No one is gonna be shooting in this type of rain so do not know what is your point..!! 😂😂

The Nikon D3S. Won….!!! 👍👍👍 🏆 and I’m going to buy one very soon..!!!

I am going to be shaming my devils here. I used to be a mega pixel person. All I cared about was how many mega pixels I could get from my camera. Then I got an a77 from Sony. I realized that 24MP was great with no buffer and I do mean no buffer. I think that camera would have been better with a larger buffer. Sony did as well when they dropped the a77ii. They fixed the buffer issue. So I do hope that Nikon focused on features and CPU performance over sensor pixel count. 😊 Please do comment and give me your inputs. I would like to hear what people have to say about my points.

Mr. Irwin, this is a very technical video. I consider myself a geek and you went deeper that then I would have. What I enjoyed was your way of explaining this technology. I felt like you were only presenting the basic information. Which made your video easy to watch. Even for me a geek. LOL 😂😂😂

I loved this video. ❤❤❤ You did a great job of showing that the gear doesn’t make that much of a difference. 😮😮😮 I used to shoot with Sony DSLR/DLST cameras. They were wonderful cameras and I enjoyed them for almost 10 years. Now my buddy gave me some Nikon gear and I have shifted to Nikon. But I don’t feel there’s that much of a difference. What I enjoy is getting out and shooting pix. That’s where the fun is. 🎉🎉🎉

I have never owned a Canon however a few of my acquaintances at the ball fields shoot Canon and are totally satisfied. Yours is a fantastic channel aimed at promoting photography and not any particular brand, very nice. I can't help but think your channel will continue to grow. Best wishes from Ted in Sebastian, Fl.

Unless Nikon granted permission for this lens they should sue the manufacturers for trademark infringement- casually including NIKKOR within the name and packaging it in gold boxing which is how NIKKOR lenses have traditionally been packaged. Other third party lens manufacturers don’t act like this.

I now have both of these lenses. The reason for the 70-300 is because it was a very useful focal length range when my kit was based on my D750. Now that I've moved to the Z7 II and Zf I wanted to have a similar kit and Nikon does not make a 70-300 in the Z mount. In addition the EDIF G variant I had was very much less than impressive, it was really a bit of a dog. The Tamron is a much much better optic than that Nikkor. As for it not being S line quality I don't notice any difference in Print Sharpness between my 24-120 Z Nikkor S and this Tamron. Folks, what you see in a print matters, what you see in a pixel peep is meaningless. As for the 150-500, one word is all you need, it's stunning.

I always enjoy your videos Matt, so professional and thoughtful and respectful. Your conversation centers around the joy and experience of photography, not just the specs pitting one company against another when it really doesn't matter. Well, some news from me. I had purchased two months ago a Nikon ZF body but in black as that is all they had in stock. Not too long ago I found a new ZF from Adorama in ORANGE so I purchased it right away. I love it. it takes better pictures!! anyhow will sell the black one on EBay. Take care and happy new year. Ted in Sebastian, Fl.

. It has always been on my bucket list to capture an aurora. Back in October we had one visible on Long Island in NY. I was leaving work at around 8:30pm and saw no visible signs of an aurora. When I got home my wife asked me if I was planning on taking pictures of it as our neighbors were posting cellphone shots on Facebook. I went outside with my ZF and 40mm f2 lens and I only saw a foggy night sky until I put my eye up to the EVF. I was blown away by what I saw. I stayed out there for over 2 hours. I was able to capture some amazing images. My wife asked me if I saw a shooting star and I was able to tell her I did and even was lucky enough to capture it in a shot. Her next question was "Did you make a wish?". I did not however capturing the aurora was like having my wish come true. Thanks Matt for another great video. I always enjoy your content.

The D850 is still awesome, I use them in combination with my Z9s when I need flash in dark environments. The thing that annoys me though is the dim focus points. Not sure why they thought that was ready for prime time.

I, for one, see nothing wrong with the pictures. One works with what ones has. You can't plan for everything, but now you know better about what you should have as basic travel lenses.

