NIKON Z6 Firmware 3.0 AUTO FOCUS Review = BETTER than SONY or Does it SUCK?
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
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This is the Real World Review of the Nikon Firmware Version 3.0 for the Z6 and Z7. I took the Nikon Z6 into multiple situations to really put it through its paces. I photographed Temple Womans Baseketball, Kids playing and Animal Eye AF on my cat Sammy Davis Jr Kitty. How does the Auto Focus system hold up now under version 3.0? Let's find out in this Review.
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00:15 - Intro
04:58 - Version 3.0 Firmware explained
06:22 - Kids Photoshoot with new firmware
28:57 - Basketball Photoshoot with new firmware
44:40 - Animal Eye AF Test with a cat
50:43 - Animal Eye AF Test with a dog
53:58 - Wrap up with final thoughts
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Nikon Review, Nikon z6 Review, Nikon Firmware, Sony a7, mirrorless, Nikon Rumors, Nikon Z50
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Since this is a long video, here's a TOC for you to use.
00:15 - Intro
04:58 - Version 3.0 Firmware explained
06:22 - Kids Photoshoot with new firmware
28:57 - Basketball Photoshoot with new firmware
44:40 - Animal Eye AF Test with a cat
50:43 - Animal Eye AF Test with a dog
53:58 - Wrap up with final thoughts
Thanks Jared, but you're the ONLY person on RUclips I can actually watch an hour long straight through without skipping ahead.
You're the best JPol!
Jared, You really need to talk about (revisit) the Nikon D3 and I'm not being a troll either. I've seen some images recently that even by today/2020 standards are just mind blowing. Thanks.
Thank you J, appreciate the timestamps!
@@garthzutautas9063 I can't - skipped to 53:58 :-)
This is by far the best in depth review about the AF. Jared you’ve really worked hard to put all this and I appreciate and agree with your thoughts. Thanks once a gain.
Totally agree! I’ve been critical about some of the antics and biases here at times but I’ve always loved these type of videos from Jared. Strong work and very informative.
الله جل جلاله I agree for the most part with what you’ve said. Again, the antics and circus behavior is what throws me off. I could care less what system anyone uses brother. The real art comes from the artist (US) and with all due respect and I mean no offense Jared is very knowledgeable and while he may take pictures, he’s a full time youtuber at this point. Not a photographer. Very knowledgeable in his own right but my point is that photographers have been taking great shots for decades long before we got spoiled with all of this tech. Sure, some may appreciate the luxuries of superb autofocus and yes, it would suck if you miss a shot because of the lack there of of it but this is why we do it. Keep practicing and honing the craft. “Do what you enjoy like you love it and it will never seem like work” 😉
I watched from beginning to end and must say that it is a more rounded video than most of your past videos. I appreciated the more positive approach you used.
What and you had no issues with a one-eyed cat?
Who else checked how long the video was, once he said, "this is going to be a super long video"
BigLama definitely me and saw the 56 minutes and said woooaaah
@BigLama Right as I was reading "this is going to be a super long video" in your comment, Jared said it! xD
Jared just after he gets married: "Right before we consummate this marriage, would you like take better pictures in just 11 days?"
😅😅
As a Z6 shooter I find this review pretty fair. The eye AF has certainly gotten better, and I can rely on it for portraits now.
I don't really care about the animal AF, but I must say that I had much more success with my golden retriever than Jared and Steven had. Maybe my dogs eyes are more easily detectable?
Sony's AF is still top of the line, but I wouldn't change my Z6 for an a7iii :)
Not anymore. I own both the. A7r4 and z7. The new update for Nikon is right up there now with Sony. Too bad for the folks who jumped ship to Sony. Nikon is only going to get better. Out of 68 shots only 2 were not in focus in Jared's test. Furthermore, go into the settings of the Nikon a3-fast, g4- +5, g5-high. Try it again with those settings
Because Sony ergonomics are fucking awful. I had an a7III and got rid of it after one wedding. Technology isn’t everything .
Michael Grevera amen
That's called 'Cognitive Dissonance'
@@michaelgrevera1468 Go try an EOS R if you think Sony's ergonomics are bad...
Great video. I’m glad you show the actual photos of af performance. Other reviewers didn’t do that. Always a pleasure to watch your videos, very informative and honest.
