Nikon's full-frame, do-it-all Z 8 camera employs a stacked 45MP sensor, rattles off photos at 20fps, and rolls 8K Raw video, making it a triple threat for landscapes, action shots, and movies.
The pro-level Nikon Z 9 is a big, fast-focusing camera that features a full-frame Stacked CMOS sensor, reintroduces the beloved 3D Tracking focus system, and offers class-leading support for ProRes Raw video.
How to get better autofocus
June 23, 2021
Mirrorless cameras have introduced a range of new autofocus systems, so Angela Nicholson explains the good, the average and the downright amazing
As mirrorless cameras don’t have a mirror to bounce light into a viewfinder or onto a dedicated autofocus sensor, they use the imaging sensor to gather the focusing information to drive the lens. The first mirrorless cameras used contrast detection autofocusing, and although some manufacturers have stuck with it, most use phase detection or a hybrid system that combines phase and contrast detection.
Contrast detection is a very accurate method that looks at the edges of the subject and moves the focus until the point of highest contrast is found. Its problem is that the camera has no way of knowing which direction to adjust the focus initially, so it can go the wrong way.
Today, I will begin a series of three lengthy and in-depth essays discussing my experience shooting with the new Nikon Z 6II over a three-month period.
As you will likely be able to find any number of spec reviews online, these articles will instead be more first-hand accounts of what it was like to use the camera, my process of learning about getting the most out of it, and how it performed in the field. The review will be broken into three parts. Today’s first part will discuss both general aspects of the camera and my experience getting familiarized with the camera in various casual shooting situations. Part two will center around taking the Z 6II out to do my new favorite hobby, bird, and wildlife photography. And the third and final part of the review will focus on professional work and how the camera performed when taken into a real-world campaign shoot. I’ll give brief summaries in each essay specific to the use case, with the overall final analysis being in part thr