From the video result, I have to say it is just okay to have. I am not so satisfied. The advertisement didn't leak any problems like the red grid focus on the tree. In advertisement it works well. So I am not satisfied and I am very worried about the problem I mentioned. Nikon didn't do a good job personally since Z6/Z7 are its first generation but very powerful but the first generation of eye af still have a long way to go. I never use the face detection mode before, but it's a good start of Eye AF. I will try and learn how it works and use this mode more.
Seems like they did a good job! If I was a z owner I would be happy! From what I’ve seen Face detect works good for full body shots you have eye AF for half body and just use single point AFC for head shots.. and you got better results at 1.4 in AFC single point on the Z than you did on the D5.. And I’m hearing low light focus is very very good now plus snappier focus in general. I may grab one soon now.
To be fair, Nikon has been doing pretty good for their first time releases. The z6 itself is evidence of that. Its not perfect but for being a first gen mirrorless, its pretty good. And now their eye af also seems pretty good, at least for their first go at it
Netflix should give the FroKnowsPhoto Team a season contract to do photography real world shoot tutorials. Even if you are not a photographer, the quality of work that goes into these shoots, is as professional as it gets. Top notch RUclips content, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this team.
oh yes, espacially at weddings the Sony a7III gets me frustrated because it doesn't let you switch the face it's focussing on with a press of a button. Or is there a way? Pleeeeease let me know :-*
Fro, this was the most impressive side-bi-side-by-side test I've ever seen. I just bought my new Nikon Z6 last week, and today downloaded the new Firmware 2.0 release with the Eye AF, and can't wait to test it out. Any Eye AF is better than none, and you know Nikon will only improve it with future firmware releases. Don't be surprised when they surpass Sony. One thing you should compare is all their WiFi capabilities, Nikon sucks on the Z6, way too slow, and doe snot show up in Explorer Window, you have to upload files to PC through the i menu.
Actually, you should watch others as the comparison I watched before this one had different results. They actually 'took shots' in continuous shooting mode of a person walking and zig-zagging towards the camera. The hit rates were similar.
@@stanspb763 You are mistaken. people have tested them in severe conditions, and they hold up. I have been hit with waves and gotten my Sony soaked (a7ii), still working. I have seen a nikon D850 get a little splash and die. you should check out the Fstoppers video titled, destroyed my camera trying to review a filter. The wave that hit my sony and I was much larger by comparison. the wave moved through me, not splashing me. It almost knocked me over. Word to the wise. Just because the ground is dry at a tide pool, remember the pool your looking at got its water somehow. And it may be coming to get you! All of this also happened with the crapy kit lens that came with the camera, which I believe is not sealed. I no longer use that lens as it presented me too many issues, although it does look good around 50mm.
I don't own a single camera in this review, but this was a very informative and interesting video. That is the mark of a quality presentation. Well done Fro, my Bro.
Jared, around the 19-20 minute mark where you are seeing the Nikon focus on the trees. The quick way to get out of that is to hit the OK button. When you do that a box comes up that you can move to wherever you’d like. Then you can start over
Could it be that the bigger Nikon box around the eye is due fewer focus points (273) in comparison to A7iii (693)? would the z7 be different in that case with a total of 493 AF points?
I agree with this actually, the box might be quite a bit smaller with the Z7; quite unsure why they used the Z6 in this test as opposed to the Z7 too, seeing as it's supposed to be basically equal to the A7iii
Oridian the z6 is designed to compete with the a7iii, they are both the ‘entry level’ full frame cameras with 24 megapixel sensors. The z7 competes with the a7riii, and it has a significantly higher resolution.
Absolutely brilliant testing and analysis! Nobody else even comes close. So useful in the real world too. I wouldn't hesitate to base purchasing decisions on your testing and analysis.
There's another Z6 VS A7iii comparison (Imaging Resource) and they actually shot continuously rather than just looking at AF boxes on the screen. They had a similar hit rate. Interestingly, when just viewing the screen the Nikon AF box jumped around and the Sony stuck on the eye. When shooting it reversed and the Nikon AF box stuck on the eye and the Sony AF box was jumping all over the place (forehead, cheek, eye, nose). The Sony was still in-focus, just the AF box displayed on the screen didn't keep up.
@@cooloox It's called resource allocation. Those cameras have limited cpu power, and Sony decided to spend most of the cpu on the focus itself during shooting, even if it means having the boxes in the evf lagging behind, and that's the correct decision because it's the end results that matter.
@@youuuuuuuuuuutube It is if you are only interested in AF-C but in all other areas, including AF-S, Sony lags behind the competition mainly because they built to a price point and used cheap hardware. They left out weather sealing knowing the no one uses cameras in damp or dusty conditions and built it with a tiny thin flange plate because it saved a few dollars but makes the camera the most fragile on the market, a drop even on carpet totals the camera...but hey, they did save a few dollars. Video performance and video AF lags behind Nikon and the lack of 10 or 12-bit raw limits it to youtube productions.. Try holding one for a long session and compare to the Nikon, Canon and Panasonic S series, not even in the same ballpark. When running out of buffer the Sony disables controls for a long time as it clears. The biggest knock, however, is lack of support. After a model is dropped, Sony expects users to upgrade to the new model and cuts access to parts so older models can't be repaired. That is a corporate-wide policy on all their products.
Jared, what are the values that you used for Nikon Z for the following: - AF speed (g4) - AF Tracking Sensitivity (g5) - Focus Tracking with Lock-On (a3) All these settings can cause the tree focus issue (at 17:40). So just curious what the settings were for those...
Jared, I have been waiting to buy either the Z6 or the a7iii, and this video has helped me decide. Thank you very much for your hard work. I came to you first because I knew you would have a comprehensive review. Keep em coming!
I like those real word tests. 5:48 Sony has the option to choose which eye to focus in the newest firmware. Also I think the 70-200 focus test was unfair because Nikon and Canon had adapted lenses and the Sony was native. You should have chosen native lenses for all three cameras like 50mm 1.8.
@@24Steevy yeah and the Sony 50mm f1.8 is no where near or even close to the same caliber as the Nikon 50mm f1.8. I have both. So there probably isn't a perfect way to test this yet.
