Wasn't it just a few years ago that Nikon was left for dead? Not only are they not dead, they have regained the throne with their dominant mirrorless line up. All hail the king!
Matt, hope things go well. Because most of the commentary on Firmware 4.0 seems to have been centered on the auto capture feature, I wanted to call attention to a change that is more significant to my photography, namely the operation of the autofocus. While each of the previous firmware upgrades has made some improvement to autofocus, I believe that Firmware 4.0's is by far the most significant. I tend to shoot a lot of small birds in noisy backgrounds and low light. Admittedly this is a challenging situation for autofocus. Up till now, I have most frequently have had to use the single-spot, no-subject-detection option, because that was the only one that actually worked. With 4.0, I am now seeing the autofocus system reliably use subject detection in this situation and focus on the birds' eyes. It is very impressive. I think that subjection detection now gives a higher percentage of perfectly focused shots than the single-spot approach. In fact, I am going to have to rethink (yet again) how I purpose the various function buttons. It is a nice problem to have.
Love seeing your devotion to the channel, Matt. Glad to see you smiling, and giving us the details. I'm one of those Sony folk, but still watching, coz, you. Cheers.
Matt, I think it is not correct with the precapture as you mentioned it: You can use this function now for 300 seconds (and before 30 seconds), but it gives you only the maximum of 1 second (as it was before) of recordings before you pressed the release button. That is how I understand the new function. So you can now keep your finger on the half pressed release button for up to 300 seconds.
@@zaf9834 It doesn't -- this is all about the fact that the buffer fills ONCE and then you have to come out of AF-ON - ONLY upto 1 second pre-release capture images are stored -- THAT IS IT. How it works is irrelevant.
@@zaf9834 It is the time you can hold the release button. Before, the camera was leaving the precapture mode after 30 seconds and returns to normal mode - and now it returns to normal mode after 300 seconds (or when you remove your finger from the release button). In both cases: If you press the button you get the last second for a maximum.
Absolutely love my Z9. The only gripe I had was not having Exposure Delay. Yes it is a little thing but it drove me to use a self-timer and with that you have the annoying flashing green light that can't be turned off. The 4.0 firmware gave me back the Exposure Delay and that in itself made me happy. It truly is a remarkable camera.
You are a work horse! - thanks for making the effort while also doing family stuff - for my type of shooting the AutoCapture will be helpful - haven't had time to test the improved AF, but if effective will be welcomed for low light fast moving subjects. Clearly the hardware in the z9 is really providing lots of Firmware bonuses. Thanks
Hi Matt. All the best for your family! Thanks for the video - for some seconds I thought there is a left-handed version of the Z9 now - got totally confused with the mirror image :-).
Can't wait for this stuff to come to the Z8! I just ordered mine yesterday and hope to receive it within the next week or two via a local store in St Louis.
Great video on the new features of the Z9. You’re a true professional Matt. I don’t think I could talk to myself standing in the mirror as well as you.
Please note - I quoted Nikon USA saying that Autocapture was coming to the Z8 - they have since removed that from the press release and video promotions. So it's uncertain if or when the Z8 will see any of these updates.
Nikon sure is on top of their game with firmware updates for the mirrorless line. Not just fixing stuff, but even adding new features. I could see this as increasing customer loyalty and perhaps even getting new models to market faster as they release with the main features but secondary ones they never announced come later to both new and existing customers.
@@magicalwishlist6616I love my z7 and 7II but you’re partially wrong. If you shoot weddings the auto eye focus is an issue. If you shoot runway models or models moving the auto eye focus is an issue. It does kind of okay if their is an abundance of light but in normal to slightly dim light they struggle to grab the eye unless close to the subject (not a good idea at weddings).
Hopefully you can get back to full swing relatively soon Matt. I always appreciate your take on feature enhancements and how they either do or don’t integrate into a real world workflow. As for video, yes, if you shoot 16x9 on standard lenses and don’t rely on timecode for sync, then the Z9 has some brute force video features that are quite potent for the money. At the same time, if you need open gate 3:2 (quickly becoming a must have feature), and/or need anamorphic desqueeze, and/or you need to film at a specific shutter angle, and/or you need to integrate with a non-Ultrasync timecode workflow, very quickly the Z9 becomes kludge city. It’s also ridiculous that you can either use the MC-N10 Remote Grip or an Ultrasync Blue, but not both at the same time. Nikon has a long way to go with video and with the film workflow improvements. It will be interesting to watch how things unfold. In the mean time, I’m much happier with a Lumix S5IIx for when I need to do solo-shooter hybrid video. The ability to what I call “cross crop” horizontal and vertical from open gate framing saves a lot of time, among many other conveniences not found in the Z9.
