Nikon Z9 for Bird Photography Review (Settings, Bird Eye AF, Birds in Flight)
2024 ж. 8 Мам.
36 290 Рет қаралды
Check price of the Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Lenses on B&H Photo Video*:
- Z9: bhpho.to/3ic9XN9
- Z 100-400mm: bhpho.to/3WNsLkd
- Z 800mm F6.3: bhpho.to/3jBJJE5
- AF-S 500mm F5.6 PF: bhpho.to/3WukLoF
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*Mathieu Gasquet and Heather Broster are participants in the B&H Photo Video affiliate program. If you decide to buy something after clicking the affiliate links above, we will receive a small commission.
Text version on:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/stor...
Birds in Flight Test:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/best...
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:49 Design
5:16 Image Quality
10:15 Shutter & Speed
13:56 Subject Detection
18:46 Birds in Flight
25:13 Stabilisation & Video
31:03 Lenses I used
33:25 Conclusion
A video I was expecting for long time. Love and respect for your incredible work Matt !!
Thank you very much!
Wow, that slowmo footage is amazing !
A great review of what is possible and an honest assessment of the Z9's performance. I own 2 Z9s and I love its versatility.
Thank you! What do you with the two cameras? I mean the genre: wildlife, video, a bit of everything?
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons I photograph events, weddings, sports, architectural, portraits, family sessions, and more. I do not photograph wildlife. The Z9 handles every photography need I have. I leave the 24-70mm f2.8 on one Z9 and the 70-200mm f2.8 on the other Z9. I do have the 14-30mm f4 lens for architectural work. When available, I want to see about the 85mm f1.2.
what a great job I have just got hold of the Z9 and initially found the range of options confusing. loving it now and your very comprehensive presentation has been very helpful
Thank you! Enjoy your Z9 and let me know how you're getting on with it.
Just an amazing review as always. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
A good review Mathieu. I think Nikon have the best FF mirrorless system on the market at the moment. The lens combinations and prices are pretty compelling for the wildlife / bird photographer.
Superbe test, comme d'habitude! Merci!
Great review! Thank you so much. Mine is arriving today! ; ) can't wait to put my hands on it!
Great! Let me know your impressions after starting to use it!
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons I will. I am a BIF shooter for decades ;-) will be out shooting some birds of pray and after a little while I will post my impressions : ) thanks.
Always Great Videos, thanks from Germany
Interesting review, Mathieu, like all your other reviews. It's hard to find quality stuff on the internet, I mean very good&detailed reviews from a wildlife photographer perspective. I am sure I am not wrong if I say that you made the best reviews from wildlife perspective. So congratulations for great work !
Thank you, much appreciated!
Wow! That shot of the seagull in the snow at 29:34 😍😍
Yes, that’s my favorite shot!
great review - I have not seen any of yours previously but I have subscribed now - thank you
Thank you for the sub!
Thx for this great review!
Thank you for watching!
Great review and I have a Z9 which I love.
You're just the best when it comes to making these sorts of tests for bird photography, thank you for this amazing video, you cost me a lot of money today. 😅 Just ordered the Z8 and pre-ordered the new 180-600mm, to replace my fuji X-H2 + Tamron 150-500mm setup.
Thank you for the kind words. Let me know how do you find the Z8 and the new lens, looking forward to try this combo myself!
Very informative, thank you.
I say this was the best 'down to earth' review I have watched of our amazing Z9 (and Z8) . 100% fantastic. Thank you, Sir, I'll follow. Just great-
Thank you, glad you liked the video. I'm hoping to test the Z8 soon!
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessonsthe Z8 please, mate! Cheers
Thanks Mathieu for the excellent review. I was so impressed by the crazy long 4k120p footage that I bought a Z9 and 100-400 today to test against my Sony A1 and 200-600G. Cheers! ;-)
Wow! Let me know your findings!
Really good and systematic review..
Thank you!
Great review. The 3680mm eq focal length 4k 120p footage is amazing.
It really is! Thanks!
as always i trust your comparison, thx Mathieu !
Thank you!
Great review, very interesting! Which focus settings did you used for video recording?
