Nikon Z9 Birds In Flight Autofocus AF Tracking

[@srijanroychoudhury6507]

Hi! Nice video. Unfortunately, I can not access the blog post you mentioned. Somehow your website refuses to load. Please look into this. I have a question- when to use the 3D tracking for birds and wildlife photography? Thanks again.

[@Coolwildlife1]

I have had a few folks using a VPN report this issue. Please disable your VPN if you are using one and try to load the blog again, It is working as expected. What is your question regarding 3D tracking?

[@srijanroychoudhury6507]

@@Coolwildlife1 Thank you for replying. I do not use any VPN services. I tried different browsers, but nothing worked. Recently I tried to use the Z 9 for both BiF and stationary shots I found that Z 9 was missing focus or unable to acquire focus. I have programmed Fn1 for 3D tracking. After focussing with the AF on, I pressed the Fn1 but it failed to track the BiF. I used 200-500 on a tripod.

[@richardfisher4828]

very helpful video and ditto for blogs. Tried to print the blogs but type was faint gray. Hoping to sit on couch and set up my z9 - not in front of the computer. Any idea how to print so the blog is easily readable Thanks

[@Coolwildlife1]

I haven’t tried to print it so I don’t honestly know. If you have a tablet pull up the blog on that, grab a pint and have at it.

[@benwilliams7502]

Awesome video Bill this has by far been one the best Z9 test videos I have seen.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Ben, I appreciate you saying so. I have a new video dropping tomorrow for the Z9. Birds in flight but this time with busy backgrounds and branches in the foreground. If you subscribed and hit the alert you'll get that push to your email.

[@criegel42]

How did you make the video from the picture sequence?

[@Coolwildlife1]

I simply advanced the frames as I was recording.

[@shivendrakanttewari6423]

unable to access the links mentioned for af settings etc.

[@Coolwildlife1]

If using a VPN find a Canadian connection

[@daytonwhittle7592]

Great shots

[@robertbeeson8456]

Hi, Great presentation. I have tracked for the first the elusive pleated Woodpecker w/ my Z9. Some thing I have never been able to do before due to his erratic behavior.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Me too, very cool.

[@dave2400plus]

How do you train the bird to fly toward you, they alway fly away from me and all I get is a image of there rear end.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi Dave, no training, I attended a workshop to get those images.

[@Kai-Infinity]

These are very nice snowy owl photos. Thanks for sharing. Where did you go to see this beautiful bird?

[@Coolwildlife1]

Kai, near Ottawa, Ontario Canada. It is a snowy owl workshop that you can attend if you are so inclined. See the description in my blog at coolwildlife.com/wildlife-tours-workshops/snowy-owl-workshop/

[@jazinzlaty4823]

Bill have you got any experience with Nikon d500? If yes would you say the iso performance on z9 is better or much better? Thank you

[@Coolwildlife1]

I owned the D500 for a year then sold it. To be honest I did not like that body . I did not feel comfortable pushing ISO past 2000 for acceptable results. With the Z9 I can go to 12,800 in many situations and clean it up in Topaz Denoise so yes the Z9 is much better. See my sample ISO images at coolwildlife.com/nikon-z9/nikon-z9-high-iso-field-test/

[@jazinzlaty4823]

@@Coolwildlife1 thank you 🙏 very very helpful as I’m waiting for my z9 to be delivered next month

[@finyo83]

I’m more impressed by the Snowy Owl’s “AF system” (head, eyes), she didn’t lose you once!

[@Coolwildlife1]

I never thought of that, she really did do a marvellous job keeping track of me, maybe Nikon borrowed a few tricks from this snowy owl for their new AF😁

[@finyo83]

@@Coolwildlife1 jokes aside, what an amazing AF system the Nikon Z9 has. Your video and photos nicely showcase its capabilities.

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@finyo83 Thank you

[@BokushingusKendoTV]

Hahaha!! Nice!

[@freddyacosta2358]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ele4853]

Nikon Z9 is still the best camera on low auto-focus sensitivity in the market today. It goes down to - 8.5 EV. There's no camera in the market yet with that capability. That in itself is really impressive.