I’m about to buy a Z5 or Z6 II as an inexpensive backup to my Zf. I can’t decide between this or the 35mm 1.8.

Hi Matt, As below, Aurora is very addictive, especially at the moment at the solar maximum. I use a Z fc with a Sigma 16mm f1.4. Usually around 10sec exp, f1.4, ISO 640 to 800. I bought the Sigma especially for milky way and aurora, it has proven to be a good landscape lens as well. Edit: forgot to say colour temp at 3900k.

Sony set the bar so high with the og A1 that they cant live up to it

Yes, can confirm the 16mm Viltrox works pretty well for auroras. Although I missed the big one in May, it got me enthused (ok, maybe annoyed) and for the first time I’ve gotten some Aurora shots over Port Phillip Bay and I’m happy with the results using the Viltrox on my Nikon Zf. Further away from light pollution would be better and be aware that even when predicted by apps and/or Facebook groups it’s can be a bit hit or miss as to whether the aurora actually arrives. It also gets very busy people wise - Aurora chasing is a bit of a thing!

Hi Matt, did you try an etz adapter on Nikon z50II? Wich is the one that works better? Thanks for your effort and beautiful channel…

Auroras are so exciting, got the chance to head to Kilkunda in May and captured stunning images with Z7II, 24mm f1.8 at around 15 seconds. Best night ever. Good to see what can be done with slower or narrower lenses. 👏

I just bought a Zf (love it) and now seeking something smaller and lighter. I’ve invested in a fair amount of S glass. Will these lenses work well with the Z50II? Just at a crop FOV? Like my previous Fujis? Maybe I’m better off with a Z5 or Z6II full frame? My budget won’t allow a Z6III.

Great Job! Thanks man.

Would love to see the same comparison with the d850. The D3s may be 12 mp but they are big pixels and have incredible light gathering characteristics which shows even at 6400 ISO without noise reduction. The differences are not significant unless you are cropping consistently. I would also love to see prints rather than how the images look on a monitor. You will find there isn’t much of a difference. I would still pick the D3s over the Z9 as I have yet to find a mirror less camera that can equal the dynamic range of a true optical viewfinder. I’m old school when it comes to judging lighting, I want to see the shape , texture and relief on the subject as accurate as possible.

It costs nearly as much as a Voigtlander without the electronic contacts. Pass.

How did you work with focus? Manual focus? Auto focus? On what can the camera in darkness focus reliably?

I recently sold my Z50 while it still has value. As tempting as this is I’m on the fence about it. I’m not a vlogger and don’t really care much about video. What I’m holding out for is an updated Z5. Some might think it’s not necessary but the pop up flash on the Z50 is a sticking point with me. It comes in so handy for those point and shoot situations and also outdoor fill flash. I don’t like carrying around any extra accessories, it defeats the purpose of traveling light.

How long do people think the Z lenses will be in use? With the next flagship use the Z lens?

I take one frame every 5 minutes … hmm

Man maybe I should get the 24-120? I am saving for a Z6II (I know it’s an oldie but a goodie) and I can get a kit w/ 24-70 or 24-120. I do portraits so maybe the 24-120 is best. Is it very heavy? At 120 would it be a decent portrait lens?

Great Captures Matt. You have remined me what my late photographer mentor told me long ago. Photography is problem solving to get the shot. Also the best lens or camera is the one you have with you.

I`m really happy about it now!

🤗

Looking at this video again in 2025, the GFX cameras are now very similar sized to a Z8! Physically the light would only require a tiny trim of the mount bayonet to reach the whole medium (44/33) format sensor, so it’s only down to whether Nikon want to enter that market. The 60 MPix Sony sensor has been available for a while, yet Nikon has not yet gone down that route, so maybe this exciting idea will remain a pipe dream.

I would say more Kowa 66 than Hasselblad lol. Nice lights

I have the zf but never use it bc the handling absolutely sucks. Im dumping it and getting a z6.

