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When the ISO starts getting up there I try for more scenic shots with BIF rather than the close up tack sharp images.

Thanks for the video which raises an interesting question. Is the limitation of the 600PF for dawn and dusk photography down to the PF technology or simply the limitation of the widest aperture being f/6.3? How would the Z 180-600 compare to the 600PF for these low light conditions? The 180-600 is NOT a PF lens and at 600mm is also an f/6.3 wide open. If you are right, and it is the PF aspect of the lens which creates the limitation then logic dictates the 180-600 could actually give better results in these start / end of day situations. I have a 180-600 but not a 600PF so cannot test this theory. I have seen reviews which compare these lenses in more regular situations and they all state the 180--600 stacks up remarkably well against the 600 PF especially when you take the price difference into consideration in fact, one review stated that the only time the PF really stood out against the 180-600 was shooting back-lit subjects. It is an interesting question.

Do i need an adapter to use it on Eos Rp 😊

my z6iii has zebras in photo mode. I believe the z8 has the same.

400DO II Super rulez+!

These are by far the best photos I’ve seen taken with the 600mm pf. Extraordinary work Matt!

I was just about to buy this camera 🤔 thinking twice about it now.

Very informative video. Have struggled with capturing birds in flight with Fujifilm. Not so much of a problem with Nikon, Canon and OM systems which I have used earlier. Will try these settings out on my Fuji. Thank you.

im hoping to save up for a canon r7

Great video, and great views from Ukiah for sure.

I tested both lenses and the 180 version is ok, but doesn’t have that extra bit of Nikon magic. It renders like a Tamron. The S higher end lens make much prettier images.

Headed out there in a couple days. Thanks

I concur with the other comments. Many thanks for your comprehensive insight into autofocus which I will test on my X-T5.

Nice overview, it seems like a really nice lens if a prime can work for one's purpose. What I miss though, from this and other reviews, is How do you carry it? You mention towards the end that the 200-600 is harder to carry around but with a Blackrapid sports strap that goes over a shoulder and fastens to the screw point on the lens that the foot attaches via (so remove the foot first) like Ryan Mense advices, I can carry it for longer stretches against a hip and it isn't especially tiring and readily available to shoot with. I wouldn't want to keep a tele lens in a bag if I were walking about looking for small birds, yet I've seen or heard zero examples of how to actually carry this lens in the field. I.e what strap attaches where?

Hi Matthew, I have both these lenses as well and like you, the 100-500mm was my first rf lens, I actually bought it prior to owning the body as it became available in Canada before we had bodies after the initial pre-sale. I love the DO lens and it would actually be my choice of lens between these two if I could get maximum frames per second out of it but unfortunately the speed is greatly reduced at least on my body so I always use the 100-500mm which as you've pointed out is incredible but if O had the same framerate, I'd likely mostly use the 400 DO.

On the zoom lenses, did you calibrate at the widest focal, middle focal or the longest focal length?

I've done a bunch of tests and I personally don't notice how much sharper it is... especially after the picture gets uploaded to social media. I do however notice rolling shutter. Don't get me wrong, I love sharpness. As a wildlife photographer it is so satisfying to see the feathers and the eye in detail when pixel peeping... Sharpness is, in reality, very overrated. It has become way more satisfying to achieve good composition & exposure over anything else. And if those wings look funky because of rolling shutter... it just makes me cry. lol That absolutely ruins the shot, not a slightly less sharp photo. That being said, everybody has different priorities and views on things and maybe that shutter is just too noisy... I get it lol But honestly I believe you have undermined the impact of rolling shutter. Despite me disagreeing with you, thank you for sharing!

Thanks Matthew.. great recipe

So there is definitely going to be a diffraction challenge on a crop sensor at f/11. Maybe that’s what you’re seeing? Would be universal across all images.

Tried the R7 in electronic shutter mode H, not H+, CRAW, at shutter 2000, auto ISO around an average of 600, with the Canon 800mm f/11. Buffer filled up multiple times, red light, took forever to clear. Had to remove battery to quickly clear. Missed many shots that way. Most if not all the shots were soft. Does the 32 mp sensor have the same soft image issue that the Canon 90D does when shooting with slower glass at f/11?

What's the name of that dirt road where you found the bobcats?

I have shot the Z9 for over 2 years now and for some time with the Z9+400 F4.5. I honestly haven't missed a shot of a BIF. Even the quick ones like small fly catchers. As previously mentioned the Nikon files are the best. I think top of the line flagship bodies all do the job and it comes down to lens quality, selection and cost. From this standpoint, its hard to beat the Nikon Z system. By the way, I have also had great results with the long F lenses. Focus and image quality still rock with the Z9. 300 PF, 500 PF, 200-500 5.6. All work really well.

