Nikon Z8 Bird Photography Struggles & Mistakes!

[@bobg982]

Hi Phil, thanks for sharing the lessons learned. Best wishes to you and Heather on your marriage!

[@PhilThach]

Thank you!

[@ses4vols]

Thanks for sharing how this combo works with the Z8! I've had similar experience with my 2x teleconverter. Really sunny days and little to no cropping the teleconverter holds up but sub-optimal conditions it struggles.

[@PhilThach]

Thanks! I agree.

[@SnaphypeWorld]

Great video, Phil! It’s always fascinating to see you with the Nikon Z8 in action. Sorry to hear about the sharpness issues, though. Have you ever tried using the Nikon 180-600mm lens with the 1.4x teleconverter?

[@PhilThach]

Thank you! I don’t have the any Z teleconverters. I may never buy one. Or I may change my mind and get one someday. Who knows! lol 😂

[@gregwilsonnaturephotography]

Hey Phil, i gave up on teleconverters long ago. I tried all three of the F mount with bad results. I now use a Z6ll ... yep no Z8 or Z9, but find my 100-400 and 180-600 and the 800 mm super sharp. I really need to get out there, it's been a while! It looks like you enjoyed the morning in the blind though..... Greg

[@PhilThach]

Thank you! I'm pretty close to selling my F 1.4x and my Canon R 1.4x. I've already sold my Nikon 1.7 and 2.0x TCs.

[@patriciablyler6484]

Yeah, I’ve never had much luck with TCs. I thought your images looked great but I’m looking at them on my phone and not my computer. Thanks for sharing!

[@PhilThach]

Thank you!

[@adrianalfordphotography]

Thanks for sharing the video Phil. I was interested to see how the Z8?would go with that lens set up.

[@PhilThach]

@@adrianalfordphotography thank you, Adrian! I think it would’ve been fine if I was able to fill the frame, but the converter and cropping do not go well together.

[@WernerBirdNature]

Thanks Phil for this interesting experiment! We're contemplating getting some second hand 70-200/2.8 for Canon .. Looks like using the lighter RF version with my wife's R7 is a better combo than an EF version with extender on my R5 ..

[@PhilThach]

Thank you! Yes, I have had success in the exact same situation with my R7 and the RF 70-200 2.8.

[@WernerBirdNature]

​@@PhilThach good to know, thanks Phil !

[@forced_perspective]

Pretty good images and good to know how much the tc degrades the final product. I wonder if the fancier new lenses with integrated tc do the same. For the prices i doubt the degradation is significant lol

[@PhilThach]

@@forced_perspective thank you! I have wondered the same thing about those TC lenses!

[@HotGates]

Nice Phil and congrats on getting married this month, But why not use the Z 180-600 which would of been sharper than this lens?

[@PhilThach]

Thanks! Sometimes I mess around with different gear just to keep things interesting.

[@PamHaynes-oo3ck]

When I worked in our courthouse we had bats in the mezzanine. They are really cute.

[@PhilThach]

@@PamHaynes-oo3ck I bet!

[@Beaver-be8vk]

Sometimes it’s just about being out in nature and enjoying the weather. 😁

[@PhilThach]

@@Beaver-be8vk yep!

[@Mr09260]

The Z 70-200 S works brulliantly on the Z8 as does the 180-600 > I find that using Wide area C2 the best

[@timothygrupp]

Don't confuse sharpness with a lack of focus due to your very limited depth of field. I can see perfect reflections in the bird's eye on multiple shots and the area in-focus is quite defined and sharp...at least to my old eyes.

[@jonclark8271]

Looks like you need to get old reliable 2.8 400mm for those low light early shots. They looked good all things considered.

[@derrickm9808]

I learned from the F mount 2x teleconverter that I used to own that I didn't want to use it because the photos were noticeably soft but from what I have heard the Z mount ones are better, I guess in your situation with an F mount lens that wouldn't work.

[@PhilThach]

I used to have the F 2.0, 1.7 and 1.4. I sold the 2.0 and 1.7 because they were usually soft. The 1.4 has historically been good for me but it wasn't on this day.

[@TC_Conner]

Would Topaz Photo AI give you sharp focus on any of the images? I watched a “bird photography tips” that suggested 1/000 or higher for bird photography. They even said higher, like 1/3000 is best. I will be trying higher shutter speeds like that for my next bird watching session (after I get the feeders back up for winter).

[@PhilThach]

@@TC_Conner high shutter speeds can give you sharper images but there is a trade off. You’ll have higher iso and more noise. Modern software can help but it’s better to have less noise to start with. So to summarize, those tips were correct, especially for a beginners.

[@TC_Conner]

@@PhilThachThe person/KZbinr giving the tips was not a beginner. 😎

[@Kellysher]

I have Topaz Denoise and Topaz sharpen. I must say, I don’t use the sharpening one a lot.I find just adding a little sharpening in the denoise tool to be more pleasing to my eye without things getting “crunchy”. I don’t own Topaz AI. What are thoughts?

[@PhilThach]

I’m exactly the same way except I don’t own Topaz sharpen.

[@TimChilders]

Failure is the best teacher. In this case, your fail would have been my happy results. 😎

[@PhilThach]

@@TimChilders thank you, Tim!

[@bobdrawbaugh4207]

I don’t know Phil. These look great to me on my 15” MacBook. You must be seeing the problem on your larger monitor. I know you have a very high standard for your images. But, I’d be happy with these.

[@PhilThach]

Thank you, Bob! The larger monitor does reveal some flaws.

[@MattisProbably]

So far every single video I watched about teleconverters basically came down to "don't do it". Unless it was a lens that was made with the use of a teleconverter in mind.

[@PhilThach]

70-200 2.8 is a lens designed to be compatible with TCs. Teleconverters magnify the image and the flaws in the image.

[@KeithSanders-t7k]

I once bought a used Nikkor 70-200 f/2.4 Mk 11 but it was non too sharp. I sent it back abought a brand new Mk 111 (the F/L one). That is pin sharp and I still own it. Agree that using a 1.4 TC will not help but the Mk 11 70-200i s not as sharp as it should be. Still nice shots though.

[@PhilThach]

Thank you! I have always be pleased with the sharpness of the 70-200 f/2.8 G VR II. It is a great lens. I was asking too much of it on this occasion.

[@JonnyPink65]

Wildlife is a crap shoot. Sometimes you just take your camera out for a walk or fresh air ❤

[@PhilThach]

@@JonnyPink65 yep! 👍

[@OhhhhhhhBugger]

I'm noticing more that the contrast isn't a good with the TC's. Resolution is about what I'd expect for a short lens being put on a TC. I remember back in the days that Canon's 500mm mkii was incredible even with TC's. I never could tell the difference. I'm still waiting for Nikon to truly catch up.

[@PhilThach]

I used to use this 1.4x TC with my old nikkor 500 f/4 G VR with success. Maybe my standards are higher now.

[@livejames9374]

Catch up ???? lol

[@Karl-x8t]

Why don't you use 600 or 800 mm telephoto lenses ? Or at least in crop mode ? A teleconverter should be used with the elephants, not birds.

[@PhilThach]

LOL People use teleconverters with birds all the time. I'd wager that bird photography is the most common subject for teleconverter use. You do know that cropping in post gives the same results as shooting in crop mode. I have 600 and 800mm lenses. I was trying something different. With KZbin photography you don't choose your best gear every time. Channel gets stale that way. I like to mix it up. Keep it interesting.

[@markkelly3739]

Stop down.

[@PhilThach]

That would certainly give me more depth of field and perhaps sharper results as well. Wouldn't help much with the low light situation I was in but I take your point.