Just an FYI, the Z6 can pop out of eye-AR fairly easily. You can just hit "OK" then move around with the d-pad to choose a focus area. Granted, it's not single point, but more like dynamic area. You can hit the zoom out button to return to eye-AF mode.
A little different result on the other video, perhaps it depends on subject and the principal of focusing on the chest is a feature in itself as the people move to the back of their head, ruclips.net/video/WODxhodB3-o/видео.html
@Memeorandum of Understanding Rubbish! All the reviewers who tested the A6400 at the launch event and then picked up the A9 said the A9 was significantly faster! Sony was touting BS.
@@danielvilliers612 I watched that video before this one. Interestingly, when 'actually shooting' the A7iii AF box was all over the place and the Z6 AF box stuck to the eye.
@Jared Polin. I started watching your videos from last year because I was contemplating on buying either the Nikon D850 or the Sony A7Riii. But upon watching most of your videos for about a month, I bought the sony A7Riii and I will be regret it. You have always had an honest reviews of products and I know most people that watch your videos will agree with that. Your videos ain't boring. It's funny but educative. Thank You.
Great and informative video. Just a quick comment, if you leave tracking settings with the EOS R at default it’s not locked on the subject when you duck down for as long as you do, choosing a more locked on setting would hold the focus distance until you came back up. Not a fault with AF, just not set up to do what you were looking for. Setting the AF to change distance dramatically much fast would result in a very quick jump from you to the background, and when you jump back up it would also lock much quicker. The standard setting is in between and works exactly like it should in that test 👍🏽
11:32 There's the key statement. Sony has had several years to perfect this. I think Nikon did a good job for a first attempt. It will only get better in time.
They did an amazing job for first attempt. Sony's 'general' AF, nevermind eye AF, was terrible for years. It wasn't even that good on the A7R2. It's only their latest cameras which are superb.
They have over 40 years experience in cameras... they should have been the best, but no... stop with the bullshit excuses... Sony has tons of electronic categories that they work on, cameras being just a small amount of their business. While nikon has most of their time spent on cameras and lenses and they still suck
We only had the firmware for a little amount of time so we did as much as we could. Our main focus was just seeing if it actually tracked as well as the competition
@@markshirley01, It focuses better now in very low light than the D850, That really surprised me. Took some shots in a blackened room where I really could not see anything to target but the EVF brightened up light a nightscope, did look a little grainy but it focused without hunting on an object that auto exposure set 1/2sc, f/1.8 and ISO 136,000! and got a well-focused shot. I am not going to shot that way but it means the common problem with mirrorless in Flash or strobe scenes do not trigger the flash near infrared patterned assist light on wireless flash controllers or shoe mounted flashes. Being able to focus and frame in such low light mean flash and strobe shots do not need modeling lights or assist lights anymore. From my test, I am sure it is the only mirrorless which can work this way with strobes and flash. To me,that is the biggest improvement for an event and low key light studio sessions.by not needing to introduce light pollution to use flash and mirrorless. Big win for Nikon users.
Jared u can select which eye to focus with sony. You just need to put the focus point on the eye u want. With the joystick and with the touch screen as well, even while using evf.
As a Nikon user I've been dithering about switching to Sony as I will need all new glass, but I think you have really helped me to make the decision. Anyone want to buy a D5300?
Fro, I jus did a very basic test with the Z7 & 24-70/2.8 G with a my partner walking along toward me and got the same results as you at 70mm. Once close it grabbed the eye. Overall I impressed with the results and can live it. I usually use MF Zeiss Lens so it won't get that much use from me but its still good to know that its there if need. Great review BTW keep up the excellent content you deliver.
Assign the autofocus function to the movie record button when in still mode. Then you'll be able to change your AF mode and AF area with your command dials when holding the movie record button.
Jared, if you use back-button-focus, then you have the possibility to pause/interrupt and reposition the eye-AF :) Try it out!! Great videos btw. All the best from Denmark
Hey Buddy........ I noticed you were using an adapted Nikon lens for your comparison of the EYE-AF You said that it was focussing on the Eyelash instead of the EYE Because you are using an adapted lens you might have to go into your menu settings and fine-tune the focus point for that lens to get it to lock on to the EYE instead of the lash That's what I had to do and after I did it Locked on the eye every time Another EPIC review brother thanks for all you do for our community 😎 best regards, Rick
I was waiting for this video after I updated my Z6 firmware. Thank you Fro. And as you said the Nikon's Eye AF is reasonably OK, that's good news since at first, I also thought that will suck. The change between the Face detection and Eye AF is little bit mess.
Two small additions to the Nikon (I haven't tested the new EyeAF yet, but I own the Z_6): 1. To force the Nikon to refocus, touch the touchpad where you want it to focus. I personally don't like using the touchpad, but at least in that situation it is faster than switching modes. 2. Talking about switching modes: I bound the AF modes to the front-function-keys (next to the lens) to quickly switch between them. Hold the key and scroll with the front/back dial is way fast than using the i-menu imo.
Kudos to Sony for leading the way. All these cameras' tech makes photography so much easier! I don't get those Luddites who still say stuff like "Real nature photographers don't need a fast burst rate. Know your subject well enough to capture it in one click." Let's see them catch a flying swallow in one click. I look forward to all the manufacturers' continuing competition. We all benefit.
Amazing video! Respect the time you put into this. You think you’ll be doing an updated version now that both canon and Nikon have updated their firmwares?
Sen Madrona that’s because the A6400 and A9 share Sony’s “best” processor while the A7III has an older one. It’s also why the A7III isn’t getting things like animal AF just yet.
One thought and one question: Does the Nikon go to face detect when the depth of field is big enough not to warrant eye detection, and have you tested the Sony with fast glass to check for eyelash focus?
I don't see why this is a complaint actually. If the lens is *consistently* focussing on the lashes, use micro adjust to push it back a bit. That should give you perfect eye af.
@@Kanti12311 Why would that depend on subject movement? If the focus consistently tracks the lashes, micro adjusting to +whatever value hits the iris should consistently hit the iris.
