Photo notebook

In the rumour-hype-cycle of the just announced Nikon Z6III, I had written off the 7III as impossible and unnecessary. The idea was that the Z8 made the Z7III redundant. Well, that was until I thought about the pricing and realised there is space in the lineup for a new 7 series, at least in terms of pricing.

There is almost certainly enough demand globally for a high megapixel version of the Z6, something like a 60mp+ sensor, with the same AF system, slower frame rate, and intended for the studio, landscapes, etc, but also fitting the needs and wants of many enthusiasts.

A 7III would fit in the lineup based on the pattern that is apparent from current NZ pricing at least, if there is a roughly $1,400 price difference between models:

• Zf $3,800
• Z6III $5,200
• Z7III $6,600
• Z8 $8,000

Based on the standard pricing on the Nikon NZ website (body only):

• Zf $4,000
• Z6III $5,400
• Z7III $6,800 <– this kinda fits
• Z8 $8,200

So what? Even if the pricing indicates there is a gap in the lineup, I am missing Nikon’s data on demand, which really is the crucial factor. However there are pretty clear signals that there is potential demand for a high resolution body:

1. Given the complaints online about the Z6III’s 24mp sensor and it being referred to as “low resolution”. There were some analysts (both in the industry and keen amateurs) who were certain there would be a megapixel increase and expected 33mp or higher.
2. The seemingly popular and beautiful Fuji medium format cameras which happily occupy a niche of “affordable” medium format that no other manufacturer is playing in.
3. Since Nikon’s D800, Sony, Canon, and Nikon have all included a megapixel beast in their lineup in some form.
4. While really high megapixels are probably not needed by the vast majority of photographers, and especially hobbyists, that doesn’t matter. That is part of deciding on and buying a camera, and for some folks they want megapixels, rationality be damned.
5. High megapixel full frame cameras, rightly or wrongly, do have their image quality compared to medium format image quality.
6. The 7 series are beloved for their image quality by their target consumer.

The US, Chinese, European, and Japanese markets are incomprehensibly huge to me as someone living in a country of barely 5 million people. Even in a global downturn, those economies are awash with folks with the disposable income for luxury items, such as a new camera every few years.

Additionally, the 6 and 7 series aren’t just products built on the same product platform, they are the same body with a different sensor and adapted software for managing the sensor. The economies of scale must be favourable for the Z7III even if it sells in considerably lower quantities, given that the margin on a 7 series is potentially higher than on the 6III.

The pricing for the camera body is A LOT more than I was expecting.

In NZ the launch price is $5,200, which is way above my expectation that it would be closer to $4,000.

The current NZ prices are:

• Zf $3,500 (it’s on sale)
• Z6III $5,200
• Z8 $7,700 (also on sale)

This makes me think much harder about what I need. If I wasn’t into working on my wildlife technique so much I would simply stick with what I’ve got.

Four years with the Z6

Even in 2024 the Z6 is still an amazing camera. With my newly acquired knowledge of how autofocus works on the Z6, it would still be perfect for me if it were not for my recent interest in bird photography. The requirements for bird photography in the NZ bush are well beyond what the Z6 is intended for, and even though it performs very well in those conditions, I feel there are a lot of shots I miss that I wouldn’t with the latest generation of AF.

But what is it I really need?

• 24mp is enough for me. Sure I would sometimes love the additional freedom to crop that a larger file would provide, but 24mp really is fine for me right now. [Update: more and more the idea of 45mp of the Z8 is very appealing.]
• Better autofocus. I believe there is still more to squeeze out of the Z6’s AF system by improving my technique and learning to mode switch. This is a valuable skill to learn and will be needed for a new body. A big part of this is autofocus down to EV -10 vs EV -3.5. I don’t think in practice I’ll get 10 stops more, but even if it is -6 vs -3.5 it should make a huge difference. In fact I wonder if I get AF at -3.5 currently.
• A larger buffer. I am finding I need to be careful not to fill the buffer, and a couple of times recently I have been aware of missing shots as the buffer was full and firing became less responsive. In practice the buffer of the Z6III is unlimited, but that could result in a lot more useless frames to weed out after the photo shoot.
• IBS – most of my low light wildlife shots are handheld, so improvements here are high up the needs list.
• Good high ISO performance.
• Faster frame rate. The Z6 is pretty good for my needs. Sure a bump wouldn’t hurt, but I find 12fps ample.
• U1 to U3 mode switch. This is frequently used, even on wildlife shoots if I want to attempt monochrome shots. [Update: Exploring the banks on the D810 has been a relief and a fright. On one hand they’re not as bad as I thought, and have a number of advantages over user settings, but there is a speed and simplicity to the user settings that is far easier to understand.]
• Video. I barely use video, and while it’s something I may get into it’s not currently part of my thinking.