I can't thank you enough, Jared, these were great tests that I should've otherwise done. As I have a Z6. And still haven't updated the firmware, silly me! Please, stop apologizing in the future if your video is long - if they were twice as long I would still watch them. :) ;) You are helping a lot, there is nothing to excuse yourself for. Thank you again! :)
I'm a Nikon Z6/7 shotter, and one of the "haters" from your previous video (Nikon copies Sony) with the top liked comment.
But here I would like to say that I pretty much agree with everything you said. There are some minor BUTs, such as moving the tracking square could be completed much easier if you set up an Fn button for this so you can track and re-track instantly, and I have a much better experience with animal Eye AF.
In general, I agree with you, including your statement that Sony's AF is better, but now it more marginal, especially considering the price. In the end, I'm glad about what is happening in the mirrorless market, how all these brand wars are pushing the progress forward, and I'm happy to see how with a firmware update only can get pretty much new, improved camera.
I won't waste my time typing the same thought you have put down.
Being a Z6 user, I'm very happy with the latest update results- Focus glitches(dancing tiles, confused focus) seem to be all gone and FN1 for tracking is the icing on the cake. My recent wedding was so easier. I just couldn't stop using subject tracking.
@@shashwatdas6900 As a fellow Z6 shooter who shoots weddings, have you found a good way to photographe TWO subjects at the same time? I wished the AI eye tracking and this option, ideally automatically stepping down the aperture if necessary.
@@RobinGroenevelt Unfortunately NO, I doubt there is anyway based on the current camera architecture which will let one focus on multiple objects. As you know if your object is at a distance and on the same plane it's hard to tell the difference of multiple object focus by looking at the picture(without zooming in) with low-aperture or else high-aperture always works while shooting groups.
@@RobinGroenevelt Focusing on two points in space that are at different distances to the camera is literally physically impossible
send me sample high iso image from z6 to my email resmanairvan@gmail.com. I want upgrade from D610 to nikon mirorles. thank you
Even I couldn't see kitty's eye, not sure how the cam would've ... Same with the doggy 😆
That's right. Black in black or dark in black - no one with brain would use these subjects for a test of a contrast based autofocus
I agree I just tried this with a tiger kitty and it worked much better
Even tho it was a long video makes me happy to see that nikon is making improvements towards the AF. Hopefully by the time I can get a Z6 they have made it almost solid. Thx Jared for making objective reviews.
I use the z6 and actually used it for HS basketball this past year and was very happy with the results. The season ended before the new firmware update so I used a mix between single point and dynamic and got some good results! (Not claiming to be a pro photographer lol just sharing my experience)
Gotta say, hats off to you for such a great review, very well put together and very honest. Fantastic Jared!!
If there’s one thing I can surmise from these autofocus critiques, it’s that some people (or maybe just reviewers) expect these systems to work in much more demanding situations than I do. That’s fine, but my Z6 nails nearly every image I’m trying to capture. Haven’t even upgraded to 3.0 yet and I can’t recall the last time it’s dragged me down. Still having a great time capturing creative images on this body. Really looking forward to the 70-200 when it comes out.
agreed. it really depends on what you are shooting
Yep... made it to the end and appreciate the work it took to make this "tutorial'. Since it took a couple sittings to make it though, I got to try a few things between and i found like Kirk Barker did in his comment, a way to make it work for me. Bad hands got me to sell all my old Nikon glass and D800 to the lighter Z 6. Still glad i did and waiting on the 70-200 i have ordered and that with the 24-70 f4 and the 50mm 1.4 and adapter, i'll be all set for my fun stuff. Keep up the good work and thanks!
With this update using the tracking box, I don't move the box. I use the z6 like a dslr, focus on the face and recompose, because as you said it is hard to move the points fast enough so as soon as I have the box on the face I press af-on and it stays. If the tracking box drifts away I release the af-on button and move the camera to the face again and press af-on. It works mostly.
Kirk Barker That‘s exactly what I‘m doing and I think that is also the way Nikon anticipated people to use it
That's the correct way. I demonstrated in my look at 3.0.
Yeah, I was a bit confused about that part of why he was referring to using his thumb to move the box. I wanted him to move the camera and hit the focus button.
Kirk Barker Yeap, that’s the correct way. When he was trying it, I thought “he didn’t understand how to use it”
Lock and recompose isn't something you should do if you're using a 1.2 and doing close ups. But if you're always on f4 and smaller f, then that technique is fine.
