Nikon Z9 “One Year Later” REVIEW…does it hold up? (vs Canon R3 / Sony a1)
FROPACK3 is HERE with 15 all-new custom Lightroom presets!!! Check it out
froknowsphoto.com/fropack3/ (40% OFF)
This is the One Year Later REVIEW of Nikon's Flagship Z9. So how does it hold up after being out for a year? How does it compare to the Sony a1 and Canon R3 at this point? After using this camera in the Real World for a ton of Real World Shoots, I have an updated REVIEW for 2023 and beyond.
Nikon Z9 vs Sony a1 vs Canon R3 Comparison Battle video
• Sony a1 vs Nikon Z9 vs...
Nikon Z9 Hands on • OFFICIAL Nikon Z9 Hand...
Order Z9 Allen's Camera bit.ly/3pPa56q
Order Z9 B and H bhpho.to/2XUrxea
Listen to RAWtalk, the FroKnowsPhoto Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Or head on over to froknowsphoto.com/podcast
This video was filmed with the Canon EOS R5 Canon.us/r5fro
Order a Bernie Photo Book right here www.berniephotobook.com/buy
Download MyGearVault, it's FREE and the best way to keep track of all your camera gear, receipts, prices paid, date purchased and more mygearvault.com/#download
Get a FREE Guide To Capturing Motion In Low Light Situations froknowsphoto.com/ (look for the orange box)
Want to send us gifts, swag, letters...here's our P.O. BOX
PO Box 3715 Philadelphia, PA 19125
USE CODE FroKnowsPhoto at squarespace.com/froknowsphoto to get your 14 day FREE Trial.
Gear I USE
I SHOOT RAW T-Shirts store.froknowsphoto.com/
I support Allen's Camera a mom-and-pop Camera store that's been around since 1977. allenscamera.com/fro
My Go To Mirrorless Camera for Stills
Canon R3 bit.ly/3hzfJVl Allen's Camera
Sony a1 amzn.to/2NHsm55 or bit.ly/3ccKZrt
SIGMA 35mm f1.2 amzn.to/2rLO8Jr (FAVE LENS)
Our go to Cameras for Recording Videos at FroKnowsPhoto
Canon EOS R5 amzn.to/37GQQ5R or bit.ly/2Obaj40
Canon EOS R6 amzn.to/3m6JHQ9 or bit.ly/38GIdXt
The Microphone I use for Vlogging bit.ly/2LWGRPq
My Rolling Bag Of Choice For Flying bit.ly/2LNsHRK
Follow me
►KZhead: bit.ly/frotube
►Facebook: / froknowsphoto
►Instagram: / jaredpolin
►Twitter: / froknowsphoto
Please help us continue to make FREE content
by purchasing one or all of the FroKnowsPhoto
Educational guides. To check out previews of
each guide click here.
►froknowsphoto.com/guides
Nikon Z9, Canon EOS R3, Sony a1 REVIEW
#FroKnowsPhoto #JaredPolin #REVIEW
I really like these long term reviews that revisit equipment once the honeymoon phase is over. Keep them coming.
I really, really dislike lies though and liars who lick and smell lenses. So you compare the three flagships the entire video and then say that Canon and Sony do great video too, but at thousands of dollars less? So the A1 isn't easily over $7500 with two cards and grip? The Canon isn't $500 more right off the bat at half the resolution? Where do you get off saying or writing this down and then repeating it, did you even read your own sentence? So does Nikon NOT also have the Z6, Z6 II, Z5, Z7, Z7 II and others that do video well? For thousands of dollars cheaper? Sure they do, we all know they do. So what the fuck is wrong with you? It's one thing to lick lenses or smell people, I mean our President does it to little kids, so no big deal, you lick lenses. However, usually I see you licking NPS lenses, that other's have to touch and that you don't own, but you're an influencer so it's all good? I'd kick the fucking shit out of you if I found out you were licking my $15,000 lenses! You're lucky Nikon has a sense of humor I must lack. That was old in 2013, but whatever do you, bro! Just stop the bullshit lies and clickbait. You're not a bad photographer, actually you're not bad at all compared to most creator's. You're actually up there, but we know talent exists and many amateurs are better than many pro's and vice versa. However what makes me most mad, is misleading people who don't know better. There is nothing true about your statement and you should have prefaced it with an explanation if you insist on saying untrue things. Like the other two brands have cheaper options that can compete with the Z9 for video, or although Nikon offers cheaper options, here is why I discounted mentioning them. Can you explain? I'm genuinely curious Jared!
Well I switched from Sony to Nikon and I am really happy :) Never had any issues with my z9 so far. Not saying that it is the best camera to get, but I am happy with what I got and never had any bad issues with the autofocus.
@@anthonyt1427 Also depends on subjects. Z9 can track cars, trains and planes, but some newer sony cameras like A7m4 can't.
Yeah the Z9 has my interest level set very high. It’s an amazing all rounder. And internal cinematic video recording is a massive leap above Sony and canon who can only do it externally.
@@qiyuxuan9437 yes but it is eye af that call the tune in cameras as 95% of the time it is where you want your focus on either human ,bird ,reptile or mammal or insect ,have you seen how ai works on the z9 for automobiles ,it is car head lights not sure that is always going to be where i want my focal point when a car is taking the bend or passing by ,this is a case where ai is not really needed and more gimmicky .
@@lumenspaul I used my Z9 to film and photograph airshows, the AF worked perfectly, at longer distance, it tracked the entire plane, at closer range, it detect the cockpit window, from small bi-plane to large airliner and fighter jets the subject detection worked extreamly well, even when the plane went into clouds and barely visble. My friend using a7m4 had a lot of issues with AF, since it cant detect the plane, and often focus on the sky instead.
@@qiyuxuan9437 A74 can track a subject of course but you just have to tap to focus. Obviously a7iv is limited in its burst rates but it tracks fine.
It's the best camera I've ever held, owned, and used. The Z9 is everything I've ever wanted in a camera. It's THE camera in my opinion. Superb.
Can you shoot at iso 6000 with superb results or is there noise ?
@@rds990 I get very superd results even at 25600 when done correctly
@@rds990 At ISO 6000 it's very clean, I shoot faster than that on a regular basis. Think darkened churches with candle light.
Also think of the silent shutter, no more click announcing yourself in quiet settings like chamber group performances, or during prayer in a wedding ceremony. I no longer have to wait for noise to shoot. No more disruptions from this photographer.
