Nikon Z6 III - The Art of Macro

[@Jazzshots]

You have some very fine videos and glad that you show a variety of photo genre in them. I'm a Z8 and Z6ii photographer but totally different genre (Jazz Musicians) but I am not obverse to shooting nature occasionally. Thank you for you excellent videos...

[@DynNat]

Thank you for your appreciation ! Cheers Michael

[@tomkeglier5782]

It's great how photography turns into a science of optical imaging and outsmarting its limits! And finally, we can observe details that our own eyes cannot perceive. Thank you!

[@DynNat]

Dear Tomke, isn't this wonderful. On one hand we can shoot wide open giving these shots a more art-like view and if we like we can stack and get the required 3D information ... Thank you for you really nice words and thoughts ... Cheers Michael

[@twitht2010]

とてもいい写真❤

[@DynNat]

Thank you for your nice comment !!

[@borocotochacha]

Beautiful shots and video. I think that what you meant by " red filter contour" figures out as Peak Focus. Salute!

[@DynNat]

This is perfectly correct. In the german version it is a12 "Contour Filter" and then says then in the submenu focus peaking. Cheers Michael

[@Granatapfel_G]

absolutely admirable!🎉

[@DynNat]

Thank you for your never ending support !! Greatly appreciated !!🥰

[@artesorobaserria]

Once again, your videos, besides being beautiful and suggestive, contain valuable information for those of us who want to know how the new Nikon mirrorless cameras work. When you say "slowly pull focus through the subject using the contour filter", what is this? What is "the contour filter"? Is it a function of the camera? Thank you very much for your time!!

[@DynNat]

Yes in the mirrorless Z system you can highlight in the EVF the focal plane in e.g. red color. So when you scan the focal plane across the subject you can see how far you are scanning. It requires a little bit of feeling in you fingertips and knowledge of you depth of field. What I like contrary to the build in stacking tool is that you see the whole time the subject live with the electronic shutter which gives you great control of your macro stack and allows much easier to stack living insects. So at 20 FPS you can finish a 20 picture stack in about 1 second. I like this a lot. This technique is easier with a lighter camera like the Z6 III compared to the Z9 since one hand focus pulls and with the other you hold the camera. I hope this answers you question. Cheers Michael

[@artesorobaserria]

@@DynNat I understand! It seems like a very valuable tool for my type of macro photography. With my Nikon D 500 it is impossible for me to do something similar. Thanks again for your explanations! Have a great day!! Robert

[@DynNat]

@@artesorobaserria Yes indeed. The D500 is an incredible camera legend. However, in terms of tools, speed silence, and image stabilization the Z6 III, Z8, and Z9 offer additional benefits. In the old times it would be super difficult to handhold a macro stack (it is still not easy but possible in a reproducible fashion). Thank you again for you very nice comments and if you have further questions do not hesitate to ask. Cheers Michael

[@artesorobaserria]

@@DynNat thank you very much!

[@thomastuorto9929]

How anyone gets stacked photos of live insects shooting stills is beyond me. A slight breeze & flowers are hard enough. Great vid. What is the contour filter? Also you have been a Nikon user back to the DSLR cameras. If so, do you think the photo quality of stacked sensors are as good as the sensors from the Z7II & D850 if you have used them? Thank you for any replies. Happy shooting.

[@DynNat]

Thank you for your compliments ! Especially here in northern Germany the wind likes to blow ! This is why I like the continuous shooting with the electronic shutter @ 20 FPS / 14 bit and then scan the focus through the subject. The contour filter shows you the focus plane in the EVF so that you can judge how far you are scanning. This way you get the stack in a second ! Properly choosing the aperture of course. Second - like I write - go on the ground - the wind will affect you less. Third place your body towards the wind so that you shield your subject. Regarding the sensor - this is a matter of ISO ! Beyond ISO 800 the Z6 III sensor is fantastic (in noise and dynamic range). However, for maximum image quality you would shoot with the Z7/D850 at ISO 64 - under these circumstances the Z7 / D850 sensor would beat the Z6 III. I would put it the following. You shoot fast (birds wildlife macros) and action the Z6 III is great for video and photo. You shoot "only" photos of landscapes and nightscapes I would use a Z7, Z7 II, Z6 II D850 etc. Nikon is continuing to sell the Z7 II and I do not believe that there will be a stacked version of it. It simply serves a different purpose. This is my view (I have no connection to Nikon) - there will be a video and action line and a line for more still photography. Cheers Michael

[@artesorobaserria]

Sorry for my insistence. Thinking about what we talked about regarding the possibility of seeing the focal plane in red, would this also be the case for a lens like the 200 micro f4? or does it only work with modern Z lenses? Thank you very much again for your patience!

[@DynNat]

I do not have the 200 micro f4 but I am using the "old" DSLR lenses AF-S G VR II 300 F/2.8 and the Sigma 500 F/4. In manual mode the contour filter works on the 300 F/2.8 so looks fine to me. However, I think the lens you are talking about is the Nikon 200mm f/4 ED-IF AF Micro-NIKKOR which was released in 1995 or so - correct ? So I would test this either in a shop or by having the proper return policy when online shopping. So to answer your question to the best of my knowledge it works with older DSLR lenses but I cannot say this for sure this particular model.

[@artesorobaserria]

@@DynNat thank you! I Will check It and i Will comment you!

[@DynNat]

@@artesorobaserria Looking forward to hear if it works ! I am mildly optimistic that it will work in manual mode as the contour filter works with the AF sensors build onto the camera chip. However, you never know before you test it. Good luck !

[@briancarlisle2534]

Also, what card and card a lot are you using for still photography? And would you possibly be making another video for landscape shoots with the z6iii?

[@DynNat]

You mean the CF-Express card ? I use an Angle Bird 512 GB card. Works great also for 6K and 8K raw and no buffer problems. Yes next video will be on night and landscapes at my favorite sea bird location ! I also want to show how well the footage works for wildlife - nightlife ....

[@DynNat]

p.s. I use the SD card slot only for overflow i.e. as a backup in case the CF-Express card is full so that I can keep on shooting. No raw video here and also it slows down everything !

[@briancarlisle2534]

How are you stacking these pictures? (Odd question) But I have my micro lens (same as you) and I have an action figure set up. So, 6 figures front to back (1 behind the other) and for the life of me. I can’t get them all in focus trying to stack. The front figure never gets focused. Though I put my focus point on him, and it has a sharp picture of him, but when I merge the pictures in Lr or even Photoshop, he comes out blurry and the back 3 figures come in pretty sharp. I have no clue what I am doing wrong. Any advice would be great. (I use the z6iii as well)

[@DynNat]

Yes try Helicon Soft - this software is an order of magnitude better than lightroom. It is also able to use H265 etc. footage from video directly and also able to use uncompressed raw from Nikon by using the Adobe converter ! You get an DNG out which you can use for further processing ! Here is the link: www.heliconsoft.com/de/ There is a 30 day free trail Pro Version available - so you can simply try and see if this works better. Cheers Michael