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I’m loving seeing Nikon on the rise again, and making compelling cameras. A couple years in with the Z9 now, and other than replacing the rubber grips it’s been flawless. Just an excellent workhorse camera. I want for so little. I’m tempted occasionally to look at the GFX line for studio work, but the ergos of the Z9 are just outstanding.
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Dec 15, 2023 08:19
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A few months ago I supplemented my Z9 with an X100V. I love them both for different reasons. I think of the Z9 as a realiable workhorse and photographic tool mostly. I use it for birding, I use it for landscape and city scenes, and I use it in my engineering workshop and studio for documentation work, really for everything. I have a bunch of lenses for it, including lots of ancient F glass and some cheap but astonishingly good Laowa and Mitacon / Zhongyi macro Z lenses that are manually focused but work really well on the Z9 because of the on-screen and in-viewfinder focus peaking display. That feature alone is what ultimately made me retire my D850 that had otherwise been my documentation camera. I love the accurate color it produces, and the controls are so ergonomic, I never have to think about how to achieve anything I want to do with this camera. I've built accessories for the ancient 10-pin connector and I have a ton of Godox lighting gear that it talks to effortlessly. The Z9 is rock solid. I have 200K clicks on it now, and almost none of that was "spray and pray" or long bursts. But it doesn't have whimsy. It's all business. It doesn't dream or play. That's where the Fuji comes in, for me. The OVF/EVF hybrid viewfinder. The sweet f/2 lens. But most importantly, a different workflow. A new way to think about exposure and creative priorities. And those film looks! I never leave home without either the Z9 or the Fuji or both. I find that I often discover a scene and find its hidden beauty with the Fuji. I often get drop-dead perfect JPEGs out of it with sublime colors. But they're just JPEGs. Sometimes I revisit the same scene later with the Z9 and use different optics but inspiration I got from the Fuji session, and my post-processing work is influenced by those looks the Fuji helped me discover. YMMV I guess - Nikon should add more whimsy, maybe license Kodak's film looks.
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Dec 20, 2023 07:27
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All Nikon F-mount products are out of production: https://nikonrumors.com/2024/01/24/all-nikon-f-mount-products-are-out-of-production.aspx/
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Jan 25, 2024 13:51
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 It will live on for people looking for a bargain.
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Jan 25, 2024 14:55
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I hem and haw about switching to Nikon mirrorless, but I’m still here in the F mount La Brea Tar Pit. 500mm PFs have dropped about 30% on the used market in 9 months at my local shop. I may find new ways to spend money on old gear in 2024.
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Jan 25, 2024 15:23
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I too hem and haw about switching to Nikon mirrorless, but I'm convinced the money is better spent on better glass than anything for what I do (Concert & Wildlife)
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Jan 25, 2024 17:03
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Mega Comrade posted:
I hope so. I'm hoping this drives down the price of the 40mm f/2.8G Close-up Lens, not up.
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Jan 25, 2024 17:10
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Red posted:I hope so. I'm hoping this drives down the price of the 85mm f/1.8G lens, not up.
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Jan 25, 2024 17:26
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The new Z 5mm f/1.8 S has (imho horrible) cats eye bokeh, my old 85mm f/1.4D does not. So obviously I'm keeping both 
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Jan 25, 2024 17:43
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Apparently Nikon is disputing the F mount rumor https://petapixel.com/2024/01/25/nikon-rejects-the-claim-that-it-is-no-longer-producing-f-mount-products/
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Jan 25, 2024 23:03
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I wonder what that means. Nikon could be manufacturing one of the batteries that is used in both DSLR and mirrorless bodies and they would technically be producing an F-mount product. or maybe they still have parts to make D850s or whatever and will do until they run out.
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Jan 26, 2024 15:21
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Nikon wants to make the official announcement itself some time in the future. Might still take a while, and I reckon they'll still do parts for a while after that.
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Jan 27, 2024 11:33
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Welp. I caved and bought the ART 18-35 F1.8 for F mounts from Sigma - Looks like I'm sticking with my D500 for a while yet.
