p.12 #1 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
bernardl wrote:
I have acknowledged the summary created by the neutral observer.
I am stating facts resulting from first hand experience with Sony and Nikon cameras. The fact that you consider these as inflammatory or negative is surprising. And I don't believe you have first hand experiences demonstrating that I am wrong.
Cheers,
Bernard
Your experiences are not facts that apply to other people. Just like your conclusion about the OP are not facts.
I am not trying to disprove anything about which camera performs at what level. That has never been the point of my posts in this thread.
p.12 #2 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
1bwana1 wrote:
Your experiences are not facts that apply to other people. Just like your conclusion about the OP are not facts.
I am not trying to disprove anything about which camera performs at what level. That has never been the point of my posts in this thread.
How would you know that the fact of my positive experiences using the Z8 in an optimized way with excellent results does not apply to other people?
You have not tried my recommendations, the OP has not tried them either. Others did tried them and reproduced my results.
The answer is that it doesn't match your view that Sony's eye AF is superior. That's all there is to it, isn't it?
So I am sorry, I fail to understand the objective of your posts in this thread.
And I did not present my conclusions about the motivation of the OP as a fact. This is clearly my opinion but based on a reasonable set of observations. Could there be another interpretation? Yes certainly, but I don't see how it would be more likely. I certainty find ridiculous the idea that a person would sell or buy a camera because people are, according to you, unfriendly in a forum.
p.12 #3 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
I will try those recommendations.
For "Set the interruption setting to the lower possible value (highest possible reactivity)" you mean g7 AF tracking sensitivity set to 1 (High), correct?
What is the purpose of burst shooting vs single shot? Sometimes I'm shooting with OCF so burst isn't even an option.
I'm not sure how these settings could fix the problem people have been describing (the camera using eye-AF focusing on the eyelash or hat brim, etc) since they seem unrelated but I will test them and report back. I'll do further testing once I'm able to get ahold of a faster telephoto prime but in the meantime I'll see what I can discern with my 40mm f2.
bernardl wrote:
Eye AF isn't broken, I have outstanding results with these settings so I am confident that anyone genuinely trying this approach will confirm my experiences. This discussion already took place several times and people with issues confirmed the improvements.
And again, I have first hand experience comparing the Z8/Z9 with these settings to the best Sonys with clear results.
It would have taken a few minutes for the OP to test these had he been interested in tapping into the potential of the Z8. Yet he never reacted to my suggestions.
Considering the time span between his initial question and his purchase of a Sony I am fully confident that the conclusion was foregone and that my advice and positive comment about the performance of the Z8 was ignored because it should have changed the conclusion.
p.12 #4 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
You find it ridiculous that the new user of a camera system who asked for advice and instead received dozens (hundreds?) of attacks and accusations from the community he's just joined could be pushed towards another brand?
bernardl wrote:
How would you know that the fact of my positive experiences using the Z8 in an optimized way with excellent results does not apply to other people?
You have not tried my recommendations, the OP has not tried them either. Others did tried them and reproduced my results.
The answer is that it doesn't match your view that Sony's eye AF is superior. That's all there is to it, isn't it?
So I am sorry, I fail to understand the objective of your posts in this thread.
And I did not present my conclusions about the motivation of the OP as a fact. This is clearly my opinion but based on a reasonable set of observations. Could there be another interpretation? Yes certainly, but I don't see how it would be more likely. I certainty find ridiculous the idea that a person would sell or buy a camera because people are, according to you, unfriendly in a forum.
p.12 #5 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
I can assure you that is the wrong approach. There are plenty of extremely helpful settings recommendations on this forum across all brands. To avoid posting your settings because you think it won't work in someone else's hands or because you think you'll get some sort of backlash is silly. This forum was built around helping others and sharing.
But it is good to know that for you Auto Area with subject detection works well. Many others in this thread have inferred that it doesn't and that more complex settings adjustments are needed for consistent focus.
