Brad Hill: Blog: Photography. Nature. Gear. Software. Conservation. Whatever.
Not so short-winded blatherings on whatever is currently occupying the part of my brain that deals with nature photography and related concerns. Updated sorta weekly.
On this page you'll find all my 2025 blog listings (immediately below). And, further down this page you'll also find some key (and very popular) gear-related blog entries from 2024 (jump to that section now).
And, finally, if you're looking for a directory to ALL my blog listings EVER - just follow this link.
I. 2025 Blog Entries...
07 April 2025: 2026 Photo Tour Details - And Registration Info!
I've just posted the details for two of my three 2026 photo tours on my >Photo Tour page (I'm still ironing out details for my third 2026 photo tour). I have begun accepting registrations for the two photo tours where all the critical details are known.
Here are the bare bones details (plus links for more information and/or about how to register):
1. 8-Day Spring in the Southern Great Bear Instructional Photo Tour.
•WHEN? May 28 to June 5, 2026, including arrival and departure dates.
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 3.
•MORE INFO OR REGISTRATION INFO? Just go here!
2. 10-Day Summer in the Great Bear: Focused on WOLVES!
•WHEN? August 14-24, 2026, including arrival and departure dates.
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 0 (SOLD OUT).
•MORE INFO? Just go here!
3. 9-Day Autumn in the Great Bear Rainforest.
•WHEN? Late September 2026 (exact dates still TBD).
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 6.
•MORE INFO? Coming in Q2 2025.
•ADD YOURSELF TO PRIORITY BOOKING LIST? Just go here!
See you in 2026?
Cheers...
Brad
02 March 2025: And Then There Were...NONE!
Up until yesterday I still had ONE spot open on one of my 2025 photo tours. But, as of yesterday, now there are NONE - all my 2025 photo tours are fully sold out.
What about my 2026 photo tours? I haven't opened up registration for those photo tours quite yet (I'm still waiting for a little information before I can post confirmed dates and pricing), but that should happen soon (hopefully by the end of March?). BUT...if you are the type who likes to plan ahead and you want to improve your chances you can add your name to a PRIORITY BOOKING LIST for any of my 2026 photo tours.
What does going on this Priority Booking List give you? Basically...it's simply a "first right of refusal list" - which means YOU will be given first crack at the spots on your chosen photo tour BEFORE the spots are put up for grabs to the general public. And there is no commitment (no deposit) needed on your part to go on the Priority Booking Lists - all you need to do is email me at seminars@naturalart.ca - and please make sure you indicate which trip you're interested in within the body of the email (see list below). Please include your FULL contact info, including mailing address and best phone number to contact you. You will be contacted as soon as I have finalized details for the trip in question and have opened up registration for that trip.
Here's the trips you can currently go on the Priority Booking List for:
1. 8-Day Spring in the Southern Great Bear.
•WHEN? Late May 2026 (exact dates still TBD).
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 6.
•MORE INFO? Coming in early 2025.
2. 10-Day Summer in the Great Bear: Focused on WOLVES!.
•WHEN? Late August 2026 (exact dates still TBD).
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 6.
•MORE INFO? Coming in early 2025.
3. 9-Day Autumn in the Great Bear Rainforest.
•WHEN? Late September 2026 (exact dates still TBD).
•AVAILABLE SPOTS? 6.
•MORE INFO? Coming in early 2025.
Add yourself to one or more 2026 Priority Booking Lists.
See you in 2026?
Cheers...
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
27 February 2025: More Images Added to Gallery of Latest Additions
I just posted some new images to my Gallery of Latest Additions. The new image posts are from my late summer and early autumn 2024 Great Bear Rainforest photo tours.
As always, the images include comprehensive commentaries about the content of the images and/or technical aspects of the image captures (and image processing). You can access the contextual information for any given image simply by clicking on the tabs below the main image window. These tabs are labelled "In the Field" "Behind the Camera", "At the Computer", et cetera.
More images coming soon!
Cheers...
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
12 February 2025: What I've Been Up to (since 29 Dec 2024!)
Regular visitors to this blog will know that I just took a fairly long hiatus from updating this blog and website (my last post was on December 29, 2024). Bottom line is I had a lot of "non-website" work to do and, quite frankly, I wanted to steal the time to think about a lot of photographic issues and recent trends - without feeling a need to "post something". This "thinking" time ended up leading to a lot of new field testing of lenses and the re-examination and re-processing of test images I've captured over the last couple of years (the reason for this will become apparent before the end of this blog entry).
Here's a quick rundown of what I spent my time doing...
1. Doing a Whole Lot of Lens Testing
A. Tamron 50-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Testing
Like many traveling wildlife photographers (and for that matter, like almost any photographer who has to carry his/her equipment a considerable distance) I'm always looking for the best solution (think "light and compact") to cover a reasonably wide focal range (from +/- 100mm to +/- 400mm). I have come to accept that to cover this focal length range with a light and compact lens it will be a slow lens with a fairly wide maximum aperture - and it will thus have reduced subject-isolating power compared to a faster (but heavier and bigger) wider aperture lens. These "faster" lenses are often prime lenses.