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Jan 27, 2024 21:53
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I’ve had that lens for a bunch of years, it’s a bunch of fun. Did you get the little usb fine tuning thing for it too? I always wanted to try their 50-100 after I broke my (also Sigma) 50-150 but ended up just going for a regular 70-200. I miss that 20mm on the wide end.
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Jan 28, 2024 00:59
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EL BROMANCE posted:I’ve had that lens for a bunch of years, it’s a bunch of fun. Did you get the little usb fine tuning thing for it too? I always wanted to try their 50-100 after I broke my (also Sigma) 50-150 but ended up just going for a regular 70-200. I miss that 20mm on the wide end. I did not, should I? Tell me more about it!
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Jan 28, 2024 02:21
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Basically, you know how your camera body has a setting to fine tune the lens so it matches… usually on a +/- scale and you just take photos and test which one works best. Well the USB puck takes it one step further and lets you fine tune the focus across something like 16 values to really lock it in. I remember it only costs about $20 or so, so it’s not expensive and might make some differences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XAtW-cbcRU
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Jan 28, 2024 12:31
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I should really sit down one day and calibrate the lenses I use the most... Maybe this will be the one that starts it all. I might have a friend with one of those I can borrow (they're like 80$ now)
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Jan 28, 2024 15:58
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EL BROMANCE posted:Basically, you know how your camera body has a setting to fine tune the lens so it matches… usually on a +/- scale and you just take photos and test which one works best. Well the USB puck takes it one step further and lets you fine tune the focus across something like 16 values to really lock it in. I remember it only costs about $20 or so, so it’s not expensive and might make some differences. This whole issue I think goes away when you go mirrorless. I have only a few of those Sigma f-mount ART lenses, the 24mm f/1.4 and also the 105mm f/1.4 (a huge chonker with a preposterous 105mm filter thread). I had a hell of a time getting those primes dialed in for my D4 and D850 using that USB puck. The 24mm one I had to dial to one extreme end position to make it focus nearly right. I suspected it was busted somehow (I bought it secondhand) but once I put it on the Z6II and later the Z9 (with a FTZ) it was tack sharp and perfectly focused always.
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Jan 28, 2024 16:34
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Yeah even on regular DSLRs, it’s not an issue if you’re using the back screen and that focusing method (which is handy as you can use that as a reference photo to compare to what you get through the regular viewfinder.
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Jan 28, 2024 16:44
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frumpykvetchbot posted:This whole issue I think goes away when you go mirrorless. I have only a few of those Sigma f-mount ART lenses, the 24mm f/1.4 and also the 105mm f/1.4 (a huge chonker with a preposterous 105mm filter thread). I had a hell of a time getting those primes dialed in for my D4 and D850 using that USB puck. The 24mm one I had to dial to one extreme end position to make it focus nearly right. I suspected it was busted somehow (I bought it secondhand) but once I put it on the Z6II and later the Z9 (with a FTZ) it was tack sharp and perfectly focused always. Yeah, my Siggy 40 wasn't the most reliable lens on a D750 but that issue vanished when I started using it on the Z bodies.
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Jan 28, 2024 17:19
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Slotducks posted:I should really sit down one day and calibrate the lenses I use the most... The Sigma usb dock? I picked one up in the last couple months for $25 on eBay.
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Jan 28, 2024 18:08
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I have around $1000 I want to spend and I’m wondering if i could get some recommendations on what to spend it on. I have now a z50 with the two kit lenses, I also have the 50mm 1.8 S lens. I also use the ftz adapter and have a couple random lenses. I’m curious about the fixed aperture f4 24-120 nikkor lens which is ~1100 Also the nikkor 24-200 f4/6.3 which is like 800 My other thought is maybe the money would be better spent upgrading the body to the z6ii…?
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Jan 28, 2024 23:53
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First thing I would ask is what you're shooting primarily?
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Jan 28, 2024 23:59
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Kids mostly. Most demanding setting is kids’ theater with not great lighting.
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Jan 29, 2024 00:09
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Rumors are hot that a Z6 III might be announced soon so keep an eye out for that before pulling the trigger on a z6 II if you wanted to go with a new body.
