomed in at 100%.

Maybe I have to get over the idea that a 45mp image is going to look tack-sharp at 100% if all other things being equal compared to my D5?

There is always a learning curve to any new rig, but the biggest mistake I see on forums is new Z owners expecting the Z system to behave like their DSLR cameras. Almost EVERYTHING is different when switching to Z system and 45 mp. Treat it as such. And by the way, 1/250 is way too slow for a dog running straight at you, even on the old DSLR. Camera shake and technique get exposed at 45mp. You need higher shutter speeds. At least 1/1500 to 1/2000 for that shot. I'm also curious why you would crank the aperture to f-18 when f-8 would be plenty and bring your ISO down. Study up, practice more and it will come to you. It has always taken me 3 months minimum to get my best results from a new camera, going back to D7100.

 

[lancej]

I've been a lifelong SLR and DSLR shooter, mainly Nikon. I've been resisting jumping ship to the mirrorless realm, but did so recently and got an offer that I couldn't refuse.
My initial reaction was "sorry I bought it, I'm going to sell it" - but knowing my reluctance to change, like when we moved from DOS to a GUI Windows 95, I swore I would stick with DOS forever. Well, that didn't go as planned. lol, so I am going to try and hang tough through the learning curve.

My first gripe - the button/knobs and overall layout, a bit frustrating especially how I am so used to my D500, D4 and D5 ergos.

Second, I am used to the tried & true comforting sound and feel of the mechanical 'click clack' of the DLSR. Something feels so chintzy about it, the lack of sound or the digital sounds you can choose. And maybe it's me, but the shutter button seems very light, hair trigger even.

Lastly (for now anyways) beings how I have enough F mount glass to sink a boat, I of course purchased a Nikon FTZ2 II adapter so I could shoot with my F glass until I get some Z glass. I shot with the Z9 yesterday for the first time with the Nikon F mount 24-70 2.8, and at about shot 6 or 7, I got a "press shutter-release button to reset" error. Took 6 or 7 presses of the shutter release button and I could shoot again - until the same error occurred. Several more times during the outing. I searched the issue and a common theory was the FTZ converter is problematic with F mounts. Joy. So already chasing a "feature" that I don't need. (errors and babysitting) I read that setting the shutter shield to 'Off' would resolve the issue. But it was already set to off.
Note: Firmware is v5.10

Other oddities will take some getting used to, and probably more to do with how I can eventually get it configured, but the back screen display being on until you move your hand over it and it turns off, which caught me off guard when trying to get to buttons and settings. I assume either a light or proximity sensor setting.



Picked up my D5 today to shoot, like putting on an old pair of broken-in Levi's. Comfy.

Nervous about my next date with the Z9.

EDIT: I tried adding a tag, I typed in Z9....
"Oops! We ran into some problems. Some tags were not valid because they are too short, too long, or contain disallowed text. Please change the following tags: z9"

So I went with 'z9 trouble' lol

I hear you Mike , now 2 years into my Z9 , in my mind it seems more like a temperamental computer and not how I feel about my back the D850 which has never let me down once. Been rained on , snowed on , covered in mud by horses hoofs and like an old Timex “ keeps on ticking .” I have often wondered whether Nikon subcontracted the Z9’s internal electronics to Jaguar or Land Rover.

 

[Cameron T]

I hear you Mike , now 2 years into my Z9 , in my mind it seems more like a temperamental computer and not how I feel about my back the D850 which has never let me down once. Been rained on , snowed on , covered in mud by horses hoofs and like an old Timex “ keeps on ticking .” I have often wondered whether Nikon subcontracted the Z9’s internal electronics to Jaguar or Land Rover.

I'm on year 3 almost, with no issues or worries of my own.

I continue to find it odd how there's a minority group of owners who seems to consistently have issues the majority don't. I don't know if it's user error, product run issues (eg a bad chip run, etc), or both, but it's really odd.

 

[Roy]

I've been a lifelong SLR and DSLR shooter, mainly Nikon. I've been resisting jumping ship to the mirrorless realm, but did so recently and got an offer that I couldn't refuse.
My initial reaction was "sorry I bought it, I'm going to sell it" - but knowing my reluctance to change, like when we moved from DOS to a GUI Windows 95, I swore I would stick with DOS forever. Well, that didn't go as planned. lol, so I am going to try and hang tough through the learning curve.

My first gripe - the button/knobs and overall layout, a bit frustrating especially how I am so used to my D500, D4 and D5 ergos.