For what it's worth, I also use Area with subject detection where I need autofocus. What I like with the new Nikon cameras is the different shapes of boxes you can use. Some say it's too overwhelming / too much to scroll through, but I often find in busy conditions where I really want to be specific, I quickly change the shape of the AF area to pull the right subject out of the crowd. I do it with a quick spin of a wheel with a button pushed down.....super quick. In very difficult conditions, I may just do spot focus, which again is a quick button press which I've selected. All told, I've been pretty impressed with the AF with the Z8 and Zf. My Z6ii isn't as good (and the Z7 is worse), but both are still very effective with stationary subjects. Eyelash AF comments....well, see my comment earlier.
With my old D500, D25 tracking worked wonders. I don't use that so much anymore as I find the area eye-AF works well on mirrorless. I always thought the D850 AF was inferior to the D500 due to the AF zones available, so I'll infer that the Z8 is better than the D850 without a direct comparison.
I think dangling a comparison with another brand from the get-go just invited a certain individual to the show where he repeats his "Sony is better" rant which is evident in his history of posts.....so no doubt that set the mood in a spiral again. It's similar to going to a restaurant and telling everyone the food there isn't as good as next door. I'll trust that the OP isn't a troll who has 2 accounts and simply suggest staying out of the comparisons and just ask for advice about the system people here use (how effective it is, their workflow, etc). One may say this is a sensitive bunch after years of Sony marketing targeted against Nikon, but the truth is that people here are just a little tired of it now that we're a couple of years beyond the Nikon AF challenges and there's enough in this forum to suggest that Nikon, Canon and Sony are all very similar with AF (despite some small differences). I believe this has been discovered yet again in this thread.
p.12 #6 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
Thanks for the insight. I'll play around with the AF boxes. I haven't used my Z8 with multiple people in a scene yet so it may prove useful for that. My workflow with Canon is to use wide-AF and it detects each person (eye-AF) with a left/right arrow that allows you to toggle between subjects using the joystick. Does Nikon have anything similar to this?
As for the eyelash AF and Trump's portrait, I'm not sure what settings they used but I'm sure any of us could get a sharp retina in a controlled environment, probably even 95% of the time using eye-AF. What myself and others are concerned with are those strange occasional misses that people have been discussing for a couple years while using eye-AF and why they occur. Is it something that can be adjusted with software? Is it a lens issue? Is it front focusing due to lighting? Obviously difficult to pinpoint but again not an issue I ever saw pop-up with Sony or Canon (except for adapted lenses front focusing many years ago) so it seems to be Nikon specific whatever it is. It's just strange to me that some people seem to pretend it doesn't exist. Maybe it doesn't for some but it's clear that it does for others. My best guess is that it's just the AF algorithm getting confused in certain situations, especially glasses or headwear, occasionally eyelashes for whatever reason. I actually vaguely remember having that issue with glasses shooting Sony many years ago, where it would focus on the glasses instead of the eye (A7RII maybe?)
urbanwild wrote:
For what it's worth, I also use Area with subject detection where I need autofocus. What I like with the new Nikon cameras is the different shapes of boxes you can use. Some say it's too overwhelming / too much to scroll through, but I often find in busy conditions where I really want to be specific, I quickly change the shape of the AF area to pull the right subject out of the crowd. I do it with a quick spin of a wheel with a button pushed down.....super quick. In very difficult conditions, I may just do spot focus, which again is a quick button press which I've selected. All told, I've been pretty impressed with the AF with the Z8 and Zf. My Z6ii isn't as good (and the Z7 is worse), but both are still very effective with stationary subjects. Eyelash AF comments....well, see my comment earlier.
With my old D500, D25 tracking worked wonders. I don't use that so much anymore as I find the area eye-AF works well on mirrorless. I always thought the D850 AF was inferior to the D500 due to the AF zones available, so I'll infer that the Z8 is better than the D850 without a direct comparison.
