Nikon Z6ii and Z7ii 1.2 Firmware Tests - What Really Changed?
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- Опубликовано: 28 апр 2021
- Just some quick tests of the new Nikon firmware 1.2 released on April 26th 2020 for the Z6/7ii cameras. Find out what really changed!
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Excellent video: unlike most folks, you get right to the points quickly and efficiently. You say in 5 minutes what others would take at least twice as long to say. And you covered the critical points and asked the right questions. Very helpful. Thanks.
I entirely agree with his compliments
And at 2x, he says it in 2.5 minutes! :P
So good to see you back (and sound and look like you!). Awesome Steve!
Well done as always. Here's what I've noticed for what it's worth.
CA-F on BIFS/running dogs using Dynamic AF (no tracking): On pans the camera stays on the subjects better than before whereas before would nail focus at first but then drift in and out slightly.
CA-F on BIFS/running dogs coming directly at you (no tracking): Camera gets the first one or two and then focusses slightly behind like it can't keep up. Never an issue with my D500 or D750.
Eye/face detect on people much better, it really grips the eyes and face with more confidence. Used the Z 85mm F1.8 and the 70-300mm.
CA-F Tracking with BIFS is still a waste of time unless you happen to be shooting an overweight flying zebra.
All the moving subjects were shot with the adapted 70-300 as I find it has the fastest focus of the F Mount lenses I own (200-500 is slower).
I think a test with the Z 70-200 would be a better indicator but I need my car to go to work.
I'm glad we have you back doing these videos. Great insights as usual. You rock!
from all the "experts" on youtobe you are the only one that I can listen to the end, thank you for your good mood and to the point reviews! congratulations! please stay "alive" and around 😊 Again, thank you so much!
Nice work Steve! We appreciate what you’re doing to help us all out!👍🏻
Thanks for putting this in perspective, Steve. Good tests. Fingers remain crossed for the bigger advances coming.
Thanks for testing the firmware updates Steve and then presenting the results so competently. As always your videos are accurate, thorough and straight to the point.
Thanks for the update on the update! Great comprehensive video as always!
How to go, Steve. Great analysis, as usual. And you’re back talking fast and looking well. Good to see you’re recovering well.
Glad to see you back healthy! Superb nice and informative video as usual! :)
Your channel is so helpful and straight to the contents which really matter. Keep up the great work.
Great Review Steve. Glad to see you have recovered well.
Excellent review - and a solid testing methodology for wildlife photography.
Good to have you back. Best videos and tests concerning that specific photography sector. No doubt about it.
Bought the book Secrets to the Nikon Autofocus system - Mirrorless edition about 3 weeks ago and only got through about 1/3 of it so far. I am very pleased I bought based on what I already learned from it. Very detailed and love how Steve uses some humorous commentary along the way.
yeah I bought it too and it's packed full of gems. Definitely worth it.
@@Raevenswood I agree.
Great video Steve! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
Great tests! Never know what Nikon might've snuck in, so it's good to see all the anecdotal 'upgrades' tested.
Thanks Steve, was wondering about this update. just ordered a z7ii and can't wait to put it to use.
Thank you for this quick and on point test
Excellent video - thanks for your detailed testing
Thank Steve. I was waiting for your verdict. When it comes to Nikon camera , AF and wildlife it you who I rely upon. Thanks for the post.