C-AF, 3D Tracking, Animal Detection. For the red kites in flight, I tweaked the AF Speed to +4 and AF Tracking Sensitivity to 2, if I remember correctly.
Tried both z9 and R3. And went with the R3. Much reliable AF, great dynamic range and high isos performance.
I like the R3 a lot. If it where for the body only, I would probably choose it over the A1 and Z9. And I absolutely love the Eye Control AF.
Their dynamic range and high iso are basically the same. Z9 probably pulls ahead when you consider canon baked noise reduction in their raw files or far ahead if you compare apples to apples using e-shutter.
I've used almost all camera brands and I like the nikon raws best. Also, the techart v2 sony e to nikon z adapter works near flawlessly. I use all my sony e glass on my z9 and other z cams.
I tried V1 of the Techart adapter, it was quite good considering it was a novelty back then. Sounds like the V2 is even better.
What made you switch to Nikon? Or are you shooting with both systems? I am just curious because I don't see many photographers switch to Nikon from Sony. I went from Canon to Nikon and am now thinking of trying Sony.
A nice thorough review. I have been using my Z9 for a year now. It took me a while to get used to the idea that the camera can be a tiny bit out on an image here and there, but within a couple of frames it will be exactly right. I have adjusted my settings (Recall shooting function hold) for action so that the 3D mode is coupled with the erratic motion mode. I don’t always opt for 20fps but one press of F3 drops me into 3D, 20fps, etc. If I hold down the AF on button it tracks my selected subject. This often works really well but requires a bit more skill to judge and implement correctly. If it works, it’s my skill in getting it right, but 😂😂 if it doesn’t it’s obviously Nikon’s fault. 😊😊
So you're holding three buttons at the same time? F3, AF-ON and the shutter?
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons I focus using wide area by holding down AF ON (thumb), then I use my ring finger to press Fn 3 once. This triggers RSF hold. The camera switches to 20 fps, 3D tracking, Erratic movement. The Recall Shooting Function Hold symbols shows in the viewfinder. If I want to swap back to Wide Area, I press Fn3 again. We go back to 15 fps, wide area AF. I don’t need to use 3 fingers at the same time. Recall Shooting Function with “hold” is what counts. If you use the other RSF but not the “hold” type of RSF you end up holding down lots of things. The way I have set up the Fn3 button as a toggle is a good solution.
Ok I see, sounds like a very good setup 👍
Great video. Comprehensive, balanced and above all interesting to watch. I was also interested to hear your comments about combining the body with the 500pf lens which has always intrigued me. I'm wondering how you rate it against the Fujifilm X-H2S, considering they are both stacked sensor cameras and both aiming to fulfil action orientated photography?
The Z9 certainly delivers a better autofocus performance, and the lens selection is much better (Z-mount and F-mount). Obviously, it is much more expensive, so all things considered, the X-H2S is an impressive camera and Fuji is the only brand that is pushing APS-C to new heights. But if Nikon decides to make a serious DX camera with the AF system of the Z9...
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Thanks for the feedback. I've been waiting for ever for Z500 or even a R7d. I just don't get what is holding Nikon and Canon back. Maybe Nikon and Canon users just aren't demanding a crop sensor wildlife camera?
I'm wondering the same thing. I see a lot of people interested in a high-end APS-C camera. Most likely, Nikon and Canon are concentrating their efforts in competing with Sony in the full frame market. But I hope they will do something in the near future.
Great video as usual. Curious which firmware were you using? Thanks
3.00
Hello and thanks for all your great content! Are you able to do a review of the z9 with the firmware update which added specific Bird detection ? Apparently it's game changer but your advice could be very helpful ;)
Would love to but not sure when I'll have the chance to try the camera again.
Than you for the great review covering all aspects of the Z9. I've only been shooting it along side my Sony for about 9 months and I'm still not sure if its a keeper for me but your review has shown me BIF performance I've not gotten to try with it just yet. Maybe I missed it in your video but I was wondering which firmware version you did your testing with? The attractive set telephoto zooms and primes are attractive although I kept the Z 400/4.5 VR S after using it and the F-mount 500/5.6R PF ED VR. Not sure that was the right choice but at least it doesn't nee the adapter. I've also used it with the Sony 200-600 G with the Megadap ETZ-21 adapter. Thanks again.
