How is the AF on the D4s?

Wuwho

Shutter speed 1/2000, 800 ISO, F8

Fritz, I'm defining tack sharp is having a defined eye shape and some detail within the feathers/claws. I was under the impression if I held my breath, it would help with pulse/heart rate.

Ironheart

At that shutter speed you should turn VR off.

sevencrossing

At that shutter speed you should turn VR off.

may be with VR 1 or possibly VR 2 but with VR 3 definitely leave it on
that said, when working on boat, I am not sure if VR should be set to active or normal

but don't take my or Ironheart's word for it, try a few shots, with it on and with it off
If you have not already done so, try cranking up the ISO and use 1/4000 or even 1/8000

Wuwho

I've actually struggled with the whole active vs normal as well...I've read 2 different view points but no one seems to have the "right" answer. I'll give the on vs off a try too.

Ironheart

OP said he had VR II. I'm not sure what magic VR III has, but last we all knew VR operated at 1000Hz meaning anything faster than 1/500sec is hitting the nyquist frequency ceiling and is at best useless, and at worst will blur the image.

However agree 100% agree with seven, try it for yourself.

Active is for when both the platform (car, boat, spaceship) is moving as well as the camera
Normal is for when the platform is stable and only the camera is moving

This is documented in the lens manual.

Wuwho

Ironheart, you're right I probably shouldn't look for other's opinions regarding the Active vs Normal and work more towards what the engineers of the lens aimed for. I'll give it a try.

sevencrossing

When shooting , from a boat, at 400m with VR and active ON, the BIF SEEMED more stable in the view finder, so I am going to guess, this would help the AF

sevencrossing

OP said he had VR II. I'm not sure what magic VR III has .

my 70-200 has VR 2, My 80 -400 has VR 3 it is defiantly a lot better and produces excellent results at 1/2000, but I will take my own advice, and try it tuned off

Ironheart

http://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/lenses/AF/AFS300_2.8GEDVRII.pdf

Page 24:
NORMAL: The vibration reduction mechanism primarily reduces the effects of camera shake. The effects of camera shake are also reduced with horizontal and vertical panning.
ACTIVE: The vibration reduction mechanism reduces the effects of camera shake, such as that which occurs when taking pictures from a moving vehicle, whether it be normal or more intense camera shake. In this mode, camera shake is not automatically distinguished from panning motion.

Seven,
The VR will undoubtedly stabilize the viewfinder image. It may even help the autofocus do it's job, as it may stabilize the image under the focus point. However, given the laws of physics, blah blah blah (we've beat this to death in other threads just search for VR and nyquist on the forum) you have a much higher chance of catching the stabilizer "in the middle" of a shift, causing blur in the final image that your eye wouldn't see.

At least that's the theory. The best proof is your own experiment of course :-)

Golf007sd

Lets get one thing straight, the 300 2.8 VR II is one of Nikons best lenses. Their is nothing that the 400 2.8 can do that the 300 2.8 doesn't do better. Thus, it is not the lens. The TC on the 300 2.8 also will have minimal affect on the overall image quality. Hence, this test done by Nasim. Moreover, the AF system will allow all 9 cross-types on the D800 to work, given that Wuwho is shooting a f/8.0.

Wuwho: I ca tell you this...as I'm sure many will tell you as well: when shooting a fast moving object, if you are able to keep 65-75% of your shots...that is fantastic shooting. If you are expecting about 90% or higher to be tack sharp...then I wish you all the best. The new "group area AF" on the D4s might get you close but I truly believe it all come down to you mastering your shooting skills.

sevencrossing

@Ironheart
I am aware Active should be on when shooting from a car or Train but the movement in a slowly rocking is not the same

Can any one explain why Nikon cant give us AUTO VR? Why cant the movement sensor work out if it is in a car boat, train or on a tripod ?

