p.76 #5 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
lukemeup wrote:
These are great. Tell me more about your AF settings for these.
Thank you!
So far, anything I have posted here that's in-flight, has been with the standard Wide Area L, animal detection on with other subject recognition turned off, AF-C, 20fps lossless raw, using BBF, erratic movement and a "sticky" setting of 4.
I had plans (and still do) to try out some custom sizes, try turning off subject recognition completely, and even try the dynamic modes as well, but hardly any of that has come to fruition yet lol. I guess I feel like I really need to put a lot of time into it before trying some of those options, so I can really get a good feel for exactly how they are reacting differently if that makes sense.
A lot of the times I am kind of riding the manual focus ring and pumping AF, trying to work together, at least with the smaller/faster birds or if in a tough background. Like I will try to get "close" manually, maybe even until I see one of the detection boxes pop up, or at least until I can tell what it is in the frame, etc, then will let go of the MF ring and start running AF and try to wait until I feel like it has a lock before hitting the shutter. Or, with the Barn Swallows at least, I will try to manually get the focus somewhere in front of the bird and then as it comes into focus, I will let AF take over. The other swallows were much easier as they were over water...so that takes one potential change of direction out of the equation lol. Then its just a matter of following the right one and hoping it lifts off the water somewhat and heads in my direction.
The barn swallow shots were not over water and were much tougher. Luckily 2-3 of them would leave their nest every 5-10 minutes, fly around for 2-3 minutes and then head back, so I was able to get an idea of what and when they would take certain paths.
p.76 #6 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
DGettisNC wrote:
Thank you!
So far, anything I have posted here that's in-flight, has been with the standard Wide Area L, animal detection on with other subject recognition turned off, AF-C, 20fps lossless raw, using BBF, erratic movement and a "sticky" setting of 4.
For me the biggest problem so far is keeping the swallow in the viewfinder long enough for the camera to decide to focus on it (the closer the bird the harder it gets at 500mm). It's tough especially if the focus decided to go the background already.
p.76 #7 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
lukemeup wrote:
For me the biggest problem so far is keeping the swallow in the viewfinder long enough for the camera to decide to focus on it (the closer the bird the harder it gets at 500mm). It's tough especially if the focus decided to go the background already.
Oh its definitely tough. I probably took 2500 pics on Saturday morning and another 1500 on Sunday morning.
1st cull took Saturday's # to about 500 and Sunday's to 250 or so. Ended up doing quick edits on about 50-60 pics total.
For the Barn Swallows, they were nesting under the eave of the visitor's center at the NWR I frequent. So after the 1st 2-3 times they left the building to feed, I realized what they were doing and they seemed to basically be taking almost the same route every time. They would leave the nest, fly around, grab an insect, head back to the nest and within a few seconds leave again. They would do this 2-3 times each "outing". It would last maybe 1-2 minutes then they would hang out at the nest for the next 10 minutes or so.
So at that point I just positioned myself about 25-30ft from the nest, and I the building was maybe 10ft to my right. As they would leave, sometimes they would fly right at me and over my shoulder...those attempts were unsuccessful lol. But a lot of the time they would fly out, heading from my right to left but at just a slight angle towards me. So maybe going from 1-o'clock to 8-o'clock. Those, and the ones where they were basically side-to-side with almost no distance change were the best opportunities for me.
The bluebirds were similar. Every 5-10 minutes they would fly from a tree about 50ft away to a bird house about 20ft away. Those were heading more directly at me, but they arent as fast as swallows either, so that helped.
Its always tough trying to ride that very fine line with small birds in flight. You want to be close so you dont have to crop so much, but the closer they get their relative speed gets faster and faster.
I will say that last weekend I didnt get any Barn Swallow attempts, but I spent a few hours tracking the other swallows at a dam. Its much easier when they are over water, but it also helped me practice tracking them for the barn swallow scenario I had this weekend
I guess I'm still trying to figure everything out too so I'm not really even 100% confident in what I'm saying here lol.
There was one sequence with the Barn Swallows that I wasnt able to capture that just killed me. I just couldnt keep them in frame or get them in focus in time before they quit and it would have been really cool shots, but they found a feather or something similar (almost looked like cotton but wasnt), and one of them was flying with it in its mouth, and every few seconds it would drop whatever it was, swoop around and then grab it out of mid-air and fly with it again. Like it was playing, or practicing catching bugs I guess.
p.76 #8 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
DGettisNC wrote:
Thank you!
So far, anything I have posted here that's in-flight, has been with the standard Wide Area L, animal detection on with other subject recognition turned off, AF-C, 20fps lossless raw, using BBF, erratic movement and a "sticky" setting of 4.
Amazing photos
you said : with other subject recognition turned off
If I may ask what do you mean by other subject recognition turned off ? You already said animal detection on.
p.76 #11 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
My 1st waxwings. A group of those pretties was hopping around in a pretty dense branches, so it too a while to get them when they're nicely positioned. Luckily they were pretty curious and cooperative.
p.76 #15 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Just to share, unaware of all the discussion about memory cards. I was first puzzled out of the box my Z9 why N-Raw video recording even at 4k24p was showing zero time with my ProGrade CFExpress B.
I then got a AngelBird CFExpress b Angelbird AV PRO SE CFexpress Type-B 512GB, and now it shows possible to record even 8k N-Raw. I noticed the "SE" is not the fastest it is only like 800MBs sustained read so I was happy it is still fast enough. Now I only regret not getting the 1TB version.
p.76 #16 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Finally some shots from Z9. These are the superb fairy wrens which are everywhere in the region I live, including my garden. All with the 500PF, the only Nikon lens I own currently.
p.76 #17 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Hi Crew,
Does anyone on here shoot with the Z9, FTZ2 and 800mm F5.6E FL ED VR? If so, what's the IQ like? I'm a little underwhelmed with the combo. Doesn't make any difference if I use / don't use the 1.4x. Both the lens and Z9 have been back to a Nikon repair centre in Sydney. The Z9 was recalibrated and whilst the results are better, they still don't cut it in my humble opinion. I've shot over 12000 pictures, hundreds and hundreds very deliberately taken, i.e., not spray and pray!!
My shots are small birds [Chats, small Honeyeaters, Red Capped Robins] Galahs, Black cocky's, the odd Heron, ducks, 28's etc.
I look at some of the pics on here with the Z9 / 500PF combo and wonder if they've had post done [sharpening, but even then, res is required] to within inches of their lives or they're straight out of camera.
My D6 with it is great, with or with out the 1.4x.
I'm starting to think my 800 simply can't resolve well enough for the Z9.
p.76 #20 · Z9 and Z8 ! : A thread for Z9/Z8 images and *discussion*
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Finally some shots from Z9. These are the superb fairy wrens which are everywhere in the region I live, including my garden. All with the 500PF, the only Nikon lens I own currently.
Great colors. The files sure cleaned up nicely at 8-10K iso.
A group of those pretties was hopping around in a pretty dense branches, so it too a while to get them when they're nicely positioned. Luckily they were pretty curious and cooperative. 