As someone who traded in a Z9 for a Z8 (for a lot of practical reasons), but still cares about all the Z9-using Nikon pals, I really hope they eventually give all features to both cameras.
Hi Matt. I have been following your videos for a long time (I was using another AC) and I am grateful to you for all the great videos you have been making. Though, in this video, your appearance literally shocked me. I do not want to pry, but are you in good health? I wish you all the best, take care.
The 300 seconds of precapture does not give you 300 seconds to precapture images. That is still limited to 1 second. The 300 seconds is the timeout before precapture shuts itself down. The timeout used to be 30 seconds. Check page 9 of the supplementary guide.
Just a heads up mate - I think Nikon USA jumped the gun on this. They have now removed the statement that Autocapture will come to the Z8 from their press release and the launch video :/
Matt I would disagree with NIKON if they begin differentiating the z9 to the z8 via updates. Z8 users bought the camera with the idea that it offered all the features of the z9 with a different form factor, battery and card slots. I hope they continue with this idea. And yes, precapture need to be available in RAW… please nikon
I love what it's nikon doing here. I can see the tech in Z6III, Z7III, and to some extend Z5II, Z50II, Z30II and the probably Z90 (a Z9 with APSC sensor). Obviously no all the tech, but at least some of that, like the processor. The Z6III could be a video centric blazing fast shutterless camera with less megapixels (20mpx at least), the Z7III could have shutter and big number of BSI megapixels, at least 61mpx; the Z5II a basic sensor non BSI but with the same processor down clocked and SD cards only, like Z50II, Z30II. I would love a Z90 with all the tech of Z9 / Z8 in smaller body with APSC sensor like the one in the Fuji XH2S. Nikon can control the costs and the heat, can downclock the processor and use cheaper sensor and storage solutions, but keeping the basics of hardware and firmware.
Hey Matt, thank you for all your hard work on these videos! Ive noticed that memory prices have changed even yet again as of late and I was wondering what cards you’d recommend for a Z9? I checked your PDF but it looks like it hasn’t been updated since April, I’m primarily a Motorsports photographer with occasional video work, I had looked at angel bird 512 SE but hear some questionable things about fit and build quality like the older models?
@@dmitry.sh.8946 Jared Polin had the Sony A1 vs the Canon R3 vs the Nikon Z9. You can clearly see from the VF footage, the Nikon losing it's subject & sometimes even struggling to regain.
It would be nice to upgrade my Z9 firmware. But what mine really needs is software. Lots of padding. It's about to go to digital hospital. It didn't bounce. Bloody gravity!!! But I am pleased to have evaluated the resistance of the 800mm F6.3 to gravity attack. It did bounce. Seems in good order. But boy does the Z5 look puny attached to it. I sooo need the Z9 back if for no other reason but to balance the 800mm.
Yikes, how far was the fall? I was under the impression a Z9 body should take more 'gravity abuse' than any lens- guess i was wrong. Best wishes on recovery from the digital hospital visit.
great video what would be in your opinion as for shooting video such as live concerts. The settings you would recommend. I want good quality video without using up the memory card. Im just video a few songs of the band. Thanks
Just a heads up mate - I think Nikon USA jumped the gun on this. They have now removed the statement that Autocapture will come to the Z8 from their press release and the launch video :/
Maybe I’m missing something, but it appears that SnapBridge is broken with firmware 4.0. The app wouldn’t connect, so I deleted and reinstalled the app, deleted the old iPhone profile from the Smart Device settings in my Z9, pulled the battery out of the Z9 and restarted, and still I go through the steps and get dumped back at the “Connect to camera” screen. The Bluetooth pairing does not stick.
Hi Matt, it makes me wonder where camera design and photography is heading. With all the automated algorithms isn't there a danger of everybody's photos all looking the same? Years past, photographers were considered great or perhaps different because of the style and essence they put into photography, e.g. Daivid Bailey, Patrick Litchfield etc. All the best.