[@Coolwildlife1]

I've been loving the Z9, having come from a D5 and D850 I find it to be a good all rounder.

[@Johnd3s]

Awesome info - thank you, do you have a preference to which CF Cards would be sensible for the Z9?

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi John, thanks for the feedback. Yes regarding the CF cards, I wrote a blog article on that subject, you can check it out at coolwildlife.com/cf-express-memory-cards/nikon-z9-best-cf-express-cards-for-fast-write-speeds/

[@Johnd3s]

@@Coolwildlife1 Many many, thanks, will give it a good read now.

[@jazinzlaty4823]

Really enjoyed this video!! Could be good to know how the z100-400mm would perform.

[@prokremelskidezolati1426]

I think, even better - it is Z mount and f/5,6 as well :)

[@Coolwildlife1]

I had the Z 100-400 out the week before, it performed equally as well. It's a fast lens for BIF. I also used it with the 1.4X and again great results.

[@prokremelskidezolati1426]

@@Coolwildlife1 👍

[@kuau714]

@@Coolwildlife1 Bill can you comment on using the Z 1.4TC with Z 100-400 as that combo compares to the 500/5.6 PF lens on the Z9

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@kuau714 I did an entire blog post on the 100-400 with TC's. Check it out at coolwildlife.com/nikon-z-lenses/nikon-z-100-400-teleconverter-field-test-z-1-4-2-0/

[@HotGates]

Great shots and video, I love my Z9 but I really don't like my Nikon 200-500, I had the 500PF but sold it to purchase a Z lens what do you think of the Nikon 100-400? I also have both Z TC's. I would wait for the 200-600 but who knows when that'll be released.

[@Coolwildlife1]

I sold my 200-500 last year, it's considerably heavier and slower than the Z 100-400. The Z 100-400 also works well with the Z TC's. Check my blog post on the Z 100-400 and 1.4 & 2.0 z teleconverter field test at coolwildlife.com/nikon-z-lenses/nikon-z-100-400-teleconverter-field-test-z-1-4-2-0/

[@HotGates]

@Coolwildlife1 Already did and very good read; ) I think I will purchase the 100-400 as the 200-600 is probably still far away.

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@HotGates I think you'll be quite happy with the 100-400. I'm guessing the 200-600 won't be out til late 2022 early 2023.

[@HotGates]

@Coolwildlife1 I'm sure I will enjoy it, Thanks 😊

[@DennisGingerich]

Thanks! Looking forward to getting a Z9 in the future.

[@Photographersforyou]

Great images Bill, seen your website, can you tell me what settings you have A3 set to between quick and delayed ? And also does the Z9 not have for A6 AF-ON only - to set to enabled or disabled like the D850 ?

[@Coolwildlife1]

A3 is set to max delay (5) for snowy owls. There is only ever one bird and I don't want the Z9 chasing backgrounds. A6 is used to set the AF-ON for back button focus. You can check all my menu settings guide at coolwildlife.com/nikon-z9/nikon-z9-menu-settings-guide-for-birds-in-flight/

[@kbrkr]

Great images, thank you for sharing. What metering mode were you using? I find using Center-weighted for birds in flight against the sky help the best.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Matrix metering but with a +1 exposure compensation

[@gregm6894]

Those are some fine Snowy Owl images. I'm an Olympus shooter, but the Z9 looks like a 'Slam Dunk' for Nikon.

[@Coolwildlife1]

I'm thrilled with the AF of the Z9. My other Nikon cameras would have never tracked that owl all the way through the sequence.

[@MichaelSeneschal]

Wow, man. What fantastic photos.

[@januszabr]

Hello Bill. Thank you for this excellent video. A new subscriber here. Just received my Z9! My fist day out yesterday, was with the 3dD-Trackind but I kept loosing the Eye often. Still had plenty sharp eyes so I was impressed until I saw your video today. Will try your settings but Wide Area has 4 flavors, S,L,C1 and C2. Did you customize your your focus area or used either small or large. Another question is do you use polarizer filters in the snowy environment? Had another another question: where can I get that cooperative bird from, but someone has already asked it. 😄

[@Coolwildlife1]

I used wide area large during that shoot. I do not use a polarizer on snow but do on water for loons if the light is high enough to allow for it.