Thanks Matt! A nice range for apsc. It’s a bit like Nikon has excluded Sigma from full frame Z lenses and Tamron have been excluded from apsc Z lenses?

id dodge both and get the 40 f2 until they release their 35 1.2 which is only a matter of time

Loved it! ❤ I’ve only seen the Aurora twice and both times were last year (may and October) I shot it on my less than ideal Fujifilm Gfx100s with a 20-35 f4 lens and the results are fantastic! Just goes to show you shouldn’t dismiss the gear you have, always give it a go!

Not as sharp as the 55mm f/2.8? If that’s the case, it’s either bad luck, or someone needs advice on properly servicing an old lens before trying to work with it. This 55mm looks OK that said, just some bird breath and salty sausage on it...

Thank for the show. It’s great to see what goes on elsewhere. I live in the Southern part of the UK, i.e. Northern Hemisphere, where there is a lot of human light pollution so the Aurora is not normally visible here. For the first time in my life, we had 3 occasions in 2024 where it was possible to see some movement / activity in the sky with very faint colours by eye. Then again on the same evening as you in Australia another mostly lost behind clouds. The scientists forecast there is probably going to be more events in 2025 as well because the sun is flaring a lot for the next few months / year. Like you it isn’t clear what colour profile to apply. My mobile pushes up the saturation significantly,which is a good way to confirm there is an event. The colour is nowhere near as saturated as a mobile shows. When using a mirrorless my shots look very similar to your exposures and better sky quality. I set 5500k and f1.2 iso 640, 15 seconds. In the end, my being an amateur, they were pleasing for me and even print worthy 👍

I feel my car tinkering budget is leaning a lot more toward my camera tinkering budget after seeing these photos!

Imagine if you had had a 24mm F/1.4.....

I am thinking this sensor could be useful in the medical field. Cleaner cell images. Whatever its developed for may we as photographers benefit also.

Matt, a quick warning that chasing Aurora's is quite addictive. The only problem with slow lenses is that the beams can become less visible as the exposure time increases. You were fortunate to be at Venus Bay as places like Cape Shank and Flinders get crazy busy when Lady aurora is dancing.

Matt, a quick warning that chasing Aurora's is quite addictive. The only problem with slow lenses is that the beams can become less visible as the exposure time increases. You wer fortunate to be at Venus Bay as places like Cape Shank and Flinders get crazy busy when Lady aurora is dancing.

Matt, a quick warning that chasing Aurora's is quite addictive. The only problem with slow lenses is that the beams can become less visible as the exposure time increases. You wer fortunate to be at Venus Bay as places like Cape Shank and Flinders get crazy busy when Lady aurora is dancing.

VB Beach 1! I think you’ll find if you shoot from a location without the Carpark lights you might get a better view of the colours that were visible to the eye. I was 30km north of you and the colours were fairly prominent at times, especially around 3am when the clouds cleared. Keep enjoying South Gippsland!

Awesome photos!! You had the best assistant, saludos!!

A great effort with the gear you had Matt, yes I have not always had the right gear and I am never afraid to push the ISO high to get an image. I recommend to people to use a WB of between 3800 and 4500 kelvin, know you can change it later if you shoot RAW as you already know. Great to see the two cameras being used to the limit you might say 🙂

Thanks for showing this Matt. The colours and exposure are so good! In May I did a time-lapse of the Aurora Australis from New Zealand using a Z6 with a Z-mount 20mm 1.8. I did a couple of test shots, then set the time-lapse for about 70 minutes or so. I thought I'd missed the aurora to be honest, but then checking the file I found a huge burst of solar energy at about 14 seconds in of a 28 second clip. Your Aurora episode here inspired me to upload my time-lapse to my YT channel. Thanks again Mate. Once again you have benchmarked a quality standard!

What a fantastic experience, Matt! Thanks for sharing it with us. I missed the aurora borealis a month or so back so this is a great display that looks very similar.

I think your fellow Aussie Richard Tatti (Nightscape images) would be proud of these.