Awesome review! Just wanted to add that I have twice updated the firmware on my A9 with no problems. If you can’t find the cable Sony gave you, one of those orange tethering cables works well.
Jared I want to know how this performs in low light situations can you talk about this here or create a video for this... I'm a wedding photographer so this is important to me!!
Great idea. Also, I shoot general event stuff a lot and would like to see eye af control on a per-person basis when shooting several people at once. Is that available.
You can use the joystick to move the focus to a different eye, not just the D pad, so it's no problem with the camera vertical. I wish RUclips reviewers would take the trouble to find things out before criticising camera gear.
Great vid, thanks Fro. Nice to see Nikon coming to the party. Lets see what they do next. Very impressed with Sony. Its an exciting time for photography.
Jared, you can move tracking area even in AF-area mode just by pressing OK button. Then you can move focusing box. Then the box will track the area you. Then you can go back to face recognition by pressing "zoom out" button. I hope it runs the same way with this new firmware.
Amazing job guys!! best comparison between the mirrorless systems out there. I feel reassured that my move to Sony from Canon was the right thing to do for my areas of work. Keep the good work and thanks for your hard work!!!
For the Nikon Z6, would the setting "a3: Focus Tracking with Lock-On" affect Eye Detect performance? If it is set for a longer delay, the AF system would be less likely to lose focus during some of the tests (e.g. ducking out of frame). The revised Nikon Z6/Z7 Reference Manual on p. 252 says that when Auto-Area AF is selected, values 1, 2 and 3 are the same, so the range is 3, 4 and 5. The default is 3, which, in Auto-Area AF mode, is the quickest to change focus, which is not wanted when doing portraits. I think setting of 5 would be more "sticky" if this setting does apply to Eye AF.
@@kwizmonWilliams because it has an eye af that you can rely on and an accurate and fast autofocus system as you saw in this review. plus sony a7iii is beast in low light and has 10 fps at 14 bit raw which is my style of shooting with fast moving subjects.
Will no take too long before Nikon, Canon, Fuji, etc (and hopefully Pentax) reach Sony's AF level and features. Nikon has gone a step ahead allowing users to select which eye to focus which is very welcome.
In all other aspects of the camera, the Nikon is superior. Sony has done a good job in programming but cheapened out on important features that limit its usefulness. The Z mount is the future and Sony will likely have to change mounts again to remain competitive with Panasonic, Nikon and Canon. To step in video they will have to design a whole new platform. For outdoor use, Sony being the only company without weather sealing will have to raise prices to come up to Nikon and Panasonic construction and component quality. Right now it is a 1 trick pony, good AF-C but weak in everything else.
Great video Jared. If someone was so start fresh, i.e. no adapated glass, based on your findings, IQ, native and future glass roadmap what do you think would make more sense Sony or Nikon? I am torn between these 2 systems and getting more so with every firmware. Prefering the Nikon ergos, look and glass but if Sony's bodies and firmware are so far ahead of others right now *"college" vs "womb") does it make sense to go with Nikon? Thank you
It's pertty even to me Sony has AEF (animal eye focus) and EAF (eye auto focus) and Nikon has TAF (tree auto focus) and EAF (eyelash auto focus) lol and canon that's just sad.
Sony's firmware upgrade solution is inferior because the firmware file is in the computer, not in the camera, so you need to keep the connection between computer and camera during the upgrade which means you need the correct usb driver to be installed, the correct system to work, and if your computer stops working, the camera will be bricked. On the Nikon, the firmware file is in the camera memory card, no need for specific drivers and so on, it's just superior.
The Nikon seems to work well enough to get great results for portrait work . That is of course you’re planning to have your subject pop up like a jack in the box . I have the A7RIII and it only works well in certain modes , especially after the latest update . For example the constant tracking for eye AF while pressing the AF is good , but I ‘be noticed that if I try to get get whole body shot by going lower that the eye AF doesn’t track as well . However , if I use the custom button set to EYE AF that it does . It just depends on the focus mode & area you use .
He is comparing full frame cameras. APSC is another matter specially because the DoF is deeper so any kind of AF is more efficient... So, comparing with XT3 or 6400 doesn’t make much sense.
Another fair review. As I said last video, setting fn2 (or 1, depends on preference) to changing focus modes would make for a much faster workflow over using the i menu. I'm curious if things would change if you set the focus track to something other than default (a3) either faster or slower. Could be a good case for a user set up if it makes a big difference. Haven't upgraded my firmware yet to mess around with the eye af/focus settings.
I have something to complain about the side by side comparison. Canon and Nikon are in full Area AF, maybe because they just can use Eye-AF in this Mode. SONY is in Single Point, not in Full Area, why? It gets focus on you back because you stand where the single spot AF is set to. Maybe it would have been locked to the tree if it was in Full Area AF like the other two camera. In the end SONYs Eye-AF is still by far the best, just missing the change Eye feature. But you should made a comparison using same settings on all of them.
Fro! I have realize that in Nikon Z6 on AutoArea Mode, you can choose your focus area just presing de "Zoom -" Buttom or "Ok", so you get a Little White squeare to choose your traking object. By the way you don't have to leave the AutoArea focus mode to "reacquires" focus as you tell on the minute 18:07 of your video. Keep doing this videos!!! Thank you very much! (I apologize about my English spelling... I`m Spanish)
Ismael Naranjo this is what I was going to say. He forgot all of the important things you can do just be touching the screen. And for the bike example, you can simply click on his jacket and it will track him all the way in, and never worry about anything in the background.
@@hautehussey Another "issue" with this review is: You can use EyeAF on AF-S mode. So Z6 don`t do that "PING PONG" switching from one eye to the other.
@@hautehussey The point was to test out the NEW Eye AF and not the Auto Area AF overall. We're aware that you can touch the screen and box on the subject, as mentioned in all of our Real World Reviews of the cameras. The point here was to specifically test out the Eye AF function
@@zoxym1982 Have you ever tried to hit focus on an eye in AF-S mode at 1.4? It needs to be on AF-C for shots like that. We really wanted to push the firmware to its limits here. The main question we wanted answered was how good the CONTINUOUS Eye AF is.