These reviews have all been great. Finally convinced myself it’s time for an upgrade after shooting for a few years now and loving it. So I just ordered my Z6, Z 24-70 f/4, and Z 50mm 1.8 today. Wanted the 24-70 2.8 but it just wasn’t in the budget. Considering I’m coming from a D300 and two sub-$200 prime lenses, I think I’ll be alright, though. LOL
Wow, that's so cool. Please tell me about your experience with the Z6, I am planning to buy one as soon as prices drop because of the release of the Z6 II, and I want to go for the Z 24-70 f/4 and Z 85mm 1.8, or perhaps the 24-70 2.8 depending on how much the price drops :).
I am shooting on my D300 with the Zoom Kit and AF-S 50mm 1.8 (sub $200 prime :D). I kinda feel like I am in a pretty similar position as you were :).
Great detailed review! Almost as good as your comparison with Canon, Sony and Nikon eye auto test. Animal eye AF works great with my dog and cats. It's all about how visible the eyes are. haha You need a new cat. Having 1 eye really confuses the system. Sonys person tracking seems like a great system. The body, face, eye, whichever it can find idea is ideal. Keep up the good work
Nikon Z6 tip of the day. When faced with challenging focus environments &/or very low light situations turn OFF “ d8 apply settings to live view” trust me this helps focus tremendously!!!!
Does this really work?
Derrish dev yes.
The setting is apply settings to live view not dont.
Masaforce turn off live view / real time exposure. You will get more of a dslr experience. You have to use your light meter
Go to settings A3>fast, G4>+5, G5>High and shoot AF-C.
I got this far. I enjoyed...
So do I 😅💪
Me too 😄
I appreciate all the work you do to help the rest of us out! Thank you!
Great work Fro - as a Z7 owner (using firmware 3.0) I watched all of this video with great interest. Thank you also for not rushing this out and taking your time (as always) to do a thorough real world review. I listen to the Daily Fro and agree with what you said when it comes to taking your time when doing these videos.
From a guy who still uses the D90, this technology is AMAZING! Wish i could use this camera for my job next week.
Rent it out man.!
Even I own a hand me down D7100 which works.
But I am really really looking forward to The New Z Cameras launching in Next Month!!
At the end of the day, it's all about learning how to most effectively and efficiently use your cameras. Sure Sony's AF is still technically better but I love how with the Z6, I could quickly bounce between the 2 auto tracking features and even though the current native lens are only 1.8s, they're extremely sharp and produce amazing images. The pro bodies and lens will definitely come out and like people like Matt Irwin have stated, the software and specs can always be updated, but things like the mount (which Sony was a bit short sighted with) is basically set in stone.
Alden Bunag Also nikonrumor just put out an article that nikon registered a new vertical grip which is supposed to go with a higher end mirrorless camera. So a new camera from nikon is probably on its way
@@romanpul Indeed, plus it's been over a year since both the Z6/Z7 came out and they're not considered "professional" or flagship cameras so Nikon does need something that meets that, which is likely the Z8/9.
I'm perfectly fine with the Z6 and due to the small size, I don't need a vertical grip.
yes and dont forget about the price. 1.8 is so affordable compared to canon or gm lenses that are used as an expamle. prosumer is actually a bigger market than professionals.
@@philippscheithauer Indeed, it makes transitioning to the new system much easier. I had a D750 and D500 but most of my lens were the super affordable AF-D lens and knowing that the S-primes were not only relatively affordable, but had extremely good quality (although to be fair, I got the Sigma 135mm 1.8 ART instead of the Nikkor 85mm 1.8 S since I really wanted that focal length) helped convince me to fully move into mirrorless and yeah, the 50mm 1.8 S has been giving me amazing pictures and with how good the ISO performance is on the Z6, the difference between 1.4 and 1.8 is (for me) not worth spending double-triple the price. I understood with the F-mount primes but that's not really the case anymore with the Z-mount primes.
@@philippscheithauer Yeah switching to canon would have gotten me broke. Can't buy a new camera and spend over 2k on every lens.
I don't even have a Z6 or any nikon cameras but I'm watching the video right now because i appreciate the tremendous amount of work you put in this!
I got this far! As always, a pleasure to watching and listen. No unnecessary talk, just honest opinions and facts. That's why I'm still here. Quality!
