Nikon Z* mirrorless

jknights said:
Prefer the lighting in the first image as it gives a better atmosphere.

I went out last night to try and capture the advertised 7 planet alignment but saw not much except Venus and Mars and possibly one other. Very disappointing but never mind I will analyse the results in the days ahead as there may be some hidden planets.
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Yes, I think you’re right. In my defence (excuses!) this was my first attempt at photographing the night sky, unless you’re counting Aurora last year with my phone.
 
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supposed to be the best 500mm on the market. Certainly looks like it! At least I'm assuming it's the prime and not 500mm with a Z zoom?
 
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mav said:
I have a 1.4 tc iii mounted on my z8 via the ftz ii adaptor. With a 500 fl f4. , it works fine but still shows f4 in the display
Is this normal
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No. I use mine on a 70-200 f2.8 and with the FTZ and TC it shows F4.
 
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Swanseajack said:
Recently bought my ZF from Panamoz, ordered Wednesday afternoon and delivered the following Monday morning and with plenty of updates and communication along the way.

Thought I would try Cotswold after reading some good reviews and good prices. I ordered a Tamron 28-75mm and after seven days I had no updates and no replies after asking for such information. Contacted them through PayPal and they replied promptly saying it was on track. Lens took exactly 14 days to arrive.

I had a problem with a new D750 from Panamoz a few years back. Raised my issue through email, the camera was collected the next day and I had a full refund the day after and I guess the D750 was probably nowhere near HK. So excellent service and a lot quicker than the UK, unless you buy from a shop and return to them.
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I ordered a ZFc Black from Cotswold, on 4th March, order status currently still showing processing, emailed them and the reply was I should receive by the 14th.....
 
Had a quick nip out with the Z 180-600 on the Z6iii tonight, first time it has been on the camera so had to make sure it worked.
Going to the Wetlands tomorrow if the weather is ok and give it a good work out. There are so many settings on the camera I will take a while to find out which is best.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2qQNB7m]DSC_0102-Enhanced-NR by Paul, on Flickr[/URL]
 
Has anyone paired their Nikon Z with the 28-400mm f/4-8 VR? I'm contemplating renting the lens to see if it's something I'd fancy. I like my 24-120mm, but the reach just isn't enough many a times for my chosen subjects.
 
sullivan.k said:
Has anyone paired their Nikon Z with the 28-400mm f/4-8 VR? I'm contemplating renting the lens to see if it's something I'd fancy. I like my 24-120mm, but the reach just isn't enough many a times for my chosen subjects.
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Yes I bought the lens when it was released and have used it extensively with my Z8. I think renting it is a good idea because you can see if it meets your requirements since it's a difficult type of lens to recommend because for some people the quality isn't good enough and they'd prefer a shorter zoom length whereas others will take a hit to the IQ for the convenience.

Personally I'm a massive fan of the lens and it's something I missed on Sony FE-mount after getting a lot of use out of the Nikon F-mount 28-300mm. There's plenty times I have nothing specific in mind I want to take photos of or I just want one body and one lens so the Z8+28-400mm is ideal for that since I can just chuck it in the bag and not think about it. I find the image quality is better than the 28-300mm which wasn't great at 300mm at times and the main downside for me is it hits F8 very quickly I think around 200mm although that can be worked around. It's not too large for what it does either and with the Z8 it makes for a very capable and flexible package.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
Yes I bought the lens when it was released and have used it extensively with my Z8. I think renting it is a good idea because you can see if it meets your requirements since it's a difficult type of lens to recommend because for some people the quality isn't good enough and they'd prefer a shorter zoom length whereas others will take a hit to the IQ for the convenience.