Does anyone else get a quick little lens breath when shooting on the Z7? I get it constantly when shooting the Z 24-70 f4. It happens enough to where I lose important shots that happen on the fly. This has kept me from incorporating the camera into my daily work flow. I just can't rely on the it yet. The breathing is minimal but is a huge deal when I have to hold the focus button down a full second sometimes before it locks. The moment has passed. (I have "release" set on both single and continuous focus modes so I know that's not the issue.) My D810 and d750 lock focus just about every time, racking only in very low light situations. We definitely need to be able to switch between Eye AF and manual focus point selection with a push of a button, especially when we can't rely on the AF modes. Thanks for putting so much time into this video Jared. I'm grateful.
Brian Christinus id argue that eyelash is actually where you want your focus for most of these shots. Topaz does a really good job and sharpening the inside of the eye if you need it. And if you’re that close where there’s a difference then you can simply click on the eyeball itself and it will focus there.
They use a distance meter for closest eye. So it (ping pongs) due to distance. So subject can either tilt, or you can angle slightly the camera to change, wont change pic outcome. Theyre working on this issue, but each person will want it differently. I like having a choice, they just dont tell you why it does that. Knowing lets you use it.
So what do you think, did Nikon do a good job on the first go around?
From the video result, I have to say it is just okay to have. I am not so satisfied. The advertisement didn't leak any problems like the red grid focus on the tree. In advertisement it works well. So I am not satisfied and I am very worried about the problem I mentioned. Nikon didn't do a good job personally since Z6/Z7 are its first generation but very powerful but the first generation of eye af still have a long way to go. I never use the face detection mode before, but it's a good start of Eye AF. I will try and learn how it works and use this mode more.
Seems like they did a good job! If I was a z owner I would be happy! From what I’ve seen Face detect works good for full body shots you have eye AF for half body and just use single point AFC for head shots.. and you got better results at 1.4 in AFC single point on the Z than you did on the D5.. And I’m hearing low light focus is very very good now plus snappier focus in general. I may grab one soon now.
Super pumped about it! Updated last night at midnight. Tested it out briefly but will test out this morning!!
Yes but now they need to sell that to Canon Nikon Like they do sensors
To be fair, Nikon has been doing pretty good for their first time releases. The z6 itself is evidence of that. Its not perfect but for being a first gen mirrorless, its pretty good. And now their eye af also seems pretty good, at least for their first go at it
Netflix should give the FroKnowsPhoto Team a season contract to do photography real world shoot tutorials. Even if you are not a photographer, the quality of work that goes into these shoots, is as professional as it gets. Top notch RUclips content, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this team.
Joaquin Nolasco now thats what we will be waiting for
Jared put more effort and detail into this review than the Game of Thrones writers did for season 8. Long live Game of Frones.
@MLWATKK not yet, the ending is not until this Sunday
Game of FroKnows
finished watching fro's video and i was very happy. until i read this comment.
@@DmitryBrodsky007 We all know what's going to happen because GoT is basically a cartoon at this point
Hahaha. Very Funny sir.
What I noticed is your hard work. Thank you very much!
The real winner here is the consumer as any Eye-AF is better than none.
One thing we forgot to do was show how eye af works with multiple people in a frame. The Nikon allows you to arrow over to any of them which is cool.
oh yes, espacially at weddings the Sony a7III gets me frustrated because it doesn't let you switch the face it's focussing on with a press of a button. Or is there a way? Pleeeeease let me know :-*
Yes, how to shoot a large group.
Production quality is so good in these videos. Outpacing everyone else
With the Sony A9 you can select the eye (left/right) and put it on a function button too if you wish.
So what can you say? Balanced, thorough, fair, objective and even open about biases. Well done, Jared. You’re becoming the best reviewer on RUclips.
Fro, this was the most impressive side-bi-side-by-side test I've ever seen. I just bought my new Nikon Z6 last week, and today downloaded the new Firmware 2.0 release with the Eye AF, and can't wait to test it out. Any Eye AF is better than none, and you know Nikon will only improve it with future firmware releases. Don't be surprised when they surpass Sony. One thing you should compare is all their WiFi capabilities, Nikon sucks on the Z6, way too slow, and doe snot show up in Explorer Window, you have to upload files to PC through the i menu.
This video saved me so much time. No need to view another one on that topic! Spot on.
Actually, you should watch others as the comparison I watched before this one had different results. They actually 'took shots' in continuous shooting mode of a person walking and zig-zagging towards the camera. The hit rates were similar.
@@cooloox link please
one of the best Jared videos! Informative, funny but not ridiculous, balanced but not lurid. Very useful and still entertaining.
Man that Sony AF is impressive.
It really is, it looks almost perfect tbh, and the scary thing is that the Sony a9 is even better, and it allows you to switch between left/right eye.
But everything else about the camera is weak, particularly build quality and lack of sealing.
@@stanspb763 no, that's not true. I'm sorry. I agree on nikon and canon still having better ergonomics and build, but it's far from weak
@@stanspb763 You are mistaken. people have tested them in severe conditions, and they hold up. I have been hit with waves and gotten my Sony soaked (a7ii), still working. I have seen a nikon D850 get a little splash and die. you should check out the Fstoppers video titled, destroyed my camera trying to review a filter. The wave that hit my sony and I was much larger by comparison. the wave moved through me, not splashing me. It almost knocked me over. Word to the wise. Just because the ground is dry at a tide pool, remember the pool your looking at got its water somehow. And it may be coming to get you! All of this also happened with the crapy kit lens that came with the camera, which I believe is not sealed. I no longer use that lens as it presented me too many issues, although it does look good around 50mm.
@@joeees7790 normally retorical questions are followed by a statement. Im not seeing a second half.
Love your real world reviews. Probably the most fair and accurate I’ve seen when it comes to cameras. Two thumbs up Fro!
I don't own a single camera in this review, but this was a very informative and interesting video. That is the mark of a quality presentation. Well done Fro, my Bro.
Jared, around the 19-20 minute mark where you are seeing the Nikon focus on the trees. The quick way to get out of that is to hit the OK button. When you do that a box comes up that you can move to wherever you’d like. Then you can start over
Could it be that the bigger Nikon box around the eye is due fewer focus points (273) in comparison to A7iii (693)? would the z7 be different in that case with a total of 493 AF points?