Question about the guides... if you buy a guide for a specific camera, are they updated as the camera gets updated (with firmware updates and new features)? (Basically, do you have to buy the guide again at some point in the future or do existing customers also get the updated guides as new features become available for the model they purchased the guide for?) Hopefully the new shutter sounds do make their way to the Z8. The other features, personally, I don't care much for but others might, but the fake shutter sound on the Z8 out of the box could be better (would prefer the updated mechanical shutter sound). I also would like to see the EDM function bought to the Z8. I think they could apply those two features to the Z8 as well (the shutter sounds and the EDM) and still maintain a good amount of differentiation to the cameras without stepping on toes. But of course, you can work around EDM (and possibly get more benefits) by using a remote shutter release (wireless one) or an intervalometer (which may offer more functionality, but it is a separate accessory you do have to carry with you). But honestly, even if they don't add these features to the Z8, it's still a very good camera as it is [the Z8], but my hope is they do add them at some point (they probably will, but they will wait at least another month or two before issuing v1.01 for the Z8, as they also probably don't want to give the wrong impression that there was maybe an issue with the Z8 out the door, even though this is more of a feature update, than a bug fix update, as you mentioned. But some people [such as would-be Z8 buyers] may misread a firmware update (for the Z8) as a potentially bad thing so Nikon may just wait plus if there are bug fixes for the Z8, they may just clump everything together into one update at some point in the future.
I shoot sports with a Sony A1 and I'm buying a Z9 next month! I can definitely use the Auto Capture Featrure not having to worry about using pocket wizards is going to be so nice!
LINKS All courses on sale! Use code family2 to get 20% off Nikon Setup Guide: learn.mattgranger.com/courses/zsetup Hasselblad X2D Guide: learn.mattgranger.com/courses/X2D100C Firmware: geni.us/z9v4
@@mattgranger Didn’t mention which features specifically for Z8 but just said in general these features will come to Z8 in the near future 🥹glad I didn’t tell my Z9 😄
Just a heads up mate - I think Nikon USA jumped the gun on this. They have now removed the statement that Autocapture will come to the Z8 from their press release and the launch video :/
@@Lowridersdoggs most likely not, at least not significant ones. the first version z6 and z7 are significantly underpowered compared to their markII versions. Also its likely that Nikon might have a z6iii and z7iii planed for later 2023 or start of 2024
You guys and these z6/z7 updates... it is 5 years technology dammit, not to mention they are now discontinued, what type of firmware update you expect 😅 Sony do not update even cameras released last year 🤌
Please ask nikon to add trap focus to manual focus AFD / chipped manual lenses. This means the camera will shoot only when the shot is in focus. It already works for Z lenses. It needs to be added to M mode.
Matt? The million dollar question? Where is the line drawn. When the photographer is more important then the camera gear? Everywhere I see articles and adds for new this! new that! new this! It does not end! I find that a lot of photographers still can't take a good photo. It's getting the best camera! Fastest lens! No! Why is my photos going on to a major news station? Taken with an inexpensive cell phone? They think I am using high end camera gear. It's all backwards Matt! I don't know one student from the Hallmark school of Photography. Who is making a living with a camera! They all spent tens of thousands of dollars for a stupid degree that means nothing in real world! So much more to say. Just have a great day everyone!
I'm sorry Matt but until they add back up recording for video I cant take this as a serious hybrid - video camera. They need to figure that out. Cameras half the price do it.
Hey Matt, Nikon market the Z8 as the high performance camera for both still images and video for Hybrid shooters at the launch event. How come now you are saying Z8 is primarily a portrait camera?
Just a heads up mate - I think Nikon USA jumped the gun on this. They have now removed the statement that Autocapture will come to the Z8 from their press release and the launch video :/
Nikon already said auto capture will come to the Z 8 very soon .not the wedge you think . I suspect the Z 8 has many more updates that will surprise people .