Anyway...this search for a light, compact zoom with a decent focal length range lead me to test out the Tamron 50-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067). This lens has been available in the Sony E mount since September of 2022 and it wasn't until September of 2024 that it became available in the Nikon Z mount. Currently these are the only two mount options. Its notable that the Tamron 50-400 is considerably smaller and lighter than the Nikkor Z 100-400mm f4.5-5.6S (and it's also smaller and lighter than Nikkor Z 70-200mm f2.8S). For me (and I suspect a lot of other photographers) the savings in size and weight of the Tamron 50-400 have a major impact on its usability in the field, including the lens cases and holsters I can use it with.
Before I say anything about the performance (optical, autofocus, VR) of the Tamron 50-400mm I should say something else - when I was comparing images captured with the Tamron 50-400 against a whole slew of Nikkor Z lenses that overlap the 50-400mm focal range I looked both at "completely raw" (NEF) images and raw DNG images after they had been run through DxO PhotoLab (using the appropriate camera and lens modules). The end result? I'll go into details elsewhere (in a future blog entry and/or in the commentaries with images posted in my Gallery of Latest Additions) but suffice to say for now that the Tamron 50-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD has become my new favourite "walkaround" lens and my primary "focal length gap filler" on expeditions and photo tours I run (complementing my "main" lenses like my Z 135mm f1.8S and my Z 400mm f2.8S, etc). The Tamron Z 50-400mm is a surprisingly good lens - and relative to the competition it is nicely compact and light.
B. Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD Testing
Over the last 6 weeks I also spent a bunch of time field-testing and shooting another Tamron zoom - the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD (model A058). Like the Tamron 50-400mm this lens was first introduced in the Sony E mount but it was recently "ported over" to the Nikon Z mount. Unlike the Tamron 50-400mm this one isn't a super-wide ranging "slow" zoom - it's a fast top-notch lens covering (for many) a very useful focal length range. While not cheap and a LITTLE on the heavy side (but it still is appropriately smaller and lighter than the Nikkor Z 70-200mm f2.8S) this one is a really interesting lens. I still have more testing to do on it, but I have already convinced myself that this is going to be my "staple" shorter focal length option on my 2025 photo tours and own expeditions. On these occasions it will be replacing my Z 24-120mm f4S. In fact, this lens is so good that it will be replacing one or more of my Nikkor Z short primes (I have already made my Z 35mm f1.8S available for sale on my my Gear 4 Sale page).
2. Pondering the Changing Hardware vs. Software Contributions to Image Quality
This is something that deserves a long and deep discussion, and I do have a lengthy blog entry planned on this topic. But I'll reveal a little of where I've been going with this right now. I mentioned above that I spent a lot of time over the last 6 weeks re-examining and re-processing a lot of images (mostly those shot during lens-testing sessions). Why did I do this? Well... since I was "turned on" to the image quality enhancing power of DxO's PhotoLab and PureRAW software packages (when used in conjunction with their camera/lens modules) I have been pondering the relative contribution of hardware (think average vs. top-notch lenses) and software to final image quality. After re-examining and re-processing thousands of images I've concluded that in most cases image sharpness differences between lenses - including between lenses at very different price points and between zoom lenses and primes - can be negated with the use of modern software. Consequently, other lens atributes (lens size and weight, bokeh and subject-isolating ability) are now taking precedence over image sharpness in my own lens purchasing decisions. Anyway...I'll have a lot more to say about this soon.
3. Doing LOTS of Online Tutoring
As many know, I offer custom online tutoring sessions to folks from...well...anywhere (see my Online Tutoring page for more details). This aspect of my business has been growing continuously and I was particularly busy tutoring in December and January. At this time I can't take on any more tutoring participants until mid-March.
Anyway, that - in a nutshell - is what I've been up to (and why I haven't had time to update this site as often as in the past).
Cheers...
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
II. Selected and Popular 2024 Gear-related Blog Entries
21 November 2024: Wildlife Photography Guide to the BC Coast Updated for 2025!
I have just finished updating my guide to Wildlife Photography On The BC Coast for 2025 (now at Version 5). I produce/update this guide annually as a service to all my guests on photo tours I run on the BC coast. However, ANY wildlife photographer who visits British Columbia's amazing coast would likely benefit from downloading and reading it...and I see no reason why I shouldn't share it with all. So here it is (and, it's free!)...
• Wildlife Photography on the BC Coast 2025 - A Comprehensive Guide (PDF: 11.3 MB)
Enjoy - and cheers!
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
16 July 2024: My Nikon Z 6III "Coverage"
I'm sure no regular readers of this blog would be surprised to hear that I took delivery of a Z 6III as soon as it was available. I've been shooting and testing it for a few weeks now - both "naked" and with the MB-N14 battery grip.
I will not be doing a full review of the Z 6III, but I will be saying quite a bit about it in the coming weeks (with a lot more substantive info than many full blown reviews, especially YouTube "reviews" 😉). Expect at least one or two fairly lengthy "reports" about it here on my blog and I'll have a lot of comments about how it's working for me as a wildlife stills camera on image posts in my Gallery of Latest Additions.
In fact, I just posted an image (of a female Common Nighthawk) captured with the Z 6III in that gallery. The commentary on that image discusses why the Z 6III is fulfilling a similar performance niche for me as the D6 did - access that image by clicking right here (and you can view the commentary by clicking on the "In the Field" tab just below the main image window).