Stick with the Z6?

If I wasn’t currently hooked on wildlife photography the Z6 would be absolutely fine, there is very little I do that requires as much AF and buffer grunt as the Z6III provides.

The Z6II is not a big enough upgrade

On paper the Z6II is not a big enough upgrade from the Z6, it was surely intended for folks switching to the Z system for the first time rather than folks upgrading from the first generation Z models. It’s still a chunk of money too.

The Zf comes close in all but one major area

Given the price of the Z6III, the Zf really is an interesting option. Its autofocus won’t be as as good as the 6III, but it is a huge upgrade on the Z6 and Z6II. The buffer also doesn’t match the 6III, but, it should be a material improvement on the Z6 that tends to fill and slow after only bursts of only a few seconds, whereas in theory the Zf buffer should last about 14 seconds.

In every key factor where I need a bump in performance the Zf will provide it, and it has so many of the features of the the Z6III for a much lower price.

There is a substantial drawback for action photography, the ergonomics of a ‘retro’ camera. It will need a third party grip for starters, but for $1,700 less it’s at least worth consideration, as it may not be as bad as I expect. It is a difficult thing to test though, as there are no rental options in my city that I’m aware of.

What about the Z8?

At $2,500 more than the Z6III I cannot justify it. Perhaps used units in a few years will be more affordable, but like the D8xx series I expect they’ll hold their value well for some time to come. [Update: the Z8 is very very much on the cards for me. I think the Z6III megapixel issue will become an issue for me in the coming years. A Z8 at a reduced price (or used) is likely to be a body I will keep for 5+ years, the Z6III might not be.]

The advantages of the Z6III

• The autofocus looks to be extremely good.
• 24mp – perfect for me currently as I really don’t fancy handling large quantities of massive files. [Update: I am wavering on this one.]
• The EVF is the best of the Nikon’s atm.
• The buffer is huge, like a Z8.
• The much lower price than the Z8.
• Pixel shift is interesting as I’d like a higher resolution option sometimes for landscape and so one, but, it’s probably not ideal for this purpose when things are moving and it needs to take 30 shots (although in the right conditions it could do that in a little over 2 seconds).
• My other underlying assumption is that the Z6III is going to get some pretty major firmware upgrades over the next couple of years which could make it even more of an incredible performer.
• I think more will be revealed about the 6III as more people use production copies. [Update: apart from quibbles about dynamic range the longer term reviews are still basically rave reviews.]

The only downside is the price, and it is the only thing that has given me pause. If it was around $4,000 I’d be lining this up. At $5,200 I have to reconsider.

So what’s it going to be?

Given I don’t have funds, this is a thought exercise.

If the old Z6 fetches a reasonable price, say around $1,200, I’ll still need to come up with about $4,000 for a 6III, vs $2,000 for the Zf.

• $4,000 is a hell of a lot for sick as AF and buffer.
• That said, it would hopefully be enough camera for me and I would have no need to upgrade for a good 5 or 6 years. The thought that nags me is will 24mp, while perfect for me now, start to feel like a limitation within a few years? Having a camera body for 6 years would work out at an additional outlay of under $700/year, but assuming the keeper rate is a lot higher that is good value given how much I use it.
• When taking a longer term view, it even makes the Z8 a contender, at under $1,100 a year over 6 years. Food for thought. [Update: I am working towards savings for Cyber Monday, in case there is a reduction on the Z8.]
• For me, the Zf comes within range of the 6III in terms of benefits, but has an ergonomic trade-off that might be unmanageable, even given the much lower cost.