Thanks Steve for clarifying the update. You're looking well after your encounter with covid. I'm enjoying your Autofocus secrets book. And have just discovered that my pdf software will actually read the text to me ! What a time to be alive ! ;-)
Thanks Steve, honest and helpful as ever
I was pointing out the graphical representation lag while the actual AF was working fine thing over a year ago, and no one wanted to hear it. People (meaning Fro and Toneh) said Sony was just better, and that was that. Then the Z6II/Z7II came out, and one reviewer (a French reviewer) demonstrated that without a doubt Nikon's Z6II actual AF was on par with Canon's R6 actual AF and both of them were better than Sony (and Fuji) actual AF. Sony's graphical representation was far superior to Nikon and superior to Canon, but the actual AF lagged behind Nikon and Canon quite a bit. At least two other reviewers later confirmed the same thing was happening on their test group of (Nikon, Canon, and Sony, MILC) cameras. Canon, IMO, had the best combination of actual AF vs representation AF, at that time (the French review). With this update, I am betting Nikon and Canon will now be on par overall when it comes to combined actual AF and representation AF, and now Sony falls behind even more. Based on everything I have seen with the A1, there is no reason for me to think Sony will pose any real threat to Nikon and Canon in the AF department moving forward. These next pro level Nikon and Canon cameras that are due out in the next 12 months will just crush Sony.
Great to see that you are looking healthy again.
Longtime subscriber, first time commenting_ why is it thatcit seems you're the only sane RUclipsr out there?? All kidding aside- excellent and informative video as always. Thanks!
LOL, thanks :)
Excellent and scientific approach as ever, Steve. Great to see you in good form post recovery Very tempted to hire a Z7ii for a forthcoming otter/eagle/landscape outing along with my D500!
Worth a try for sure - they do well with a large variety of subjects.
Short Sharp and to the point! Excellent!
Glad you are doing better. You look great! Come on back up to Alaska
You appear to be firing on all cylinders again Steve, thanks for the update Buddy !
Thanks, Steve... Excellent Information !
Man its really good to see you up and about Steve. Had us worried back there for a while. Hope you continue making a full recovery while keeping safe fella. All the best. Paul
What happened? Glad he’s doing ok!
@@gatsby498 Steve contracted Coronavirus and was seriously ill with it for some weeks. He's making good recovery now it seems, I'm pleased to see.
@@prl105 thanks for letting me know. So glad Steve is doing better! Somehow I missed that. had Covid earlier this year but am recovered, thankfully.
@@gatsby498 Keep up getting well James
Thanks for this Information, Steve !!
Thanks so much Steve, I have been following you and your information for some time...and am still waiting for a good mirrorless Nikon camera to replace my Nikon D500...I sure hope one is found soon might have to start looking to other brands. I always purchase expenive glass so hope Nikon will soon get a mirrorless camera for birding and wildlife . So happy that you are recovering from Covid, take care!
Great testing & report, thanks Steve! The only tracking mode I rely on for moving targets / BIF is Auto Area AF (I found the mark II's are noticeably better with this mode). But mostly I'm in Wide Area Small or Dynamic for action. I love Eye & Subject Tracking for almost everything else - it's amazing. But I acknowledge C & S are tops in the subject tracking department (at least for now).
Always appreciate that you update your AF books with each firmware changes.
Thanks - yup, just uploaded a new edition this morning :)
@@backcountrygallery I just bought it a couple of days ago. Do I get an updated version for free?
@@distomos8118 Thanks - and yes - just log back into the site (My Account link at the top) and re-download. Updates within the same major version are always free. (Which, so far, has been every update for every book I've ever put out).
@@backcountrygallery Cool and thanks! Keep up the good work. Enjoy your channel.
You look better by the day. Good to see! As for the update, you seem to have found less improvement than other Nikonists that I follow, but you're straight and honest and that is good. Be well and let's look forward to V.2.0 and the Z8.
The thing is, I found exactly what Nikon said they changed. There seems to be a lot of people who think Nikon is secretly sneaking in improvements and not telling us. That makes zero sense, especially if it's an AF improvement - why wouldn't they brag about it? Why sneak it in? Plus, a lot of the "secret improvements" I've seen people talk about (faster AF, faster start up) are easily proven false. I think 2.0 is what we're waiting for :)
As always...very informative👌
Well that was excellent. Well done Steve thank you.
How can people give this video a thumbs down?
Welcome back!
Excellent video... cheers!
