Z6 back from Nikon service

[Mike Buckley]

I thought you needed the Z6 so you could use silent shooting without which the shutter scared away the birds.

 

[Mike Buckley]

i can't decide what to do with the Z6 + FTZ
If i keep it i will rarely use it since im stuck home

I thought you needed the Z6 so you could use silent shooting without which the shutter scared away the birds.

AF accuracy is still better on my Z6 than anything else

Color me confused.

 

[Replytoken]

Color me confused.

I kind of had the same feeling, but what I am hearing Randy say is that the Z6 is having AF issues that make it difficult to use reliably when shooting BIF. If that is the case, then my questions are:

• Is it Randy's Z6?
• Is it all Z6's?
• Is there a technique that can compensate for the issue?

It also sounds like it is not an issue for general photography. Having shot for eight years with Olympus and Panasonic mirrorless bodies in addition to my DSLR's, I have come to accept AF tradeoffs between the two types of bodies. I am not sure if I have experienced exactly what Randy experienced, but I have had my share of BIF issues with my mirrorless bodies, hence the reason I purchased a D500 and D750 as well. Despite Randy's AF issues, I still find the Z6 an appealing camera, but have held off mostly due to budget. I find the D500 to be finicky with AF lens tuning on certain lenses, and that is quite frustrating, but it is hard to beat for AF speed and features.

--Ken

 

[Richard_M]

I’m sorry to read you’re having these AF issues with the Z6 @Randy

I’ve not tried either of my Z bodies for birding, however I will be trying out a couple of my Fuji bodies using Nikkor lenses for birding once the adapter arrives. I have used Olympus m4/3 bodies for birding in the past and they have worked fine with native mount lenses.

I realise this has nothing to do with your issue, but the manufacturer of the adapter has noted using say a 600mm Nikkor lens via the adapter on a Fuji body experiences AF issues due to not enough power being available from the body to power it correctly. I wonder if F lenses have a different power requirement than Z lenses.

 

[Randy]

I haven't used it for general photography
I still need it for the silent shutter
It's not BIF causing the problem
AF accuracy should not be confused with 'it can't AF'
IQ is great, in fact I love everything else,

What else can I clear up ?

 

[fao91]

I haven't used it for general photography
I still need it for the silent shutter
It's not BIF causing the problem
AF accuracy should not be confused with 'it can't AF'
IQ is great, in fact I love everything else,

What else can I clear up ?

Is this what you are experiencing?

If so,it seems transversal,not a Nikon issue.

 

[Randy]

Is this what you are experiencing?

If so,it seems transversal,not a Nikon issue.

Exactly and canon and Sony shooters on fm have reported same issue, showstopper for me, this is not ready for prime time. I can't imagine discovering this on a paid trip to someplace like Costa Rica

 

[acnomad]

I have noticed the same issue with the Z 6 when alternating between a near and distant subject. The Z 6 (and perhaps mirrorless bodies in general) does not re-acquire focus when it is at or near infinity and you aim at a close subject that is completely blurred out. To some degree, the D500 has difficulty with this situation, but the Z 6 gets crippled. In any case, it was this phenomenon that prompted me to learn about the "memory set" feature. For my part, I only recently became proficient at using it, but I presume that experienced shooters of exotic glass have long benefited from that function.

 

[Replytoken]

Is this what you are experiencing?

If so,it seems transversal,not a Nikon issue.

The problems that he is describing in the video are not unlike what I sometimes experience with my D500/200-500 combination. I suspect that some of this is driven by the limited maximum aperture of the lens. F/5.6 is usually the limit of many focus systems (although I believe their may be some bodies that use f/8 or f/11 as their limit), so I am not that surprised by this issue. My 70-200 f/2.8 is not only fast to focus, but rarely has issues as I move from near to far and possibly back when focusing. I am not sure if this is tied into Randy's Z6 issues, but I am not sure that the R6 is completely at fault in the video.

--Ken

 

[jbailey930]

I recall seeing a vlog that on the "Prime" S lenses there is a button that can be set to remember the previous focus distance. Perhaps Nikon is building the longer S glass to have the capability vs. the existing Z bodies.

 

[Butlerkid]

I recall seeing a vlog that on the "Prime" S lenses there is a button that can be set to remember the previous focus distance. Perhaps Nikon is building the longer S glass to have the capability vs. the existing Z bodies.

Yes, you can use that if you are trying to get BIF shots and KNOW where the bird is coming back to. Then you can preset focus on the perch/nest/etc and be tracking in flight - then press a button and focus immediately back on the nest.

Doesn't work with a moving subject that is flitting about and doesn't return to the same spot.

 

[fao91]

Exactly and canon and Sony shooters on fm have reported same issue, showstopper for me, this is not ready for prime time. I can't imagine discovering this on a paid trip to someplace like Costa Rica

They (Canon,Nikon,Sony) could implement this as an option.
(Fuji seems to close the aperture, very distracting but could fix that issue).

 

[acnomad]

Doesn't work with a moving subject that is flitting about and doesn't return to the same spot.

So true. However, I have found it useful to leave the memory preset for a random relatively closer focusing distance. In this way, a quick tap can make a nearby subject that is completely blurred out somewhat more definable. Then, a tap of the AF button has a fighting chance of finishing the job.