I think dangling a comparison with another brand from the get-go just invited a certain individual to the show where he repeats his "Sony is better" rant which is evident in his history of posts.....so no doubt that set the mood in a spiral again. It's similar to going to a restaurant and telling everyone the food there isn't as good as next door. I'll trust that the OP isn't a troll who has 2 accounts and simply suggest staying out of the comparisons and just ask for advice about the system people here use (how effective it is, their workflow, etc). One may say this is a sensitive bunch after years of Sony marketing targeted against Nikon, but the truth is that people here are just a little tired of it now that we're a couple of years beyond the Nikon AF challenges and there's enough in this forum to suggest that Nikon, Canon and Sony are all very similar with AF (despite some small differences). I believe this has been discovered yet again in this thread....Show more →
p.12 #7 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
I will try those recommendations.
For "Set the interruption setting to the lower possible value (highest possible reactivity)" you mean g7 AF tracking sensitivity set to 1 (High), correct?
What is the purpose of burst shooting vs single shot? Sometimes I'm shooting with OCF so burst isn't even an option.
I'm not sure how these settings could fix the problem people have been describing (the camera using eye-AF focusing on the eyelash or hat brim, etc) since they seem unrelated but I will test them and report back. I'll do further testing once I'm able to get ahold of a faster telephoto prime but in the meantime I'll see what I can discern with my 40mm f2.
p.12 #8 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
Thanks for the insight. I'll play around with the AF boxes. I haven't used my Z8 with multiple people in a scene yet so it may prove useful for that. My workflow with Canon is to use wide-AF and it detects each person (eye-AF) with a left/right arrow that allows you to toggle between subjects using the joystick. Does Nikon have anything similar to this?
As for the eyelash AF and Trump's portrait, I'm not sure what settings they used but I'm sure any of us could get a sharp retina in a controlled environment, probably even 95% of the time using eye-AF. What myself and others are concerned with are those strange occasional misses that people have been discussing for a couple years while using eye-AF and why they occur. Is it something that can be adjusted with software? Is it a lens issue? Is it front focusing due to lighting? Obviously difficult to pinpoint but again not an issue I ever saw pop-up with Sony or Canon (except for adapted lenses front focusing many years ago) so it seems to be Nikon specific whatever it is. It's just strange to me that some people seem to pretend it doesn't exist. Maybe it doesn't for some but it's clear that it does for others. My best guess is that it's just the AF algorithm getting confused in certain situations, especially glasses or headwear, occasionally eyelashes for whatever reason. I actually vaguely remember having that issue with glasses shooting Sony many years ago, where it would focus on the glasses instead of the eye (A7RII maybe?)
Yes, Nikon does precisely the same thing when there are multiple possible subjects in the frame. You just toggle your chosen subject with the arrow pad.
On the eyelash issue, I'm not pretending it doesn’t exist. I’m telling you it’s never affected me. The only “issue” I’ve ever had with respect to eye AF is that the camera will focus on my daughter’s hair when it’s covering the eye the camera is supposed to be focusing on. I don’t blame the camera in that situation; I blame myself. I also wouldn’t call it an issue because thr camera focuses on her eye when the hair is removed.
Btw, isn’t it very likely that the people telling you this eyelash issue exists are doing something wrong, like not holding the camera/lens steady, using some strange AF mode, underexposing, etc.? Amateur photographers on the internet have vastly different levels of competence and understanding of their gear. I would advise against taking as gospel a few people’s word when there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. After all, this is the same thread where some people act like focusing with a Nikon Z camera is as complex as operating a Rube Goldberg machine. In reality, it’s a simple button press for 99.999% of shots, and when AA mode doesn’t work, you can just press one of numerous other buttons to get the camera to focus where you point it.
p.12 #9 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
You find it ridiculous that the new user of a camera system who asked for advice and instead received dozens (hundreds?) of attacks and accusations from the community he's just joined could be pushed towards another brand?