[@JohnWilliams-fc3xi]

Has been my experience as well - the biggest issues I have seen with others is using 3d tracking, but not putting the focus point on the subject, or inability to keep the subject in the frame or in the focus area they are using. You may want to to try Auto/Area with single subjects it works quite well, and is very fast in finding locking on. Thanks for your vid.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi John, you are bang on, whichever AF mode you select getting the focus point on the subject's eye from the start is key. I tried Auto-area and if it locked on it was great but when it lost focus I could not get it back on the subject so I bailed on that mode. Wide area was just too good.

[@michael-4k4000]

Excellent picture of the owl! I almost never comment but that is a truly awesome picture of light purple in the back background looks amazing

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Michael

[@NikCan66]

This was a tour de force insight into the z9 birding capability

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks NikCan

[@PhotographybyTimWMoore]

I’m new to mirrorless and this video is amazing! One question, when shooting these sequences, once you obtain focus on the owl’s eye, does the Z9 automatically keep focus on the eye, or do you have to constantly push a focus button while shooting these images? Again, these are very impressive results! Thanks for the video!

[@Coolwildlife1]

I maintain focus by holding down the AF-ON for back button focus

[@edbritelight7683]

Great vid and images. Just subscribed to your channel. Keep it up!

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Ed, I appreciate your support

[@Hrishi1970]

Amazing results

[@duncangroenewald]

The image at 8:44 appears to have a fair bit of motion blur showing on the catch light. Looks like vertical lens motion, but perhaps just KZbin effects. Great images and good to see solid low light focussing. Try pushing the iso a bit more too.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi Duncan, thanks for the feedback, I've been very impressed so far. I've done quite a bit of ISO testing and pushing it to 25,600. Here's a link to my ISO test results. coolwildlife.com/nikon-z9/nikon-z9-high-iso-field-test/

[@pierrelevesque1960]

Nice review but the sound is a little bit distord. It would be nice to invest in a mic (lavalier ,etc) for good sound at cheap price to revemp your video. It’s a must today with all the quality content we found on KZbin. Best regards

[@Coolwildlife1]

Agreed, I have a good mic but my software setting was too high and peaking. Thanks for letting me know.

[@maxiguppy]

Nice series of images! Is this owl a wild one?

[@rolandrick]

Since firmware 1.11 less than 50% picks. Does someone else also face the same problems?

[@Coolwildlife1]

No issue with me, hit rate remained the same

[@rolandrick]

@@Coolwildlife1 I don’t have a Ninja 5 and can’t record myself, but I have pretty much the same problems like shown here kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGKal62vf5miidU - I tested the Sony a1 with the 200-600 5.6-6.3, the subject and eye detection works perfect also on birds sitting in bushes throughout the branches and it sticks to the eyes and head in case of bird turning head. The firmware of the Z9 is not there yet. My a3 settings are are blocked shot set to 4 and subject motion to erratic. But that’s not the point, subject is not detected at all. Dogs running towards me, each 2nd image focus plane is behind the head, even if eyes are perfectly detected and the square sticks to them during shooting, lossless compressed, 15 fps, Wyse 256 GB CFexpress, 70-200E FL ED VR on FTZ2. On the a1, the same thing results in 100% picks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally Nikon fanboy since I’m shooting with my first Nikon, the FM2n mid 1980s. And I don’t like the Sony colours, this point alone is reason enough to never switch. I just want to adjust the hype a little bit. For movie guys the Z9 is a must, ProRes directly to the card, for outdoor tasks as good as it gets, no bulky gear to carry.

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@rolandrick I was interested in the experience you shared and video. I have not noticed the eye detect jumping around like that with the snowy owls I have been shooting, but that could be because their eyes are so much more prominent and yellow. I also did not observe that behavior with the mallard ducks. I'm sure we will be seeing additional firmware updates that hopefully address this issue.

[@Skye_the_toller]

the 500PF is so great with the Z9... love it more and more!