Personally I'm a massive fan of the lens and it's something I missed on Sony FE-mount after getting a lot of use out of the Nikon F-mount 28-300mm. There's plenty times I have nothing specific in mind I want to take photos of or I just want one body and one lens so the Z8+28-400mm is ideal for that since I can just chuck it in the bag and not think about it. I find the image quality is better than the 28-300mm which wasn't great at 300mm at times and the main downside for me is it hits F8 very quickly I think around 200mm although that can be worked around. It's not too large for what it does either and with the Z8 it makes for a very capable and flexible package.
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Thank you for your reply, John. I appreciate your thoughts on it as well as personal experience. I'll definitely rent it at this point to give it a spin. I believe it'll suit the job I'm hoping it will, but I didn't want to purchase it without some sort of reassurance it might very well be worth it. Thank you again :)
 
I have one and used it last summer for butterflies (on z8).
It’s very handy and at its best on sunny days when the f8 aperture doesn’t matter.
I also plan to use it at the bird hide as a second body attached to the z50ii as I have the 600mm PF attached to the z8
and the close focus distance is not great on that lens.

I think it’s biggest negative is that it is expensive for what it is.
 
Is anyone using a flash with their Z cameras, specifically the Z6iii I have just tried my old flash that worked perfectly on my D750 but the Z6iii does not like it one bit.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
Is anyone using a flash with their Z cameras, specifically the Z6iii I have just tried my old flash that worked perfectly on my D750 but the Z6iii does not like it one bit.
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I've tried using a Nikon SB-900 on my Z8 but I find it unusable in lower light due to focus problems and although I've spent a while trying to get them working better, I've given up and just keep a D750 with the flash on it for any flash work I need to do. The flash fires fine though so that may be a different issue to what you're having.
 
Just bought a Godox v860iii for my z6iii. Haven’t really tried it in anger yet (and am fairly terrible with flash photography anyway) but it seems to work fine!
 
JohnMcL7 said:
I've tried using a Nikon SB-900 on my Z8 but I find it unusable in lower light due to focus problems and although I've spent a while trying to get them working better, I've given up and just keep a D750 with the flash on it for any flash work I need to do. The flash fires fine though so that may be a different issue to what you're having.
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My flash emits a red matrix light to get the exposure and to help with focus (I think that is what it does)
The camera sends out a green light so I don't know if they are conflicting with each other.
Sometimes it works and other times it will way overexpose even though the settings and subject are the same.
chris321 said:
Just bought a Godox v860iii for my z6iii. Haven’t really tried it in anger yet (and am fairly terrible with flash photography anyway) but it seems to work fine!
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Just had a look at them and they are a bit rich for my use, but seems like a good product.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
Just had a look at them and they are a bit rich for my use, but seems like a good product.
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I was absolutely shocked at the price of the current range of Nikon flashes! It’s been years since I even had a flash, but I wasn’t expecting even the top of range one to have a retail price over £600!

Once I’d re-adjusted my expectations, the Godox suddenly looked like an absolute bargain!
 
Hi, Is focus stacking with flash on a z8 really not possible without putting a minimum 1 second delay in between shots? seems crazy when you can shoot 20fps with flash, just wondering if anyone had discovered a workaround? a little frustrating,
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
Is anyone using a flash with their Z cameras, specifically the Z6iii I have just tried my old flash that worked perfectly on my D750 but the Z6iii does not like it one bit.
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I have the Godox TT350N which works fine with my ZF & Z8 so should in theory work with the Z6iii. When in stock they can be had for about £65 on Amazon, otherwise Wex sell them for £91 and they're in stock as of now. Very rare I use flash and for my needs the Godox is fine for me.

It was a well respected flash on the D750 page and I believe you can build up a system with these Godox flashes.