I agree with this actually, the box might be quite a bit smaller with the Z7; quite unsure why they used the Z6 in this test as opposed to the Z7 too, seeing as it's supposed to be basically equal to the A7iii
Oridian the z6 is designed to compete with the a7iii, they are both the ‘entry level’ full frame cameras with 24 megapixel sensors. The z7 competes with the a7riii, and it has a significantly higher resolution.
Absolutely brilliant testing and analysis! Nobody else even comes close. So useful in the real world too. I wouldn't hesitate to base purchasing decisions on your testing and analysis.
There's another Z6 VS A7iii comparison (Imaging Resource) and they actually shot continuously rather than just looking at AF boxes on the screen. They had a similar hit rate. Interestingly, when just viewing the screen the Nikon AF box jumped around and the Sony stuck on the eye. When shooting it reversed and the Nikon AF box stuck on the eye and the Sony AF box was jumping all over the place (forehead, cheek, eye, nose). The Sony was still in-focus, just the AF box displayed on the screen didn't keep up.
@@cooloox It's called resource allocation. Those cameras have limited cpu power, and Sony decided to spend most of the cpu on the focus itself during shooting, even if it means having the boxes in the evf lagging behind, and that's the correct decision because it's the end results that matter.
@@youuuuuuuuuuutube It is if you are only interested in AF-C but in all other areas, including AF-S, Sony lags behind the competition mainly because they built to a price point and used cheap hardware. They left out weather sealing knowing the no one uses cameras in damp or dusty conditions and built it with a tiny thin flange plate because it saved a few dollars but makes the camera the most fragile on the market, a drop even on carpet totals the camera...but hey, they did save a few dollars. Video performance and video AF lags behind Nikon and the lack of 10 or 12-bit raw limits it to youtube productions.. Try holding one for a long session and compare to the Nikon, Canon and Panasonic S series, not even in the same ballpark. When running out of buffer the Sony disables controls for a long time as it clears. The biggest knock, however, is lack of support. After a model is dropped, Sony expects users to upgrade to the new model and cuts access to parts so older models can't be repaired. That is a corporate-wide policy on all their products.
Jared, what are the values that you used for Nikon Z for the following:
- AF speed (g4)
- AF Tracking Sensitivity (g5)
- Focus Tracking with Lock-On (a3)
All these settings can cause the tree focus issue (at 17:40). So just curious what the settings were for those...
Props to the model for doing all of this for you, switching lenses, bodies, setting up that comparison. Gj Jared
Jared, I have been waiting to buy either the Z6 or the a7iii, and this video has helped me decide. Thank you very much for your hard work. I came to you first because I knew you would have a comprehensive review. Keep em coming!
let's take a minute and thank Jared and dan for this great video ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Stephen edited and shot this entire video. Thank him!
well said
I like those real word tests.
5:48 Sony has the option to choose which eye to focus in the newest firmware.
Also I think the 70-200 focus test was unfair because Nikon and Canon had adapted lenses and the Sony was native. You should have chosen native lenses for all three cameras like 50mm 1.8.
It was fair because you can't buy a native 70-200 for Nikon and Canon because it's doesn't exist, if you want use 70-200 you must to use this
@@24Steevy yeah and the Sony 50mm f1.8 is no where near or even close to the same caliber as the Nikon 50mm f1.8. I have both. So there probably isn't a perfect way to test this yet.
Canon and Nikon insist that there is not drop in performance with their adapters. Fair test.
Yes it would have been fun to see the sony with canon glass beat the canon.
The only comparable lenses we had we're all 70-200 2.8s. We can only test what we have.
Just an FYI, the Z6 can pop out of eye-AR fairly easily. You can just hit "OK" then move around with the d-pad to choose a focus area. Granted, it's not single point, but more like dynamic area. You can hit the zoom out button to return to eye-AF mode.
The Nikon is reasonably good but Wow, the Sony kills them both! No doubt the A9 is even faster and more accurate than the already impressive A7III.
Sony- video, nikon- stills.
A little different result on the other video, perhaps it depends on subject and the principal of focusing on the chest is a feature in itself as the people move to the back of their head, ruclips.net/video/WODxhodB3-o/видео.html
@Memeorandum of Understanding Rubbish! All the reviewers who tested the A6400 at the launch event and then picked up the A9 said the A9 was significantly faster! Sony was touting BS.
@@danielvilliers612 I watched that video before this one. Interestingly, when 'actually shooting' the A7iii AF box was all over the place and the Z6 AF box stuck to the eye.
@@cooloox In the burst mode you mean, he did not text it in this video I think. But they said they still got about same number of keepers.
Many Thanks Jared. Appreciate your great effort with the team. Thank you.
Jared, I’m convinced that you use “Soul Glo” for your hair. Darrell would be proud! 😉
@Jared Polin. I started watching your videos from last year because I was contemplating on buying either the Nikon D850 or the Sony A7Riii. But upon watching most of your videos for about a month, I bought the sony A7Riii and I will be regret it. You have always had an honest reviews of products and I know most people that watch your videos will agree with that. Your videos ain't boring. It's funny but educative. Thank You.
At 16:09
All those camera getting troll by the best model of this channel 😅
Anyway , great video and epic team work 🤙✌️🙏
Hands down best review found online for the 3 cameras on this particular subject. You nailed it.
Canon and Sony are jealous because they don't have Eyelash AF and Nikon is dominating the market in that area.
LOL!
It sounds like you are a Nikon user.
Jacob Payag lol made my day
Great and informative video. Just a quick comment, if you leave tracking settings with the EOS R at default it’s not locked on the subject when you duck down for as long as you do, choosing a more locked on setting would hold the focus distance until you came back up. Not a fault with AF, just not set up to do what you were looking for. Setting the AF to change distance dramatically much fast would result in a very quick jump from you to the background, and when you jump back up it would also lock much quicker. The standard setting is in between and works exactly like it should in that test 👍🏽
11:32 There's the key statement. Sony has had several years to perfect this. I think Nikon did a good job for a first attempt. It will only get better in time.