Cheers...
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
27 March 2024: Some Expectations About the New Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
Earlier today Nikon announced a new "all-in-one superzoom" lens - the Nikkor Z 28-400mm f4-8 VR. The lens is priced quite aggressively at $1699 CAD and is scheduled to begin shipping in mid-April. The published specs of the lens also reveal that it is very compact - it weighs only 725 gm (or 1.6 lb) and is 14.15 cm (or 5.6") long when "zoomed" back to 28mm. Between its very wide focal length range, compact nature, and price it is bound to be very popular as a walk-around lens for a lot of Nikon shooters. Nikon's tag-line for the lens does seem quite appropriate - "Capture near and far"!
I try to avoid commenting on lenses (or cameras) until I have tried and tested them myself, and I certainly won't make any firm statements about its performance until I use it myself. That said, based on years of experience testing and using a wide variety of Nikkor lenses, I do have a number of expectations about this lens. Here's some of them...
• I expect the lens will sell extremely well...like hotcakes!
• I expect the demand for the lens will surprise Nikon, leading to an announcement in a month or two from now telling us all to expect delays in shipping the lens.
• I expect the lens will be acceptably sharp (i.e., acceptable for the majority of owners of it) in its central region for MOST of its focal range. But, I further expect that (like almost all Nikkor zoom lenses) its sharpness will fall-off near the long end of its focal range. In the case of this lens I expect it to start "softening up" at about 350mm and continue to soften up to 400mm. Which means it won't compete well in sharpness at 400mm to any of Nikon's 400mm prime lenses and likely not well against the Z 180-600mm (which has surprising central region sharpness at 400mm). I expect (but certainly could be wrong here) the Z 28-400mm to be at least slightly less sharp in the central region (@ 400mm) than the Z 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 VR S.
• I expect the lens will be much less sharp (i.e., quite soft) on its edges for most of its focal range (and especially on the long end of its focal range). And I expect this edge softness will be present at all apertures. BUT, I expect most users of the lens won't care. Note that this expectation is consistent with the published MTF curves for the lens, but keep in mind that Nikon's published MTF curves are "predicted" MTF curves (not observed/measured curves) and that they are based on the lens when shot wide open (not when stopped down)...so the published MTF curves tell us very little about how the lens performs in the field (even though they form the basis for endless internet chatter).
• I expect the quality of the out-of-focus (OOF) zones to be "not bad" BUT much less smooth and "buttery looking" than what you would see with either any of Nikkor Z prime lenses that overlap the 28-400mm focal range OR any of the fixed-aperture "premium" zooms that overlap its focal range (including lenses like the Z 24-120mm f4S, the Z 70-200mm f2.8S, and the 120-300mm f2.8 among several others). This is partly owing to the relatively small maximum apertures available on this lens at all focal lengths and partly owing to the optical limitations of any superzoom lens. I further expect that the bulk of the users of the Z 28-400mm won't care too much about this.
• I expect the ability of the lens to effectively "isolate" one's subject from the background will be quite diminished (at all focal lengths) compared to any of the Nikkor Z prime lenses that overlap the 28-400mm focal range OR any of the fixed-aperture "premium" zooms that overlap its focal range. But (again) I don't expect this will be particularly troubling to many users of this lens.
At the end of the day the Z 28-400mm f4-8 is really all about convenience and versatility - and there is no doubting that for many amateur...AND professional...photographers the convenience and versatility of this lens will outshine/over-shadow the optical compromises inherent in this and ANY superzoom.
Will I be acquiring and testing the Z 28-400mm f4.8 superzoom myself? Well...never say never, but at this point I have no plans to get or test a copy of it. Not only do I already have the focal range of this new lens covered very well, but I do tend to shoot more in low light scenarios than the average Joe (or Jane)...so I have no choice but to put up with the inconvenience and cost of faster (and bigger and heavier) primes and fixed aperture "premium" zoom lenses. And, I am particularly anal about how well a lens can isolate a subject and how well it renders OOF zones.
But..overall...nicely done Nikon. Now...where's the Z replacement for the Nikkor 120-300mm f2.8E (preferably with a built-in 1.4x)? 😉
Cheers...
Brad
Feedback to: feedback@naturalart.ca
18 March 2024: Catching Up...A Little!
My apologies to the regular visitors to this blog regarding my lack of entries since late January. To be honest, I was simply too busy with revenue-generating activities (mostly a combination of photo tour admin work and a whole lot of online tutoring) to have time for my pro bono work (and the time/effort spent developing and maintaining this blog and website ARE pro bono efforts). I've also been doing a fair amount of shooting and gear testing, including some relevant to my comments of the Z 8 Firmware 2.00 update discussed below. Last but not least, I've spent a lot of time recently behind a chainsaw while thinning the forest (and reducing the forest fire fuel load) surrounding our home in BC's East Kootenays! Hey...real life happens! 😉
Anyway...time for a little catching up...
1. I HAVE been updating my Gallery of Latest Additions...and the last few posts may include images or commentaries that interest some. My image post discussing Photoshop's new AI content-generation tools (look for the thumbnail of the young grizzly) are fairly timely, especially following the kerfuffle created when Kate Middleton was caught engaging in a little image manipulation of herself and her kids. Check 'em out...