@@tcwhite0104 You're smoking crack, I sold off my Z9 for this reason and reason only, well that and the Made in Thailand irks me, and NO I am not racist. I just know a lot about both places and how differently the environmental laws and regulations are, and the fact that I've never had a piece of made in Japan Nikon pro-gear, ever fail on me or even need simple repairs, in over 25 years, 20 of which I have been a photojournalist. This includes my newly beloved Z7, yes original Z7, and I love it. I had the Z9, ordered it day one, sold it to my buddy, day one. The noise performance has been an issue and sure a lot of confusion and what not surrounds the early Z9 reports of terrible noise appeared to be software related, however I still consider the Z9 noise, ever so slightly worse or not as good as it is in the D850 or even maybe the Z7, I dunno. I have only had the Z7 a few weeks, but it's done nothing but surprise me, it's NOT the same Z6/Z7 that was released. I know I was an early adopter and bought a Z6 hoping to add it to my than D5's and D850, but I sent it back immediately, to Nikon/NPS through the store I buy through. The tracking and overall autofocus abilities were just not there, no matter what I tried and the Z6 originally couldn't hold a candle to my D5's AF system when shooting fast moving action or wildlife. So for me, the D6's are my main daily driver. Having two of the same pro-bodies and having the best high ISO performance, along with world leading AF and fast, reliable wireless is what kept me a DSLR shooter. I would probably have kept the Z9, but for two reasons, lack of WT-6A port, poor wireless compared to my D6's with same WT-6A's. Secondarily the overall noise performance seemed to be at least a stop between the Z9 and D6, but now I realize it maybe slightly less in some minds, say 0.67 stops. Who cares, it's subjective in my opinion. I hate waxy noisy Denoise or some of the results I see other's praising...are NOT to my taste. In fact I love my bubble of photojournalist and wildlife/sports photographer's who love to argue over this. Sure having 45.7mp is an advantage at times, but you can't discount 20 years. The D6 feels like the D1, but with about 16 years of advancement. Yes, I got screwed on the price and the video features, but few, few people even own the D5, let alone the D6, so they don't get it. When it's your job and you depend on a system, and the new camera is worse at important things, like wireless, it can be a deal breaker. The poor high ISO performance is more than something that can be easily measured. Some more scientific people swear they can measure it, but in my opinion there is subjectiveness. I for one, do not agree you can just "fix everything in post!" Logic some idiots seem to follow, chasing specs instead of chasing great images, the majority seek new gear. For those of my co-worker's who use the Z9, seem to love it, few don't. I know I am not popular for my beliefs, but I for one am very sad and I may just head back over to the Canon side and buy the R3, the only thing stopping me is more Canon glass. That and it too also did away with the optional $700 wireless adapters that I used to use on my 1Dx Mark II's. Since I work in the news media basically I can choose either system and I know Canon very well. I've shot Canon either by itself or alongside Nikon for a long, long time. I started with Nikon and I am still a full on Nikon fanboy. However I'm not too much of one to stay married to a dying system. So unfortunately I see myself getting an R3 or R1. I have some light sensitivity issues related to CTE/TBI's and cluster headaches, so EVF is not fun for me, but I realize it's the ONLY way forward. So the R3 actually is NOT bad in OVF simulation, if anything I like the EVF most on the R3. The R3 is much closer to a mirrorless D6, than the Z9 is.
All of these cameras are getting so good. 3rd place autofocus or not, if you were to give a photographer from just 5 years ago a Z9, it'd blow his brain. That's how spoiled we've become.
*Laughs in 6 year old D5 AF*
Laugh from canon 6d 10 years old.
I am still proud of my nikon d750 jpeg outputs even sony canon can't beat them excepth some high aperture lens
Still with my D3s
Have a D2 and still loving it!
The main reason that I want to "stick it out" with Nikon? The Z glass is amaze balls. So I'm not getting the Z9, but will hold out for the Z8.
Amen! I can’t afford the Z9, but am hoping that the Z8 will be a great value with certain improvements in AF. However, to be honest, my Z6 has been great for me and my uses. (I’m a pro real estate and architectural Tog/Drone Pilot.) I have used it for portraiture with my Z 70-200 f2.8 S and they work great together! I also got the TC 2 Z from Nikon, and all 3 work great together for the sports that I shoot of my high school sons. Hardly ever misses a focus! I’d say 95% keepers. Granted, I think the Z6 is a better buy than even the Z7 because it performs better in low light, which is when I’m doing most of my photography. Video capabilities are nice, too!
Me too, I don't need the weight and the multitude of features which will never be used.
But Jared hates Nikons AF 😮
Thank you for the video Jared. To me, there is no other camera system I rather use. Thank you Nikon for making the Z9 and to keep perfecting it with regular updates.
I have the D850 and Z9. For me the Z9 is a huge step forward mainly because it is mirrorless. It is definitely a pro camera and overall I am very happy. I agree with you about the auto focus. It is way better than the D850, however it is far from being perfect. I also feel the weight when I go out in nature for a long hike. Some Nikon shooters may take it personal when you criticize Nikon. I don’t. In fact I think you are pushing the right buttons to help Nikon getting better. I really hope they listen and gain market share. Having 3 major brands competing, is the best that can happen to get new and exciting technology. One aspect you did not cover and greatly influenced my choice is the long prime lens, such as the 400TC and the 800pf that are unique and absolutely fantastic for nature photography. Canon and Sony do not have these lens.
I am mainly use sony system, started with canon body, but for what ever Nikon have tried to bring out Z9, it make me want to buy one for supporting. I am not asking for the best camera, just to thank you for every camera brand had brought to life.
I Have the D850 too and like the look and specs of the Z9. But at £3,000 MORE for the Z9 I'll keep my D850 because even if it's not quite as good as the Z9 (technology wise it is 3 or 4 years behind) pound for pound it's still the best camera you can get. At over £5,000 for the Z9 you'd expect it to be more or less perfect.
Almost 12 months with the Z9 and I've had no issues with AF.
Landscape photography?
Mushroom photography?
Over 1 year with Z9 and I'm getting about a 90% hit rate. I shoot 100% wildlife/bif and portobello 80% of that is bif. Gotta learn the AF modes, when to use them and learn when to jump to another AF mode. The Z9 is a feel as much as anything with the AF system. Jarrod simply Anna without question didn't shit with the Z9 often enough to actually learn the camera properly.
@@MrThedoods LoL nope. I shoot purely wildlife and bif. Eagles and other raptors, ducks, kingfishers, Fox
@@chrisbaudeg3233 LoL nope, sorry if that's what you need to shoot to get a good keeper/hit rate. It really is all about learning the Z9
I'm rather surprised you obviously have NOT wrung out the Z9 with the latest 3.1ver firmware. From all I've seen it is every bit as fast to acquire and stick on a subject. It's only weakness is in low light.
Jared likes to cherry-pick so that his brands of choice are always on top.
@@charlespresleypatrick it is. To say it's not means you don't own the Z9, haven't upgraded to the 3.01 fw or... You just need to improve
A lot of the analysis used here particularly on auto focus is on older firmware and not the most recent.
Sorry Jared as an owner of all three of these cameras I agree that Nikon is a c--t hair away from being on par and I mean a c--t hair. But you make such a big deal out of the AF that it sounds like it's the only reason you don't like it. What makes you think that another Firmware is not possible? And please don't tell me the Canon or the Sony doesn't get fooled with the AF at times as well.
Well from experience I can say I've had issues from time to time with canon's af, if the subject is moving back and forth a lot or if it gets obstructed, it likes to get jumpy. Sony is really the only one without issues
I went from D850 to Z9 and could not be happier. My update to 3.01 and my auto focus is superb in my opinion. It will grab My dogs eyes instantly and track him across the yard in 3d tracking. It also grabbed a squirrels eye in a tree with my 200-500 and gave my sharp picture even in my crop. I'm perfectly happy.
Wow wow amazing
As a Nikon shooter I agree with you on the AF, I've just had to learn to adopt methods that work for me to achieve results. We are all hoping for that firmware upgrade to resolve these issues. Overall the sensor and glass combo is capable of spectacular results. 👍😎
Someone please tell Jared that lossless compressed RAW doesn't lose any information. There is absolutely no reason to shoot uncompressed RAW if lossless compressed is available.