Thanks Steve. Even though I use Nikon Z6, not z6 II. I am happy with my Z6.
Really interesting (as always) Steve and this mirrors what they're saying here in the uk as well. Basically to beat the D500s and D850s of this world for tracking BIFs you need a Sony, the z7 is still a step back....
I think most of the perception that AF is improved is just the fact that the eye tracking box locks on and stays where it is supposed to be so it gives confirmation of focus where before you just weren't sure if it was working even though most of the images were keepers once you pulled the files into post. Also glad to see you back in your natural environment :P
Agree 100% - I think the camera was sometimes doing better than it looked in the viewfinder!
Great to he "points" presentations. Thanks / Pierre
Excellent real world approach to testing Tracking and AF functions. As much as I like my D750 and really do want Nikon to succeed their tech folk must improve Tracking and AF functions to compete with Sony and Canon. Nikon's image quality is excellent for portraits and landscapes being nearly perfect. To convince outdoor photographers in particular those who enjoy and would like to do more Birds In Flight photography improvements must be made to justify stepping up to the new Z7ii.
Thank you Steve
Great overview! Tested my Z6ii shooting sports this week and haven't touched a big difference in subject tracking performance. Wide box af is the way to go with fast action!
Wide (S) is my favorite, but Wide (L) sometimes gets the call too. Either one gets it done!
Great idea with using the metronome!
Thanks - I wanted to be more consistent than running back and forth or waving my hand.
fricken love steve. What a legend
Great video, cutting thru the marketing B.....t and pinpointing the good and the bad. Thank you so much
I have found continuous AF with face and eye detection significantly improved with the latest firmware updates on my Z6II for my dance photography.
Nikon said they improved it, so that's good to hear.
thanks for telling it like it is
That's hard to find now a days ...
Thanks Steve. I really don’t rely on the tracking in these cameras, and I am getting really good results. I guess if you are after 100% keepers when shooting birds you will need to rely on a machine. I would rather enjoy the challenge of tracking on my own and get better with practice, which I have. Way more fun than relying on the camera to do all the work. Just my opinion...but I love shooting with these cameras! Beautiful in so many ways...
With these cameras, I find I get a nice keeper rate my tracking on my own with Wide (S). Still, I think for Nikon to stay competitive, they need to get the tracking mode on par with the rest :)
@@backcountrygallery fingers cross that G2 of Z6 and Z7 will get there
@@backcountrygallery most definitely! I was one of those hoping the subject tracking would improve. I’ve gotten pretty decent results with my Z6 and Wide s but Nikon still needs to improve subject tracking if they want to remain relevant. Canon and Sony have done a great job with subject tracking.
Thanks
I highly recommend purchasing Steve's Nikon focus and exposure books. I can't imagine there are any other more comprehensive books on the subjects out there. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much!
Good one 👍🏻
Steve, how do I update my firmware to improve my manual focusing 😂
Just kidding.
Love the content 👌
Improvements whether big or small are welcome! It shows effort at the very least.
Agree. I'd rather have little improvements more frequently than one big improvement a year.
Great job of giving real truth reviews
Thanks for the review. Expected little more from Nikon..
Remember, it was just a minor update. They could have held off til 2.0 but instead gave us something in the mean time.
@@backcountrygallery completely agree with you..
Thanks Steve. Very helpful and great job. Did you check the firmware update for the original Z6 an z7?
It's just the addition of the focus distance setting. Since I know how that works, didn't test, I'm sure they did it right :)
Nikon thinks that they can fool their loyal customers with this cosmetic upgrade. Fabulous review. The reason I watch your channel is that you are greatly unbiased and real. But sometimes you fail to call a "spade a spade" please don't hesitate to do that. People respect you even more.
Thanks :)
Heh Steve as always excellent use of test equipment 👍 I don’t use either Z cameras but love your videos that much I had to watch😂👍
I feel like it's a minor update. As a wedding photographer, the low light focus is better as long as the subject isn't moving. For shots of the couple at the head table in low light with small movement the focus is far more miss than hit. Still relying on the D5 for the majority of work.