Really appreciated Jared.Made it all the way through. I use Sony these days after switching from Nikon but haven't completely pensioned off Nikon yet so could be tempted back if they really got their act together. But after using Sony a9 and a7 II, and IV for 3 years I really think that they are more in tune with their users than Nikon. What I am seeing here as updates is Nikon trying to catch Sony by introducing what Sony has had for a while now rather than innovation to make someone like me change back. After all, what Nikon now introduce with this upgrade I have had for 6 months so why would I switch back even though I will always have a soft spot for Nikon.
I got all the way to the end. It took me two days to watch, but I saw it! As a Z 6 shooter, I am happy with the the firmware update. It has made shooting with this system so much nicer. But I am far, far away from being being a Pro so this system suits me just fine.
Enjoyed the entire video... As a Z7 owner, I am patiently awaiting the Pro-Glass !!!
I have the 24-70 f2.8 and love it...
I do not have any pets so I appreciate you testing the Animal Eye focus.
P.S. It's not the length of the video that counts, but the material covered.
I got that far!! Thanks for that massive amount of work you put into this. I’m a Z6 user for personal and some of my professional work and I’m loving it bit glad too see improvements.
At last recognition of the potential of the Z series. Thank you.
I watched til the end, awesome update. Your review makes me want this camera more now. I can say that the only thing keeping me from getting a Z6 is the single card slot. Because if this I still favor a D780 but waiting for your RWR of it. You the man.
Hi Jared, I am a new Z6 shooter with about 1500 frames under my belt..My old camera was a D7000 so the Z6 is a beast..Still has room to improve but it is a game changer for me..Keep the reviews coming..Love your work..Just my $0.02 Ken in Arizona..
Ken Peterson I’m coming from a D7000 too as my z6 in the mail as I type this. So excited!
I got this far....You nailed it! Love these real world reviews, I learn a lot from watching, so length of video is never an issue - content is! I’m hoping at some point Nikon’s firmware improvements and my skill to fully use them, combine at some future point!
I appreciate you taking the time to put a video like this together. Most reviews are a handful of shots emphasizing the point they want to make - either pro or con. This was a fair review by showing just how the camera performed in several diverse situations. This took a lot of time to shoot and edit and is not click-bait type work. Click-bait is a 5 minute thrown-together video with a catchy title derived from little effort in an attempt to get views.
I am researching upgrading from my entry level DSLR Nikon after a few years of amateur shooting. Thanks for the updated video as I had looked at your earlier review and was dissuaded from buying a Nikon mirrorless. Happy to know I'll be fine with a Z6, with the updated firmware and will be able to save and migrate what I've already invested in $$$ regarding my existing glass stock.
Enjoyed the video. Even though it was long, I appreciate the thoroughness. I really like Nikon,. There is no reason Nikon cannot fine tune the Z6/Z7 to the current functionality of Sony, Firmware v3 is great but needs to go a little further.
I watched the whole video, fair review. For me as a wedding photographer I agree 100% about the two card slots, if the z 6 had two card slots it would have been near perfect for anything but sports. The AF at this point is close enough to not matter, Canon, Sony, and Nikon all have reliable AF.
keep it up :) you are doing well :)
Jared, you are THE Pro photographer.
You Examine cameras like a pro. In simple, plain, understandable, clear, objective English. Final conc. : Grip, 2 slots and Focus. BUT all fixed in Z 7 6 II .
Well done Jared, keep your very good videos - Work going !!
Thank you !!
Very detailed and professional Review. Well done Jared.
I must say that after seeing you comments on the Podcast and your IG Stories I was expecting a much more "negative" or "aggressive" review but no, well done. Just ignore the trolls and people that comments without even watching the review.
It's a long review but very detailed and super easy to fully watch.
I got the Z6 after watching your 1st Z6 realworld review many times to be sure I was not missing anything and I've been very happy with it since then. I must say that was kind of worrying seeing your harsh comment to Nikon lately but is also reasuring seeing that you are seeing their improvements and progress with the system and hope they will build a great ecosystem soon.