I really think Jared exaggerates how bad the Nikon AF is. Whenever I watch the guys at DPReview they always talk about how the Z9 is on the same level as Sony and Canon. They even picked it as best hybrid camera of the year. But Jared also acts like Sony and Canon are flawless, which, as I've seen on DPReview, they clearly are not. I've been shooting on a Z6 for 4 years now and with the latest firmware I find the AF to be quite competent for what I do, which is both photos and video, both nature and of people. In fact, I shot some video of a deer through some tree branches the other day and my Z6 stayed locked on the entire time. When I shoot portraits, nails it 99.9% of the time. When I shoot video of people walking, locks right on. Yeah, my Z6 is definitely going to lag with fast action stuff, I won't argue that, but seriously how many people are out there shooting sports? Like 2%? The vast majority of photographers would be happy with a Nikon.
Yeah and Jared never talks about the Canon issue with video wabble. Sony has problem with their IBIS because of the small mount. You are not even getting full frame.
Weird
I nailed videos in manual focus with my d750 n photos in autofocus with d750 for 5.5 years n still going strong i dnt,if we are capable to use dslrs its not difficult or problematic in using mirrorless.
2% of Nikon shooters shooting fast paced sports / wildlife is probably not far off the mark. However, I’d argue that probably >50% of people who are target market for the Z9 shoot paced action. And for those people, AF performance can make or break a purchasing decision.
@@pkennethv source?
As a professional who shoots for UFC, Monster, Redbull and various other action sport brands and MMA I can whole heartily say the Z9 is stomping it for me. I ow and use on a daily basis 2 x Sony A1, 1 R5, 1 R3, 1 R5C, 2 x Z9's a RED V Raptor and my new Super 35 RED Rhino. Its alot of gear but I do a lot of various angles, remote shooting and leaving some cameras in my timelapse boxes in various locations. Anyway, for me shooting fast sports ALL the time the Z9 has never let me down just as my Sony or Canons have never let me down. I can not think of a time ever that I've missed a shot and gone 'bloody shit AF' Sure I've had times when the tracking has had a bit of a brain fart but I've had that with ALL brands, there is no perfect focus system yet and probably wont be for at least 10 years. On the video side I use the 8k 30/60 as B roll for my RED V raptor and Rhino A cam footage and it works gloriously. The Z9 also has the best 4k 120 and over sampled 4k out of any mirroless so it generally gets matched with my RED 4k 120 and 4k 60. Thats not to say the A1 and R5 and R3 dont do good footage it's just I have no need for 5 cameras recording 4k at once...yet haha.. Look the differences in AF don't bother me, never have (if you have ever tried AF on a RED you'll know what shit AF truly is) and Ive been shooting action sports professionally since I was 16, I'm now 44! ANY new camera will perform and produce stunning images/video these days so just with what glass you like the most, for me I have so much Sony/Canon/Nikon glass id be stupid not to use them all. One day ill be holding a camera that has 21 stops (actual) of DR with perfect focus and then we can all have the same camera as there will be no need for another one! My Sony 400/600 primes, Canon 300/400/600/200-400TC primes and my Nikon 400/600/800/600 TC 1.4 will be used until the day I die I am sure and for that I need all 3 brands anyway.
Well said.
Same, it is easier when we can have them all, just like we dont pick the best cloth for everyday use.
Love the Z9 it's a beast compared to what we had in the 90's :) Have you got a link to any of your UFC shots please, be interested to see them :) thanks
Thanks for your help just bought my second Z 9 and love them so much to learn
Love seeing the development and how it holds up, but considering coming from DSLRs, this seems like a jump in the right direction.
I like the way a camera professional tells us every week how Nikon autofocus sucks. It's the subject of every video, and it's boring. There are so many things that you could talk about other than autofocus but it does seem that you are fixated on this subject. You could say that the autofocus may not be as good as Canon's but the lenses are better and cheaper and you can access third party lenses too. But I guess that might stop the Canon and Sony money trucks backing-up?
Mhmm... Everyone has an opinion.... I'm happy with my Z6ii and the Z9 is amazing.... Photography is not about the "perfect AF" which no brand has at the moment... too much nitpicking and negativity towards Nikon.
Nikon glass and Nikon files. This is why I stick with Nikon. The Z9's AF doesn't suck and it nails focus 99.9% of the time. Yeah - Sony and Canon's AF is better, but not enough for me to give up the other things I love about Nikon.
His video is also based on old firmware
Same here :)
Very good summary. I had not shot Nikon since film days so a year ago I got my Z9 and gave it a try. A year later I sold it because of its size/weight AND lack of a smaller companion camera to get with it with equal AF to have for travel when a second body was a must have. I had been shooting Sony A1 and A9 and now still shooting Sony with two A1’s. I do use a battery grip and do wish they had a body with it integrated but like to have one that can be made smaller when I travel. Can get that from Canon as well and use a R5 or R6 along side it but 24 Mpixels for BIF on the R3 is not enough. Do think the Z S glass on Nikon is very good and on a flagship I only compare L vs GM vs Z S even though I do use 3rd party lenses as well. Not sure it’s worth tryin an EOS R3 at 24 Mpixels if it’s not sports.
WOW! really loved this deep dive into Nikon's flagship! the production quality of your reviews and real world reviews are inspiring. Thanks Jared
As an aged amateur shooting just for fun for decades, I wait for advances by leaps and bounds for my own needs, but when I see them, I grab whatever system that seems to offer them. Which has taken me from M42 screw-mount stop-down metering to Canon FD to Nikon AF film bodies to Nikon DSLR. So I appreciate videos like this and the assessment of the current state of the art. But I also have to say that age allows me to greatly appreciate the Jim Croce and Spinal Tap references! Thanks, and please keep them coming!
I used Z9 for my bird photography from Jan2022 and I saw a lot of improvement of Autofocus and 3D tracking in the latest firmware (3.01). Unfortunately, this vdo show the footage that he took since about the Firmware 1.2 which is not the update test. I love Nikon prime lenses, They give full feeling color that different than other 2 brands and the photo quality that you got / no need to do post process. This save lots of time and energy.
Nikon files are still better than canon's or sony's. It has many things better than the other brands and if you don't need/rely on autofocus for what you do, like me, Nikon takes an easy win
Nice to see you review fuji, panasonic etc. looking forward to the reviews :) Regarding your point regarding 30 fps on the A1 remember you have to have specific lenses to get this.
It’s also not 14 bit but better than nothing.
Am a little surprised regarding the conclusion in this video that AF still lags the competition. The consensus elsewhere seems to be that it has reached parity. I wonder how much the reviewer has used the camera recently - he mentions 26k shots which is very low for 12 months professional use. I use the Z system but will be using an A1 during February and will be interested to make my own assessment of the AF and other aspects. The A1 seems to be a fantastic body but Sony's tele range doesn't currently stack up to the Z selection.
Yes... maybe. BUT for eventing sports that need captures of every player in it's best form AND at the moment?
If you can't open the card slot door on the Z9 in one swift movement, then you should either practice doing it, or you lack prehensile hands. Seriously. I have no problem with it. The compression on the raw files is not an issue, in my opinion. I find no difference between the compressed raw and high efficiency compressed raw.
Good for you. Maybe your door is soft a and mine is not and same with the friends who complained to me about the door being harder to open.