Fabulous images and stories, Matt. I love that the people on the sailboat didn’t expect free files or prints, hehe.

Hi, could you pls share your AF settings to get it to work? I have the same R5 +14-35 but can't get AF to work w the filter on it. Can do MF but would prefer AF. Thanks!!

A bit of true magic to witness those.

Thank you for your video Some days I sit and look out at the water/ birds. As I sat and the little bench at Albany bulb heard the sound, felt this energy...the sandpipers flew by me say 10 /15 feet. Very close. One never knows what one may experience when still

Amazing spectacle of nature!! Pure treat to eyes! Thanks

Great video - very helpful.

In the process of deciding whether to go for this printer, or the Epson P700. This was a really helpful video, so thanks. Fabulous photos by the way 👌

Have you tested out a Z9? The difference is that it's a larger capacity battery and higher voltage which would drive lenses better. There is a clear difference between Z6/7 and Z8 in driving lenses already.

When I was watching this video, I just knew you were going to get flamed for your ability, not the ability of the camera. :-) Just ignore this internet phenomena of flaming and accept the fact that you are much happier with the A1 and want to go that route. Personally, I sold my Z8 to buy the Z9 and the Z6iii. The newer Nikon autofocus is without doubt highly effective, but to get the best out of it, is more labour intensive than Sony or Canon, often involving handovers. If you don't master the use of the various modes in harmony, it can still be very much hit and miss at times. I have bought my wife a Z6iii for Christmas next week and have already started teaching her the "Nikon" way, using my Z6iii. The first lessons have been all about getting the best from the autofocus and the use of custom buttons to facilitate this. She is coming from the Sony A7iii but much prefers the handling of my Z6iii. Don't be distracted by the opinions of others, do what is right for you. Go with your gut. I have used Nikon for years and have never enjoyed photography as much as I do with my Z9. Whatever you choose, enjoy the challenge of further mastering this incredible art, but be aware that your gut choices can get in the way of sound financial decisions.I have wasted tens of thousands of £'s, chasing the better option. Buy what you want and treat it as an investment. For me, all of the modern bodies are mind boggling compared to when I started 36 years ago, on film, manually focussing. Wildlife and motorsport wasn't easy back then. :-) Good luck!

One thing I would suggest is comparing apples to apples, with the 400 f2.8 Nikon. The 400 f4.5 and 600 PF, you won't get the same AF speed as the 400 2.8.

One, if you can't consistently get perfect in focus shots of moving subjects on the Z8/Z9, that is definitely a you problem. Let's just be clear on that. I have shot the A1, Z8 and Z9, and the difference in stills sports action AF is really not that far apart if you know what you are doing. Sony does do a little better in some situations, while Nikon does a little better in others. But in all cases that's on you. Second, Sony simply doesn't have the glass. Praise the A1/II and A9III and its "superior" capabilities all you want, but where is the 100-300 f2.8, 200-400 f4 TC, 300 f4, 400 f4/4.5, 400 f2.8 TC, 500 f4, 500 f5.6, 600 f4 TC, 600 f5.6/6.3, 800 f5.6, 800 f6.3? Sony is woefully behind in super tele's, and at this point it is a practical certainty that Sony will never catch up to Nikon in glass.

I am wondering if Nikon might put an firmware update to further refine the AF of the Z8. And if indeed, it can be further improved?

I used the A1 extensively for a year, good AF but my worst fears of their build quality were confirmed when I had two issues which needed repair in a year. The Sony support was shockingly bad so I lost confidence and moved away. I shoot fast birds and can’t say there’s a great deal of difference between them Af wise. Never liked the output of the Sony files, think canon and Nikon files are much nicer. Nikon leading the way for wildlife with lenses by a distance too.

I used the A1 extensively for a year, good AF but my worst fears of their build quality were confirmed when I had two issues which needed repair in a year. The Sony support was shockingly bad so I lost confidence and moved away. I shoot fast birds and can’t say there’s a great deal of difference between them Af wise. Never liked the output of the Sony files, think canon and Nikon files are much nicer. Nikon leading the way for wildlife with lenses by a distance too.

I had all of them .. Canon R5, R3 , NIKON Z9 and Sony A1 guess what camera i sold? the A1 and just because Sony lack on the Big lenses.. Nikon is leading with so many choices and Canon in the same league. I use the Z9 with the 500 f4 FL i have the Nikon Z 400 4.5 plus the 600 6.3 PF then for the Canon i have the RF 400 2.8 and the EF 200-400 f4 and is here where Nikon and Canon makes the difference.