[@Coolwildlife1]

Yes love the 500PF

[@BudBetz]

Awesome video Matt! Shows just how good, with the right settings and shooter, the Z9 performs. I'm going to watch your set up video and compare it to what I have mine set to. Real interested in shooting with Wide Area Large vs 3D Tracking. One question I have is were you shooting from a tripod or gimbal or hand held? Great video, and I'm a new fan!

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi Bud, I was shooting handheld from a lying down position so that I was low to the ground. The settings make all the difference so I hope the menu setup I provided helps you.

[@TimLaytonDarkroomDiary]

Really good to see something "real". Good job on this Bill. Where is your home base? Asking because of your access to great subjects like you shared in this video. Also, it would be great to see your noise reduction/sharpening workflow. Seems that you use the Topaz tools to do that.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hey Tim, I am based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. My good friend has been running snowy owl tours for 14 years so I am fortunate to have access to these beauties. I plan to do a workflow video and blog shortly. If you subscribe to the newsletter on my blog and subscribe and hit the alert for my You0tube channel you'll get notified. If you ever want to shoot snowy owls here's a link with the details. coolwildlife.com/wildlife-tours-workshops/snowy-owl-workshop/

[@MikeJamesMedia]

First-class results, Bill! (I don't have my Z9 yet, so being able to study both the photos and the methods in advance is really handy. Thank you!)

[@Coolwildlife1]

YW Mike, I hope you get your Z9 soon, you're going to love it

[@mikedavis1110]

Great information and examples of the sharpness and AF tracking!

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Mike, it's sure been a game-changer from the Z6II/7II I was shooting with.

[@mikedavis1110]

@@Coolwildlife1 I have a D850/power grip and on the fence about updating to Z9, but the FPS, eye detection and AF are nice features to add to BIF. Doesn’t help the trade in vale is half of new!! The FTZ makes it affordable in that the F glass works as good or better. A friend used my 500f4g on the Z9 and I was very impressed with the photos! Another Z9 friend said “it’s a no brainer” to upgrade.

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@mikedavis1110 The D850 was my fav body before the Z9. I had the Z6II and 7II but AF was lacking. If you're a BIF shooter then the Z9 is the best camera by far. My 600 f/4 is fast on the Z9 as is the 500PF so you could stick with your existing glass for sure.

[@longrider9551]

I shoot an A9 but this looks great to me, nice shots

[@rhphotocdn]

I like it Bill!! Very Impressive!!! We'll have to do a comparison shoot out with your Nikon Z9 vs my Sony A1 one of these days. Stay Well my friend, again very impressive!!

[@Forestfalcon1]

I loved this video.. The only thing missing was the AF with a busy background.. Obviously in those circumstances your never going to get 100% but that's the area which interests me the most..

[@Coolwildlife1]

I have my Z9 set to max delay 5 so it does not leave the birds for the background. I did test this with ducks flying across in front of trees and it stayed with the bird.

[@HenrikG1963]

Nice review of your own picture.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks I'm glad you liked it.

[@eyesonly4451]

A 100% keeper rate would quickly bore me to tears.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Too funny, I'm not bored yet:))

[@marcusslade9804]

Nice work, Bill. It looks like the the Zed 9 is feeling right at home in your hands and, most importantly, that you’re geting great results with it.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Marcus, will be great for those grizzly bear pouncing on salmon shots:)) Are you getting one?

[@marcusslade9804]

@@Coolwildlife1 In due course, I expect so. I have no Zed equipment yet and did add a D6 and 500mm PF in the last 18 months so managing my transition into the Zed world with existing lenses will be my priority. Frankly, my biggest challenge the last six months has just been getting out. With retirement happening this spring, that should ease. Also, I’m trying to practice the philosophy of adding a piece of equipment only when it specifically helps me solve a current photographic challenge…not just for the sake of a new piece of kit, however sexy it maight be. It’s a great time to be a photographer…so much great gear.