Closest thing to a fair Nikon review you've done in a while. Well done. Does it hold up? For me, yes. The best body I've ever owned and I've shot some great images with it. I'm not a fan of editing and the Nikon files straight from the camera are excellent. Very minimal editing required in most cases and that, for me is a huge plus. The raw files are really amazing. My only issue with the AF discussion is that from my personal experience shooting on the Z9 in a variety of settings, is that I just don't see the same AF behavior that you point at in reviews. If I put the subject in the box, the camera locks and tracks nearly perfectly. More times than not, its me not getting a good pan for fast moving subjects but when I do, the Z9 locks and focus is perfect. I've only been hands on with Sony a little and never with Cannon so I can't compare in the way you can so I'm OK with you saying they're better but, for the majority of shooters, even for fast moving subjects, I gotta believe, based on my personal experience with the Z9 that the AF is perfectly fine.
I have only a humble Z30 and find the autofocus is near perfect (continuous eye AF)
I did experience the issue with af jumping to background after losing tracking. But that has long since been fixed. I really don’t think Jared has used Z9 much recently because all of his footage showing issues seemed to be old and show issues that have long been resolved by firmware.
@livejames9374 Now that you say that, wasn't the one background af example from the 50mm 1.2 review on the Z7II?
@@chrishilton6378 yup that was def the Z7ii also a lot of footage from fw 1.0
@@livejames9374 you’re absolutely right. He was showing footage from his initial z9 review for the af b roll. And even then he cherry picked moments where the z9 failed in comparison. Fro doesn’t use back button focus. He’s been very clear about that, so it’s hard for him to make the most of the z9. To his credit, the af is a bit harder to use than canon or Sony as it requires the use of wide area and 3d af modes to work perfectly, in my experience at least.
Using the Z9 and Z7ii (latest firmware) with the Z 24-70 F/2.8S, 70-200 F/2.8S, 24-120 F/4S and the F mount 70-200 F/2.8 FL I have no problem at all grabbing focus all day long no matter the subject matter. My keeper rate is between 97 to 99%. Now is Canon and Sony better? Maybe yes, but for me and my business and my clients... ALL IS GOOD in ReneeLand :)
Jared seems to come at it solely from a sports shooter's point of view. And he also likes to cherry pick to make his preferred brand(s) look better. I've literally watched reviews he's done with Canons and Sonys and he makes excuses every time the AF acts up. Then if the Nikon does something similar, it's just because Nikon AF sucks.
@@mikebalonek Totally. I don't shoot a lot of sports. I have shot a marathon, cycling and ppl running. All with the Z7ii with FW1.5 and my keeper rate was 99.4% on every occasion. But I don't shoot birds in flight nor other sports, so I really don't know what others have experienced, but for me, ALL IS GREAT and Nikon files are the best of the best, especially with Z glass. All the best.
@@mikebalonek I also just shot a model jumping around dancing in my studio. The Z7ii with FW1.5 gave me a 99% keeper rate out of 800 photos. So again, no idea what others have experienced.
I am currently using Sony A7IV, and I keep my old A7III as a second angle/backup body. Before I got the A7III, I owned a Z6 1st gen (switched for the cheaper SD cards, since I started filming wedding, and I needed multiple high capacity cards, while the 240GB XQD at the time costed as much as 1.5TB UHS-I V30 cards - the most you need for A7III anyways). If at the time there were cards like the Angelbird AV Pro SE 512GB CF Express for 179 USD, I would have kept and expanded my Nikon kit. So take it for someone currently using A7 IV's "holy grail" AF - autofocus isn't everything. If I had the budget to chose between those 3, I'd pick the Z9 not 7, but 8 days of the week!
After shooting with the z9 for roughly a year I can say it’s the best camera I’ve ever owned. A lot of what you said is very true but I also use it with the megadap to use my Sony GMs on it and for the most part, it’s about 90% as good as on the Sony bodies. Sure I would like to sell it and just stick with a smaller body. But like you said, the ergonomics of the z9 beat anything I’ve used and right there with Canon for me even though I’ve not shot the R3, just the R5/6. Also the 400 4.5 is spectacular and for me is sharper than the Sony 600 GM, but you can’t beat that bokeh in some situations. But for the price, it’s amazing. But I’m thinking the 600 may be better with future bodies as Sony AF gets fine tuned. I’ve been interested in capturing lightning so I will have to try 120 fps mode. As far as the door, it’s easier now than the Sony cause it’s bigger for your thumb and the cards are bigger so it makes it easier. Overall, pretty good review.
Every camera has trade-offs; The Sony A1; 30fps bursts only available in JPEG/HEIF/lossy compressed Raw, 30fps bursts are lens-dependent, High-res shot modes require desktop software to combine images; no motion correction yet available, EVF drops in resolution during C-AF, or if you choose high FPS modes, And the Big one: Users must manually select between human, animal or birds for Eye AF. Also Battery life is just okay compared to other flagships - Quoted from DPREVIEW.
I’m afraid it is about knowing the camera. I’ve had my Z9 nearly 2 years now and you were struggling focusing because you were in the wrong setting. The 3D option is NOT the only option yet all your clips showing the Z9 struggling are all in the 3D setting. The 3D struggles when there’s multiple subjects moving, so I don’t use it. I use one of the many other options and I have no issues at all. It’s all about knowing your camera.
What a coincidence, I’ve owned my Z9 exactly a year today. As for the card door, really are people really struggling? I can flip it open easily with the same hand that’s gripping the body. It’s easy! I do like this camera a lot. My keeper rate has improved and yes it’s taken some time get used to but it’s a pro camera and it’s got to have lots of features.
I’ve had multiple people complain about the door. It’s a minor complaint as I said.
@@froknowsphoto I agree that (1) it's very stiff and not easy to open with one finger (2) in the big scheme of things it's not a big deal.
@@froknowsphoto i agree, it’s a minor point. Maybe it’s down to the size of the owners digits, I don’t have have a large hand and find it easy move my thumb. For the record I bought the Z9 because I was heavily invested in Nikon glass with fast lenses like my 400mm and 300mm f/2.8’s. I was mulling a move to Canon and getting an R3, I started to box everything up ready to sell reluctantly but then the Z9 was launched so I stuck with Nikon. I will be honest and I’ve thought a few times should I have switched, maybe if I’d tried an R3 I would. Oh well never mind.
The card door was a hint of annoyances to come. Very difficult.... NO, IMPOSSIBLE to open in the cold... task given to the wrong engineer .. not a photographer in the field.
Thanks for the update. I'm always getting the older gear as it is more affordable. The better the flagships are, the sooner the stuff I want becomes available at discounted prices.
The combination of information and entertainment is always amazing. Love you Fro
Nikon Z9 latest firmware is at 3.01 with noticeable improvement in its AF. Just saying Because you keep saying the latest firmware is 3.0. You should update and try it out.
This once again is wishful thinking.
Several folks that tried 3.01, who also use Sony A1 are all saying the AF is now the same. Steve Perry mentioned this in his forum too...but hey it's just a 3.01 update from 3.0 so it just can't be significant..maybe we must see a better number there like a 5.0 or 10.0🤷
Curious. How many hours have you had the Z9 in your hands shooting with it?
Hey Jarrod. Long time fan of your reviews. Have you reviewed best cameras for live-streaming for KZhead and work conferences? I’m after 4 cameras to plug into my ATEM Mini Pro ISO video switching unit. Does the Sony alpha a7 III still stand up? Cheers
This isn’t a review, it’s an opinion piece. We shouldn’t pretend that it is a review. He is entitled to his opinion. Let’s talk about build quality and the hundreds of other parameters one should be concerned with. Autofocus is important, especially with high end modern cameras, but Jared running around or telling us his friends say Sony or Canon autofocus is better, is truly laughable.