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Jan 29, 2024 03:57
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Proust Malone posted:Kids mostly. Most demanding setting is kids’ theater with not great lighting. Find a deal on a used but good 70-200 f/2.8 with VR/OS. It's a perfect lens for this use. Brand new nikkor version is $$$$ but I sometimes find the Sigma f-mount 70-200mm F2.8 DG HSM OS on eBay for like 600 from reputable sellers. The "Sports" edition is nice but hefty.
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Jan 29, 2024 04:46
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frumpykvetchbot posted:Find a deal on a used but good 70-200 f/2.8 with VR/OS. It's a perfect lens for this use. I had one of these from way back in 2012 and it was a great lens. Its only real fault was the bokeh got distressingly wild if the background had a lot high contrast lines. The newer variants are probably even better and can also be tuned with that USB dock thingy. Nikon Rumors posted some more honed in details on the forthcoming Z6 III: quote:6k60 NRAW, 4k120 (crop), 4k60 full ProRes RAW They also mention that Nikon has registered another new camera body but there's no details about what it will be.
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Jan 31, 2024 19:39
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Ooohhh hope that higher res evf is true.
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Jan 31, 2024 19:42
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For $700 I got a Nikon 70-200 2.8 VRii in “good” condition from Used Photo Pro and it looks brand new. That was last summer, so prices may even be lower now. Just watch for deals.
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Jan 31, 2024 20:45
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So I’m a big old dummy. Once I set my BBF single point thing in place yeeeeeears ago, I’ve never really thought much about focus systems since. I try to help out a dog rescue I work with to get good photos but it’s always been such a struggle to get exactly what I want… of course the goddamned focus mode is making my life so much harder. I think I changed everything else but that, I have no idea why it didn’t come to mind. On a D7200 I’m guessing changing to the 9 point dynamic AF option is probably what I’m looking for, rather than one of the bigger areas? Or go bigger just to be sure? I’ve got some messing around to do when I’m reunited with my gear!
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Feb 5, 2024 23:20
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For wildlife 9 is my usual go to, birds I use group mainly. 3D is pretty good for sports.
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Feb 6, 2024 08:49
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Perfect, I’ll dial that in and hopefully have more success. It’s blowing my mind I didn’t even consider looking back into these settings, like I completely forgot they were a thing.
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Feb 6, 2024 12:20
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If I recall the d7200 has a dedicated button near the lens mount for switching between them quickly. And keep it in af-c if you are using BBF.
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Feb 6, 2024 13:27
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Yeah it’s been in C, BBF, Single Point for about 7 or 8 years now ha.
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Feb 6, 2024 13:31
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Nikon Z8 firmware update 2.00 is here and oh lawdy it's a chonker: https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/514.html quote:■ Still Photography Auto capture is back on the menu after being quietly yanked off of it. And a new surprise feature out of left field: Pixel shifting!
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Feb 7, 2024 04:24
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Happy days  I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully the bird tracking is as good as the Z9's.
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Feb 7, 2024 05:53
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Gib Z9 pixel shift 
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Feb 7, 2024 08:38
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Yeast posted:Gib Z9 pixel shift 180mp files god drat I like how they let the Z8 shine a bit and not just have it be a slightly lesser Z9.
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Feb 7, 2024 17:47
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The pixel shifting isn't done in-body and has to be handled via the Nikon NX software. Not sure if a Lightroom plugin could be introduced so things could be handled all in one spot?
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Feb 7, 2024 21:45
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Fabulousity posted:The pixel shifting isn't done in-body and has to be handled via the Nikon NX software. Not sure if a Lightroom plugin could be introduced so things could be handled all in one spot? Do any cameras handle it in-body? I wish it was an option but not sure if it's just using too much processing to be practically viable. I was certain Olympus or Pentax would've pulled it off but it doesn't appear to be the case. (edit: looks like the K-1 Mark II might do something like this?) Clayton Bigsby fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Feb 7, 2024 |
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Feb 7, 2024 22:01
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