Hi Steve, first congratulations for your pro publications. I am a Nikon boy. I aown a D%, D850, D500 and a Z7. I like nature photography and landscapes. Having a Z7, do you think it is recommendable to change it for a Z7II? Many thanks.
Hey Steve, long time follower and new subscriber here. If you remember I bought your old Epson printer several years ago. I'm considering a change from DSLR to mirrorless and trying to decide if the investment in a new system is going to be worth it. Are you seeing a noticeable difference in quality, sharpness/focus from your DSLR days? Also hoping a new camera might bring back some of the passion I've lost
Hang tight - I'm actually working on a video that will discuss this. :)
Also, the difference isn't so much in the overall image quality, but rather the usability of the camera. AF all over, live exposure info, etc. They just give you more info and options in the field and make for more consistent success.
I updated my z6 II today. I don't have anyone at home to test it on so I tried it with my tv using my Tamron 24-70 G2. I could see a difference with the yellow box. It does seem to track better. I also noticed that if I hold the BBF that the lens seems to hunt back and forth a lot more. I know a tv isn't the best way to test it. When I heard that the auto focus was supposed to be better I was hoping it would help with adapted lenses but you said you used your 300 PF lens and it was the same. If I understand right, F mount lenses focus at half the speed using the FTZ adapter.
Yes, on average they are about half speed from min to max focus distance. (some are closer, but usually it's the ones that were already slow).
I own Z50, after new update eye autofocus has improved and accurate. Subject tracking is still beyond. Now there is a big issue after update that is when FX lens used Aperture clicking sound is loud when Aperture changes. Are you all facing the same issue?
I love your "test seagulls"
I suppose we will all be waiting for a major firmware upgrade after the Z9 has settled down.
I bought a Z6ii because I felt that the two processors will allow Nikon to add more features than to the Z6.
Steve, thanks for sharing your findings. Which Sony camera and lens do you use for fast moving birds?
Right now the a1, was using the a9ii, and the A7R4 is also good. Nikon can't touch any of them when it comes to the tracking modes. However, for just regular AF tracking (like tracking a bird with Wide (S) for instance, Nikon can get the job done.
Hi Steve some advice. I have just bought the z6ii and do mostly wildlife. For most Big game here in Africa the Z7/6 do well as the focus is not an issue. In fact I find that most of my Nikon lenses look to produce sharper images. However for fast action BIF it does not cope well. So do I keep my D500? I looked at the Sony system and it is fantastic but to do a systems change after 35 yrs of Nikon use with legacy of lenses. Currently we can buy D850 used bodies in very good condition for very low prices. Thanks for great channel and great ebooks. I have few.
any chance we can have the old music, maybe at the end of the video? :-)
Thie Z auto focus is the only thing stopping me moving from my D750 at the moment - its still not clear if the AF is going to be any easier to use on the Z cameras. Ive used Sony briefly and you really don't have to think to much - you can concentrate on other aspects of whats going on.
Keep in mind it's just the tracking mode that's really poor - the normal AF modes do pretty well. However, I also agree with you on the Sony. I'm finding myself sometimes switching to Wide Area AF and letting the camera find the eye as I concentrate on making better compositions :)
Thanks Steve. Eye AF (human + cats/dogs) improved. But, the area of photography that almost made me switch systems to Sony was wildlife tracking, particularly birds in flight. As you say, it's "doable" - so Nikon ... please hurry up and do it. Cheers.
just a quick comment and question- how were you able to confirm in focus shots on the moving metronome arm at 1/20 sec? Additionally, the AF systEm would naturally have a easier job on this shot due to the the relatively flat plane all within the DOF
It would be interesting to know how the Z7II AF tracking compares to that of the D850.
