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Archive 2022 · Z9 firmware 3.01

GregWCIL
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · Z9 firmware 3.01

Nikon1960 wrote:
That may be the case. I'll disable it.

Yes, happens to me all the time. There is virtually no detent on the vertices shutter lock-out. Poor design. I wish they would do a firmware update so you could disable that shutter button.

Jan 09, 2023 at 08:16 PM

WarrenHatch
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Z9 firmware 3.01

@Nikon1960

Be careful resetting everything, you will be back to shooting JPGs in Program mode😎.

Your LEO looks to me like the Z9 shouldn’t have had any problem detecting the eye with the proper camera settings. Which focus modes(s) were you attempting to use? Was Subject Detection enabled for animals? How far away was the owl? Where did the camera think it was focusing? Did it think focus was achieved? A examination of the metadata with ExifTool will tell your for sure.

The subject, pose and background are wonderful, but there is absolutely nothing in focus in the frame you posted (at least looking on my iPhone). Granted, the areas nearest the eyes seem to be the portions most in focus. If the image was hand held at 1/400, some of the AF challenge may have been due to camera shake. Was VR enabled? Did you have the TC engaged? Again, ExifTool will tell you.

I’ve seen tack sharp results from that lens/camera combo at 1/25 on much less stationary birds. I know I can’t do that (heck, I can’t do 1/800 on that combo with VR and the TC engaged).

Net, net: check your VR and AF settings. Consider increasing your shutter speed. If you can’t make that 600 work for you, I know there are many people who might be willing to take it off your hands at a reasonable price (including me)😊.

Jan 09, 2023 at 10:06 PM

jbledsoe
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · Z9 firmware 3.01

I've asked Nikon support several times over the years to offer setting backups in xml and a method to verify syntax and import options but for whatever reason they insist on using their format.

Imagine having all your settings in a readable format AND being able to edit those outside of the camera, verifying and reading them in at will. You not only could reuse those for any camera supporting that setting but play with options while maintaining your own history.

I even tried asking for the ability to save not only to all cards inserted when backup run (trivial add) but if they insist on their format then let us save multiple backups with our own naming. These are tiny files on the card, it's not like space is an issue.

More recently with the Z9 I've had updates that worked fine but settings not correctly restored from backup, Nikon admitted to issues and bugs but other than manually finding and fixing the other option was to reset to factory and redo. I change so many settings that it's really hard to make sure I re-did all and thus my ask. Even with the ability to export settings in plain text I could at least make a checklist to follow but of course the xml export/import would be super handy.

I guess my point is sometimes it's better to factory reset and know you're not introducing some weirdness by restore from backup.

And yeah, I lock the portrait mode shutter when not in use as I'm always tripping it by accident, lol.

Jan 09, 2023 at 11:13 PM

sjms
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · Z9 firmware 3.01

you and me both. got some interesting images using that method though

Jan 10, 2023 at 10:08 AM

Alistair1
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · Z9 firmware 3.01

https://youtu.be/jWXqbX47MhY
Interesting video comparing current and 2.1 firmware versions. You don't need to speak the language, the VF feed says it all.

Jan 11, 2023 at 08:11 AM

CanadaMark
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · Z9 firmware 3.01

Alistair1 wrote:
https://youtu.be/jWXqbX47MhY
Interesting video comparing current and 2.1 firmware versions. You don't need to speak the language, the VF feed says it all.

Interesting video but those earlier FW results look off to me - my Z9 even with launch FW performed way, way better than that under very similar conditions (i.e. bird against water or trees). I have never seen AF point deviations like he was getting in the first half of that video at any point in time. I wonder if maybe some other setting is contributing to that? He used 3D for most of the first half, then used wide area for most of the 3.01 half (which works better in those conditions), and it looked like his own subject-following was much better in the second half as well. I couldn't understand the video though so maybe he addressed all those things - perhaps a native speaker could give us the coles notes. Any improvement is welcome though, of course.