Good stuff, as usual. I recently purchased a used Z6ii off eBay (and actually was surprised as it was really brand new, with warranty). Anyway I installed the latest firmware (1.5.0) and have shot less than 150 photos with it thus far, mostly bird pics and my crazy and lightning-fast mutt-hound. First of all, I can say that the dynamic range, low-light, and high-ISO capabilities are simply amazing. The sharpness and detail and colors at 8000 ISO are awesome. And while I agree that auto-focus could be better it really seems to me that technique and situation has a lot to do with the results that you get. From my very limited experience thus far, the most determinate factor is acquisition. So, basically if there's a bird in-flight and you notice it out of the corner of your eye and you whip the camera in that direction and start firing away, yes, there can be a struggle because the camera takes some time to acquire focus on the subject. If Canon and Sony can do that magically, well then I guess they are worth the $2000 more than I paid for my Z6ii. But I'm not a pro and I don't make money off these pics, so is that really worth the difference? That's up to you. The last thing I will say, again with the limited experience I have with the Z6ii, is that I'm getting better results that I did with my previous D750, which was itself a great Nikon camera. EDIT - I have been shooting with the AF-S 200-500mm lens.
Same for me… huge advance for me from the D750 to the Z6ii. I’m very happy with it except for when I hear / see the AF comparisons. I recently just bought and started using the Nikon F1.8 primes for the Z-mount and find that AF performance is improved by their use… up to recently I was using all adapted F-mount glass.
Good review Jared. Saying that the auto focus kind of works is a bit heavy handed, but I won’t argue. It does miss here and there, but, I still love my Z9. Perfection requirements only come in a blue moon from my perspective. Maybe I will care more when I start shooting for Natgeo. Good job!
I think the issue for Jared is he just wants to pick up the camera and have it "work". What is clear about the Z9 is you really need to work to fine tune the AF options in order to optimize its AF performance. Kind of like driving a manual shift vs automatic.
Every z9 user including myself are using the latest 3.01 which is much better than 3.0. Feels like the AF part of the video is misleading based on using on FW.
I agree 100% I wait for something more affordable because of the lenses I own. How long would I have to wait or am I ready to wait that long?
Nicely done great review Jared
@17:26, i 100% agree. Those who need it, NEED it. I have met other photogs that are set on suggesting the other brands without even knowing what kind of photography I do. Diggin' your video comparisons man. For me, I've already invested heavily on my Nikon lenses. I won't switch anytime soon. Right now, I just hope Nikon releases the next Nikon mirrorless camera with at least 80% of what the Nikon Z9 can do lol
I have to say that this is the first video I've watched of yours on my new 4k UHD Alienware laptop, and you look great in 4K my man.
I love my Z9 , and before buying it I tested Both the R3 and the A1 , they are both great. But the R3 is 24 MP , and I wanted the 40+ , the A1 is too small for my hand , and the ergonomics overall do not fit my large hand. grip helps but still not comfortable to hold. So it can have the best autofocus ever , but if it's tiring to use it's not worth it for me, I sometimes work really long days . And in terms of FPS , yes 20 is less than 30 , but 30 is enough for most cases , heck even 15 or 10 , how long do you spray and prey? In addition , the A1 can't do 30 with every lenses , only a specific list , and yes the R3 can do 30 but only 24 MP , the Z9 is a good middle ground. In general think Nikon launched it a bit too soon , before they actually finished it ,but they needed it I get it. It's it's initial performance were a bit subpar, but it's been constantly improving and I'm not convinced the gap is as large as you say anymore , and all your compression test or 1 Vs 1 Vs are now outdated somewhat. Perhaps the Z9 is also a 1st step like the Z6/7 were as a foot in the door, the Z9 was the same story for flagships ( just a thought popped in my head Let's see what the Z9 MK II would be like. But I Absolutely agree Nikon need to push better lower level cameras , but keep in mind they did struggle financially (because they were too arrogant at first). And there were a lot of parts supply issues which are still somewhat around. I hope they revolved more , and we'll see new exciting stuff soon. Competitions is vital , and it's why I want all 3 player in the game , so we can have better stuff :)
there's no middle ground the Sony and Canon shoot RAW not jpegs.
Funny I'm a longtime Canon shooter doing the exact opposite: switching to Nikon for the Z8/Z9. Not even the R3 has such high specs for both photos AND video. Now for autofocus, that is a valid concern. I love and rely heavy on Canon's AF. But I haven't noticed any glaring problems on the Z8/Z9 AF in my own testings. Actually I'd say it feels very snappy and has some unique features like left/right eye selection boxes that I haven't seen in Canons. So what exactly are the issues.. and are they still present in the latest 4.1 firmware?
I learned photography on the Nikon EM haha... Nice to see they're back with a quality flagship.
3.1 update? Looks like you only have mentioned 3.0 big difference with the update
Dude. These dam reviews take time. And there no way once again that from 3 to 3.1 that it made a difference. People always claim that these firmwares make drastic changes, they don’t.
@@froknowsphoto That why their are release notes explaining the changes. If no mentioned of AF is in the release note then no changes has been made to AF calculation. Changing a name in the UI will also bring a new firmware.
@@froknowsphoto 3.01 and 3.0 are actually pretty different with 3D tracking.
@@livejames9374 there is big difference also I noticed that some of Z9 clips he had were from Dec 2021 when the camera was just launched. It has evolved tremendously
Big difference, 3.01 is great.
Swapping a little bit of AF performance for industry-leading image quality, when we're talking about a purely visual medium, for $500-1000 less than the competition? I'll take that every day of the week. Wouldn't necessarily go all the way down to Leica's AF to get their image quality for example, but the Z9 *should* get you the shots you need at the end of the day.
I own a Z9 and a R3. The latter just for better low light capability. But I can't agree that the R3 autofocus is better than the that of the Z9. And Z9 ergonomics are just better. All buttons of the Z9 are lit and are of same size. I don't have to search and poke for the R3 mini buttons. I don't like the R3 wheels on top (one horizontal and the other vertical). But I like the better weight of the R3. The programming of the Z9 buttons is much more sophistacted than the R3.
A well-balanced and fair review. I respect your varied and extensive use of all these brands (very few, if any, content creators can claim this). There is no perfect system. But they are ALL excellent at this point. “Best” really only exists in subjectivity, based on someone’s needs / goals / preferences. I will also add, I definitely know pros in C & S that have AF (and other) extensive complaints & nit-picks about those systems. Probably more so in S than C. Even if (if) the Z9’s AF is in 3rd place, all the other features you outline here still far outweigh its competition and make it an easy choice (for my use case).
Were there any improvement regarding autofocus by firmware updates?
I'm not a pro but consider myself advanced amateur shooting sports and wildlife. I own a Z9, rented a Sony A1. Could not tell enough difference in AF to switch systems. Yes, Sony was dependable and spot on and very natural. Even slightly better AF with an un-scientific comparison. But I didn't like the ergonomics and felt the camera was too small for large glass. And I hated the menus which are not intuitive. Maybe canon would fit my hands better, but I'm standing pat. You also forgot to mention that in 2023 Nikon is releasing 8 new lenses and is winning the arms battle for big glass, especially prime. Once the 200-600 comes out, that playing field is gonna get tilted.