2. Some Thoughts on Z 8 Firmware 2.00
While it's been awhile now since Nikon released firmware 2.00 for the Z 8, I wanted to wait until I had a good chance to really test some of the new features (especially pixel-shift) before saying anything about it. Of course, we've now had the release of Z 9 firmware update 5.00 where some of the key updates in Z 8 firmware 2.00 have been added to the Z 9. Interestingly, before Z 9 firmware update 5.00 we seemed to be in an almost perfect firmware leap-frog game where anything significant added to the Z 8 would show up in the Z 9 (and vice versa), but the lack of pixel shift in Z 9 firmware update 5.00 has broken the leap-frog pattern (which seems to have caused some Z 9 users a lot of grief...but personally I'm not bothered at all by the Z 9 NOT getting pixel shift...more on that below).
Anyway...here's a few of my thoughts on the key features of Z 8 firmware 2.00. Of course, my comments carry the bias of a wildlife photographer who shoots still photos - so you should expect no comments below on any video "improvements" in Z 8 firmware 2.00. While I am only discussing what I (as one wildlife still photographer) see as the five most "consequential" updates in Z 8 firmware 2.00 I am aware that photographers from other genres (or indeed even other wildlife photographers) may find other new additions in firmware 2.00 to be more significant than I do.
A. Pixel Shift Shooting
Pixel shift gives the user the ability to create higher resolution photos than the native resolution of their camera's image sensor. It also can be used to reduce image noise (in images of identical resolution to their camera's sensor OR at a higher resolution). I suspect most users are drawn to it for its ability to shoot higher resolution images and not for noise reduction. Anyway...with the Z 8 pixel shift gives you the option of doubling the height and width of your image, resulting in a quadrupling of the total number of pixels. So your Z 8's 45.4 MP native resolution jumps to 181.8 MP (I'm counting actual image pixels here). It's not worth getting into details here, but the process of using pixel shift involves shooting multiple images of a single scene and then merging those images using software (in this case NX Studio).
Anyway...the only thing that matters to me about pixel shift is if it works well. Specifically, I want to know if it can produce 181.8 MP images that are of higher quality than I can produce via upsizing (AKA up-sampling) 45.4 MP Z 8 images. SO...I did a bunch of testing of pixel shift captures (vs. up-sampling native resolution images) with various scenes, including landscapes and of objects at close range, In this testing I used a variety of different high-end and very sharp lenses, like the Plena and the Z 400mm f2.8 VR S. And, I captured the images over a fairly wide ISO range - from ISO 64 to ISO 3200. Of course, all images were shot under very controlled conditions on a firm tripod and using a cable release, VR OFF, et cetera.
Bottom line: I won't be using pixel shift on my Z 8 or, if it ever shows up on it, on my Z 9. With very careful post-processing (and following a very specific routine) I was able to produce higher quality images (here meaning sharper but with equal contrast and dynamic range...and less noise) via upsampling standard Z 8 images than I could with pixel shift.
That said, there are a couple of important points that I have to make. First, the difference in quality between the high resolution Z 8 images produced via pixel shift and by my up-sampling of native resolution Z 8 images wasn't huge. But it was consistent, noticeable, and...for me...significant. So...because the images produced by my up-sampling of native Z 8 images were consistently better than those produced by pixel shift, I see no reason for me to use it (or, for that matter, want it as a new feature for my Z 9's). Second, it is VERY POSSIBLE to up-sample Z 8 images and get a pretty horrible result (far worse than using pixel shift) if one choses the wrong "routine" (e.g., the wrong up-sampling algorithm in Photoshop). It did take some experimentation on my part (with a decent amount of time spent tweaking settings and variables) before I came up with the "secret-sauce" for producing up-sampled images that were consistently better in quality than the pixel-shift images. I recognize and accept that others may not have the interest in image post-processing (or have the requisite software) needed to obtain optimal results when up-sampling there own images and thus may prefer or need to use pixel shift. Finally, and this should go without saying, regardless of how you quadruple the resolution of your Z 8 (via pixel shift or careful up-sampling) don't expect those images to be nearly as sharp when viewed at 100% magnification on a quality display as Z 8 files captured at its native resolution.
B. "Birds" AF Subject Detection Option
Simply put - this update in subject detection options is great! Expect your Z 8 to more quickly grab a bird's eye, track the bird more reliably, and do better with detecting birds that are small in your viewfinder than "Animal" mode does. As far as I can tell, the "Birds" algorithm in the Z 8 works as well as that in the Z 9. So if you're a bird photographer your Z 8 is now a better bird photography camera.