[@gregm6894]

@@marcusslade9804 You're retiring this Spring -- I have to pieces of advice: 1. Get the Z9 immediately upon retirement, and worry about what you'll eat later. 2. Make it clear to everyone (especially your wife) that you have a pretty rigid shooting schedule, so as to not fill up your calendar with 'Honey Do's' and projects for other family and friends. Take it from one who knows, after you retire you will wonder why you had more time back when you were gainfully employed full time! Oh, and have fun with that Z9 -- seems like Nikon hit a homer on this one.

[@terilapetino6337]

Enjoyed your video, Bill, you lucky man! The Z9 and a snowy owl all at once. Just wondering why you shot at 1/6400 when the light was waning...couldn't you have gotten away with 1/3200? It might have cut down on the keeper rate but looks like you could have cut out some noise and still had some great keepers. I am very envious! Thanks for the guide!

[@Coolwildlife1]

Hi Teri, I could have gotten away with 1/3200th for sure but ISO of 1600 is very clean so I pushed the shutter speed up just to make sure I froze the action. The shutter speed was dropped to 1/3200th when the light began to fade along with an adjustment to f/5.6 from f/8 to grab more light. As a rule I like how you're thinking, go with the lowest ISO possible while maintaining a fast enough shutter speed for good results. My motto is that it is better to have an image that is noisier but sharp than not noisy and not in focus. I can not recover an out of focus image but I can recover from noise with www.topazlabs.com/denoise-ai/ref/414/

[@terilapetino6337]

@@Coolwildlife1 Great point...I too have come to love the topaz products. Have looked at your snowy owl workshops with interest but until covid subsides, getting into Canada with a current negative test could prove challenging....and then those damn airline cancellations!! Maybe next year...

[@Coolwildlife1]

@@terilapetino6337 If you are interested in 2023 it's best to get your name on the list for the week you desire, the spots fill up quickly.

[@jeffreyneville9769]

This was great, awaiting my Z9 (later this week). Will be using the 500PF on mine as well. Interesting that the 3D tracking was a little off for you, I usually program different AF modes on my function buttons anyway. Thanks for a real world example, appreciate it, the hardest part is going thru all the "in focus" shots to narrow your choices down to a few.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Nice problem to have, too many keepers to go through:))

[@garykuiken6191]

Super, super images love the images especially the back lite one of the owl sitting on the stubble. Still waiting for my Z9 to show up. This totally blows away any nay sayers on the Z9. You appear to hit well over 96 percent or more. I haven't found the snowiest yet this year, they seem to have moved south more. The other thing here is they spend a lot of time on power poles. Great images all.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks Gary and good luck luck finding the white ghost

[@jackartatube]

Very informative video. Keep up the good work Bill. This is awesome. I have recently purchased a Nikon D780 (extremely satisfied) because I do not want to go ML. I have too many Nikon F lenses (about 15) and three Nikon bodies (D780, D500, D7200). As I am not a professional and a retired person , the budget would be too high for me to switch. Another new concern seems to arise as the keep rate is now almost 100%. The dilemma is what shot to choose from, there are so many good shots. Also so many good shots for what purpose? Printing? Then where could I possibly put all those prints, I do not have enough walls :-). In the film days, when I first shot in the seventies with my Pentax Spotmatic F, with only 36 exposures per film, the concerns were much fewer! In the end, I might add a Z9 sibling (Z8 or whatever) when they arrive in 2-3 year time, because, according to the excellent recent video from Steve Perry, the Z adapter does not slow down the autofocus of a Z9 on F mount lenses, at least those opening at f2.8 (300mm, 70-200, 24-70).

[@Coolwildlife1]

Sounds like your current system is fine and Steve is correct regarding the FTZ it does not slow the AF at all.

[@jackartatube]

@@Coolwildlife1 Thank you for your quick feedback Bill, I appreciate. I just went to see your blog with your classes in Canadian wilderness. Very exciting indeed although I live a bit far away from your place (Lyon, France).

[@tc6912]

Looks like a happy bird!!!

[@jimcumming7966]

Another great video Bill, looks like the keeper rate is way up there 👍

[@Coolwildlife1]

Yes, I'm loving this Z9.