D850 will edge this I'd say
My Z7ii with FTZ adapter and 200-500mm f5.6 VR on nikon TC 1.4x shows mild improvement for low light AF and subject tracking.
How has this system been working for you in general? I’m looking to go mirrorless and I love my 200-500 and don’t mind its weight at all
Are you going to do a quick review of the Z6ii & Z7ii firmware 1.4 update?
hei can you help me to pick 1 camera from z50 or d7500 for weddings purpose
lens i am having nikon 70-200 2.8 fx
85mm 1.8 fx
50mm fx
24-120 f4 fx
currently using D5200
Thank you for the info. You commented that the AF systems are good, but the tracking is still not up to the competition. By tracking, I assume you mean auto mode tracking. How about if you compared single point ( or group) focus on a D500 or D850 in AF-C mode to similar settings in the Zii and manually tracked a flying bird. Does the lag or viewfinder blackout prevent you from being able to stick with the bird?
It's doable. I'm not afraid to use the Zs for action at this point, but I'm also not afraid to pound the occasional nail with a crescent wrench :) It's not that they can't do action - I've recently had some BIF shots published form the first version of the Z camera - it's just that they aren't quite as good as the D500 / D850. And your right about the lag - it's no helping at all. Overall, for most people shooting Nikon, the DSLRs are still the best bet for action - although I'd also argue the Z cameras are the best bet for everything else!
Have you ever tried "interval timer shooting" on the Z6II? My setting is A, auto ISO up to 51200, over 1000 photos. I have a random issue, first 10 to 20 photos are overexposed then it shows exposure back to normal gradually.
I still find it weird how they dropped the 3D focus name and controls. Really liked that on my D3/300 although on my 500 I usually use point + the medium boundary box.
I also found it incredibly annoying on the Z6 that I couldn’t set other focus modes to the function buttons like on my D500.
I agree 100%. As a D850 and D500 shooter, I find it incredibly annoying that the newer cameras lack features that the older ones already had.
Can you comment if the features are the same using the FTZ piece?
Don't use the tracking box on flying birds, use Animal eye AF and the focus boxes will stick to the bird much better than the grey box.
I was using the tracking box on this video because that's what was updated :)
Hi Steve, I'm currently shooting with a D500 and D810. Looking to upgrade the D810 which of the new Zs is most versatile ?
I see you mention Sony from time to time. I am only lightly invested into Nikon F mount lenses and am considering going to Z mount. If I am going to do that though, there is an option to move brands altogether, say the Canon R5 since I will be needing new Nikon lenses. Just wondering if you would recommend I look at Sony rather than just staying with Nikon Z "because that's what I've always had". I was looking at the D850 but that now seems a pointless change given it's moving to an old system.
For sure at least look at Sony. Right now, Nikon offers promises, Sony offers gear that works. I'm hoping that Nikon's promises become reality soon (LOL, I have a lot of books written for Nikon shooters so I want them to succeed) but right now Sony has the best overall mirrorless system. However, a few months from now, who knows?
I have a d500 (which I really like) - how do the Nikon mirrorless cameras compare to it in terms of auto focus performance? I have heard that they are not quite there yet - what are your thoughts? SM
I have D500, D850 an Z6II. In terms of AF speed, D500 is far the fastest, in terms of accuracy the D850 is at least equal. There is still a big gap to Z6II in both terms. For fast moving targets (i.e. birding) the Z6II is still strongly behind and not usable. I hope for the Z9.
Alas, even with the updates... as you stated in anther video... going past the asterisk heavy Nikon specs... the camera only shoots 5 frames per second in real life scenarios. I have been a longtime Nikon user and wanted to try moving to a Mirrorless format and after using a couple of Nikon Mirrorless cameras, I have tired of waiting for Nikon to catch-up to their competitors. Even with all the Nikon glass and cameras I own I just ordered a Canon R5. Not sure if it will work out but I am going to give it a go. Why Canon over Sony? Mainly because changing systems, Canon glass is much more affordable to switch to over Sony aside from the only Sony I feel would outperform the Canon R5 is the A1 and that is out of my ballpark. We’ll see. Wish me luck.
