p.3 #1 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
snapsy wrote:
The green-box focus confirmation uses the same phase evaluation logic as the AF system. The sensor-based PDAF pixels have much shallower geometries than the discrete PDAF sensors in DSLRs, and evaluating the phase differentials of those pixels requires knowledge of the exit pupil distanced of the lens, which is why the focus confirmation requires chipped lenses.
That doesn't really explain why focus confirmation and trap focus work fine on the TTArtisan 6-bit M-Z adapter.
p.3 #2 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
pkmx wrote:
That doesn't really explain why focus confirmation and trap focus work fine on the TTArtisan 6-bit M-Z adapter.
Those adapters fake the lens information, which will provide suboptimal focus confirmation results when the actual lens exit pupil distance varies significantly from the faked value. That's fine for third-party solutions but not something an OEM like Nikon would accept in their design.
p.3 #3 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
That article makes him sound like such an insulated loser. If he’d shot the A1 for the past 4 years and been subjected to the way Sony treats their $6000+ flagship users, he’d have a little more perspective and appreciation for what Nikon did with the Z9.
rick-reno wrote:
Thom Hogan writes about the Z8 fw vs what we've got in the Z9.
p.3 #4 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
RoamingScott wrote:
That article makes him sound like such an insulated loser. If he’d shot the A1 for the past 4 years and been subjected to the way Sony treats their $6000+ flagship users, he’d have a little more perspective and appreciation for what Nikon did with the Z9.
I've never seen any company improve a camera for several years like Nikon did for the Z9. I certainly feel I got more than what I paid for and look forward to getting the new Z9mk2. We all love free $hit but Nikon is not a charity!! Agree with your sentiments!
p.3 #5 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
That may be but, he does have a point. The Z8 is now a more compelling option over the Z9 unless one is choosing a camera for extended video productions.
Sure Nikon have essentially upgraded the Z9 since its launch and perhaps the hardware is limited or the marketing department is dictating product development but I wish I had some the Z8 features in my Z9's.
RoamingScott wrote:
That article makes him sound like such an insulated loser. If he’d shot the A1 for the past 4 years and been subjected to the way Sony treats their $6000+ flagship users, he’d have a little more perspective and appreciation for what Nikon did with the Z9.
p.3 #6 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
Laughed at “more compelling”. I’ve had two Z9 and a Z8. No way I’d pick up the Z8 for any use case over a Z9.
JBPhotog wrote:
That may be but, he does have a point. The Z8 is now a more compelling option over the Z9 unless one is choosing a camera for extended video productions.
Sure Nikon have essentially upgraded the Z9 since its launch and perhaps the hardware is limited or the marketing department is dictating product development but I wish I had some the Z8 features in my Z9's.
p.3 #7 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
RoamingScott wrote:
Laughed at “more compelling”. I’ve had two Z9 and a Z8. No way I’d pick up the Z8 for any use case over a Z9.
Laugh all you want, others need tools that speed up production. Shoot fabric products that produce moire on Z9 and then use a Z8 that eliminates it and try a convince others the Z9 is superior. Your argument sounds elitist rather than pragmatic.
p.3 #8 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
I am pretty sure that we will get a firmware 6.0 for the Z9 that will deliver whatever Nikon can with the older Z9 hardware. That will probably not include multishot.
Why did Nikon deliver for the Z8 first? My guess is:
- They work on improving all their existing and future cameras in parallel focusing on the dev of the features they think most users would benefit from
- they were simply ready from a dev point of view with a coherent set of Z8 features
- there are probably a lot more Z8 than Z9 users
- the Z8 still sells very well and to a much broader set of users
- the Z9 got 5.1 and 5.2 after the Z8 got 2.0.
So yes, the Z9II is coming but that does in no way mean that Nikon will stop to improve the Z9.
p.3 #10 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
Yes, I was told pretty much everything inside Z9 and Z8 are the same except for the newer IBIS unit in Z8 and in built in GPS unit in Z9.