Second, I am used to the tried & true comforting sound and feel of the mechanical 'click clack' of the DLSR. Something feels so chintzy about it, the lack of sound or the digital sounds you can choose. And maybe it's me, but the shutter button seems very light, hair trigger even.

Lastly (for now anyways) beings how I have enough F mount glass to sink a boat, I of course purchased a Nikon FTZ2 II adapter so I could shoot with my F glass until I get some Z glass. I shot with the Z9 yesterday for the first time with the Nikon F mount 24-70 2.8, and at about shot 6 or 7, I got a "press shutter-release button to reset" error. Took 6 or 7 presses of the shutter release button and I could shoot again - until the same error occurred. Several more times during the outing. I searched the issue and a common theory was the FTZ converter is problematic with F mounts. Joy. So already chasing a "feature" that I don't need. (errors and babysitting) I read that setting the shutter shield to 'Off' would resolve the issue. But it was already set to off.
Note: Firmware is v5.10

Other oddities will take some getting used to, and probably more to do with how I can eventually get it configured, but the back screen display being on until you move your hand over it and it turns off, which caught me off guard when trying to get to buttons and settings. I assume either a light or proximity sensor setting.



Picked up my D5 today to shoot, like putting on an old pair of broken-in Levi's. Comfy.

Nervous about my next date with the Z9.

EDIT: I tried adding a tag, I typed in Z9....
"Oops! We ran into some problems. Some tags were not valid because they are too short, too long, or contain disallowed text. Please change the following tags: z9"

So I went with 'z9 trouble' lol

I'll use the Z8/Z9 for work but I still use a D850/D5/D500 for fun ...

 

[O]

First off, thank you all so much for your input and moral support.... but my confidence is dwindling.

Update: I received my early Christmas present, a Nikon Z 70-200 2.8. I'm in deep now. So I went out and took a few shots to see how it goes. I looked at the pics when I got home on my PC monitors, and I was/am HORRIFIED! They are hideous! At 100% zoom look like some cheap-a$$ Instagram cartoon filter. I'm beside myself right now. Literally a sick feeling in my stomach. I thought maybe there was something I fouled up with my settings, so I reset to factory defaults, and shot a few more. Same thing.

I realize there are so many variables with settings, lenses, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, lenses and settings etc. But these are just so far off from each other, I have a hard time believing that it's something with my settings or lens/body setting combos. And should I have to fight this hard to get a good crisp clean image from a multi-thousand $ rig? Oy vey.

I'm attaching 2 photos, at 100% zoom on each, and then I did a screen capture of each as such. One from the Z9 and the other from my TRUSTY D5.
A few notes: I tried the F mount 70-200 2.8 with adapter on the Z, then again with the new native Z 70-200 2.8 and same hideous results.
Then, the other [helmet] pic from my D5 was shot with the F mount 70-200 2.8 that I tested on the Z with the adapter.
(I do realize the helmet pic is at a wide aperture, and the dog, at a smaller aperture. The helmet pic has buttery bokeh as intended, but the dog, well, full zoom it and tell me what you think please)

Arghhh.

Here is the easy solution for getting comfortable using your Z9.

I set my Z9 up to manual mode, float the iso to 12800, ev -03 to be safe, JPEG fine, single point focus, CH 10 fps, SS 3200, F4 or F7.1....sound familiar.

I set up my Z9 when I first got it several years ago the same as I would shoot my D6 D850 DF D3X D4S and just used it for a while till I found the comfort zone of all the ergonomics, features, viewfinder etc.

Later I played around with the different focus settings always going back to DSLR settings I started with as that was my safe house.

Defiantly avoiding the endless customization options pays off as they were super problematic if you don't get your head around it first.

I wanted the Z9 to grow on me over time, I am more a touch and learn person.

Buying Steve's book on the Z9 its the simple be my easy to understand encyclopedia.

Setting up my Z9 just like my DSLR till I slowly started to understand things first paid off, then I had assigned a button on the front of the camera to go into 3d tracking, eye tracking etc, so I really had a DSLR camera in a mirror less body, at a touch of a button it was a mirror less 3 D tracking with eye tracking at a 20 fps camera.

This approach gave me time to understand and embrace slowly the transition, remembering it’s still in settings only a DSLR in a mirror less body just different and with added features, simply the basic or fundamental tangible benefit was speed Video and a new 3 D tracking system.

I used 20 and 30 fps but mostly came back to 5 or 10 fps, the button on the front throwing the camera into 3D tracking is set at 20 fps, I have the Z8 set up the same.

The true gauge of what does the mirror less system do for your photographic outcomes is the point.

PS: Nikon has really had QC issues i find to be really just unaccpetabel.


Only an opinion