Sorry for the long comment, greating from Switzerland. Hope you come some day and make a "meet the Fro" like you did in Köln :)
Z6 owner here. You've made me mad before with some of the Nikon Bashing. I thought this video was VERY well done. Classy. I learned some things with this one. I have been shooting with the new or improved features in v3.0 since the day it came out. I still have some frustrations with the system, but it is getting better. I hope they keep the updates coming. I found the new activation of the tracking to be nice, but worthless for fast moving subjects like birds in flight. It just doesn't work at all. I find myself just shooting in single point and it works great that way. I have also been using single point in sports and have gotten great results, will see how this update does in 2 weeks at a Premiere soccer tournament in Las Vegas. I hope it gives me what I've been waiting for, but based on your basketball files, I'm not hopeful. We will see...
I tried the 3D like mode in FW 3.0 on U13 soccer and got the same results as Jared. It can’t keep up and is hard to use. I’ve had my best luck using the AFC wide mode and keeping it horizontally in the center, vertically towards the top and moving the camera with the subject Like I would using my D4 & D500
@@cg5383 I have tried that with OK results. My best results (95%+ hit rate) is in single point AF, continuous, back button AF, high+ (12fps). (This is also my set-up for birds in flight.) The stutter effect in the viewfinder is annoying, so I may try high speed only instead of high+ and see if I can track better. For some reason I feel like the Z6 does better tracking a moving subject in single point AF than it does in any other mode. I'm not sure why that is. That was not the case with my other Nikon DSLR bodies. Jared Polin, if you are reading these, give that a try and see what you think. I know it's not the way it's supposed to work, but it seems to work better for me. I just put my AF point in the top right or top left third of the frame and while shooting, keep the subject right there. Running at me, away from me or left or right, the systems tracks it very well.
Literally been waiting for months to get my hands on the 70-200 f.2 lens, I know it's just sitting out there on the ocean waiting to come into port.
I would like to say, thank you for having decent things to say about the Nikon Z, every camera has it's pros and cons and for a while I stopped watching because I felt you were just continuously bashing Nikon. For some of us newby's in photography, whatever camera we buy, we are proud of it because it is a major purchase.
Well done Jared. I did watch the complete video, as I am trying to decide at the moment as to whether a Z6 is the correct purchase or not. I have never spent this much for a camera. I felt you went over and above to try and provide true and objective pros and cons of the Z6 and its AF capabilities (or functionalities :-)) !! Your review left me believing that if I do choose the Z6, it will not be a mistake. You know, ..... it would be super to see same scenario (environment) shots with all three - Z6, A7 iii, and EOS R, all done one after the other, what do you think ?
Mike M.
Well done, Jared. Thank you for the time and energy invested in running these tests and presenting the results. This is good information. THANK YOU!
I’m glad I watched the whole thing, as a Z6 user and using the new firmware I liked seeing the real world review from your standpoint. I tested the firmware on my two dogs and was impressed but noticed it didn’t always hit the eye. Hit or miss is true, but I find myself getting more useful photos than previously when photographing dogs. I haven’t had much time to use the upgraded autofocus on humans so seeing that it worked so well for you makes me happy/excited to use it on my next shoot
This is the MOST GREATEST review! Bear with my grammar, LOL. Testing kids and sports rather than a model standing still. Also, reviewing the every image rather than only the good ones. It is good because it is so practical! Thank you!
Nikon engineers: "Animal AF, nailed it!"
Jared: "Tests on one eyed cat"
Nikon engineers: "F..."
abysal311 lmaoo
Really LMFAO !!
🤔🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣
@abysal311 I almost spilled my coffee reading this comment!!!!!!!!!
I watched the whole video and i wanted to thank you for taking such an efford to test the new firmware in every situation affected. As a Z6 owner i am very happy to see the face detect and eye-af getting better. This was a huge difference between your first video (Sony/Canon/Nikon comparison aka "please reaquire, Nikon!") and this one. There are some downsides still, but i do not feel like the beta tester who bought the first dslm product which is not supported anymore firmware-wise.
So, thanks again and keep up the great work!
I enjoyed this video. I think Nikon is on the way to get perfect AF in the Z system. Thanks Jared for the effort!!!
I think the most important: You are getting better!
Jared, thank you for bringing us this detailed video about nikon's newest AF upadate. like, honestly, thank you. I can see you've put so much effort in this video, trying to make it as fair as possible.
finished the video all the way to the end, without skipping, it was great.
I use Wide-S instead of dynamic area for basketball. It works so much better. Short of the vertical grip, the Z6 is a great choice for basketball. I'm really happy with it. Also, set F1 to image protect and F2 to object tracking.