Right now I have no choice so I am going to stick with the Z6, but I will be saving up.

[Postscript: I would be happy with a Zf, Z6III, or a Z8. The Z8 is certainly my preferred option of the three, but, it may be financially out of reach for several years.]

I’ve been avoiding capturing birds in flight and my lack of practice cost me a chance to capture a Kārearea today.

While leaving Zealandia I heard the Kārearea overheard, and sure enough there it was. My attempts to capture it were thwarted by several mistakes in my technique:

1. Shutter speed was not fast enough, I was using 1/320.
2. Focus was initially set to single point instead of wide area or auto-area AF.
3. Exposure mode was centre weighted instead of matrix.
4. I should have taken a few moments and attempted to manual focus
5. I also should have zoomed out a little to make tracking easier

I switched to Auto-Area AF and continued to get mixed results, but certainly better. Some were out of focus, a lot would have benefited from a higher shutter speed had I thought to do that.

Today while shooting at Zealandia there were several brief instances where I could not acquire focus when it seemed the conditions, while challenging, should have allowed it.

The first occurrence was when the battery was low. After that I suspected it could have been due to the buffer being full. The other odd thing that occurred was the programmable control on the end of the Nikkor 180-600mm didn’t appear to work a couple of times. I have it set to zoom to help with acquiring or checking focus, so I assume there was a link between the non-responsive autofocus and the zoom not working. These could have been buffer related but I had never encountered that before.

While this was happening I did start to think more about how much I am pushing the Z 6. Under these extreme circumstances how many shots do I miss completely? How much would my keeper rate increase if I had a Zf,  Z 6ii, Z 8, or the upcoming Z 6iii. These are not the sort of thoughts I want to be having as a) gear is expensive and I don’t have the cash; and b) my kaupapa at the moment is 100% focused getting the most of my gear.

The main issues for missing focus are related to the following points, which I suspect might even challenge an autofocus beast like the Z 8 or rumoured specs on the Z 6iii:

1. under the canopy in NZ it is quite dark, even in summer, let alone as we approach the shortest day.
2. usually the birds are behind layers of branches, twigs, and leaves. The Z 6 cannot use a pinpoint focus in AF-C which means it struggles without a pinpoint. Coupled with the low light, that is a big ask.
3. most of the birds are very small.
4. most of the birds move fast and don’t sit still.

There are options I have not explored yet, such as enabling eye detection or animal detection, which I need to add to a shortcut (in fact I may have already).

But, out of curiosity I started to record my overall keeper rate, and those that I rate above bare minimum, and if I can remember I will do it after each wildlife shoot.

Such a beautiful beastie, with lovely brassing and a very interesting backstory as it was used extensively by a well known archaeologist. I am stoked to have it. The Micro-Nikkor-P 55mm f/3.5 Auto is a lovely lens, and the rather rushed test roll turned out well.

The Photomic FTn prism is pretty mean looking, the meter is working intermittently, I am hopeful this is just a battery issue. The last couple of days it has worked everytime I’ve tried it, I may have to invest in some adapters to limit the voltage of LR44s.

Some of the controls that were initially quite stiff, such as the rear prism release button, are loosening with use.

The seals will need attention at some stage, but otherwise it is in usable condition.

Great fun to use so far, even when just using sunny 16 for metering.

The test roll was a very expired roll of Kodak Ultramax 400.

I first encountered U1 and U2 user settings back when I owned a Nikon D7000. It was such an incredible shortcut, and I have loved it on the D600 and now the Z 6. I miss it on the D810 and will one day take 10 minutes to understand how custom banks work.

My current set up allows easy switching between wildlife mode (full manual, auto ISO, continuous high burst shutter, and currently centre weighted metering); generic monochrome in manual mode; and high contrast monochrome (aperture priority, highlight weighted metering).

In the past I have struggled to remember what was what, resulting in a piece of tape stuck to the camera to remind me.

Disclaimer: my wildlife photography skills were basically zero in February, and I have only come a short way in that time, but given the starting point it feels significant to me. There is still a massive hill to climb, and I am aware I am still at the base of that hill.