It was initially one guy that called the OP a troll after a page of replies which the OP has now said he was too experienced to even bother responding to (lol). Then, the resident gaslighter blew it up from there. Also the OP talked big about his identity =/= camera brands, so I don’t think a group of strangers would influence his decision to try a different brand, that was always the plan when this topic was started.
p.12 #12 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
When it focuses on your daughter's hair does it still show that it recognizes the eye with the eye-AF box? Or does it move to face detect or appear like it's focusing on her hair? Someone else mentioned something peculiar that their (Nikon) camera showed focus on the correct point (even via EXIF) but that's not where it focused.
I don't think this issue is due to people holding the camera wrong or using a strange AF mode. Mainly because it has been a reoccurring issue brought up that is specific to Nikon. These camera brands are all very similar when it comes to eye-AF settings. I can't see many settings that would consistently (across many users and Nikon camera bodies) cause the camera to front focus slightly on eyelashes or headwear. The reports have mainly been when used in the most basic of settings, face detect eye-AF on, subject detect set to people, wide/auto area AF. Not using 3D tracking or anything more complex. This isn't motion blur, camera shake, or completely OOF subjects. It's a very specific very slight front focus that occurs for many users using eye-AF.
If I saw a similar consistently discussed issue with certain Sony or Canon cameras I wouldn't think it is due to everyone not knowing how to adjust settings or hold their camera properly. One example that comes to mind is Sony's color science and white balance issues with some of their previous cameras. I discussed this in depth many years ago and it was another part of my decision to move to Canon at the time. It clearly was a Sony specific issue that came up frequently. AWB was often terrible and skintones were difficult to dial in under many different lighting scenarios.
groob wrote:
Yes, Nikon does precisely the same thing when there are multiple possible subjects in the frame. You just toggle your chosen subject with the arrow pad.
On the eyelash issue, I'm not pretending it doesn’t exist. I’m telling you it’s never affected me. The only “issue” I’ve ever had with respect to eye AF is that the camera will focus on my daughter’s hair when it’s covering the eye the camera is supposed to be focusing on. I don’t blame the camera in that situation; I blame myself. I also wouldn’t call it an issue because thr camera focuses on her eye when the hair is removed.
Btw, isn’t it very likely that the people telling you this eyelash issue exists are doing something wrong, like not holding the camera/lens steady, using some strange AF mode, underexposing, etc.? Amateur photographers on the internet have vastly different levels of competence and understanding of their gear. I would advise against taking as gospel a few people’s word when there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. After all, this is the same thread where some people act like focusing with a Nikon Z camera is as complex as operating a Rube Goldberg machine. In reality, it’s a simple button press for 99.999% of shots, and when AA mode doesn’t work, you can just press one of numerous other buttons to get the camera to focus where you point it. ...Show more →
p.12 #13 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
Thanks for the insight. I'll play around with the AF boxes. I haven't used my Z8 with multiple people in a scene yet so it may prove useful for that. My workflow with Canon is to use wide-AF and it detects each person (eye-AF) with a left/right arrow that allows you to toggle between subjects using the joystick. Does Nikon have anything similar to this?
As for the eyelash AF and Trump's portrait, I'm not sure what settings they used but I'm sure any of us could get a sharp retina in a controlled environment, probably even 95% of the time using eye-AF. What myself and others are concerned with are those strange occasional misses that people have been discussing for a couple years while using eye-AF and why they occur. Is it something that can be adjusted with software? Is it a lens issue? Is it front focusing due to lighting? Obviously difficult to pinpoint but again not an issue I ever saw pop-up with Sony or Canon (except for adapted lenses front focusing many years ago) so it seems to be Nikon specific whatever it is. It's just strange to me that some people seem to pretend it doesn't exist. Maybe it doesn't for some but it's clear that it does for others. My best guess is that it's just the AF algorithm getting confused in certain situations, especially glasses or headwear, occasionally eyelashes for whatever reason. I actually vaguely remember having that issue with glasses shooting Sony many years ago, where it would focus on the glasses instead of the eye (A7RII maybe?)
Yes to the first question......easy peasy and I think Nikon was praised for its control over which eye / face you can toggle back and forth with back in the day. One subject to focus on in an uncomplicated field shouldn't be a challenge for these systems in reasonable light.
