Nikon Z6II - Subject Tracking for Birds 

Thank you for this video. I’m currently ( 1 year later) looking for a way to get into Nikon for wildlife and nature photography. Z6iii is quite expensive so looking for something 2nd hand. Does this model have the pre capture feature?

Hi Charles watching your very informative video. I noticed a very noticeable shake in your left arm. Hope you have seen a doctor about it. God Bless

How do turn subject tracking on and what should the AF be set on in the i menu?

Hey, great video. Can the Z6II also use Subject Tracking while recording a video?

TY. What was your lens length? I see you're shooting at 1/2500 and F8 in some shots. Is that the sweet spot? ISO is pretty high when the birds are on then water. What's your ISO max?

Very nice video as always. For large groups of birds in the sky, the use of Wide Area Small or Large works great. I find these two modes act as a Group AF in a DSLR like the D850. It seems to lock onto the closest subject to the camera. In fact, in my airshow pictures I recent posted on my IG, I used these two modes exclusively and had about a 95% hit rate using a Z5. Since the airshow and having shot the Z6II before, I picked up another Z6II and with the better AF sensitivity than the Z5, my hit rate is close to 100% using the aforementioned area modes. I find the Tracking modes on the Z6II work very well on slower moving, non-erratic subjects. Overall, it's a heck of a camera. It's a dream shooting airshows here in Florida at 14 fps. Fast enough speed to satisfy most photographers.

Thanks so much for the video upload. It's always good to try techniques again, especially after firmware updates. I have a Z6_2 as well and went mirrorless to try to utilize the latest tech. Well, I love the camera in many ways and the Z glass is amazing, mostly, but the tracking systems on this camera are really an unfinished job, quite shameful. It's possibly that there is too much data being used / read and the Expeed 6, even two of them, can't cope with decent tracking on top of the load. For that reason I don't think we will get any meaningful further firmware updates regarding the auto-focus system on the Z6_2 and would have to upgrade to an Expeed 7 camera to use those features reliably. That said, I use it like a DSLR, like you, and get some decent results using traditional good technique with single point, Dynamic and area small. The eye tracking for humans does work much better. Unfortunately it negates the reason that I went mirrorless in the first place but it's a great camera in all other ways other than that sort of "auto-tracking". Cheers again, Robert.

Thanks for video. I heard rumours that 'shortly' we have a firmware update focusing, so hopefully it solve most of the problems.

Still waiting... Z6 and Z7's update for birds :) People and animal detect are brilliant. Tracking is pretty good for birds but yes the box is too big, missed eyes quite often. I have tracking programmed to a function button on the lens, so it's really easy to turn it on and off.

Buongiorno sono Rosi Fulvio e la seguo da Verona in Italia. Lei è un grande fotografo che si mette in gioco 2 volte, la prima perchè ha la curiosità di provare varie tipologie di af e renderci partecipi di quali sono le migliori da usare con la nostra Z6II, la seconda perché ci rende partecipi dei suoi successi e insuccessi documentandoli in modo impeccabile. Detto questo la nostra unica differenza sta nell'uso di un FTZ e Tamron 150-600 che non ha un F5,6 costante e che visto che lo uso per caccia itinerante raramente lo abbino a mono e treppiedi. Da poco sono passato da D7200 con 17-50 2,8 Sigma e 70-300 Tamron a Z6II presa in kit con il 24-200 ma è rimasto il 150-600 che avevo prima. Ho pochi scatti perchè mi stò abituando al mondo Mirrorless ma la ringrazio per tutto il supporto che mi danno i suoi video nel capire questa macchina fantastica. Continui a regalarceli grazie!

I have just invested in a telephoto lens. I use the Z7ii. I am also trying different focus modes to see which works best. There is a lot of trial and error. Like you, single point is very reliable. 🙏

Food for thought, I am now shooting the same combo you have so on a learning curve for bird photography. Loving the 200-500, it's very sharp.

When I use my z6II on H extended I have 8-9 seconds of shooting on raw L. I wonder if that's going to change with a long lens. Saving up for one! But good video!

And to think that Nikon used to be the best, what a shame! They committed suicide just because of the autofocus.

Glad to see some AF reviews on the Z6ii system.

Hello, thanks for your vide, but i'm not understand why are you a red case of tracking? I have the case yellow for tracki,g, but i dosn't have a red case for traking. Thank's so mutch for tell me please. Greats from germany!

great stuff Brother -- i'm learning lots! GOD Bless

Great video, I’ve tried all systems. Sony by far is the best auto focus and tracking but Nikon has lovely colour reproduction. Pity we couldn’t squash them both into one system. Nikon and Sony improve frame rates in lower end cameras. Take a note from canon.

A used sony a9 VER 1 from 2017 blows nikons focus system on these out of the water, I have tried and tested them both.. you can get a used a9 ver 1 for about the same price as a new z6II

Thanks, I’ll give it a try!

Bummer to see how bad these NIKON's (still) are in tracking a subject. That's one of many reasons why I switched from NIKON to SONY in 2019 and never looked back. Every A7III can do it better and that's the much older and cheaper camera. So you if you are a NIKON shooter you are basically forced to invest in Z8/Z9 ......

I am of the view that Dynamic area mode will be better than larger box

Another great informative video Charles. When you engaged the focus tracking did you take your finger off the back button focus? Thanks Ian

Agree with your test Charles im not confident it always work, thankyou for another vlog

I have the same camera and lens as you. I too use single point for birds but I'm going to try the tracking box and see how I like it too. Thanks for your video.

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