If you have a look around at prices for the flash, the camera brand is recognised by the last letter, N for Nikon, S for Sony etc....


www.wexphotovideo.com

Godox TT350N Flashgun for Nikon | Wex Photo Video

www.wexphotovideo.com

Just double checked and there's a seller on Amazon of the TT350N @ £86

 
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Nikon f1.8 said:
My flash emits a red matrix light to get the exposure and to help with focus (I think that is what it does)
The camera sends out a green light so I don't know if they are conflicting with each other.
Sometimes it works and other times it will way overexpose even though the settings and subject are the same.
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I thought that the red LEDS help with focus but the pre-flashes set the exposure. I seem to remember reading somewhere that mirrorless cameras can't use the red matrix light (or at least it doesn't work as well), but the pre-flashes to set the exposure still work fine.
All my old flashes (SB600, SB800) work fine on my Z6 and Z8.
 
paulmck said:
I thought that the red LEDS help with focus but the pre-flashes set the exposure. I seem to remember reading somewhere that mirrorless cameras can't use the red matrix light (or at least it doesn't work as well), but the pre-flashes to set the exposure still work fine.
All my old flashes (SB600, SB800) work fine on my Z6 and Z8.
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Yes the red lights are to help the camera focus but mirrorless cameras are sensitive to green light rather than red so when using the SB-900 with the Z8 the flash won't activate the assist LEDs.

I have no issues with the flash part working with the Z8 but it struggles to focus in conditions the D750 can focus instantly.
 
Well I came across this page by Thom Hogan who explains a lot about Z system and flashguns. Makes very interesting reading.

LINKY
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
Well I came across this page by Thom Hogan who explains a lot about Z system and flashguns. Makes very interesting reading.

LINKY
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I will need to run some tests with my PocketWizards. It is a nuisance that the update requires a return to PW. I need to see what functionality I will lose if I dont update.
 
Another outing with the Z6iii and Tammy 28-75 G2
Tried a bit of action with a pretty reluctant subject.
Shot at 60FPS it's jpeg only.
Using animal detect and all focus points.
Very pleased so far. Lots of frames in focus.
Some examples.

1
DSC_0451 by Trevor, on Flickr

2
DSC_0427 by Trevor, on Flickr

3
Brody on Broxhead-2 by Trevor, on Flickr
 
tried the eye detect on my Z6iii today, just switched it to animals and was surprised at the results, the camera is not supposed to detect birds but it done a pretty good job this morning. You could clearly see the green focus spot sticking to the eyes.

Two birds and a squirrel from this morning, you can actually see the sky reflection in the squirrels eyes.


DSC_0436 by Paul, on Flickr


DSC_0389 by Paul, on Flickr

DSC_0403 by Paul, on Flickr
 
If I remember correctly it’s not that the z6iii doesn’t recognise birds - it’s just that the bird detection is built into the broader ‘animal detection’ mode!
 
If anyone is looking for a FTZ II this looks like a good price.

www.techinthebasket.com

Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter

Features Nikon F Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Camera Streamlined Design with No Tripod Mount Ideal for Cameras with Battery Grip Maintains AF/AE with E, G, D Lenses Retains Infinity Focus Integrated 1/4"-20 Mount Featuring a streamlined design with minimal projections, the Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter...
www.techinthebasket.com www.techinthebasket.com
 
sep9001 said:
If anyone is looking for a FTZ II this looks like a good price.

www.techinthebasket.com

Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter

Features Nikon F Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Camera Streamlined Design with No Tripod Mount Ideal for Cameras with Battery Grip Maintains AF/AE with E, G, D Lenses Retains Infinity Focus Integrated 1/4"-20 Mount Featuring a streamlined design with minimal projections, the Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter...
www.techinthebasket.com www.techinthebasket.com
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anyone used this company before ??? they have some really good prices, beating Panamoz on some lenses.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
anyone used this company before ??? they have some really good prices, beating Panamoz on some lenses.
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I did order the ftz II and it arrived fine, a bit slow but as I was not in a rush I was not bothered.

Not sure what their after sale service would be like, so for more expensive items best to stick with Panamoz.
 
Picked up a Z 180-600mm lens to compliment my 400mm f4.5 & 1.4TC. I can have one lens on the Z8 and one on the ZF if I desire, as bird photography is my main interest.

Couple of tests on the garden birds and largish crops and initial results look promising. Also, nice to have some sun here.

Blue Tit.

Blue Tit by Swansea Jack, on Flickr

Wood Pigeon.

Pigeon by Swansea Jack, on Flickr
 
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