Z8 came out just over 2 years ago and Z8 almost 4 years ago so that was one tweak that Nikon made
between the two launches. Pixel shift won't come to Z9 till Z9 ii.
p.3 #11 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
snapsy wrote:
FW 3.0 adds a focusing option named "a14 - Maximum aperture LV" . When enabled, the camera will keep the lens wide-open during LV and focusing, as compared to stopping down to the shooting aperture (up to f/5.6).
I just noticed Z9 FW 5.0 added the option "a14 “Max. Aperture Lv During MF”, which does the same thing as the Z8 FW 3.0 option but only when in manual focus mode. Interestingly the Z9 option doesn't appear in any other Z camera that I checked - I'm guessing the new AF-agnostic version of max aperture added to the Z8 will replace the MF-specific option in the Z9 when ported to other Z bodies.
p.3 #12 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
Care to share where Nikon said this? I've read a bunch of the firmware updates, news releases and follow Nikon insider YTubers, not one of them mentions this. I suspect it is the case but I've never come across an official statement.
RoamingScott wrote:
Nikon said long ago the IBIS unit in the Z9 simply can’t support pixel shift.
p.3 #13 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
RoamingScott wrote:
That article makes him sound like such an insulated loser. If he’d shot the A1 for the past 4 years and been subjected to the way Sony treats their $6000+ flagship users, he’d have a little more perspective and appreciation for what Nikon did with the Z9.
Or someone that has a lot more experience as a working professional photographer, industry connections (at Nikon and Sony), user feedback (from users of all systems), and foresight than you do. Thom has correctly predicted many major changes in the photography/camera industry. He's also provided incredible amounts of thoughtful feedback to manufacturers (especially Nikon) for decades regrading useful changes or updates that would make their products better for the end users, professional and amateur alike. Just because Sony has abused their A1 customer base doesn't mean that Nikon isn't in the wrong for the way they're treating their Z9 customers.
p.3 #14 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
snapsy wrote:
FW 3.0 adds a focusing option named "a14 - Maximum aperture LV" . When enabled, the camera will keep the lens wide-open during LV and focusing, as compared to stopping down to the shooting aperture (up to f/5.6). This should correct the AF issue and workaround I highlighted in my video 8 months ago:
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Here is Ricci @ Nikon discussing this new option. Starts at 2:28:
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Hopefully it will fix the issue - *however*, I had the same issue with f/4.0 zooms shot wide open...So it's not likely to fix the issue with such lenses shot at f/4 unless there's more magic happening here which has not been discussed yet.
(by this I mean Z8 showing focus confirmation even when the AF is off.)
p.3 #17 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
ronno wrote:
Hopefully it will fix the issue - *however*, I had the same issue with f/4.0 zooms shot wide open...So it's not likely to fix the issue with such lenses shot at f/4 unless there's more magic happening here which has not been discussed yet.
(by this I mean Z8 showing focus confirmation even when the AF is off.)
The Z6III being by far the best low light focusing camera on the market tells us that Nikon has already fixed this problem that all brands are facing, the R5II is very poor in low light.
This will most probably be included in the Z9II together with cross type AF points.
p.3 #18 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
"The Z6III being by far the best low light focusing camera on the market tells us that Nikon has already fixed this problem that all brands are facing, the R5II is very poor in low light.", very funny statement! You might be a comedian, good job! Here is one more for you my man " ...Z6III is better than Z6II... much better! Nikon make the best Nikon cameras!
p.3 #19 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
bernardl wrote:
The Z6III being by far the best low light focusing camera on the market tells us that Nikon has already fixed this problem that all brands are facing, the R5II is very poor in low light.
In real-life use, the R5, R5II, R1, R3, and even the lowly R7 are dramatically better at focusing in low light than the Z9 or Z8 - that's one of the main reasons I gave up on the Nikon system.
Historically, Nikon's claims of low-light AF sensitivity have been mostly marketing hyperbole.
p.3 #20 · New Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.0 - Enhanced Pixel Shift and More
Yet the Z6III is the best there is. This isn’t based on specs.
My comment on the R5II is coming from a top pro portrait shooter with a long Canon history who added a few month ago the R5II to his a1II. He mostly shoots street portraits at night. His hit rate with the Canon never reached 50% however hard he tried.