Sharing the Trump shot was a half-joke because it supported my statement about how the pros will shoot with a tighter aperture to ensure they had the appropriate amount of detail (they weren't shooting at f1.2 in close). If you look back at the shot, you'll notice that his whole head is in focus. When people (like me at times) shoot wide open and get too close because we're excited to shoot wide open, the shots look less professional to me. It's all good fun trying to get a razor thin depth of field just right, but in most cases it doesn't do much in terms of professional-looking images. So eye-AF only hitting the lashes......well, you're probably taking a limited shot anyway regardless of system and retina sharpness from my perspective (others may rightfully disagree).
Where I will agree with you above is with the eye glasses. I definitely find eye- AF will get tricked by eye glasses with my Zf eye-AF (will have to check through Z8 shots). Not sure how this compares with other systems. But again, what I really want is a shot that has the nose, glasses, eye lashes, eyes and the ears all in focus at the least in most images. So I'm fighting myself more than the camera by not stepping back or adjusting my aperture.
I'm not concerned with getting 100% focus accuracy in all types of situations. I think that's a lot to expect out of any system and you can drive yourself nuts trying to sort it out. My livelihood doesn't depend on it and I get many more images than I need in most situations with the AF. What's more important to me are the lenses, feel of the camera, workflow, and more importantly, the IQ / output. I've never been upset with Nikon's AF enough to worry about it, but a search through my images will tell you if your shooting needs differ from mine.
Best advice I can give you though - step away from the keyboard and pick up the Z8 You will learn more from shooting than you will from more time on this thread for now! Congrats on the Z8. It's a phenomenal camera. I'll close this message up with a couple of shots taken with the Z8, an ftz and the 400mm f2.8 (f-mount).....the ironman athletes were cycling at about 35km/h towards me. I used area mode eye-AF. If you go to my website, you'll see more like this. With the Z8, it was like a hot knife through butter getting these athletes in focus. The last shot I added was from a fundraiser where I would have changed the area of the AF box so that I ensured I had the lead rider(s). All of the shots below would have been at f2.8 at 400mm (moving vehicle on the last one I may add). The Z8 is great!
p.12 #14 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
This is true all day from my standpoint.
I also find it somehow ironic the op has received zero responses to date in the Sony forum posting he made,
bernardl wrote:
How would you know that the fact of my positive experiences using the Z8 in an optimized way with excellent results does not apply to other people?
You have not tried my recommendations, the OP has not tried them either. Others did tried them and reproduced my results.
The answer is that it doesn't match your view that Sony's eye AF is superior. That's all there is to it, isn't it?
So I am sorry, I fail to understand the objective of your posts in this thread.
And I did not present my conclusions about the motivation of the OP as a fact. This is clearly my opinion but based on a reasonable set of observations. Could there be another interpretation? Yes certainly, but I don't see how it would be more likely. I certainty find ridiculous the idea that a person would sell or buy a camera because people are, according to you, unfriendly in a forum.
p.12 #15 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
You find it ridiculous that the new user of a camera system who asked for advice and instead received dozens (hundreds?) of attacks and accusations from the community he's just joined could be pushed towards another brand?
I find the idea that such a thing (people giving up on a camera based on some forum "unkind" feedbacks) could happen completely ridiculous yes.
Even my 12 yo daughter would not adopt such a self defeating behavior. If you buy a camera you are reasonably convinced it can work for you, which means solve a problem you are facing or in other words deliver value to you. Then you study and try to make it work. When someone gives you advice, you try to follow that advice because you are looking for a solution. And, weeks later, if things still don't work then you consider another option. That's what real people do.
But again, i don't think that that ridiculous thing actually happened. I believe that the OP never intended to use his Z8. And even if he did, if he is not willing/able the adopt the obvious process I described above, I don't believe he ever was serious about his needs nor about finding solutions to the problems he claimed he faced.