Great video! Watched the whole thing. I had one question though, which I was hoping you'd address. Does it still "Eyelash autofocus"?? I'm really hoping they've fixed that. I'm not able to find any info on that. Please tell me you've tested that out with some really shallow DOF. Thanks!
seemed pretty good with the 105 on some other photos we didn't show of me when Stephen was shooting some thumbnail photos.
@@froknowsphoto sweet 👍🏻
37:00 is so so important. If you cannot manually override every freaking function or feature, technology can get you kicked out of a shoot. Manual override for focus is a must! No matter where the box is, I will not feel comfortable trusting the camera all the time. Need to be able to manually override anytime even in active tracking or when I’m continuously shooting without releasing the shutter button. You can do that on a DSLR and that is a lifesaver a lot of times.
I actually watched the entire video! Love the detail and the examples. Nice job. Glad to see the improvement coming from Nikon! I bought my first used Nikon F back in 1972. It was built in the 60s. Keep up the good work!
Nice video Fro. Instead of using your thumb to move the subject tracking box why not just move the camera to move the box on what you want then lock on? Basically focus/recompose. You could have also done this in those situations where you wanted to jump to a different face. I know you don’t use the AF back button but it would make these scenarios much easier.
Yes - absolutely the fastest technique - the Z camera with 3.0 work brilliantly like this. See the monochrome memoirs. I've been shooting like that with my D750 for 5 years solid - it's lightning fast.
Are the z6 and z7 powerful enough to end up with the same AF as the sony A73 after another few years of updates, or are they limited by the hardware?
I find the tracking box hard to justify the effort to use it. Animal tracking: Needs work. Today, shooting a malinois, black face, black eyes - never found the nose or eyes. Hell, I was having a hard time! (85mm/f1.8 - Z7). But shooting two Papillons with much better defined faces and eye focus worked great. Our Border Collie has a dark face but brown eyes - works very well on him (same with our black and white BC and brown eyes - not usually a problem). You provided two extreme samples to test on - inviting failure. Dang good on the Sony for doing as well as it did! But it does show that Nikon has some room for improvement. In my experience it is doing pretty good (especially considering this is Animal Focusing 1.0 - or even Beta). Thanks for hard work on this vid!
Watched it all , great video. Thank you.Been enjoying the update on my Z7, cant wait to receive my 20mm 1.8.
As a long term Nikon DSLR user, I was not convinced with the new Z system until I look for the best 85mm lens, which I found the Z 85mm F/1.8S, then I look at the latest auto focus performance of the Nikon Z cameras. Your video is long but it explain to all I need to know and I could not find from others (they just talk without video examples). Thank you, Jared, you did a great efforts for this video!!!
Know I’m late to this video but props where props are due bro! These are the videos that some of us love you for. Super informative and more along the tips and pointers line of things. Great info and thank you. Guess I’ll bear with the animations and antics a little longer in hopes that vids like these will pop up occasionally 😂. Strong work man.
Nice work. This is the type of video that started me watching your channel. Please keep it up.
Big fan from Germany love all your videos
You do not suck! No matter what RUclips says, this is as much information as you can get, thanks!
Finally happy you took the actual time to test the Nikon Z AF again. It’s been getting better since 2.10 and 2.20, and I’m professionally using the Z system daily without any issue.
JARED-- Been watching your videos for 10 yrs now and I've enjoyed all of them! Randy B.
Overall, nice, objective review of the Z6 and AF. Sometimes, the topic of the your videos get blurred. A review of a Sony product becomes a hatchet job on Nikon or a Nikon video becomes a promo for Sony. Not this time however and the results were refreshing. You held Nikon accountable for the shortcomings of their system performance. One thing I want to point out. At 42:35, you commented on the lock on tracking issue with the ref. However, the tracking box was on the ref's black pants on a black background. There was not enough contrast to get the tracking started.
That said, you bring a great deal of insight to the world of photography. Keep it up!
