News and Impressions from PHOTOPLUS 2019

BVS

Some news and impressions from PHOTOPLUS today (10/24):

Noct

• There are three Nocts set up on Z7s for people to handle and shoot a model with. They will even let you put your own XQD card in the camera and take home the photos. I'll try to post some samples later.
  
• As expected, it's a big heavy solid metal and glass beast of a lens. However, it has a very premium feel and the build quality is a level above pretty much all the other F and Z lenses.
  
• As expected, the DOF is incredibly tiny at f/0.95, especially with the model being only a few feet away from the camera. Even with the extra long throw of the focus ring the difference between an eye in focus and out of focus was the tiniest fraction of a twist.
  

Z50

• It's significantly lighter than the Z6/7, especially with the kit lens. I would even call it "light". The kit lens really is tiny. If you want a small and light walk around/travel camera I think it fits the bill nicely.
  
• Build quality of the body is not quite Z6/7 level, but still good. The EVF is also a bit of a step down but still decent. Image quality was hard to judge with only the rear screen to look at.
  
• With the large hand grip the smaller Z lenses like the 35, 50, 14-30, and 24-70/4 are totally usable and decently balanced on the camera. The 35 and 50 especially work well on it.
  
• The Nikon rep said that they're working on some kind of "bracket" that attaches to the bottom of the Z50 to allow you to mount it (on a tripod or whatever) and still use the flip down/selfie screen. Sounds like an odd (unique?) workaround to a self created problem, but we'll have to wait and see.
  

Other

• A Nikon rep confirmed that the 'compact primes' are indeed pancakes and not just smaller primes. Unfortunately, he didn't know the f stops.
  
• Multiple Nikon reps seemed to believe that the CF Express update would indeed increase the buffer capacity of the Z cameras. We'll have to wait and see, but would be nice if true. The newly announced Canon 1D X Mark III will use dual CF Express as well.
  
• The new Canon RF 70-200 is on display and is indeed quite compact and balances well on the R. Very nice lens. Hopefully Nikon will take some notes from that.
  
• Overall, the Nikon booth seemed just as busy as the Canon booth (Sony is offsite), so there's still plenty of interest in Nikon gear.
  

tc88

Z50 does have a tripod mount hole at the bottom, right?

BVS

tc88 said:

Z50 does have a tripod mount hole at the bottom, right?

Yes.

WestEndFoto

BVS said:

tc88 said:

Z50 does have a tripod mount hole at the bottom, right?

Yes.

RRS will come up with an elegant solution.

WestEndFoto

I have not published it, but I have been thinking about the Z7 as a nice walk around camera with the 1.8 lenses.

While I will buy the 1.8 lenses when a decent Z850 or better comes out, I have been thinking that a Z7 with the 1.8 lenses is not really small enough to seal the deal. If I am not getting ultimate image quality, it better be small.

But I have been thinking about Thom's comments regarding the Z50 and his opinion that an FX sensor would fit inside the body - say a Z5. I have also been thinking about the compact primes, namely the 28, 40 and 60 (the 60 is listed as a macro, but I suspect that it is a compact prime that that just happens to be a macro). I would be happy if they were like my AIS 2.8s, but a pancake would be even better - like my Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2.0.

I am very pleased with the build quality, ergonomics and features on the Z50.

I would be all over this combo - it would fit in my attache case. It would just need a 15mm, 20mm, 85mm and 135mm to finish the line. Then add a DX 10mm and 15mm and you have a really nice DX lineup for the Z30, Z50 and Z70 too!

tc88

Just use iphone. I saw some quite impressive night pictures from iphone11. If you just use for walk around purpose, I'm pretty sure the out of camera picture will look better from iphone. All DSLR and mirrorless pictures need post processing on computer.

WestEndFoto

Just because I captured an image while walking around does not mean I don’t take IQ seriously. I have used every IPhone since the 7 and my IT department will deliver an IPhone 11 in a few days.

I have never been impressed with their IQ. I won’t even settle for a Z50. A Z5 with the small compact lenses is as small as I will go.

Ton14

@BVS Thanks for the info, super. So my 40mm pancake for my Z6 is coming as a real pancake. That's my walk around ") I always had the D600 with the 50mm f/1.8 on it in my bag, now the Z6 with the 50mm f/1.8, but a pancake, yesssss.

mhedges

Thanks @BVS !

BVS said:

Multiple Nikon reps seemed to believe that the CF Express update would indeed increase the buffer capacity of the Z cameras. We'll have to wait and see, but would be nice if true.

Yes it would be nice. Especially for Z7 owners. I think I've only filled the buffer on Z6 once or twice, but Z7 fills quicker.

Pistnbroke

A few of your clearly using Z6 and Z7. How good is the AF now with the new solfware? Compare it with another Nikon for me . Is it still $h1t for birds?

Ton14

You can see everything here how all the AF modes on the Nikon Z behaves:



I can only give you my method.
My camera settings with every camera always where simular to my Nikon Z6 now::
Continuous H (Extended) H*, Wide-area AF (S) or Single point AF, AF-C, back focus button ON.

Shooting when I only have a clear sky in the background (which I seldom have) I try AF dynamic. I always use 5 presets on my camera, U1, U2, M, A and S, so I can switch very quick, most of the time the camera is on Manual (I set these at home with my checklist). Auto-ISO is very useful, but I only use this when it is sunny with fast moving clouds and I want the shot. Aparture and Shutter on half stops, count the clicks I make and keep my subject in the shot.

I had a learning curve with this Z6 camera, but it went quick for me.

With the Z6 in Continuous H* I don't have black outs, but set d11: view all in continuous mode ON, I think this is also in the video.

In May this year I put some test photo's I made with the Nikon Z6 and the 70-200mm f/4 lens on Flickr, after testing the new firmware 2, following a Lapwing in flight.

I made about 30 series from different birds at that day, all the same good result, but the main thing for me was that I could follow the bird, this was not possible with Firmware 1. The maximum tele I use is 300mm, because bigger tele always gives me blurry results here in Holland due to always bad atmospheric circumstances.

The Auto-area AF, AF-C, H* setting and press the button, where the camera tries to follow the subject (bird), never was my kind of photography, so I don't know anything about this. That's why FPS is not my thing also.

But for sure you have to see and feel it yourself.

Pistnbroke

Thanks Ton 14...strange how no black out at max fps ..maybe its persistence of vision or decay times on the display ….Seems its ok for the birds !!

Ton14

@pistnbroke BIF always remains a difficult branch of photography for me and that is also the fun of it but with these settings I get my results. I'm a bit Z6 biased I think, because of the image quality, but BIF with the D810 was just as difficult as with the Z6

Ton14

Oh and a very important point of course is a lens with a fast AF system. The 70-200 f/4 is great, the 70-300mm for example is often too slow for BIF.

Pistnbroke

Your birds must be a lot closer then mine ton14 if 200mm and 24MP will give you enough POI .I am in wait and see mode.

Ton14

Yeah, I should wait and see too in your case.