I have issues with the original firmware, but since the revised firmwares have come out, I've had no tracking issues whatsoever and have used a Sony A7IV and Canon R5. Honestly all are equal in terms of AF...if anything, my AF at night is the biggest issue w/ the Z9 compared to my old D850 but my issues aren't any worse than that of the Sony & Canon second shooters I work with. In fact, the Sony A7IV jumped around more in moderate lighting condition than my Z9 did. Do you really use the Z9 for the whole year or are you just basing this off your initial impressions a year ago and have since started using other cameras more? In fact, this last wedding I photographed this past weekend, I have more hits than my second shooter w/ an R5.
How well does the Z9 focus on a person's eye in low light mode? For portraits where the subject is not moving fast? I use strobes but focus (manually) until the strobe fires. I'd like to upgrade to the Z9 (from my D850) but I am afraid to spend $5k to get "just ok" AF for portraits. I like that you can tell the camera which eye to focus on with the Z9. Does that work well?
I'm 6/3 big hands I love the feel of a beefy full size 35mm. Instead of getting the sony a7 I purchased the sony a77ii just for this reason. That and it fits all my minolta glass without an adapter. Another pluss for my first digital it's very similar to my minolta alpha 9 35mm film camera. Just like that look and feel. Being I'm new to digital do I need light room to get the fro pac to work ?
I shoot professionally and we use the z9 and z6ii. We are happy with it. We still use canon and panasonic for video though. We also feel that the lens line up is fine for us wedding and event shooters.
I'm a sports photographer inside up to (f/2.8 300mm vr i hockey) and got 90+ success rate with a D500. Although not using anything other than 21 pt dynamic or spot focus. If the z9 focuses better than that, or any other Nikon, this would be heaven to me.
...also the optical viewfinder in the D500 is a little more difficult to see than a pro FX camera.
Good review. Overall I am happy how Nikon Z lens line up looks like, and how Z9 looks like, but they need to work harder on making their "cheaper" part of the line up better, because R6 II and A7 IV eats Z6 II on breakfest.
Ive said is this so many times in Nikon forums only to be consistently mocked for saying so but the truth is any body but the z9 in the Z line up is way behind canon and Sony for auto focus and Nikon are losing customers who are jumping ship.
Agreed but you get dismissed when you mention this on Nikon forums, its so frustrating because I think it takes some pressure of Nikon to sort it out. If they don't get a killer mid market Z camera out soon their market share drop again.
@@steventhomas231 I don't think people realise how many Z9s Nikon have sold in comparison with A1 and R3 cameras. The Z9 is still a top ten seller well after a year and against new consumer/prosumer models. Take a look at footage of the side-lines of the last Football World cup and see how many photographers had Z9s. Also consider that Sony have done a development announcement for a sports lens a whopping year in advance. Pro photographers are certainly jumping ship - but to Nikon.
@@steventhomas231 Yes, I can clearly see it. I was not like that until my friend was like "sell your fuji, buy sony, we will have the same brand" and I tried his sony and I was like "all these people telling me that fuji or nikon AF is good are so wrong.
@@markshirley01 They had a whole covid when everyone was at home and they missed that opportunity. They obviously have a tech - software and hardware (chip, but I do not know if they have a sensor for cheaper cameras), so we are missing a camera on market. For long time there was a big shortage of chips, but now we stay at position when they should be ok. Next month is CP+ in Japan. We will see. I hope Z6 III this year or I buy canon (probably).
There is something special about Nikon's image quality that I love. I got the FX30 for the video features and auto-focus as my Z6II was failing me there. I held onto it to possible trade it in on a Z6II or Z8. I had a opportunity to play with an A7R V and I loved the new features on it and find it produces some great images as well. One of the things I noticed on the FX30 was that the blues didn't look like blue, especially with the sky. I posted a comparison video about the FX30 and the Z6II on the image quality, the A7R V sky photos are better which led me to sell the rest of my Nikon gear to get the A7R V. I will say though, I am not a big fan of the Sony ergonomics however, shooting more videos than photos now, I hold the camera differently, as a consequence of using the FX30, to access the buttons on the top, I find that I am doing that on the A7R V as well and using the screen a lot more. I would like to see Nikon do a video focused camera with a larger rear screen, incorporating video monitoring tools, an auto-focusing system like the A7R V, with stabilization like the the Panasonic S5II, while improving their ergonomics for this new design. Yes, I am hoping they give us something completely new to shake up the industry on all fronts. If they make something like that hack job Z9 look that has been parading around as the Z8, while giving it a fan and larger multi-angle screen, that would make for a good starting point.
Gr8 review Fro....parting thgt or more of an appreciation for past photographers pre-AF, those guys truly master of their craft in those days. Cheers!
Thanks for making a video to encourage Nikon to improve their AF. Really all these expensive cameras should have good AF, though how relevant this is may depend on the user. I have a large collection of Nikon glass that appears to work fine/better on my Zfc, so am one of the ones waiting for a z6iii to use as my main camera. Not only for better AF, but also internal 10-bit video. For me AF is a big issue, but not the only one. I’m very happy with the Nikon colors out of camera and really love my Zfc design, though I’d admit it isn’t always the most efficient to use, it does encourage creativity. I suspect that amateurs and prosumers will be the main Nikon users and there are other elements that will draw them in, or keep them there. Having access to other lens brands and various interesting affordable lenses is a factor here. I do sense you are more in the Canon camp, which is fair enough, they do make some amazing stuff and have perhaps the most reliable selection of bodies right now. But if Nikon is mis-stepping on AF and Canon is closing their lens mount, the real winners will be the ascendant electronics firms Sony and perhaps Panasonic. Now that so much about photography is based around electronics and increasingly video, they have a huge advantage that the old school camera companies that used to dominate, are finding it hard to adapt to. In fact the real leaders are probably the smart phone companies, that provide ‘good enough’ and even shockingly good results to most of the Earth’s population. None of this excuses Nikon’s slow progress in AF, but it does put it in perspective, especially for non-pros. Cameras need to be fun and exciting to use, as well as being reliable tools, if Joe Blogs is still to want to own one.
At 13:45 you can see a couple frames with electronic shutter warping in the bat. Probably not a big issue most of the time, but warping can happen on the Z9 apparently.
I have a Z9 also but I use it primarily for my wildlife photography and project. Everyday use I wish they had a similar and smaller option like the A1 coz for daily shoot, I like to shoot one handed and it is hard with the z9
Great video Jared. While I don’t always have the same take on something as you, on the Nikon front I get it. It’s about wanting Nikon to up their game for customers and drive forward innovation in the market to keep the other manufacturers competing as this keeps photography alive, moving forward and helps photographers get the shots we want without being limited by hardware. I am an invested Canon shooter but the Z9 is the one flagship body that has really impressed me. I prefer the look and feel of the R3 and the weight of it is so light which can be good when paired with big glass. However the Z9 has to me of all the flagships the most feel of quality and the weight is part of that. Doing away with a mechanical shutter and installing a cover was the move all should have and will need to make. The responsiveness to turn on and the pre fire mode all make this such a compelling prospect as a wildlife photographer. The AF though does still need to be worked on, none are perfect though and Nikon has shown it has the potential to be as good as any other though at this point it may just be a hardware limitation of the chip. This camera will have been in development for some time so that production cycle depending on Nikon’s process the hardware choices could have been baked in for some time. Wouldn’t be surprised a Z9 II gets a dual chipset to give more processing capability to the AF. Fantastic video production as always. Steven has earned his 12% surely? Cheers Adam
The Z9 is an admirable performer. I think your review is honest and true. Nothing to add or contest. The option of grabbing 120 fps is a real winner for so many things. Nice review Jared.