I have participated in my fair share of RFPs in corporate settings. We know right away whether the person in front of you actually is serious and really involved in something. Nothing in the behavior of the OP conveys any hint about true involvement.
p.12 #16 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
AlphaPhotography wrote:
I will try those recommendations.
For "Set the interruption setting to the lower possible value (highest possible reactivity)" you mean g7 AF tracking sensitivity set to 1 (High), correct?
What is the purpose of burst shooting vs single shot? Sometimes I'm shooting with OCF so burst isn't even an option.
I'm not sure how these settings could fix the problem people have been describing (the camera using eye-AF focusing on the eyelash or hat brim, etc) since they seem unrelated but I will test them and report back. I'll do further testing once I'm able to get ahold of a faster telephoto prime but in the meantime I'll see what I can discern with my 40mm f2. ...Show more →
- [Correction] No, the correct setting is a3 set to 1 and erratic. My theory is that due to model movement the eyelash can sometimes obstruct the pupil of the eye and this setting maximizes the odds that the tracking is back to the pupil when the shutter is pressed.
- Burst isn't always possible, I know. I shoot in the studio myself and although my Pro-10 packs do manage bursts very well this isn't pleasing for the subject. But I notice that the if I shoot a burst of a few images there is 99% chance of one being perfect. This was also the case with my Sony bodies btw. Success rate is always higher compared to a single shot.
- I also did notice a higher success ratio when not using IBIS.
- Note that I did not speak about activating people recognition but about desactivating the recognition of other types of subjects.
- [Addition] I recommend to use AF-C in Focus + Release mode
As explained before, I am getting outstanding results with the combination of settings and my S line Z mount lenses. Although I own a copy, I have only very limited experience with the AF of the 40mm f2.0. I am not sure it's AF is to the same standards as S line lenses. In fact I know it isn't.
p.12 #17 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
Re ” Still in my experience eyelash af is very rare. Heck, it’s rare with a Z6ii and 85 1.2. “
Yes, I had good focus with the Z6/Z7II and fast lenses - however as we have noted, the issues arise when using slower lenses (f/4.0…) and the light dims.
Buckeye2604 wrote:
It was initially one guy that called the OP a troll after a page of replies which the OP has now said he was too experienced to even bother responding to (lol). Then, the resident gaslighter blew it up from there. Also the OP talked big about his identity =/= camera brands, so I don’t think a group of strangers would influence his decision to try a different brand, that was always the plan when this topic was started.
p.12 #18 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
That 400 is a beauty
urbanwild wrote:
Yes to the first question......easy peasy and I think Nikon was praised for its control over which eye / face you can toggle back and forth with back in the day. One subject to focus on in an uncomplicated field shouldn't be a challenge for these systems in reasonable light.
Sharing the Trump shot was a half-joke because it supported my statement about how the pros will shoot with a tighter aperture to ensure they had the appropriate amount of detail (they weren't shooting at f1.2 in close). If you look back at the shot, you'll notice that his whole head is in focus. When people (like me at times) shoot wide open and get too close because we're excited to shoot wide open, the shots look less professional to me. It's all good fun trying to get a razor thin depth of field just right, but in most cases it doesn't do much in terms of professional-looking images. So eye-AF only hitting the lashes......well, you're probably taking a limited shot anyway regardless of system and retina sharpness from my perspective (others may rightfully disagree).
Where I will agree with you above is with the eye glasses. I definitely find eye- AF will get tricked by eye glasses with my Zf eye-AF (will have to check through Z8 shots). Not sure how this compares with other systems. But again, what I really want is a shot that has the nose, glasses, eye lashes, eyes and the ears all in focus at the least in most images. So I'm fighting myself more than the camera by not stepping back or adjusting my aperture.
I'm not concerned with getting 100% focus accuracy in all types of situations. I think that's a lot to expect out of any system and you can drive yourself nuts trying to sort it out. My livelihood doesn't depend on it and I get many more images than I need in most situations with the AF. What's more important to me are the lenses, feel of the camera, workflow, and more importantly, the IQ / output. I've never been upset with Nikon's AF enough to worry about it, but a search through my images will tell you if your shooting needs differ from mine.