Michael Lowry I thought 42:35 was funny because the black and white of the refs shirt is literally like a test pattern but he didn’t decide to use that for tracking. Oh well, we all have moments with photography where we look back and think “I should have done ____ instead”.
one of your better videos, not because I'm a nikon shooter because it was filled with more content, and less critical uneeded comentary, you backed up everything you said, and it was very well done...glad you see Nikon is making the effort to stay in tune with the market, I am an even happier z6 shooter today...good job Jared
It's a work in progress. An hour at the dog park with a 70-200mm gave me all the data I needed to know it isn't anything I'd be relying upon. Certainly wouldn't change the way I'd shoot, although on the other hand the revised subject tracking control mode is much appreciated. Don't shoot Sony, so don't have any comparative data, but can only assume it does most of the work if it's that much better.
More of a novelty than anything, but if it's a marketable feature, it will only improve over time.
Dear Jarod, I'll take all the info on the Z6 because you sold me on it for video - it's my dream purchase....., when I can afford. Thanks so very much for sharing and be able to play about within Light Room. I love my Presets #1 and thanks a million. I thoroughly enjoy using them and will purchase the others. Take care God bless. Pete
Sleeping on the job is not an option. Shame on Nikon for not tightening up "sooner." It's like cramming for a test at the last minute (the day before) and then being upset that you only go a 63% on the final. How can you expect an "A" when you're putting in "D" work?
People who bash your disgust with the Nikon glass and Auto Focus needs to understand that your gripe is solidified. Facts over emotions will win with me all day. Thank you for sharing your review with us, my photography brother! "Usually" I enjoy your vids and this is a good one. Thank you again!
I got this far. A balanced and in depth video . I can see how much work you put into this. I'm still hoping that Nikon can come up with the goods but losing faith. My D850 is doing what I need, but just. I'm not sure how long they think I'll hang in there. Thanks Jared for a very well balanced assessment.
“I got this far. I enjoyed this video” I’ve been a Nikon user since the beginning so I’m waiting with you. I love your in-depth reviews for all your videos. And thank you for everything you and your team does.
I got to the end of the video! I am in possession of a z6 and I can't complain, it does its job, and I notice that with updates the machine responds better and better! Finally there is also more choice among the z lenses. Nikon promoted and excellent video Jared
Jared, thank you for doing this video! I have both the Z6/Z7 fully updated to 3.0. Going through the paces.
I love these videos by Jared and Stephen and the crew to really delve into these cameras to actually see and test these systems from front to back.
Did you try changing the auto focus/tracking sensitivity meter in the settings and see if that makes a difference vs the stock setting?
Marcus Brown nope
Jared, thanks for this discussion. I will be purchasing a Z6 as my new main camera. I’ve enjoyed watching your videos since I discovered your lovely Bubbe!
Great job mate, thanks for making the quarantine a bit more profitable...
Great video Jared! I have a Z6 and I have achieved better results with my animals. Nikon has to improve his Z system, but they are in the right way.
I got this far 😆 just ordered a sweet deal on a z6 a few years later as an upgrade from my 9 use old D7000. Great videos!
what i like about the channel - the analysis, your skills, really all of the technical stuff is really great and it's awesome watching you at work. great vid!
what gets up my nose on the channel - the clickbaiting with dramatisation and controversy.. i get that youtube must be a substantial income but for me personally, it really puts me off watching most of the vids.
I got this far and enjoyed the video. What I learned from this video is that SONY's technology is just the best. Really love my a7ii
This is better than the A7 II
This is by far the most definitive review of FW3.0 I've seen thus far. The review is well-rounded, stuck to the FW's strengths and weaknesses, and cited areas where the Nikon MF line really need to improve on.Thanks for taking the time on building this one, Jared. As long as it was, I think it deserves a much shorter part2 for when the S-line 70-200mm lens comes out + CFExpress performance. *big thumbs up*
Basically mirrors my experience with the z6 since I updated to 3.0, getting better but still behind Sony. Still better than a DSLR so if you are coming from that it’s still an upgrade
Well, not really. If you only shoot faces & eyes and mostly static subjects, yes. Tracking is still way better on a DSLR - although smaller AF surface. And flash photography in dark events with people moving/dancing - where you can still use the invisible and subtle AF assist pattern on your speedlight - is still a lot more reliable on a DSLR. That's why I work with both a Z6 and D750.
I absolutely love the shot you took of your nephew peeping underneath the deck, ref frame 3:19. now thats a shot........
Jared, In my opinion I would have to say stop apologizing for making a long video. I for one love in depth content like this. Everyone else is making 10 minute barely useful videos. As long as the content warrants the time, don't worry about it. Just my opinion. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Great Video!