But what if you primarily photograph mammals - does "Birds" subject detection mode offer YOU any advantages? Actually (and probably surprisingly to some), it does. Even though Nikon is sloppy with their biological nomenclature - birds ARE animals and the terms "animal" and "mammal" are NOT synonymous - it's easy to assume that "Animal" mode would be the best subject detection mode to use on mammals (and that it would outperform "Birds" mode when shooting mammals). Turns out that this isn't always the case. I have found that "Birds" AF subject detection mode works far better than "Animal" mode when shooting most species of marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, and multiple whale species (to date I've tested it on Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, and Fin Whales). With terrestrial mammals it tends to be more of a crap shoot and varies by species (and even coloration of individuals) - sometimes "Animal" mode works better; sometimes "Birds" mode works better. On dogs I have found that which mode works best varies with head colouration, and especially the colour (and tonal) contrast between eye colour and the rest of the head. And, I have found that with almost ALL terrestrial mammals I have found that "Birds" mode works better (than "Animal" mode) if the subject occupies only a small proportion of the FOV (or of the viewfinder).
So...here's the rule of thumb I apply to my own use of "Birds" vs. "Animal" AF subjection detection modes: If I'm shooting birds, I use "Birds" mode. If I'm shooting marine mammals, I use "Birds" mode. If I'm shooting terrestrial mammals that are "small" in my viewfinder (i.e., occupy only a small proportion of the viewfinder) - I start with "Birds" mode and switch to "Animal" mode only if "Birds" mode isn't working for me. And (finally!) if I'm working closer to a terrestrial mammal and it's filling a larger proportion of the frame I freely experiment with both "Birds" mode and "Animal" mode. What should be obvious from this is that for shooting wildlife in general my default subject detection mode is "Birds". Note that if you feel you absolutely need to be able to switch between "Birds" mode and "Animal" mode (or vice versa) with the simple push of a button it is possible to set up Recall Shooting Functions (RSF) to do this. Me? I just put "AF subject detection options" in "My Menu" (and I use RSF for something else, namely switching my camera to my preferred landscape shooting settings).
C. Auto Capture
In my books Auto Capture is pretty cool and I've used it to good success on my Z 9's. In a nutshell, it permits remote/unattended capture of images or bursts of images when one or more "pre-defined conditions" (such as subject detection, movement, or distance) are met. So, as an example, you could use it to photograph a squirrel or bird (or lion or tiger!) when it moves into a pre-defined zone and the camera recognizes it as a subject. You could refine the portion of the image the auto capture is "sensitive to" by using a custom Wide Area AF mode with the appropriate subject detection turned on. Anyway...now Z 8 shooters have what Z 9 shooters have had for quite some time (tho' with Z 9 firmware 5.00 auto capture has been refined and improved and currently offers capabilities [like "reserve" mode] that the Z 8 now lacks!). Here's an example of an image (JPEG: 5.6 MB) - a nuanced image of a Red Squirrel captured with my Z 9 and Plena lens - made possible with auto capture (while I COULD have captured this image without auto capture, given how close the camera was to the subject it would have been more challenging and certainly more intrusive on the subject).
A couple of important things to know about auto capture. First, if anyone is looking for a "formulaic" or "step-by-step and foolproof" approach to using auto capture...well...you're going to be disappointed. Bottom line is that it's a "tinkerer's" dream - what works best in its setup in one scenario or use case may be extremely different from what works best in the next use case. As an example, in the situation where I was using auto capture to nab squirrel images I initially thought using Auto-area AF paired with "Animal" subject detection would be perfect. In reality, that AF combination sucked in this case - the AF was slow and the camera-triggering was highly unreliable. I switched the AF mode to a custom Wide-area mode (with "Animal" subject detection) and AF and camera triggering worked great. But, I have talked to others who have used auto capture in similar but slightly different use cases and they found Auto-area AF area mode worked great. Bottom line is that your auto capture setup and configuration may need tweaking/tinkering before you get it working optimally.
Second, auto capture does draw a lot of power and draws down your batteries quite quickly (depending on a handful of factors). With my Z 9 and shooting in temperatures slightly below 0C (32F for that 3% or so of the world's population that doesn't do celsius) I got between 4 and 6 hours of battery life on my Z 9. With the smaller and less powerful battery of the Z 8 expect to have significantly shorter auto capture bouts on a single battery. So if one is going to use auto capture regularly you might want to consider using an additional power source for your camera (like a decent powerbank, etc.). Note that the addition of the "Reserve" feature added to auto capture in the Z 9 firmware update 5.00 (which allows you to turn auto capture on at a specific time in the future and for selected durations) can be used to extend the battery life (and usefulness) of auto capture on the Z 9. I have no insight into whether or not this Reserve function will be added to auto capture in the Z 8 (presumably so, but...).
D. Custom Controls (Shooting) - Cycle AF-area mode
Y'know...some may consider this little custom control addition to be a minor thing, but I personally consider this to be the most consequential new addition to my day-to-day shooting in the entire Z 8 firmware update (and it certainly had the biggest impact on the setup and customization of my Z 8). For those that don't know, this new feature allows you to cycle through (or toggle through) various AF-area modes as you repeatedly press a single button. And, best of all, you can limit the number of AF-area modes the button will cycle through. For instance, I never use Auto-area AF...so I have excluded it from the list of AF-area modes I toggle through.
Why do I consider this addition so significant? Well, while ALL of the various AF-area modes of the Z 8 (and Z 9) work very well, they certainly differ in what they "excel" at. And, there are users (including myself) who often want to switch between modes on the fly (i.e., switch AF-area modes during a single shooting burst). While it was possible to switch AF-area modes "on the fly" before, if you used several different modes you had to dedicate several of your camera's buttons to different AF-area modes. This wasn't a huge deal on the Z 9, but it can be a big deal on the Z 8 (simply because the Z 9 has a lot more customizable buttons on it). But if you use "Cycle AF-area mode" you don't need to dedicate as many buttons to AF-area modes. Note that this new custom function WAS added to the Z 9 in firmware 5.00 (and I am very glad it was).