Best advice I can give you though - step away from the keyboard and pick up the Z8 You will learn more from shooting than you will from more time on this thread for now! Congrats on the Z8. It's a phenomenal camera. I'll close this message up with a couple of shots taken with the Z8, an ftz and the 400mm f2.8 (f-mount).....the ironman athletes were cycling at about 35km/h towards me. I used area mode eye-AF. If you go to my website, you'll see more like this. With the Z8, it was like a hot knife through butter getting these athletes in focus. The last shot I added was from a fundraiser where I would have changed the area of the AF box so that I ensured I had the lead rider(s). All of the shots below would have been at f2.8 at 400mm (moving vehicle on the last one I may add). The Z8 is great!
p.12 #19 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
Someone else said g7 is a video setting. Is that not true? Will it affect photo AF?
bernardl wrote:
- Yes, that's the correct setting. My theory is that due to model movement the eyelash can sometimes obstruct the pupil of the eye and this setting maximizes the odds that the tracking is back to the pupil when the shutter is pressed.
- Burst isn't always possible, I know. I shoot in the studio myself and although my Pro-10 packs do manage bursts very well this isn't pleasing for the subject. But I notice that the if I shoot a burst of a few images there is 99% chance of one being perfect. This was also the case with my Sony bodies btw. Success rate is always higher compared to a single shot.
- I also did notice a higher success ratio when not using IBIS.
- Note that I did not speak about activating people recognition but about desactivating the recognition of other types of subjects.
As explained before, I am getting outstanding results with the combination of settings and my S line Z mount lenses. Although I own a copy, I have only very limited experience with the AF of the 40mm f2.0. I am not sure it's AF is to the same standards as S line lenses. In fact I know it isn't.
p.12 #20 · After testing Z8 and having focus issues I may go to the Sony A7RV
Buckeye2604 wrote:
If I had to guess the focus tracking with lock on setting (a3).
Yes, apologies for my earlier inaccurate answer, it is indeed a3 set to 1 and erratic that provides the most reliable eye pupil focusing results for me. As mentioned, along with the other settings I proposed.
Add to that AF-C mode in Focus + Release configuration. Important one I should have mentioned. And that's a1. In summary, my recommendation, in decreasing order of importance/impact is the following:
- Use your lenses as open as possible depending on situation, f1.2 provides the best AF performance. Pro lenses have more responsive focus adjustment and will obviously deliver better results,
- Use AF-C in Focus + Release mode (setting a1)
- Set setting a3 to the lower possible value (highest possible reactivity) of 1 and use erratic
- Use custom AF area set as a box covering the area of the EVF where the face is likely to be seen with subject recognition limited to people (other types of subjects not selected), that's in the Photo shooting menu under "AF subject detection options"
- Deactivate IBIS if you don't really need it
- Set your EVF View mode to adjust for use of viewing when possible (not setting reflected), setting d9. I am not sure this one really impacts though
- When possible, shoot in short bursts instead of single shot. It provides a lot more data for the camera to get one absolutely perfect. All Sony bodies I tried also performed better this way as well.
And indeed, there is nothing complex about Nikon's AF, once set up the shooting experience is basically point and shoot.
You will learn more from shooting than you will from more time on this thread for now! Congrats on the Z8. It's a phenomenal camera. I'll close this message up with a couple of shots taken with the Z8, an ftz and the 400mm f2.8 (f-mount).....the ironman athletes were cycling at about 35km/h towards me. I used area mode eye-AF. If you go to my website, you'll see more like this. With the Z8, it was like a hot knife through butter getting these athletes in focus. The last shot I added was from a fundraiser where I would have changed the area of the AF box so that I ensured I had the lead rider(s). All of the shots below would have been at f2.8 at 400mm (moving vehicle on the last one I may add). The Z8 is great!