p.66 #1 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Lance B wrote:
Went to a park in Sydney called Centennial Park yesterday to shoot some of the local birds. This park has a number of large lakes for water birds, but also attracts a number of other birds like Black Cockatoos, Corellas and Lorikeets etc. A beautiful day and the birds for the whole cooperated and had great fun shooting BIF etc, as much fun as I've had with my pants on.
p.66 #6 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
I saw a wing tagged hawk today in South Burnaby, so out of curiosity decided to look up what's it's about. Found a post on another forum explaining what the program is about:
"YVR began a program of trapping and removing Red-tailed Hawks and Rough-legged Hawks in October 2010 in order to prevent them from being struck by aircraft primarily to improve air safety, but also as a raptor conservation tool. Each year the airport has a large number of transient raptors that winter at YVR as well as resident adults and local-raised young birds. Based on information from SeaTac International Airport in Washington, we expect that adult residents are least likely to be involved in collisions with aircraft, but a significant number of young birds and transient birds are struck each year. Therefore, we are attempting to remove those birds from the airport environs by capturing them and releasing them just beyond Chilliwack where there is ample habitat and a reasonable likelihood that they will not return to YVR. I view this not only as an air safety program, but also as a raptor conservation program because, if successful, we may prevent the deaths of dozens or more birds each year. We expanded the program in 2013 to all raptors (including owls). To date we have captured and relocated over 500 birds. Most of them were relocated to Chilliwack. To date there has been more than 4000 resightings of my tagged and banded birds. While most of those sightings are of birds that have returned to YVR, there have been over 125 sightings of 64 different birds away from Sea-Iona Islands by over 90 observers who are not part of the YVR wildlife management team.
We are wing-tagging Red-tailed Hawks because we need to know who our resident birds are and are co-operating in a joint program with SeaTac and Portland International airports all of whom are wing tagging airport Red-tailed Hawks (using different colours for the tag material). Not only is this program contributing to air safety, we are already learning a great deal about our raptors and hope to learn much more as the years pass. To date less than 1/3 of the captured Red-tailed Hawks, mostly resident adult birds or long-term wintering residents, have returned to the airport. Less than 20% of the very hazardous juvenile birds have returned. Several of our birds have been seen in Washington State and as far south as Oregon and we have had a few birds from Washington State come to YVR. We have had one sighting of a tagged Red-tailed Hawk near Kamloops. Of considerable interest is a Rough-legged Hawk tagged at YVR in November 2014, moved to Chilliwack 100 km east of YVR, that returned to Delta, about 15 km south of YVR and spent the winter there - seen frequently on the same light standard all winter long. Then he showed up in Cawston, B.C. on 13 May 2015 (250 km east of YVR) and was seen the next time in Ronan, Montana on 2 November 2015 (another 450 km southeast of Cawston and 700 km southeast of YVR)"
I emailed them the tag number - hoping to hear back about this particular bird. Not sure how I feel about tagging birds like this to be honest but I guess it's better than being shot or poisoned like some airports do.
p.66 #7 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
lukemeup wrote:
Not sure how I feel about tagging birds like this to be honest but I guess it's better than being shot or poisoned like some airports do.
Nice shots
I also used to see tags around the leg "Bird banding".
Not expert by any means but foreign objects firmly attached to a creature will provide shelter for small insects.
This bird seem to have both, but I think they wanted visual tag.
p.66 #12 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Well NPS delivered my Z9 on Wednesday, and I was able to get it from my local shop that evening. The camera sat idle through Friday. I spent the better part of the day digging into menus, reading Steve Perry's AF book, and reading Brad Hill's blog about the camera.
While I have set up 4 banks and reprogrammed a bunch of buttons, I have little doubt that my current configuration will be tweaked. I'd love to hear what people are setting their Fn1-3 buttons, just to see how my set compares.
Today, I gave the camera a spin, and now I understand why many are so excited. The AF tracking is unlike anything I've experienced with a Nikon body... it is shocking to see how quickly the camera locks on, and how well it hold focus.
This evening I encountered an albino doe in the woods. It was about 7:40 PM and the sun was setting quickly. I used 3D AF with animal detect selected. In the end, I probably would have been better off with single point AF.
I am curious about what AF mode others would have chosen here... note, there is brush throughout, and while not visible here, one can see a twig cutting across the doe's left eye at 100% resolution.
p.66 #14 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
OwlsEyes wrote:
Well NPS delivered my Z9 on Wednesday, and I was able to get it from my local shop that evening. The camera sat idle through Friday. I spent the better part of the day digging into menus, reading Steve Perry's AF book, and reading Brad Hill's blog about the camera.