E. Custom Function a11 (Focus point display) - Focus point border width
This new option allows you to control the width (and visibility) of your primary focus box. You now have 3 settings to choose from: 1 (thinnest), 2 (medium thickness), and 3 (thickest). I'm finding I'm liking setting 2 - thick enough to increase visibility but not so thick that the focus box is intrusive.
There are, of course, many other things that were updated or changed with Z 8 firmware update 2.00. And, there were some very vaguely worded "improvements" that may be quite consequential but hard to evaluate or quantify. As examples, Nikon states that in firmware 2.00 other changes include "Improved the accuracy of [3D-tracking] for small, fast-moving subjects when [Auto], [People], [Animal], or [Vehicle] is chosen for [AF subject detection options] and no subject of the selected type is detected" and that they "Made other improvements to the autofocus operation and its reliability". These two statements by Nikon may cover updates that ARE quite significant, but they are next-to-impossible to evaluate.
As a final note, this will be my last blog post focused specifically on Z 8 firmware updates. In recent days I sold my Z 8 and have no plans on replacing it. I know I will be asked why I sold it so here's an explanation: I already own two Z 9's which are better suited to my needs as a wildlife photographer than the Z 8 is. Primary reasons for me preferring the Z 9 include the better battery, it's dedicated vertical controls, and it's increased number of customizable buttons. And, because of the different number of buttons (and button configuration) on the Z 8 and Z 9 I found it challenging to set up my Z 8 to be similar enough to my two Z 9's to be able to use them efficiently side-by-side in the field.
Gotta run...more soon (really!). 😉
Cheers...
Brad
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24 Jan 2024: DxO Modules Make Nikon's Latest Lenses BETTER!
About a week ago DxO released new optics modules for 3 Nikkor lenses - the Nikkor 120-300mm f2.8E, the Nikkor Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3, and the Nikkor Z 600mm f6.3S. For those that don't know, these modules work within DxO's various software packages and come in camera/lens combinations - so there is a separate module for the Z 8 + 180-600mm vs. the Z 9 + 180-600mm, et cetera! And, these lens modules go a LONG way to improving the optical quality of the lens they are built for.
Because I own two of the three lenses that these new modules support (the 120-300mm and the 600mm f6.3S) and have oodles of test files for the third lens (the 180-600mm), I was keen to try out these modules to see what effect they'd have. Here's a quick summary of what I found:
1. Impact of the Z 9 + Nikkor 120-300mm f2.8E module:
This is a "super-premium" lens that is biting sharp all by itself (i.e., when processed from raw without the "help" of a DxO module). It also pairs up especially well with the TC-14EIII (1.4x) teleconverter, making it a formidable 420mm f4 lens. But...add in initial post-processing with DxO PhotoLab or PureRAW with the new lens module and the images are even sharper. Like as sharp as with virtually any prime lens that overlaps the same focal range. Moving forward I will run all images shot with the 120-300mm f2.8E through DxO using the new lens profile (regardless of the ISO the image was shot with) as the first step in my post-processing.
Note that before the release of this new lens profile DxO software "suggested" using the profile of a similar lens (the Sigma 120-300mm 2.8 Sport) when processing the Nikkor 120-300mm files. I've had the opportunity to compare final image results using both DxO profiles (the one for the Sigma 120-300 and the one for the Nikkor 120-300) and have to say that - at least so far - both profiles seem to spit out virtually identical output. Note that this statement is based on only a few comparisons and it may well be the case that in the future I'll find instances where the results of the two modules differ.
2. Impact of the Z 9 + Nikkor Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 module:
Very good news here for owners of the still quite new and "very solid" Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 - the DxO module pretty much "fixes" this lens's only real weak spots! Those weak spots? In my own testing I found this to be a VERY sharp lens (from center to edge) over almost ALL its focal length range...but it did soften noticeably near the long end. By this I mean in the 550-600mm focal length range. BUT...run the files shot with the 180-600mm through DxO using the new module and "presto" the images in that same focal length range (550-600mm) are VERY nicely sharpened up. And sharpened up to the point where they can go head-to-head (in sharpness) with images from the Z 600mm f6.3S (if you are looking at Z 600mm f6.3S images that have NOT been run through DxO using the new profile for this lens).
AND...there is a module for the Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 plus the Z TC-1.4x. In my own testing I found this combination (when images shot at the maximum focal length of 840mm were examined) were quite soft - to the point where I would never use this combination in the field. BUT...run these images through DxO software with the 180-600mm plus 1.4x TC module and - again - the images sharpen up very, very nicely...to the point where they are definitely very usable. Yep, you still have a maximum aperture of f9 when you shoot the 180-600mm with its 1.4x TC (which can be very limiting in a field setting), but at least optically the resulting images are now quite acceptable!
