1. Am I expecting too much from the whole system? I want my keeper rate to be 90% and more!!
2. Can you point me out to a comprehensive guide to autofocus settings? Or any other source material to help me figure it out?
3. Could you explain to me like you were talking to a 6year old what settings to check and how?
4. Is it possible that my Z8 is...flawed?
Thank you in advance and please help! Your replies gave me hope!!
1. Nope, the Z8 is a powerhouse and will deliver the photos you are after
2. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=settings+z8+people
3. See topic 2
4. Yes, the Z8 is a dud. Seriously, time that you really do your homework and be prepared to have a learning curve.
Vargo wrote:
I actually set my Z8 following Jan Wagener's video (the second listed on your link), but he is mostly wildlife shooter. Actually, I copied I think ALL of his settings, prior to my post here, and experienced issues. One thing I noticed with 3d tracking - sometimes my camera focuses on eye that is farther and I do not see that arrow next to the 'box' that allows to switch between the eyes?
I know most of you are rolling your eyes, but bear with me please
Thanks for the links, I appreciate it!
I wouldn't use 3D tracking personally, the other modes tend to be stickier and better for EyeAF. Put it in Area for simple testing, or try Wide Area and have two eyes inside the box. You should see the eye selector/arrow boxes appear there.
Vargo wrote:
I don't have the camera on me at the moment....so hold on
Would this be in AF-C or AF-S? I thought only 3d tracking has eye autofocus. Remember - I am 6 year old at the moment
If you are trying to get perfect Eye AF you need to be in AF-C, always.
You are incorrect about 3D tracking being the only one with Eye AF.
There’s more to sharp photos than just af settings. Shutter speed, technique, lighting also impact perceived sharpness. This importance of those are amplified on an high MP camera. Consider the 58 1.4 is not a sharp lens at 1.4. Also if I remember correctly, there’s been some reports of IBIS/135 Art issues. So if you’re having issues with the Art try turning IBIS off to see if that is impacting things.
Vargo wrote:
So this part is what was bothering me - I thought that with Z8 AF system, the lens WOULD be sharp at f1.4, because focusing happens on the sensor. Like I said, once I close the aperture to f2.8, I get crazy sharp photos.
The lens should be in focus on the Z8 - however, the optics themselves of the 58/1.4 are such that at wide apertures, it's a bit soft. Unlike more modern Z designs, which can be tack sharp wide open, older normal primes tend to have softness wide open and sharpen up when you stop down.
Can you post some examples from your lens so we can see if things are looking how they should or if something is off?
Vargo wrote:
I actually set my Z8 following Jan Wagener's video (the second listed on your link), but he is mostly wildlife shooter. Actually, I copied I think ALL of his settings, prior to my post here, and experienced issues. One thing I noticed with 3d tracking - sometimes my camera focuses on eye that is farther and I do not see that arrow next to the 'box' that allows to switch between the eyes?
I know most of you are rolling your eyes, but bear with me please
Vargo wrote:
I actually set my Z8 following Jan Wagener's video (the second listed on your link), but he is mostly wildlife shooter. Actually, I copied I think ALL of his settings, prior to my post here, and experienced issues. One thing I noticed with 3d tracking - sometimes my camera focuses on eye that is farther and I do not see that arrow next to the 'box' that allows to switch between the eyes?
I know most of you are rolling your eyes, but bear with me please
Thanks for the links, I appreciate it!
I wouldn’t use his settings. Jan is a Canon shooter and lacks a deep understanding of Nikon’s systems. Look at Steve’s book on Backcountry. Best $30 you’ll spend. If you want technical explanations, try Thom Hogan’s series https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-system-books/
Vargo wrote:
Maybe not the best examples, but let's try with these ones. These are my jpegs, I don't have exact data but I think I remember more or less
These, especially your second shot, look like the focus is hitting just fine, it's just that the lens has that dreamy quality wide open.You can see that focus is on the eyes. That look is a lot of why people like this lens, but if you're after a crisper wide open rendering combined with a soft background (so high contrast POP), you'll be much happier with something like the Z 50/1.2, as it will be very sharp wide open.
Since I switched over from the Z7ii to the Z8/Z9, I've been finding the eye-af performance has been great. This is with the 85 1.8 S wide open and a wiggly baby. I usually just stick it in AF-C and the medium size box.
There’s more to sharp photos than just af settings. Shutter speed, technique, lighting also impact perceived sharpness. This importance of those are amplified on an high MP camera. Consider the 58 1.4 is not a sharp lens at 1.4. Also if I remember correctly, there’s been some reports of IBIS/135 Art issues. So if you’re having issues with the Art try turning IBIS off to see if that is impacting things.
Yes, I am not sure what I can add.
One thing perhaps is that I tend to use C1/C2 a lot these days, I find to offer excellent flexibility when combined with eye AF.