While I have set up 4 banks and reprogrammed a bunch of buttons, I have little doubt that my current configuration will be tweaked. I'd love to hear what people are setting their Fn1-3 buttons, just to see how my set compares.
Today, I gave the camera a spin, and now I understand why many are so excited. The AF tracking is unlike anything I've experienced with a Nikon body... it is shaking to see how quickly the camera locks on, and how well it hold focus.
This evening I encountered an albino doe in the woods. It was about 7:40 PM and the sun was setting quickly. I used 3D AF with animal detect selected. In the end, I probably would have been better off with single point AF.
I am curious about what AF mode others would have chosen here... note, there is brush throughout, and while not visible here, one can see a twig cutting across the doe's left eye at 100% resolution.
p.66 #17 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
It is a great camera . Congrats. Autofocus is great, you will definitively change some setting after Wednesday 2.0 firmware update 😀
OwlsEyes wrote:
Well NPS delivered my Z9 on Wednesday, and I was able to get it from my local shop that evening. The camera sat idle through Friday. I spent the better part of the day digging into menus, reading Steve Perry's AF book, and reading Brad Hill's blog about the camera.
While I have set up 4 banks and reprogrammed a bunch of buttons, I have little doubt that my current configuration will be tweaked. I'd love to hear what people are setting their Fn1-3 buttons, just to see how my set compares.
Today, I gave the camera a spin, and now I understand why many are so excited. The AF tracking is unlike anything I've experienced with a Nikon body... it is shaking to see how quickly the camera locks on, and how well it hold focus.
This evening I encountered an albino doe in the woods. It was about 7:40 PM and the sun was setting quickly. I used 3D AF with animal detect selected. In the end, I probably would have been better off with single point AF.
I am curious about what AF mode others would have chosen here... note, there is brush throughout, and while not visible here, one can see a twig cutting across the doe's left eye at 100% resolution.
p.66 #18 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
1bwana1 wrote:
Welcome to the stacked sensor mirrorless World Bruce! You are just beginning to experience what we have all been saying these last few years.
Thanks Steve...
I've played a bit with the Sony bodies during my workshop on crane photography. Sony sponsored it, and they showed up with 6 A9 cameras and 6 100-400 lenses. This was prior to their introduction of the 200-600. I used it for about an hour, but the camera was factory set, and I didn't have time to adjust it to my preferences. As the workshop leader, I didn't want to be self-absorbed with the new tech and ignore my clients. Anyone, it that short time, I knew that Sony was on to something but did not realize how significant it could be.
---------------------------------------------
Ross Martin wrote:
Congrats on getting your Z9 Bruce! Love that albino doe, would love to see one in person. Look forward to seeing more images from you.
Thanks Ross... she is a beauty. Unlike the piebald deer that photograph in a state park, this one is very skittish. She lives in a herd of deer that experiences hunting pressures. Last year I photographed her a few times by a nearby lake and hoped she made it through our tough winter... looks like she did
You'll definitely see more images of her if I can find her again.
---------------------------------------------
Lance B wrote:
Great that you have a Z9 now, Bruce! Looking forward to more of your great images from it!
Thanks Lance... Needless to say, I am blown away by the tech. On the Z9, 500PF behaves like it does on a D5/D6... the AF is snappy. I was contemplating the future 400mm f/4 (4.5), but unless it has some super characteristic (built in 1.25x converter), I think I'll be keeping the 500PF to go along with.. the 800 PF (?)... if I can find a way to save for it.
regards,
bruce
---------------------------------------------
NissanPatrol wrote:
Glad that you joined the Z9 crowd.
Thank you very much.
---------------------------------------------
rick2906 wrote:
It is a great camera . Congrats. Autofocus is great, you will definitively change some setting after Wednesday 2.0 firmware update 😀
Thank you Rick...
Back in the day, there was so little you had to do to a camera to get it up an going. In contrast, one's ability to make the most of their photo experience is now tied to how you "program" your camera settings and your capacity to understand how one tweak can make or break a photo opportunity.
Firmware #2 will just add some doubt to my current understanding of "best settings." For the moment, I'm just trying to distinguish button programming from recall shooting, and determine what AF focus settings are best of differing situations.
Regardless, this camera is something else... I never thought I'd spend so much on a camera ever again... In retrospect, I am now glad that I did.
14) Nankeen Kestrel. This guy wouldn't let me get any closer and when flying kept his distance. Got a whole sequence of shots all in focus. This is a 100% crop.
p.66 #20 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
This is why I knew my next camera had to be a stacked sensor. Nikon basically priced the Z9 perfectly for me. 1bwana1 wrote:
Welcome to the stacked sensor mirrorless World Bruce! You are just beginning to experience what we have all been saying these last few years.