3. Impact of the Z 9 + Nikkor Z 600mm f6.3S module:
Again, the lens in question here is already quite strong optically (not far off the image quality of the amazing Z 600mm f4S TC when you compare images shot at the same aperture). BUT...if you compare images shot with the Z 600mm f6.3S that have been processed with the new DxO module against those of the Z 600mm f4S TC (processed WITHOUT using DxO) you'll find that any sharpness difference between them is gone. Of course, if you run the Z 600mm f4S TC images through DxO (using the Z 600mm f4S TC module) those images also jump up noticeably in sharpness (as impossible as it may seem for those already crazy-sharp images).
What about the Z 9 + Nikkor 600mm f6.3S + Z TC-1.4x module? Same result - it makes a major difference to the sharpness of the Z 600mm f6.3S plus 1.4x TC images (again to the point where if you compare the results to the Z 600mm f4S TC shot with its TC engaged you'll see virtually no difference in image sharpness). Yep, you still have the "maximum aperture of f9 issue" to deal with when shooting the Z 600mm f6.3S with the 1.4x TC. Consequently you WON'T find me saying that this combination is as "useful" in a field setting as the Z 600mm f4S TC VR with its TC-engaged, but now it's a much more viable option! And, it's still a whole lot lighter, shorter, and WAY less expensive than the Z 600mm f4S TC!
Nicely done DxO. Now please release the Z 9 + Z 135mm f1.8S Plena module ASAP! 😉
Cheers...
Brad
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4 Jan 2024: My Favourite "Photographic Things" of 2023
While I've personally grown a bit bored of end of year (or beginning of year) "Top 10" lists, when I look back at my own photography from 2023 I do see a small number of products that had a disproportionally large impact on my photography. And by "disproportionally large impact" I mean that they had either had a very noticeable impact on the quality of my images OR on my workflow. And, please note that I am receiving no inducements, favours, financial gain or anything else for listing these "photographic things" here (and nor do I get a affiliate fee if you choose to add anything mentioned below to your collection of "photographic things").
With no further ado here are those 4 "things" that most impacted my photography in 2023:
• Thing #1: DxO's DeepPRIME XD Noise Reduction Algorithm and DxO's Camera/Lens Profiles
I find it pretty rare these days that we run into a product that is a true breakthrough or, if you will, a game-changer. Well...here's one: the DeepPRIME XD noise reduction algorithm found in two of DxO's products: PhotoLab Elite and PureRAW. I'm pretty "into" post-processing software and I'm very familiar with the noise reduction capabilities of Capture One, Lightroom, and various plugs-ins, including Topaz DeNoise AI. But DeepPRIME and DeepPRIME XD are in a different category altogether. Simply incredible noise reduction power for your raw files. Period.
But wait...there's more. If all I got out of DxO's PhotoLab was noise reduction, it wouldn't make this list. BUT...when you combine DeepPRIME (or DeepPRIME XD) with the level of capture sharpening you get IF the camera and lens combination you shot it with is "covered" by a DxO profile...well...now we're talking a different stratosphere of image quality. So not only are your out-of-focus zones (which tend to show noise more than the in-focus areas) more appealing, but your image is very noticeably sharper. And, in my books, the key to image quality is how the in-focus and out-of-focus zones of an image combine to produce an eye-catching result.
One thing I should be clear about - I still am very happily using a workflow based on Capture One. However, before I begin making any adjustments to an image, I run the raw file through PhotoLab to produce a noise-reduced and sharpened DNG file, which I then proceed to edit in Capture One. And I do this with almost all my raw images, regardless of the ISO it was shot at (because even if the original raw file is visually noise-free it will be sharper if I run it through PhotoLab).
Neither DxO PhotoLab or PureRAW are perfect. I have found with some camera/lens profiles (e.g., a Z 9 with Z 800mm f6.3S) their sharpening is - by default - far too aggressive. To the point of producing "crunchy" images. Fortunately you can tweak the default sharpening quite significantly (and tame the sharpening!). And, unless you have quite "hot" computer, running the DeepPRIME XD algorithm can take a LONG time (on my M1 Ultra Mac Studio and my M2 MacBook Air running a Z 8 or Z 9 file through DeepPRIME XD takes about 23 seconds...but it might take 23 minutes on a 5 year old computer).
Anyway...if you care about image quality...you owe it to yourself (and your images!) to at least try out DxO's PhotoLab Elite or PureRAW. You might find yourself addicted - and shooting your current camera at ISO's WAY BEYOND what you limited yourself to in the BD (Before DxO) era!
Major, major kudos to DxO.
• Thing #2: Capture One's AI Selection and Masking Tools
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are having a huge impact on our photography. Companies that produce image-editing software have a choice to make - they can use AI to dramatically alter the creative content of a photographer's images or they can use AI to dramatically cut the time a photographer needs to get to their final result (but NOT monkey with the creative content of the image). Capture One has taken a stance where they are NOT taking the creative control away from the photographer - instead they are using AI to cut your image culling and image-editing time WAY, WAY down. Adobe appears to be going down a different (and more controversial) path...