Firmware 3.00. How's the Sony 200-600mm with the adapter?
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons I use this combination, it works fine but does not provide simultaneous camera and lens stabilization. And if you leave the lens attached to the camera you can get an empty battery the next day.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons With 200-600 and adapter if feels very responsive and works on the Z9 quite well. You probably would want to do some structured testing to calibrate your opinion to how it feels on you A1 or how it compares to the native Nikon lenses.
HI Mathieu. An excellent well balanced Review. I am an aircraft photographer in UK. We seem to have overcast skies 2/3 of the time. I have the Z9 and 500 PF. I need a Zoom up to 600mm. I dont think the non S line proposed Z 200 -600 will have fast enough focusing. I am looking at the Sony 200-500 G OSS with Megadap etz 21 adapter. Have you considered doing a review with this combination ?
should be sony 200-600 😄
Hi Chris, I tested the first version of the Techart adapter, using a Nikon Z6, and the performance was better than expected. If you look at the comments, other photographers have shared their experience with this kind of adapter on the Z9. See the thread started by Steven Waldstein in particular.
@Chris: I briefly tried the Z9 + Sony 200-600 using the Megadap etz 21 a few months ago before returning the Z9. The 200-600 worked quite well on the Z9 and it even supported stabilization, but the adapter doesn't support focusing when zooming quickly. AF speed seemed as fast and was as accurate as on my A1 so no issues there. My biggest concern was the robustness of the adapter as there are several complaints about failures reported on B&H reviews. It has a mickey-mouse clip to update the firmware which doesn't provide much confidence but it works. The electronics are exposed (the adapter is really thin) so you need to handle it carefully. The adapter is mechanically well built and provides a tight fit, which is good. I recently re-acquired a Z9 to try again but this time bought the Nikon 100-400S to use and haven't yet decided whether to buy the Megadap to use my Sony 200-600. BTW I fully expect Nikon's 200-600Z will be at least as good as Sony's, so I wouldn't worry about the AF being slow -- the new 200-600 will be much superior to the old 200-500VR in that regard.
@@garfieldirwin Thanks for your reply. I sold my 200-500 VR as it was doing too much Hunting. I am going to an airshow in New Zealand (hopefully), Easter 2024. I cannot see me getting hold of a Z200-600 before I go as its not yet been anounced and all Nikon New Kit goes to US first. I will probabliy buy the EF 200-600 G oss soon Second hand ) so I can use this summer.
Hi Mathieu, any plan to test the new bird detection FW on Z9? Regards.
Not at the moment, but I'll keep this in mind. I'm also interested in the Auto Capture function.
Why is no one complaining about the USBC connection? It does not go all the way in and its wiggling and can easily disconnect or get broken. I also tried to but a cable clamp and both tilta and smallrig does not offer one
Wow, Great video! Makes me want to sell some equipment
Thank you!
Great video. Don't know where you live to see that many birds of prey at once. I don't see that many in a years time. Thanks for sharing.
There are two red kite feeding stations in mid-Wales that are not too far from where I live. In the winter, you can see up to 600 of them. It's impressive to watch.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Nothing here in Illinois that compares to that, so enjoy every chance you can.
I was already hooked on this camera for a while and I love that you confirmed this. I've been a Canon shooter for a couple of decades but I resisted going R mount for many reasons. Although I do love the Z9 body it's perfect but after years of heavy Canon 1d series I just want the normal size without the grip so I can take that camera performance on light travels Nikon has some excellent light weight glass as well as you pointed out. What I mean is I'm waiting for that mini Z9 rumoured called the Z8. If It doesn't appear by spring I think I will just go for the OM-1 and 300mmF4 for now and offload my Canon gear ready for when Nikon gets round to it. Thanks I love your website by the way.
Thank you for the kind comment! Let's hope the Z8 becomes a reality. I'm very curious.