The Canon system really looks good and if I didn't already have a bunch of Sony gear that may have been the direction I went for my second system.
Is there any way to turn off Auto Dx mode? I use 35mm dx lens in my d750. But i am planning on buying z6ii. But i cannot find any option to turn off dx mode in lens to get actual 35mm format that i used to get in my d750. PLZ HELP 😢😢
Off the top of my head, I'm not sure there is. You can switch to different image areas in the Photo Shooting Menu (it can be assigned to a button as well).
On the seagull tracking at any time did you pan your subject with the new update?
You mean with just a regular AF mode? Yes, and it's the same as it was.
@@backcountrygallery instead of buying a mirrorless z7ii what do you think about me buying a D6 instead? The tracking should be better and Ive read the low light capabilities are better. I'm just wondering if the D6 DSLR will be a good fit to use on zoom interviews or other interviews that are an hour long. I know it's heavy. What do you think?
@@troyheffernan1261 The D6 is fantastic - search for my review on it here on YT. As for using it as a webcam for zoom settings, I've no idea. I've never tried it, but I suppose it would work.
@@backcountrygallery thank you for your feed back. I own a medical practice and I want to make a great first impression to my clients. Thank you again.
almost what I also found... it does not improve the AF tracking... disappointed over all... but no surprise as it is only a minor fix, as you said! thanks... less convince than ever that we will se a real 2.0 firmware improvement...
I'm still (perhaps foolishly) optimistic about the 2.0 update :)
I'm looking at a D850 or is the Z7 MK2 a better choice?
They are really close- a lot of it depends on what you're shooting. I think the D850 might still have an edge for action, but there are a lot of advantages to the Z7ii that might outweigh it.
do you honestly think nikon is going to give another firmware update for the z6/7ii to provide with improved AF features?
We all think that these cameras allow for much better performance because of what they're built with, and we kinda feel it is possible for them to improve a lot if Nikon solves the programing needed for it. But are they going to give it to the ii's if they can sort it out? Or will they save it for a future line up? This unanswered question is keeping me from getting the z6ii, and making me wonder wether i should stay with nikon or not.
I'd be pretty upset if i'd put patience and will into this system and at a given point i saw this is not recyprocal. I mean, if i get a z6ii knowing it isn't what i could get the most from at this point, i'd like from nikon to keep it updated as soon as this is possible.
i also want less viewfinder lag and no blackout shooting in continuous high, cmon nikon put it on my z6ii! xD
Honestly, no idea at all if Nikon will issue an update that will significantly improve AF. I think a 2.0 firmware update is likely, but to what extent it helps is anyone's guess.
Tried my z7ii with 24-70/2.8 with the new firmware and my border collie running towards me: 1 shot out of ten in focus.
With my A9ii and 135/1.8 10 out of ten in focus.
Ouch!
Oof
I think you have to press "Ok" to confirm that this is the item you need to track, right? And then it tracks it.
OK starts tracking mode, activating AF starts tracking.
@@backcountrygallery Ah, ok. Thanks. These things are getting more complex with time. Maybe someone will come up with a drone to follow the bird :-)
i dont know, at park today with z6 ii all about AF clusterfuck...I tried the wide mode with people icon at no point could I get any of those small focus boxes to even show within the FRAME...Nikon sucks about no explain in manuals. I think area mode with people works better
Seems that tracking with Area mode set to WIDE-S or WIDE-L do job 100% better. ("S" in first case doesn't mean "Seagull mode" :))
Does anyone know what song is on the front end of the video?
Just something I made in Garage Band
@@backcountrygallery Thanks! It sounds good.
Are you tempted to go Sony?
I have Sony and Nikon :)