Indeed
They did an amazing job for first attempt. Sony's 'general' AF, nevermind eye AF, was terrible for years. It wasn't even that good on the A7R2. It's only their latest cameras which are superb.
Well Sony also paved the way for both Nikon and Canon as they dont have to start from scracth
First attempt ? The Nikon Z is 9 months old, this FW is brand new it's not the first attempt
They have over 40 years experience in cameras... they should have been the best, but no... stop with the bullshit excuses... Sony has tons of electronic categories that they work on, cameras being just a small amount of their business. While nikon has most of their time spent on cameras and lenses and they still suck
Excellent work Jared. You really allow the viewer to see how it is real world and we can imagine how it would be for our own styles.
You should have done some shooting in low light as well as the Nikon update says that they have improved the low light focus performance also
FB Z group say the lowlight AF is very good now. That's the one I was interested in.
We only had the firmware for a little amount of time so we did as much as we could. Our main focus was just seeing if it actually tracked as well as the competition
@@markshirley01, It focuses better now in very low light than the D850, That really surprised me. Took some shots in a blackened room where I really could not see anything to target but the EVF brightened up light a nightscope, did look a little grainy but it focused without hunting on an object that auto exposure set 1/2sc, f/1.8 and ISO 136,000! and got a well-focused shot. I am not going to shot that way but it means the common problem with mirrorless in Flash or strobe scenes do not trigger the flash near infrared patterned assist light on wireless flash controllers or shoe mounted flashes. Being able to focus and frame in such low light mean flash and strobe shots do not need modeling lights or assist lights anymore. From my test, I am sure it is the only mirrorless which can work this way with strobes and flash. To me,that is the biggest improvement for an event and low key light studio sessions.by not needing to introduce light pollution to use flash and mirrorless. Big win for Nikon users.
@@stanspb763 thanks Stan - I was excited to hear this - but then I heard the IBIS news 😁
Jared u can select which eye to focus with sony. You just need to put the focus point on the eye u want. With the joystick and with the touch screen as well, even while using evf.
As a Nikon user I've been dithering about switching to Sony as I will need all new glass, but I think you have really helped me to make the decision. Anyone want to buy a D5300?
Keep the d5300 and get a a7iii. Keep the Nikon as a backup camera
A D5300? You are not making a switch. You are buying a new camera. :)
Trust me the grass is not greener on the other side, Sony and any brand have their ugly sides.
Switched to Sony from Nikon and Canon, never looking back.
@@weezyg.5724 What are these ugly sides?
Always love your videos - especially how realistic & down to earth you are
Fro, I jus did a very basic test with the Z7 & 24-70/2.8 G with a my partner walking along toward me and got the same results as you at 70mm. Once close it grabbed the eye. Overall I impressed with the results and can live it. I usually use MF Zeiss Lens so it won't get that much use from me but its still good to know that its there if need. Great review BTW keep up the excellent content you deliver.
The Focus peaking on MF is a joy to use, and very accurate.
Assign the autofocus function to the movie record button when in still mode. Then you'll be able to change your AF mode and AF area with your command dials when holding the movie record button.
Jared, if you use back-button-focus, then you have the possibility to pause/interrupt and reposition the eye-AF :) Try it out!!
Great videos btw. All the best from Denmark
Jared I think you're single handedly(Low key) making Nikon a better camera maker! Awesome work!
Hey Buddy........
I noticed you were using an adapted Nikon lens for your comparison of the EYE-AF
You said that it was focussing on the Eyelash instead of the EYE
Because you are using an adapted lens you might have to go into your menu settings
and fine-tune the focus point for that lens to get it to lock on to the EYE instead of the lash
That's what I had to do and after I did it Locked on the eye every time
Another EPIC review brother
thanks for all you do for our community 😎
best regards, Rick
Could you elaborate, please? for those of us considering a switch from the F to the Z mount
This channel is like a test center telling manufacturers what to fix next, which is great.
I was waiting for this video after I updated my Z6 firmware. Thank you Fro. And as you said the Nikon's Eye AF is reasonably OK, that's good news since at first, I also thought that will suck. The change between the Face detection and Eye AF is little bit mess.
Two small additions to the Nikon (I haven't tested the new EyeAF yet, but I own the Z_6): 1. To force the Nikon to refocus, touch the touchpad where you want it to focus. I personally don't like using the touchpad, but at least in that situation it is faster than switching modes. 2. Talking about switching modes: I bound the AF modes to the front-function-keys (next to the lens) to quickly switch between them. Hold the key and scroll with the front/back dial is way fast than using the i-menu imo.
Kudos to Sony for leading the way. All these cameras' tech makes photography so much easier! I don't get those Luddites who still say stuff like "Real nature photographers don't need a fast burst rate. Know your subject well enough to capture it in one click." Let's see them catch a flying swallow in one click. I look forward to all the manufacturers' continuing competition. We all benefit.
Amazing video! Respect the time you put into this. You think you’ll be doing an updated version now that both canon and Nikon have updated their firmwares?
Don’t have a choice of eye with Sony? At least on the a9 you can map “Switch Eye” to a button to change between right/left.
Wes Perry even a6400 got that option.
Sen Madrona that’s because the A6400 and A9 share Sony’s “best” processor while the A7III has an older one. It’s also why the A7III isn’t getting things like animal AF just yet.
@@Andy-mr6yb The 3.0 recent firmware update does have animal AF. It's the A9 users who are waiting for that.
Anthony C my bad I was thinking about the real time tracking stuff
One thought and one question: Does the Nikon go to face detect when the depth of field is big enough not to warrant eye detection, and have you tested the Sony with fast glass to check for eyelash focus?
Eyelash AF! For the win! lol
That made me non-stop laughing for 15 mins!
I don't see why this is a complaint actually. If the lens is *consistently* focussing on the lashes, use micro adjust to push it back a bit. That should give you perfect eye af.
Landscope 360 not when subject is moving
@@Kanti12311 Why would that depend on subject movement? If the focus consistently tracks the lashes, micro adjusting to +whatever value hits the iris should consistently hit the iris.
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At 32.00min ...