I have the OM-1 with 300mm F4. It's so good. Great for wildlife and also super compact to carry for nature walks and traveling.
True that if you pass from eos1d to Olympus om1 your shoulders will love you ;)
Great info however, you didn't explain how to change the size of the capture box in C1 and C2 and I have been unable to figure it out! Thank you
I don’t have the camera in front of me to double check but, if I remember correctly, you should be given the option when selecting C1 or C2, you can change the size with the multi selector on the rear (arrow pad).
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons thank you for the reply. I did finally find it, you have to do it in the photo shooting menu - AF-area mode, choose C1 and or C2 and select the size box you want! All good now. Thanks again.
Hi Matthieu finally you remembered that the yellow brand still exists !!! Joke :) but true that we were more used to see you speaking of Sony Sony Sony Canon Fuji Olympus :). More seriously great video. If all the KZheadrs were as precise and professional as you it would be more pleasant. You said you limited to bird photos as you only have the hardware for only one week … if not your review would hzve been 5 hours long. The z9 is a beast your review proved it again. I am eager (and I am not alone) that Nikon delivers a z8 who can at last kill the A7iv and be more affordable but it s nice to see that the yellow brand is again on the market. Thx for this very detailed and full of information review . You are with Damien Bernal for me the best reviewer … French talent ?
Haha, thanks! Not sure I would have any energy left after a 5 hours review! Better to keep it like this :-)
You mean A7R5? Z8 should be a high resolution camera.
@@mlai2546 Nikon needs money and the market share of the A7iv is far larger than A7R5… the issue for Nikon is to deliver a camera that will not be immediately technically beaten by the A7v… Not a lot of people need 60mpix and probably less people can afford more than 4K$ for just a camera … if Nikon wants to make some money they should aim the 2,5-3k$ range which is not reasonnable but more accessible and exactly the target of the A7iv.
I used 3d track to track a dog on 50mm 1.8 at fast shutter speeds but the eyes and dog were blury and out of focus. Is there anything I could be doing wrong? Had not noticed this with A1 or OM1
Do you remember the other settings you use? Drive speed, lock-on, focus or release priority? Is that the 50mm 1.8 for Z-mount?
The banding in this file to the limit is caused by lightroom, that does not happen in capture one my friend.
Ok, I’ll test it on C1 asap. Thanks.
Missing exposure with over 3EV has nothing to do with the camera. Any camera.
A few shots out of thousands. Hardly a problem.
Too expensive for common man. I use d7500 with afp lens 18-300mm reach which is enough for getting amazing pictures and to put in social media. Even it’s good for printing. It has good battery life and inbuild flash. It has 4k video which is good. I take video with wide areamode to prevent auto focus issues and with 1.3*2 crop it has good reach for wildlife videos.
Great review! Have you shot the new Z 400mm f/2.8 on it yet? I have that lens and it is awesome. The latest firmware has really made a huge difference. I have just subscribed to your channel if you get a chance stop by my channel and check out the 400 f/2.8 Z in action.
No I haven’t, it wasn’t available to rent unfortunately at the time. Will check your channel 👍
Very complicated menus and bottom.
You gave facts without explaining the technic (or modes) you have used, I can't agree with some of your conclusions.
Can you elaborate? There are various things I explain in the video.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Sure, mostly with the exposer measurements methods (the case with highlights)
I always use Multi and exposure compensation to under or over expose a little when needed. Obviously, it also depends on the scene, the light and the colors of the subject (dark or bright plumage).
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons On some scenarios (a bright object like bird on background other than sky I use "* Highlight weighted mattering") which makes the pic a bit under exposer but with editing you get perfect exposer.
Thanks. Just to clear any misunderstanding, I didn't have any problem with metering on the Z9. I simply used a few shots that came out wrong (out of thousands) to show the shadow/highlight recovery capability of the RAW files.
LoL a week isn't enough to learn this camera in any sense.
Maybe for you. I've been doing this for 10 years now, and there is a lot you can learn in a week.
Nikon is dead today. Z9 brick
Pathetic comment.
You are not even able to form coherent sentences.
@@n1ngnuo 😂