Jan 11, 2023 at 04:20 PM

bernardl
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · Z9 firmware 3.01

Quick summary:
- as of f/m 1.0 strong tendency of AF to jump to busy backgrounds, especially with man made structures like houses,
- Still some of that present with f/m 2.1,
- with f/m 3.01 no more tendency to jump to background, even with busy background or when moving from sky to mountains or the sea. No issues with foreground trees either.

There is no specific mention of the change from 3D to wide area mode.

He recommends all the reviewers who tested the Z9 with f/m 1.0 to retest with 3.01 because it is as good as a new camera.

Cheers,
Bernard

Jan 11, 2023 at 11:02 PM

Eric214
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · Z9 firmware 3.01

bernardl wrote:
Quick summary:
- as of f/m 1.0 strong tendency of AF to jump to busy backgrounds, especially with man made structures like houses,
- Still some of that present with f/m 2.1,
- with f/m 3.01 no more tendency to jump to background, even with busy background or when moving from sky to mountains or the sea. No issues with foreground trees either.

There is no specific mention of the change from 3D to wide area mode.

He recommends all the reviewers who tested the Z9 with f/m 1.0 to retest with 3.01 because it is as good as a new camera.

Cheers,
Bernard

Since FW 2.0, i have getting the results you mention with 3.01 with Auto Area AF mode. With 3.01 i am now getting that result with 3D AF mode.

Jan 12, 2023 at 03:57 PM

RoamingScott
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · Z9 firmware 3.01

Nikon1960 wrote:
That may be the case. I'll disable it.

Just curious if you ever sorted your phantom button press issue.

Jan 14, 2023 at 12:30 PM

Nikon1960
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · Z9 firmware 3.01

RoamingScott wrote:
Just curious if you ever sorted your phantom button press issue.

Yes and no.

The “phantom” button press is a result of the poor vertical shutter button placement after investigating further. I was indeed accidentally pressing the button. Disabling the button solves that issue, but it renders the camera unusable for me in a vertical orientation when using long lenses, I really need the vertical shutter button to shoot vertically! I’ll just have to learn to hold the camera a bit differently.

Jan 14, 2023 at 02:36 PM

PHiLiPZ_svk
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · Z9 firmware 3.01

When I got my Z9 and I started looking in the menu I too was baffled by the random exits to the shooting state. It was caused by the vertical shutter button too, which really is very easy to press. Despite that nuisance I do find that button perfectly placed for its purpose of vertical shooting. And if I don’t want to shoot in vertical orientation, I lock all the vertical controls. I think that it’s a good enough solution. Nikon might implement the possibility to lock vertical controls when the camera is in horizontal orientation - maybe we should contact then and ask for this.

Out of curiosity - where would you prefer to have that button instead? Do you consider the lock around the button hard to operate or just not used to it? I guess some training of muscle memory is really needed, at least in my case.

Edited on Jan 15, 2023 at 07:38 AM · View previous versions

Jan 15, 2023 at 05:57 AM

sjms
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · Z9 firmware 3.01

to begin with that is why one has a "lock" ring on it. its design/location/function has been around for decades in the Nikon F to D basic pro modeling from the F4s on. easily unlocked when you move your camera and hand into position. quite literally a one finger operation. if one is not used to it or even having it a short time is all it takes. it is like any device you are not familiar with.

i go back to the Nikon F4s circa 1988 where i believe it started as standardized integral component going forward. they have sold a few similar bodies and grips in this design since then. learning is a joyful if but just a little painful experience.

D4s

NIKON Z 6 NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens 70mm f/8.0 1/50s 20000 ISO 0.0 EV

Jan 15, 2023 at 06:41 AM

arbitrage
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · Z9 firmware 3.01

Alistair1 wrote:
https://youtu.be/jWXqbX47MhY
Interesting video comparing current and 2.1 firmware versions. You don't need to speak the language, the VF feed says it all.