Awesome review! Just wanted to add that I have twice updated the firmware on my A9 with no problems. If you can’t find the cable Sony gave you, one of those orange tethering cables works well.
It’s more of an issue we had with the Mac being able to recognize the camera. It’s. Known issue others have had.
You can actually change which eye, the eye AF in Sony, focuses on... I have it set up as a shortcut.
Only for the A9 I guess. I cant do it on my A7r3
@@FastAkira Yes.. on my A9
This is great work. Well planned and thought out review. You nailed it Jared
Jared I want to know how this performs in low light situations can you talk about this here or create a video for this... I'm a wedding photographer so this is important to me!!
True, should be tested with a bride and her father walking down the aisle in a dimly lit church :)
Great idea. Also, I shoot general event stuff a lot and would like to see eye af control on a per-person basis when shooting several people at once. Is that available.
Great video Jared I appreciate all the planning and thought you put into your videos, this was particularly helpful.
Good honest review! I thought you'll be biased towards Nikon but you did stated the facts.
Not sure that this was the case, it did appear unbiased
You can use the joystick to move the focus to a different eye, not just the D pad, so it's no problem with the camera vertical. I wish RUclips reviewers would take the trouble to find things out before criticising camera gear.
Hey Jared! Why am I getting the video quality 360 max?
This happens when you are way yo early for the video.
You gotta watch on a higher resolution screen. Your device is detecting a low res screen.
because you are the chosen one
more than 10 years of youtube und still people don't get it
Hi, this is very informative. What camera do you suggest for OOTD’s, travel photography, lanscape and portraits for beginners? Thanks.
Great vid, thanks Fro. Nice to see Nikon coming to the party. Lets see what they do next. Very impressed with Sony. Its an exciting time for photography.
Jared, you can move tracking area even in AF-area mode just by pressing OK button. Then you can move focusing box. Then the box will track the area you. Then you can go back to face recognition by pressing "zoom out" button. I hope it runs the same way with this new firmware.
You can actually choose what eye the Sony focuses on but it’s in the menus
You can also change priority, have it pick automatically, or set a custom button to switch between them
@@_Jess only on the a9 and a6400 I think, not on the a7iii and a7riii
Fro you deserve 1 Million followers! Props to you and Steven!
Is the EOS R as the latest firmware (1.2.0) installed ?
Same question
Same question.
It must’ve have been. Eye af wouldn’t have worked in continuous af otherwise.
yes, all cameras were on latest firmware. We made sure of it the day before the shoot. The EOS R had to be in order to do Eye AF in Servo
I am impressed , way better than I thought it would be.
It's a little much to say that Canon and Nikon are just newborns with eye-af. I'd say they're at least to the potty training phase.
Try adjusting the Nikon Z AF lock-on speed (a3 in the custom menu) to more delayed to help in the out-of-frame in-frame test.
We had everything at the camera's default settings, so it reflects what most people would be seeing and what it's like out of the box
Amazing job guys!! best comparison between the mirrorless systems out there. I feel reassured that my move to Sony from Canon was the right thing to do for my areas of work. Keep the good work and thanks for your hard work!!!
For the Nikon Z6, would the setting "a3: Focus Tracking with Lock-On" affect Eye Detect performance? If it is set for a longer delay, the AF system would be less likely to lose focus during some of the tests (e.g. ducking out of frame). The revised Nikon Z6/Z7 Reference Manual on p. 252 says that when Auto-Area AF is selected, values 1, 2 and 3 are the same, so the range is 3, 4 and 5. The default is 3, which, in Auto-Area AF mode, is the quickest to change focus, which is not wanted when doing portraits. I think setting of 5 would be more "sticky" if this setting does apply to Eye AF.
thank you for this amazing review jared ! i personally going to buy a sony A7iii for my portrait style
What do you mean? Why does the Sony matter to your portrait style?
Thanks
@@kwizmonWilliams because it has an eye af that you can rely on and an accurate and fast autofocus system as you saw in this review. plus sony a7iii is beast in low light and has 10 fps at 14 bit raw which is my style of shooting with fast moving subjects.
Absolutely incredible, as always, Fro.
Will no take too long before Nikon, Canon, Fuji, etc (and hopefully Pentax) reach Sony's AF level and features. Nikon has gone a step ahead allowing users to select which eye to focus which is very welcome.
In all other aspects of the camera, the Nikon is superior. Sony has done a good job in programming but cheapened out on important features that limit its usefulness. The Z mount is the future and Sony will likely have to change mounts again to remain competitive with Panasonic, Nikon and Canon. To step in video they will have to design a whole new platform. For outdoor use, Sony being the only company without weather sealing will have to raise prices to come up to Nikon and Panasonic construction and component quality. Right now it is a 1 trick pony, good AF-C but weak in everything else.
why are you putting tomatoes (Fuji) in the fruit basket , they don't have full frame. I would welcome Leica/ Panasonic more
9
Excellent comparison! Thanks for a great job with a thorough review and for the models great poses and patience!
I just hope this great video will be the reference for the developers at Nikon. Awesome job, Jared, thank you! :) (Y)
Great video Jared. If someone was so start fresh, i.e. no adapated glass, based on your findings, IQ, native and future glass roadmap what do you think would make more sense Sony or Nikon? I am torn between these 2 systems and getting more so with every firmware. Prefering the Nikon ergos, look and glass but if Sony's bodies and firmware are so far ahead of others right now *"college" vs "womb") does it make sense to go with Nikon? Thank you
It's pertty even to me Sony has AEF (animal eye focus) and EAF (eye auto focus) and Nikon has TAF (tree auto focus) and EAF (eyelash auto focus) lol and canon that's just sad.
Great video, Jared. ..By the way - how far was the subject from the Camera in these tests ?
To my point, the last two EOS R "missed" shots are due to a AF minimal distance violation, not to autofocus.
Fantastic comparisons, analysis, and production. 👏👏
The Nikon will improve with future firmware updates.
Phew! that was one of the greatest reviews i have ever seen on these three
How is Sony firmware upgrade a pain in the ass? You download the file, plug your file in USB and hit install.