[@AMGOSUK]

Another great Vid -- thanks -- I have had good experience with my Z9 with eye detection and shooting Eurasian Jays, Jackdaws, Stock Doves, Blue and Coal Tits, Gulls, Swans and Geese and Robins. A couple of days ago I tried shooting at 120fps - which was great (but memory hungary).

[@Coolwildlife1]

Cool, funny you mention 120 FPS. I just tested it on a snowy owl shoot yesterday.

[@allgamestotal6773]

some of the birds wings in the slide is too long??? am not sure. maybe just my eyes.

[@Coolwildlife1]

I did stretch a few to fit the full screen and I thought I pulled them up to match, however, I did do it by eye so I may have messed a few up. Thanks for letting me know.

[@sanaatanviswa]

Fabulous nikon zzzz ❤

[@patricksmith2553]

I wanted to love the 500pf and switch to it but I have the 500FL and it just couldn't compete, and unfortunately I couldn't justify keeping both. I would have bought the 180-400FL at the time I bought my 500FL, but it was sold out and even NPS couldn't get me a USA lens. So I got the 500FL and my friends all have the 500pf. Comparing the two, 500pf owner's love to say the 500pf is just as sharp, but look at their MTF charts and that is not true, especially if you stop down the f/4 to f/5.6 it's absolutely noticeably sharper to my eye and I am blessed with 20-10 vision, right eye dominant and tested the highest ever for peripheral vision as well. I can read the bottom lines of eye test charts and can read in near pitch darkness lol. I am a weirdo as far as vision so maybe I see more of a difference? I am not here to brag or boast and I am saying all of this to ask or say...is it the KZbin compression or just me? Are these not all sharp? They look good, some are quite sharp, but many appeared much less sharp than I know my lens and D850 can do. I'm honestly curious and wonder if it is just me or what? I wish I could afford to have the 500pf too, but I can't afford that, lol. I am however very happy with my 500FL copy and my TC-14E III that lives on it.

[@apoffs]

Hi there, good topic, to which I love my Z9. Not sure if you aware but your mic seems to have an issue as sounds like you in the toilet-)

[@Coolwildlife1]

OMG totally busted, I guess I'll record the next video in my office:)) I appreciate the feedback, I'm still trying to adjust my audio quality. Hopefully better next run.

[@bourdon845]

Joli !!

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I am thinking of getting one. I just hope the AF System actually works. A lot of people said the AF on the D850 was good. I can say that the D850 is a Piece of Shit when it comes to AF, and many other things

[@michael-4k4000]

I ordered a Z9 the day of The launch and I’ve come to realize I will never get one oh well

[@hautehussey]

A bird far away from the background (or against a blank sky) shouldn’t be that hard for any of these cameras. I think my z6 or z7 could do most of these.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Interesting observation, so my next video will be with a busy background and foreground

[@prokremelskidezolati1426]

Perfect!!! Great photographer, not like those "photographers", who even can´t set the AF properly :)))

[@Coolwildlife1]

Not sure I know any of those, too funny.

[@prokremelskidezolati1426]

@@Coolwildlife1 YT is full of them :)

👍😉

[@freddyacosta2358]

You still need to practice more with the camera and your post processing methods.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Thanks for the feedback Freddy, I hadn't shot much with the Nikon Z9 when this shoot happened. Which aspect of the shoot did you feel required additional practice? Any and all feedback is appreciated, that's how we all improve. Thanks.

[@freddyacosta2358]

@@Coolwildlife1 A bit of exposure compensation could help a bit since that white owl will get easily blown with strong light.

[@formermpc10]

Audio needs improvement.

[@Coolwildlife1]

Noted, I will attempt to fix for the next video, thanks for the feedback.

[@badboyvr4]

@@Coolwildlife1 Whatever the hell your clacking on as you scroll through the pics is annoying as hell also, maybe get a quieter mouse.

[@seagoat]

You're over-denoising imo

[@Coolwildlife1]

I consulted with a audio guy, we determined it is my mic so I just ordered a rode USB mini.

[@seagoat]

@@Coolwildlife1 I was talking about your final images. :) Thanks for the video, gorgeous shots!