Yes, I really liked that review Jared. I was looking at a Z9 today, and wondering if it’s time to trade my D500 and D850. I thought you were very impartial, and told it how it is, which I totally appreciate. I’ll let you know when I get my Z9.👍
I own a Z9 and I love it. But I agree with everything you said about it. I also own a Canon R5. Love it as well. What I have found in my own use is exactly how you describe both of them. Keep up the honest reviews.
First of all thank for your great comparsition . I'm Nikon user for long time. D750 D850 . But I still think about mirrorless jump. Confused between Z9 and Z8 😢😢😢. Need your advice ❤
Great review, thank you. As a diehard Nikon fanboy with a just ridiculous amount of Nikon glass, it's just not worth going mirrorless yet, especially as a lot of that glass is the old AF lenses that wont adapt to auto focus through the adaptor (yes, I know a couple of companies have made some clever auto backward and forward auto adaptors, but I'll wait until someone comes up with a screwdrive adaptor) and I'm still really happy with my DSLRs. Eventually Nikon will sort out the auto focus (most probably through software so it will likely be usable through the whole Z body range), so then I will be more than happy to pick up a second hand Z6 or Z6ii, at which point I'll probably wonder why the hell it took me so long to get one, but hay I'm a patient guy :)
For me, a Z6ii shooter coming from the D800 and D750, the AF is a major advance especially for portraits with fast primes and also for events. The AF is very competent and I am amazed at how very well it performs in comparison to my older DSLR’s.
I am a long time Nikon shooter. Love the handling and feel. I currently shoot the D500 and Z6ii. If Nikon could just provide an update that would allow you to select a focus mode and engage focus with a single button like you can on their DSLR's, it would make a world of difference and it doesn't seem like a monumental engineering change. I am hanging on for one more camera release. If it doesn't beat the R6ii, I'm jumping. PreCapture and in camera photo stacking will be a big boost for me. Although, the mid price range telephoto lenses that Nikon is releasing are hard to beat. (If you can get one)
Hello. I think you can set one of the front function buttons to do exactly what you are asking for. If you just search YT you should be able to find this.
If you're talking about back button focus, it's 100% capable of that. Can't recall the exact menu option but its very similar to your d500
On the Zii's, you can set back button focus to engage focus, but it can't do both. On Nikon DSLR's and other mirrorless brands, the AF-On button and other function buttons can be set to a change the focus mode and engage auto focus. So a single button press can change the focus mode and set the focus. On the Zii's, you need to press a function button, rotate a dial to get your focus mode and then press the AF-on button. Doable, but cumbersome and unnecessary with today's tech.
I just noticed that. On the Z9 the option is "AF-area mode + AF-ON" which lets you select a different AF setting (I have it set to single point) and immediately enable AF from a single button. I just searched for the setting on the Z6ii and it was missing.
I was wondering. at the moment I shoot with a Z6II I often photograph funerals in chapels, where there is LED light. I have tested shooting in silet mode, but then the LED light creates stripes in the image. I have to go down to a really long shutter speed not to get stripes in the picture. Does this mean that if I were to buy a Z9 that doesnt have a shutter, then I will have the same problem (as when I shoot with the Z6II in silet mode)?
Curious question... In the video I see devices in the hot shoe.. once device seems to have red, yellow, blue, green buttons? or ports on the back of the camera side, and in other shots it looks like a monitor or some sort, and still maybe another device with a card sticking out.. I didn't see anything in the details of the video that referenced any of those devices? Can you comment what the 2 or 3 were? or put links to them? Thanks so much
13:32 my fuji x-t4 “am I a joke to you? I’ve done this for quite some time already!” No idea who did it first, but 30fps and prerecord are also on Fuji cameras. Awesome as always. Love seeing where Nikon is at these days, even though I don’t shoot Nikon anymore.
I am a long time Nikon user and decided to go with the z7ii (latest firmware) and while I never tried the z9, I can understand Jared’s take on the z9 auto focus. The z7ii has a number of AF modes and I am really never sure which one to use for action and sports. I am never sure which one works the best. Focus tracking is downright annoying to activate when trying to catch fast action shots.( yes function 2 is enabled). I would have liked to not always have to try to decide which AF mode to use and when to use AF tracking. Eye tracking does not work with my dog who is black with dark eyes and I have had it lose focus on the primary subject. Overall it works ok but did a Nikon need to make AF modes such a pita?
I agree. I’ve mostly abandoned the auto eye focus for inputting work. Annoyed I’ll have to upgrade
Black dog w/ dark eyes is really hard for any camera because there’s little contrast. I have a black goldendoodle. I’ve found Canon does best with that kind of dog. Interestingly the Z9 does better than R3/5 with some animals and worse with others. I think there is a catalogue of animals that these manufactures are building into the AI system.
@@russandloz I don't understand these comments. I have a Z6 and shoot dogs quite often with native 1.8 S lenses and an adapted 58/1.4 G wideopen with very good success. Eye detection is trouble free even with a black dog and with the least reliable setup of the adapted 58G. The Z6's main weakness is its ability to hold focus on a moving dog, so I can forget about eye detection on a running dog. But in that case you can use focus without eye detection like the old fashioned way on a DSLR and get photos. It's great though that the new competing cameras are better and I'll definitely get the Z6III for the AF as well. However, the original Z6 already has very good AF, my real percentage of out of focus photos on normal shooting of social events, portraits, family photos with dogs and kids is only a few percent with my 1.8 and 1.4 lenses wideopen. Anyone who says they struggle with the Z6 AF must be doing something wrong, only shooting sports, or making stuff up. The Z6 is not a camera for sports and dynamic WL, but it's more than enough for anything else.
Completely agree on the need for good AF. I was a Nikon diehard and the Z7 upgrade totally ruined it for me. I switched to then Olympus after 20 years of Nikon, and I don't have much of a reason to return at the minute because of the insane amount of fantastic AF Mirrorless out there right now. Sony and Canon seem hard to beat. If the Z8 is launched soon and with good reviews, I might be inclined to go back. Nikon does produce some of the best files in the industry, I hope for better things ahead in the mid level area.
Im still using a Nikon DSLR, I've never been convinced of the mid market Z cameras, Im buying a new camera before my end of financial year, UK April 4, if there isnt a Z camera with good AF buy then Ive pretty well made my mind up to buy a Sony A7R5.
@@markshirley01 I had a D7500 outgrew it and debated the D850 but was convinced by the local camera store that the Z7 was the better option, it was a disaster to say the least. Hoping the Z8 is competitive when it comes out, I've been waiting on the Z200-600, no sign of that either.
not saying you're wrong, just one point. to compare a focus system it's important to use the same sensor format. with fullframe even with f/4 you oft have a small dof, with mft f/4 is more the dof of a smartphone. if you want to compare the af between a fullframe and an mft camera, you must compare f/4 vs. f/2.
@@PatrickFeldhusen actually not comparing at all. The camera performance overall has been far better than that of the Z7. Not a particular attribute, but it's repeatedly been stated that MFT doesn't have the DOF of full frame, true, which is why I've said the image files are amazing on Nikon, it doesn't really matter with the kind of photography I do because the background and subject are so typically sufficiently separated.