Pretty easy
If you’re on a Mac you may run into issues.
@@froknowsphoto fair enough! PC seems like the way to go for Sony firmware updates
Sony's firmware upgrade solution is inferior because the firmware file is in the computer, not in the camera, so you need to keep the connection between computer and camera during the upgrade which means you need the correct usb driver to be installed, the correct system to work, and if your computer stops working, the camera will be bricked. On the Nikon, the firmware file is in the camera memory card, no need for specific drivers and so on, it's just superior.
@@youuuuuuuuuuutube what are you talking about? Everything is plug and play. Drivers are from 2003.
I will concede to the point Nikon does it better in this regard, but drivers are not an issue in 2019
The Nikon seems to work well enough to get great results for portrait work . That is of course you’re planning to have your subject pop up like a jack in the box . I have the A7RIII and it only works well in certain modes , especially after the latest update . For example the constant tracking for eye AF while pressing the AF is good , but I ‘be noticed that if I try to get get whole body shot by going lower that the eye AF doesn’t track as well . However , if I use the custom button set to EYE AF that it does . It just depends on the focus mode & area you use .
a6400 should be included in this comparison. Jared is just scared that nikon and canon Eye AF will be dethrone by a6400.
The XT3 would definitely dethrone them as well with its latest update.
He is comparing full frame cameras. APSC is another matter specially because the DoF is deeper so any kind of AF is more efficient... So, comparing with XT3 or 6400 doesn’t make much sense.
We didn't have an a6400 available
Jared,
Was this test done with the Nikon firmware 2.0 upgrade or was it even out at that time. Thanks, well done!
Ray
Eyelash-af and eyes-ping-pong..
Amazing new features to lure you into spending money on the latest mirrorless camera !!
I love the Eyelash AF they should have patented
@@AlexKroke no need,Sony has it.
ruclips.net/video/x54qylSDXSc/видео.html
at 32.00min
Another fair review. As I said last video, setting fn2 (or 1, depends on preference) to changing focus modes would make for a much faster workflow over using the i menu.
I'm curious if things would change if you set the focus track to something other than default (a3) either faster or slower. Could be a good case for a user set up if it makes a big difference. Haven't upgraded my firmware yet to mess around with the eye af/focus settings.
eye eye captin
I have something to complain about the side by side comparison.
Canon and Nikon are in full Area AF, maybe because they just can use Eye-AF in this Mode.
SONY is in Single Point, not in Full Area, why?
It gets focus on you back because you stand where the single spot AF is set to.
Maybe it would have been locked to the tree if it was in Full Area AF like the other two camera.
In the end SONYs Eye-AF is still by far the best, just missing the change Eye feature. But you should made a comparison using same settings on all of them.
Sony was amazing, Nikon was MUCH improved, Canon is that kid sitting in the corner eating paste.....
But installing the fw for Sony sucks balls
@@fantasticmrnox Well said. lol
Zach Draper "Eating paste." Haven't had that mental image in decades. Funny! Thanks for bringing it back to my mind......I think.
What? The Nikon did the worst by far.
Fro! I have realize that in Nikon Z6 on AutoArea Mode, you can choose your focus area just presing de "Zoom -" Buttom or "Ok", so you get a Little White squeare to choose your traking object. By the way you don't have to leave the AutoArea focus mode to "reacquires" focus as you tell on the minute 18:07 of your video.
Keep doing this videos!!!
Thank you very much!
(I apologize about my English spelling... I`m Spanish)
Ismael Naranjo this is what I was going to say. He forgot all of the important things you can do just be touching the screen.
And for the bike example, you can simply click on his jacket and it will track him all the way in, and never worry about anything in the background.
@@hautehussey Another "issue" with this review is: You can use EyeAF on AF-S mode. So Z6 don`t do that "PING PONG" switching from one eye to the other.
Anyway, THANKS FRO for every video he publishes!!! His videos are really helpfull
@@hautehussey The point was to test out the NEW Eye AF and not the Auto Area AF overall. We're aware that you can touch the screen and box on the subject, as mentioned in all of our Real World Reviews of the cameras. The point here was to specifically test out the Eye AF function
@@zoxym1982 Have you ever tried to hit focus on an eye in AF-S mode at 1.4? It needs to be on AF-C for shots like that. We really wanted to push the firmware to its limits here. The main question we wanted answered was how good the CONTINUOUS Eye AF is.
So what you’re saying is, Sony is the best, right?
Does anyone else get a quick little lens breath when shooting on the Z7? I get it constantly when shooting the Z 24-70 f4. It happens enough to where I lose important shots that happen on the fly. This has kept me from incorporating the camera into my daily work flow. I just can't rely on the it yet. The breathing is minimal but is a huge deal when I have to hold the focus button down a full second sometimes before it locks. The moment has passed. (I have "release" set on both single and continuous focus modes so I know that's not the issue.) My D810 and d750 lock focus just about every time, racking only in very low light situations. We definitely need to be able to switch between Eye AF and manual focus point selection with a push of a button, especially when we can't rely on the AF modes. Thanks for putting so much time into this video Jared. I'm grateful.
Hi Jared, would be interesting to see a comparison of the eye-af:s ability to focus on people wearing glasses.
Good point!
I tested that, i have glasses and my wife tested tracking. It followed flawlessly. Glasses or no glasses, no difference noticed! :)
Jared, please do a video on shooting groups, 5 people, 49 people, etc. on Nikon vs Sony mirrorless. What focus points do you set up?.
Sony is just incredible !
What do you think between a Canon RP and Nikon Z6 for portrait photography and low-light videos? Which one will work better?Thank you
Congratulation for brand new eyeleash AF Nikon !! Lol
Brian Christinus id argue that eyelash is actually where you want your focus for most of these shots. Topaz does a really good job and sharpening the inside of the eye if you need it. And if you’re that close where there’s a difference then you can simply click on the eyeball itself and it will focus there.
They use a distance meter for closest eye. So it (ping pongs) due to distance. So subject can either tilt, or you can angle slightly the camera to change, wont change pic outcome. Theyre working on this issue, but each person will want it differently. I like having a choice, they just dont tell you why it does that. Knowing lets you use it.