Ironheart

@sevencrossing
I guess I was thinking of a boat on rougher seas, or at least with me at the helm If you are just drifting on a calm day, I agree normal would be the right setting.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Tomorrow I'm going fishing on a boat. This thread makes me want to take my DF or D800 with 70-200 2.8 v2 and give this BIF on a boat a try but I need the R&R.

Just one question and only becuase I had issues on my first attempts at BIF with AF.
Can you set your lens to Infinity or manual focus if you expect the birds to be in the far distance?
I was using the 55 AIS lens doing some street when a seagull came into the scene so I pointed the camera with the Lens already on Infinity and the bird was in focus.

Golf007sd

From my last trip fishing, I found that the best way to capture the BIF was using AF-C via 9-AF points. My F-stop was from 4-5.6. I would not recommend the 50mm, the 70-200 will do a great job. If you have an 3-5 stop ND filter take it with you so you can use a shutter speed that will prevent blowouts should you want to open the lens up all the way.

autofocus

Just a note about taking our gear into potentially dangerous territory....have good insurance so if the camera/lens is dropped, falls in the water, is hit by a large wave, etc., you are covered.

Don't want to stray far from the topic but Msmoto makes a very good point. Considering the amount of camera equipment you plan to purchase/carry, insurance is a must. I just flew home from Utah and normally carry my cameras/lenses with me onboard. Worst case is I sometimes must do the plane side bag check only to pick it up after deplaning. On this particular trip I was carrying my Think Tank Airport full of bodies and lenses. Approx $15k worth of equipment. As I checked in I was informed the overhead was full and this flight did NOT allow plane side bag check. I had a choice to rebook for the next day (couldn't, had to be somewhere that day) or check my camera bag all the way through to destination. I'll just say it was a long trip fretting about my cameras. So, using your equipment is not the only peril you may face. Insurance may more than pay for itself in the long run. All I could think about was how I would tell my wife I need another $15k+ to replace everything. Alas, I almost shed a tear as my bag made it's way around the carousel. Lesson learned!

Wuwho

So...I went out on the boat with the D4S, my D800, 300 2.8 with tc and a 500mm F4 to try them all out. Turned off vr for some shots and had active on all the time (I'm assuming it doesn't matter with VR off, but what ever). To be honest, I did get a few more keepers with the D800 with the VR off and the high shutter speed. What really impressed me was the speed of the D4S and the amount of keepers it had. Not only the FPS but the AF speed was just wow to say the least. So wow, that when I returned the camera I bought a new D4S that day. The amount of keepers and shots I liked, easily out weighed the cropping. I'll work on actually getting some pictures up on my flickr account to share my results. But thanks to everyone who has commented and left advice!

sevencrossing

. So wow, that when I returned the camera I bought a new D4S that day. !

Brilliant. It is really good to know there are people like you, who are sizing the moment, regardless of cost

Golf007sd

Welcome to the D4 family. Like I haves said before, D4 family is mind blowing. Congrats on your new body.

Happy shooting

Wuwho

Thanks! And by the way, do you have a recommendation for XQD cards? I picked up a Sony S series just to have one to make sure everything worked, but never really put any thought into whether or not it was good/worth it.

Golf007sd

You did good. I have one of the original Sony 16GB that was first introduced, and one 32GB Sony S 168MB/s cards. The current models offered by Sony have 180MB/s read/write speeds. They are amazingly fast and you will be be very happy with their performance.

Should you find yourself in need of purchasing additional gear, by all mean don't hesitate to ask.

challydeano

Weird that the d4 is limited in the area of the focusing points on the fringe. Don't they know that real photographers use the rule of thirds !

kyoshinikon

Apparently not but it is better than the D750 AF array. I love the AF on the D4s. It is lightning fast and pretty accurate. I keep mine on the group AF and it is phenomenal... as to shutter speed I wouldn't worry about losing too much of it. It seems to be pretty clean up to ISO 10000.

challydeano

The D5 is supposed to have 151 focusing points ? -- or something like that. I get frustrated using the D4 focusing points as my composition suffers in AF.