Just a heads up mate - I think Nikon USA jumped the gun on this. They have now removed the statement that Autocapture will come to the Z8 from their press release and the launch video :/
@@mattgranger oh that’s ok , to be honest I’m mostly a portrait photographer and shoot models so although it’s a neat feature I probably wouldn’t be using that in any practical way . I prefer the airplane detection mode and skin smoothing features if I had to choose between those and auto capture . I think it’s not so much a wedge as you said but making each camera unique with their own features . I think the Z 8 in the next year will get a host of other features we haven’t even thought about. It’s already a very exciting camera for me even if there were no updates at all . I guess time will tell :-) thanks Matt for the info )
As always, a great review and interesting analysis. You really help to clarify and sort things out. About the differentiation of the Z9 and Z8, Nikon is being really smart about this. In essence, the heart of these cameras is a common platform and each camera is "focussed" on the needs of a particular segment of the market. This has to mean that it is a cheaper for Nikon to deliver these two bodies versus what it must have cost to deliver a D850 and a D5. Once again, dogs have been ignored and don't think we don't see this Mr. Cat Guy Granger...I don't want no stinkin' cat shutter sounds, I want dogs barking.
I personally want a shutter sound for various curse words. Seriously, do we know where the original request for a cat meowing came from? I think i first heard it from 'The Greys of....the place that starts with a W' channel when the Z9 was still in production shortage last year.
Hi all! I noticed that after updating firmware to 4.0, on 70-200 and 400 f4.5 the image began to jump after pressing the shutter button. There is a noticeable fast shift of the image on the screen! This was not the case with previous firmware. I suspect that this is a consequence of the processing of the interaction with the stabilizer. Has anyone else encountered such a problem?
Yes I had the same issue with my 70 - 200 today. I brushed it off as I was inside and thought it may have been because of LED lighting. Forgot to take it outside and re test it. Thank you for reminding me
I had this issue with the 3.1 update using my 100-400mm lens. For me it seems no different with the 4.0 update. Nikon support explained that the “jump” is due to engagement of synchro VR. I’ve learned to adjust to it.
😀Thank you for the video. 🤬(b1) ISO step 1/2 aperture is still NOT possible. Why? (only 1/3 and 1 aperture selectable)! 🤬Still blackout under 1/8 second. 🙂 Exposure delay is possible!!!
@@mattgranger, my z6II is years old, yet it is up to version 1.5…yet the z9 is not that old and already up to 4.0? Lower tier cameras need attention too.
Caution! I recently downloaded firmware for the Zfc from Nikon. When I hit the upload, the camera shut itself down and would not restart. Nikon support told me it would have to be sent to a service center. I mailed it, at my expense. After a week, I got an estimate for repair. Almost $ 300.00. This camera was just over one year old, purchased directly from Nikon and had less than 1,000 actuations. The camera worked perfectly until I tried to upload the firmware. Note - I own over two dozen Nikon cameras including four Z series and I am very familiar with the update procedure. Has anyone else had this problem?
That is why I bought the Z9 and don't need to think of getting any other camera anymore other than another Z9 or the Z9ii. The other models are not good enough for professional field work at the moment and never will be. Best wishes for the Z6iii and Z7iii
@@mattgranger Updates to support Nikon lens or accessories or to fix issues the equipment had, but updates to gives more features or that really improve there is practically none.
I installed FW 4.0, and promptly removed it and went back to 3.10. Reason was, FW 4.0 requires me to use NX Studio ver 1.4. I have not been able to get any version above 1.2.2 to function properly. Ver. 1.2.2 is the last version that can see the Jpg and NEF Files in any New Folders, that stopped with ver. 1.3. The files are in the Folders(can be seen and opened by PS, Windows Explorer, even Picasa, but not Studio 1.3 and up. So I suspect I will be on FW 3.1, and NX Studio 1.2.2 till I die. 4.0 wiped all my Settings and that will take time to figure how to find the location in the Menus again. I am sending the Body back to Nikon today, to deal with Stuck/Hot Pixels. Attaching a note that tells them I DO NOT want ver. 4, and Why. It also tells them to send the Body back to the Factory if the Sensor needs to be replaced as I feel the Factory has a better chance of getting the Sensor aligned. I know the Repair Center certainly couldn't get the D850 adjusted correctly( I actually feel sorry for the Poor Bastard who ends up with that Camera). I was curious to hear the New Shutter Sounds, but when I heard them later on RU-vid, A through D all sound the same. I was hoping for a DSLR Sound, or even better, a F3 with MD-4 Sound.