Never really even considered shooting Nikon personally, but I enjoyed the video a ton nonetheless (I made it that far) and all of the information put forth in it, I feel, can be helpful even outside of the context of the specific camera, line, or firmware version.
Always love your work,
hope you have a lovely day :)
I got this far. LOL Honestly, thank you for putting the firmware through it’s paces. Nikon has stayed my desire to switch to Sony for now.
Still in Nikon or you passed to Sony?
I honestly think you are the best photo gear reviewer/entertainer on youtube at the moment. Well done!
Thanks for the in-depth testing of the z6 focusing system. Really much appreciated.
Jared -- awesome video. I have a Z7 and I'm currently shooting basketball games for my grandkids. Your thorough explanation of how various modes work in BB will help me a lot. Thanks!
Great review Jared. They now have dual card slots, a functional vertical grip, and hopefully even better autofocus, along with the trinity. Patiently waiting your review of the II's.
Cute kids Jared I think you gave the test a thorough seeing to and a long video! Nikon is getting there good news I'm still waiting to see what happens with the Canon R5 got a gut feeling it's my next cam.
Price matters - Z6 price is better than its competitors. And with the FOCUS stability with 3.0 Nikon is sooo back in the game.
Jared: kitty cat.
Me: ok, I'm in.
Jared, testing animal eye Af with one eye cat,not so fair, hit rate fifty-fifty :) thanks for great review.
LOL
I got this far, but it took three days.
I am a school teacher that occasionally shoots school plays, graduations, and a sport or two. I got a D800 by going on the wait list and have been shooting it ever since.
My biggest reason why I didnt go to Z7 is,
1. Lack of a functional vertical grip
2. Poor AF
3. Lack of second card slot
I am glad that v3.0 seems to alleviate a lot of my issue #2 so i will be willing to cross that off the list.
My #3 gripe, I get it. People saying, "we had 1 roll of film back in the day, so live with it!" In the 10+years of shooting my D800, I have had zero CF and SD fails (they never get put into different bodies). So yes, that's is why it is issue #3, but then again, back in the day we didnt have flushing toilets or electric starters for cars. That doesn't mean that I should be okay with it. Likewise, we have the technology to make two card slots, so in terms of design, I cannot understand the reason why Nikon decided to stick to 1 slot.
But my biggest reason is the lack of functional v-grip. Two people that shoot photos tell me that grips are for posers and that it isn't really necessary unless you are a professional who shoots portrait orientation regularly. I have stenosis in my neck, and I have found that for some weird reason, holding my arm up to tilt the camera causes pain. I really wanted to get the Z7, so I tried removing the grip on my backup D800 to shoot a school play. (24-70vr on main D800, 70-200vr-I on second D800 w/o grip). I was in so much pain that I switched lens between the two, and no difference. Plus I find it incredibly awkward to tilt for multiple exposures w/o grip.
The thing that annoys me is, while some people do post that a MAYBE Nikon will release grip 2.0 with functions, I doubt it as the Z bodies do not have any connectors on the bottom.
Would it have killed someone at Nikon to put an electrical connector on the bottom? Heck they could have even put a fast memory bus connector on the bottom, so they could have released grip2.0 that has a SECOND qXD slot!!!!!
If it looks like there could ever be a grip2.0 with controls in the future, I would get the Z7 right now.
If they thought to put a bus connector on bottom, and Nikon said $1200 for grip 3.0 with function AND second memory slot, I would get the Z7 now and start saving money for my grip.
It seems like Nikon did things 80% correct with the Z intro, then seems like they were able to fix 10% of it (as for my needs), and then be hamstrung from getting it perfect because an idiot engineer and/or exec decided to limit future proofing the new camera against rivals??? Really disappointed and still waiting...
Nice and informative video - now only one question remains for me, as I'm currently on the edge of buying the Z6. But my interest is rather on the video side to supplement my D850 with a better autofocus supporting my existing glass. Didi the firmware update affect the video autofocus at all or is it only an upgrade to the still photo capabilities?
Watched the entire video. I have to agree with your review for the most part. I do use the Z6 for CrossFit photography. The eye AF is much better with the recent firmware update but there is still room for improvement. And yes- I am waiting for the 70-200 native Z lens and for 1.4 lenses too.