Finding critters to photograph

I walk far more slowly than I used to, and when I hear something I stop, and I wait, sometimes for many minutes until I am sure there is nothing nearby before moving on. At Zealandia the bird life tends to stick together, often one bird or type of bird is not far from others. I am also learning to look at things a little differently.

Technique

• patience, lots of it. I am getting a little better at waiting and giving things time. I think when I started I would get bored and leave situations that were rich with subjects to rush off to the next thing. However, too many shaky bad photos and missed opportunities has been a great teacher.
• settings, lots of refinement and increased awareness of what my settings are. Initially I was doing really goofy stuff like trying to shoot with really low iso, or -2EV, or shutter speeds like 1/80 or worse. Checking shutter speed and aperture is slowly becoming second nature and my keeper rate is slowly increasing – although just a little.
• movement, and thinking about how I should move around the subject to maximise the opportunity instead of staying completely immobile.
• autofocus, lots of learning. While the Z 6 is not the first choice for wildlife photography, it really is so much better than YouTube reviews would have you believe. Sure, a Zf, Z 8 or a Z 9 is clearly going to be a much better choice in terms of autofocus, but learning to live within the limitations has enabled results I would not have imagined were possible.

Gear

The Nikon Z 6 can achieve outstanding results with its first generation mirrorless autofocus. I am now attempting to manually adjust the focus more, especially when shooting through a web of twigs and leaves.

Customising the camera controls has been well worth it. The record button is now the AF adjust, a custom function button is playback, allowing eyes on the viewfinder while previewing and continuing to hold the long lens. I notice the Z 8 has moved all buttons to the right so that less customisation is needed to get the set up I have.

The Z 6 is a solid all rounder, and wildlife photography in NZ bush with small and fast moving subjects is so far outside its intended usage parameters, but is still performs very well.

A lot of that is about perseverance, but that’s the same regardless of gear. Initially my technique was so poor a Z 8 or Z 9 would have made very little difference. While I could be at the point of diminishing returns, there are still tweaks to be made to get further improvements from the equipment.

It has proved to me that you can always get more out of your gear than you’d expect.

After happening on Alan Schaller’s work and his extremely watchable YouTube channel, I was dying to try to replicate the bold contrast, a look I have always loved.

Highlight weighted metering does the heavy lifting to recreate the high contrast look on the Z 6. The Z 6 is does not have a dedicated monochrome sensor like the M10 Monochrom, and I have no intention to attempt to match his quality, subject matter, composition, or overall vibe.

The weather and light created by the low sun at this time of year does lend itself to some dramatic atmosphere, and it will be fun to get into town and try it out.

A summary of the settings for the high contrast black and white look on the Nikon Z 6:

• monochrome
• aperture priority
• auto iso from 100 to 10,000
• -0.7 or -1.0 exposure composition
• metering mode: highlight weighted
• Autofocus is on, but I will pre-focus if I am shooting with the classic F mount lenses.

After an OK 90 minutes or so at Zealandia, it occurred to me I should try getting the pin point autofocus point for shooting at wildlife through small gaps in the branches. On the Z 6 that can only be found in autofocus single. I figure this might not be the end of the world and am keen to try it next time.

I also found an article on Photography Life that resonated with my current experiences, “So, Your Autofocus Isn’t Good Enough for Wildlife Photography?” by Spencer Cox. I am using the Z 6 which has the same autofocus system as the Z 7 which is referenced in the post. I know it’s not the ideal camera for bird photography, but I also recognise it is not terrible either, and a lot of what I am trying to learn to do is improve technique.

Improved technique for me is as much about stuff not pertaining to the camera such as recognising when there is something nearby to photograph, learning patience to wait for a bird to move into view or better places to capture it (like a patch with better light), positioning, anticipation, etc.

In terms of what improved technique on the camera means for me is getting better at switching metering mode, autofocus mode, building the habit of watching shutter speed/aperture/ISO far more closely, and even how I hold the lens.

All of those things are slowly improving for me and that will give me more opportunities to get keepers. Even if I had funds, buying a Z 8 right now would potentially improve my keeper rate, but it would only highlight the underlying issues with technique.