As someone who only owned/tested the Z9 on early 1.X FW, I wish this video had kept things more consistent so I could get a better idea of the improvements in 2.X and 3.X FW.

He uses 3D for most of his 1.X testing. 3D was next to useless in 1.X. Even putting 3D on a perched bird with a grossly OOF background 500m away it would still decide to jump to the background half the time despite recognizing the subject. AutoAF was also close to useless. The only use of the 3D and Auto was using that handover method where you started in Wide-Area and then switched into Auto or 3D to continue tracking throughout the frame for more erratic BIF. But still the tendency to jump to backgrounds was exactly what he showed in the video for 1.X.

Then he mostly only shows Wide-Area modes for FW 2 and 3. That is nice, and they look to be working great but then they worked pretty good on FW 1. What I needed to see is more Wide-Area on FW1 and more 3D on FW 2 and 3.

The internet baffles me sometimes in how people can spend all this time making a video with such flawed testing/comparisons that it ends up being totally useless to viewers in the end.

Jan 15, 2023 at 07:03 AM

Alistair1
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · Z9 firmware 3.01

arbitrage wrote:
As someone who only owned/tested the Z9 on early 1.X FW, I wish this video had kept things more consistent so I could get a better idea of the improvements in 2.X and 3.X FW.

He uses 3D for most of his 1.X testing. 3D was next to useless in 1.X. Even putting 3D on a perched bird with a grossly OOF background 500m away it would still decide to jump to the background half the time despite recognizing the subject. AutoAF was also close to useless. The only use of the 3D and Auto was using that handover method where...Show more →
Yes, apologies. I should have paid more attention to that before posting. Hope not too much time was wasted!
You'll have to rent one and make your determination as to how it compares to your present kit, which clearly is working great!
Good luck with it.

Jan 15, 2023 at 07:47 AM

gannis
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · Z9 firmware 3.01

His comparison was quite pointless as you say as he's using 3d in the old fw vs wide in fw 3.01. What is good although is to just look at the way wide operates in 3.01 and there's a significant improvement. Although there were some improvements in 2.xx, it mostly had to do with auto AF. With 3.xx, 3d is also very reliable but still not as robust as wide area modes for BIF. With 2.xx fw, the stickiness improved a bit on wide modes as well but there were still issues when tracking against busy BG like the ones shown in the video and that seems to have gone now.

arbitrage wrote:
As someone who only owned/tested the Z9 on early 1.X FW, I wish this video had kept things more consistent so I could get a better idea of the improvements in 2.X and 3.X FW.

He uses 3D for most of his 1.X testing. 3D was next to useless in 1.X. Even putting 3D on a perched bird with a grossly OOF background 500m away it would still decide to jump to the background half the time despite recognizing the subject. AutoAF was also close to useless. The only use of the 3D and Auto was using that handover method where...Show more →

Jan 15, 2023 at 08:50 AM

multibit
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · Z9 firmware 3.01

arbitrage wrote:
As someone who only owned/tested the Z9 on early 1.X FW, I wish this video had kept things more consistent so I could get a better idea of the improvements in 2.X and 3.X FW.

He uses 3D for most of his 1.X testing. 3D was next to useless in 1.X. Even putting 3D on a perched bird with a grossly OOF background 500m away it would still decide to jump to the background half the time despite recognizing the subject. AutoAF was also close to useless. The only use of the 3D and Auto was using that handover method where...Show more →

Please keep us updated if you do try one with latest FW , I was looking at getting the 600mm f4 GM to upgrade the 200-600 with my A1 but the new Z 600mm + TC is really tempting . If the Z9 AF is now as good as the A1 I'd consider going back to Nikon . Love the A1 but the Nikon lenses are really nice, the 500mm PF and Z 600mm f4 be great

Jan 15, 2023 at 04:10 PM

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