Anyway...in Capture One 23.3 we saw the introduction of their exceptional AI-based selection and masking tools that, for anyone who does selective editing of their images, saves the user a HUGE amount of time. Moreover, the new AI selection/masking tools dovetail extremely well with Capture One's previous - and already excellent - masking tools. So...for instance...you can now build a complex gradient mask, constrain the brightness range that gradient mask impacts on (using the Luma Range tool), and then accurately cut your subject out of the mask...all in seconds (rather than in tens of minutes or even hours). SO fast! SO powerful! SO appreciated!
Another round of major, major kudos - this time to Capture One.
• Thing #3: The Nikkor Z 135mm f1.8 S Plena
OK...this one will probably surprise many (or have them scratching their heads wondering why a wildlife photographer is more excited about a 135mm lens than the Z 180-600mm). Well...I'm forever in the hunt for lenses that can help me create unique images, and to me the Plena is a just a wonderful tool for doing just that!
The Plena is a lens that provides the two primary things I look for in a lens - exceptional sharpness with absolutely dreamy out-of-focus zones. So...with the Plena I can capture an image with that coveted 600mm f4 look but with a much, much closer subject...and still have a very manageable depth of field. Curious about what I mean? Over the holiday season I spent a considerable amount of time experimenting with the Auto Capture function of the Z 9 (once you suss it out it's just great - expect a commentary on this feature soon). A lot of this Auto Capture experimention was done with the Plena mounted on my Z 9 - and a lot of it was with "convenient" subjects (including squirrels). While I largely had horrendous lighting conditions, I still came away with some interesting images...check out this squirrel image (JPEG: 5.6 MB) to see what I mean by "getting a 600mm f4 look with a lot closer subject". If you're one of those few people on the earth not into squirrels (😉), you can check out some of my "experiments" with the Plena using my young Portuguese Water Dog...like this action shot of Joe (JPEG: 2.7 MB) or this one of Joe low in the snow (JPEG: 4.2 MB). Yes, Joe has great eyes!
And, of course, I can use the lens for capturing incredibly sharp landscape and animalscape shots as well.
It goes without saying that the focal length of the Plena is too short for the vast majority of wildlife photography. But when you find yourself extremely close to your subjects, why not create a wildlife portrait using a lens that's designed from the ground up to produce unmatched portraits? And, if you're in that "moderately close to your subject zone", the Plena allows you to produce stunningly sharp shots with very, very pleasing backgrounds.
Anyway...I'm just loving the Plena and am very excited about using it during my photo tours in the Khutzeymateen and Great Bear Rainforest in 2024.
Kudos to Nikon for producing this exceptional and unique lens.
• Thing #4: Nikon's Collection of Z-mount Wildlife Lenses
As we know, it's often easy to miss seeing the forest when the trees keep getting in the way. In the case of Nikon's filling out of their Z lens lineup, it's easy to focus on one or two lenses that are coveted by you and miss "the big picture" of what's going on. Over the last few months I've been fortunate enough to have EVERY Z-mount lens suitable for wildlife photography (including some - like the Plena - that many wouldn't think of as a wildlife lens) in my possession. Most were my own, but Nikon also loaned the missing pieces (e.g., the Z 600mm f4 TC VR S) for testing purposes. But the point is that the selection and versatility I had at my disposal was very, very complete, with literally a lens for every wildlife scenario I could dream up. To be honest, I don't closely follow what Canon and Sony are doing, but it does appear to me that Nikon's collection of "wildlife-photography-suitable" lenses is second to none (and probably the most complete).
If I was asked what was most unique about Nikon's Z-lens lineup of wildife lenses I would say it's the existence of the three relatively very light and more affordable super-telephoto primes - the Z 400mm f4.5S, the Z 600mm f6.3S, and the Z 800mm f6.3S. These lenses offer a huge jump up in portability with virtually no sacrifice in image quality. Yes, they ARE a stop (or slightly more) slower than their much larger and heavier (and dramatically more expensive) "super-premium" counterparts (the Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S and the Z 600mm f4 TC VR S), but if you compare image quality at the overlapping apertures there is very little difference between the mid-range primes and the super-premium primes.
Are there any real holes left in the Z wildlife lens lineup? For most shooters - probably not. SOME might argue there should be a 500mm prime in the lineup (I'm not among those wanting a 500mm). Personally I would LOVE to see a Z-mount replacement for the Nikkor 120-300mm f2.8E (and I would love it even more if it came with a built-in 1.4x TC), but I acknowledge that many think of this lens as primarily a sports photographer's lens. In reality - and owing largely to its focal range and cost - not too many wildlife photographers own the current 120-300mm f2.8 or would be lining up to buy a Z-mount version of it.
One of the things I like about leading photo tours is I am exposed to lots of real-world (non-virtual!!) wildlife photographers from around the world (and of all ability levels). The vast majority of the guests on my photo tours are Nikon shooters. And...in 2023 the overall "vibe" among them was "Wow...just LOVING the wildlife Z-lens lineup!"
Major kudos to Nikon for how they planned and implemented the filling out of the Z wildlife lens lineup - well done!
There are a few other "photographic things" that came close to making this list. Right now I am really enjoying using the Z 600mm f6.3S, but I haven't had enough time using it yet to fully assess how much of an impact it will make on my photography. My Z 85mm f1.2S would likely have made this list as well - if I hadn't got my hands on the Plena!
All for now - more soon. Hoping your 2024 has started out well.
Cheers...
Brad
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