I’m confident the more you use the A1 next to Z8 you’ll find there’s somethings each one does better. I’ve never found one to be significantly better. With swallows and extremely fast BIF I find A1 to separate a bit, then for perch in brush and certain on water situations the pendulum swings the opposite direction. For video af the pendulum is stuck on Nikon. A1ii fixes a majority of the issues. Try the 400/600 TC and I think some of your sequence missing issues will disappear.

Great review, my personal experience , i have more keepers and chances with 600 pf than 600 f4 or 800 5.6 and f6.3 , only because of the weight.

If you cant do well with any system today its you, I use Sony and can tell you a few things I admire about Nikon and Canon. Sony tends to be lighter and being 63 years old I value that. Others have different aspects of a brand that they value and in the end its what makes the world go round. I am happy to see Nikon come so far so fast, it will only get better. If you jump ship everytime a brand releases a body that jumps ahead a little it can get very expensive. Seems to me Nikon going through what Sony users experienced when they went the mirrorless route and the performance wasn't as good as the competition, I still made my A7R2 work and have the wallhangers to prove it, ✌✌

How about low light performance Z8 vs A1? Like shooting night landscapes. Which one has less noise with high ISO?

You are the first person I’ve heard mention the vibration with the Sony A7Rv. I used to own that camera and found that vibration and its high noise level made it unsuitable for wildlife photography.

Then us Sony users are jealous of the Nikon lenses! I just updated my Sony A1, I was still on the original software but now after multiple updates the eye tracking has improved! The autofocus subject detection is good on the A7R V but the focusing can't actually keep up to action because of the low amount of AF calculations per second, so the eye detection will show it's locked on but it doesn't necessarily mean the shot is in focus when the subject is moving towards you.

I left the 1.4x converter on the Sony 600mm f/4 for weeks once and the resulting 840mm f/5.6 is crazy good.

I agree. I've used all the Nikon gear, back to the D3 and up to the Z8 & Z9. I use the A1, A9iii and A7R5 and specialise in birds in flight. The A1 blew me away when I purchased it three years ago, and still does. I tested the Z8 & Z9 against it and the A1 was and is the clear winner. Buy the Sony A1 and a Sony 600mm f4, I have them and they are excellent. Great video, thank you!

At this level, I believe its more personal preference / FOMO that would drive someone to jump between Z8 / A1 / R5.. it might be 1 / 20 great shots that the Z8 wont get that the A1 will, but more interestingly there would be that 1 shot that the Z8 gets that the A1 wont, just coz at that time, place and situation the AF worked in a certain way, its really so close. The A1 is not so much better than Z8 in real world, would rather spend on tele primes or travelling to better locations for better shots than spending or on or even thinking of camera body if really already owning Z8 / A1 / likes.

I’ll tell you this, get a battery grip and almost every Sony feels twice as good ergonomically. Not as good as the Z8 but a lot better than an ungripped Sony. (My experience is based off the A7R3 and the A7RV)

Since I seem to follow you gear wise, my wife is gonna be pissed if you go to the A1 and a 400mm f2.8, lol! (Because that means I will eventually go that way too, lol) Anyway, hey, I just got a 500mm f4 FL from Nikon and I’m happy with it. But a little info, I started my photography with Sony. I got an old school A mount camera, so I’m always drawn to Sony. I had an A33, A77, A7, A7ii, switched to Nikon then back to Sony for the A7R3, then back to Nikon to the D850.

Nice video Mat. You didnt mention the pre capture in raw, i have the A9iii and have found it allows me to capture images of birds that i have never captured before. I would strongly suggest that you do not invest in a camera without this feature, as personally i would never go back. All the best in your decision…

A1-2 is twice the price as the Z8 & the A7R5! It should give twice the performance. When you start shooting at farther distances from your subject, or low light & in-flight, the in focus gap between the Sony & Nikon gets larger. If I coUld justify spending that much on yet another hobby, I'd get the A1II & 600f4 in a heartbeat. I truly believe that Sony actually has subject recognition & Nikon is still using some kind of contrast detect & not true subject recognition or the algorithm is causing it to continuously keep hunting. But with the focus hunting back & forth, I'll guess it is not a true subject detect AF system. To bad, them built in tele's on the 400 & 600 tho expensive are pieces of art. Don't matter how much money one saves if you really need a tack sharp in focus photo & didn't get it.