I always enjoy watching your videos. But the funny thing is that I have heard the same statements from all photographers independent of the used brand (Nikon, Canon, Sony) about "failing" the auto focus. I don't know any system that works "perfectly". BTW: I'm a pro sports photographer and I don't think I've missed a single motif yet (at least not more as before :-). IMHO: In general, I think people tend to focus way too much on AF and tech assists, just forgetting to take pictures. I'm convinced that in the end it doesn't matter whether you use Nikon, Sony or Canon. If you are a reasonably good photographer...
You like third place?
@@froknowsphoto That's just your opinion... ;-)
I agree that AF Quality is very important and should again and again be put into comparison (When you say „thats not that important“ - well, why should you compare all these cameras at all?). As a professional wedding photographer I can tell: having a couple standing in front of you, showing that real smile and you can‘t acquire proper focus because your Z camera just won‘t get the eye AF right and you have to tell them things like „well, I guess we have to try that again… eheh!“ and the moment is GONE you really get pissed off at Nikon! I gave them my trust to further improve their stuff after I bought it and years later it still doesn‘t match a standard you can rely on as a professional. Ans THATS what some hobbyists don‘t get: Either you can totally rely on auto AF or you have to switch it off as a professional who really NEEDS that shot. And thats why I share Jareds opinion! Greeting to everyone out there!
I don’t know what the problem with lossless compression. As the name say it doesn’t lose image data. It just mark the repeating data and keep the file size low. Algorithm and the computer handles the conversion.
Great Review Jared.. I agree Nikon AF might be quirky in certain situations but it’s not that far off as compared to Sony or Canon. I use both Sony and Nikon, I would say Sony’s AF is 10/10, Nikon is 9/10. One thing, which I want to mention, the quality / sharpness / colors of files produced from Nikon Z9 is just fabulous. Nikon lenses are just killer .. and best part they are not freaking expensive like canon’s. Sony also has huge selection of amazing lenses at perfect price points. Awaiting for A9 -3 and Nikons D500 equivalent 😁
Wow! I thought that the fan boys would be flooding the comments already 😂. I have shot Nikon for about 25 years or so and now I shoot Nikon and Canon. I much prefer the Canon auto focus over any Nikon. On the flipside, Nikon's Z glass is way better in both optical performance and value in my opinion. If you turn off the clean sensor when shutting down feature, the shutter almost instantly closes when you turn off the camera(atleast on my R6). Great content as always 👏 👌 👍
I use z50 and it's a great camera for me, if they ever release z50 II and make autofocus better like z9 I'm gonna buy that one for sure. Or maybe Z5 II with expeed 7 might come in handy.
I have both a Z9 and a Z5, and the Z5 is a fantastic little camera, a Z5ii would be killer.
One day Jared will understand that "compress vs uncompressed" is irrelevant, it is only "lossless vs lossy" that matters... But today is not that day... P.S. Do you ever zip a file and then unzip it? Lossless compression...
Great review Jarred! Love from South Africa 🇿🇦. Seeyah 🤟
I'm hoping to get a Z8 eventually. Can someone tell me how good the eye AF works for product and still-life photography?
99.9%. It’s like 95% for birds in flight lol and even higher for sports for me. the af complaints I believe are a combination of a guy using too many different brands of cameras (no familiarity) and old firmware.
@@livejames9374 Thanks for the reply. 99.9% is an excellent score! I did brides walking down the aisle with a split image viewfinder. You get one, maybe 2 chances at it. Now I can blast 7 frames per second with my D850 and have 7 keepers. I only need one. If you need 30 or 40 frames per second, shoot 8k video and pull frames from the video.
I jumped ship to Sony. But I really loved the Nikon Z6ii and their 50 1.2. Loved the Nikon files and colors. I didn't mind the autofocus at first, but when I tried the Sony A7iv, I see the big difference. I was glad too the colors on the A7iv was way better than the a7iii. And the 50 1.2 on sony is way smaller. So I traded in all my Nikon bodies and glass☹️ I wish didn't have to though
Can always go back one day!
The autofocus: I have a nikon d5300. I don't know if it is just me, but i find that whenever I'm using the live screen...the autofocus seems slow or missed a lot. But when I'm using the ovf, it works faster and just a bit better.
That DSLR camera only has slow contrast-detect autofocus in Live View. This is different in mirrorless cameras, which can use their entire autofocus capability this way.
What are CFe cards inexpensive compared to? They're 7x the price of SDXC.
thank you soo much jared i am using Nikon Z6 with all the Z glasses and i just have one issue and that's is it's Autofocus while in weddings or while shooting videos i am jst terrified horrible experience with af i just want Nikon for a sticky af and lockon af focus breathing is a huge issue please try to fix this thing Nikon i know you are capable enough .
Really solid review, Jared. As a professional wedding photographer who shoots on Z6ii's (and have used Z9s a few times), I think you're pretty right on the AF topic. My only gripe is sometimes the way you word it sounds like you're saying there's no solution to the autofocus problems, when really the solution is a different focusing mode and anticipating what mode you'll need. Will switching modes make you miss shots occasionally? Totally. Would it be better if the Nikon made better decisions like the Sony and Canon? 1,000%. But for me personally with weddings, I can get the job done with Z6iis with very few hiccups. I think a non-Nikon shooter would watch some of your vids and think shooting e.g. weddings on a Nikon mirrorless would be impossible. It's not. Again, you're right, but I think a lot of us Nikon shooters would describe the autofocus shortcomings differently. Just felt like saying...
Thanks for your comment. You kind of make my point about the af with what you said. The whole “knowing which mode to use”, is not an issue with Sony or canon. And that’s why I mention it. It doesn’t mean the camera isn’t still the best focusing Nikon ever. It just means, it doesn’t work as seamlessly as the other brands. That seems to be something others keep trying to put me down about.
Nikon Z cameras have the shortest flange distance of 16mm! You can put Canon EF, and even Sony E cameras on a Nikon Z9 with an adapter!
Hey Jared, ever shoot with Fuji?
Always love shooting Nikon!
Neither Canon nor Sony AF-systems are perfect... I had soft pictures with an R6 (and adapted EF 70-200/2.8 II) of coaches just standing still and watching their teams on the field... while the camera clearly showed eye-detection in the viewfinder.
I’m still using d5 for sport and 3d tracking works very well! I’ve also a d850, but sometimes I use d5 also for portraits and commercial because it’s enough for print in magazines. I always use af-c mode. I’ve notice my collegues in indoor sports with sony and canon…the colours of skin tones are always bad in comparision with nikon. I don’t know if the problem in indoor for sony and canon shooters is in mirrorles tech
My colors with all three systems are very similar. I also shoot raw and most sports shooters don’t.
@@froknowsphoto I shoot jpg for sports. the files are good also straight out of camera and in some bad scenarios (if we have time) we could correct colours with the right tools in LR even if jpg have less space than RAW to adjust the wrong choices. I don’t know why but in rhytmic and artistic gymnastics, with canon and sony, the skin tones straight out of camera are much more unnatural than nikon ones; in the last competition I covered, I had the opportunity to compare my pictures with other 7 different photographers and I could easly told you which one is nikon. in that particoular field I think that the super saturated blue colours of the background are probably a trouble for some camers. or probably some articifial lights. I don’t know. in other scenarios or field the differences are minimal.