Just dropped, a giant update Firmware 5.03 to the venerable Z 9! You can download it here but check this update out! Here are my settings for Firmware 5.3 :-)

Note: The changes listed below under “Still Photography”, “Video Recording”, “Playback”, “Controls”, and “Network” are detailed in the Supplementary Firmware Update Manual.

Note: Due to the addition of new menu items, some Custom Settings menu items have been renumbered.

■ Still Photography

• Subject detection is now available when [Single-point AF], [Dynamic-area AF (S)], [Dynamic-area AF (M)], or [Dynamic-area AF (L)] is selected for [AF-area mode].
• Extended the dimensions of focus areas available with [Wide-area AF (C1)] and [Wide-area AF (C2)] AF-area modes.
• Added [Flat Monochrome] and [Deep Tone Monochrome] Picture Controls. Also added support for “Flexible Color” Picture Controls.
• Added [Reset focus after shooting] to [Auto capture]. Also added [Face] to subject detection type options.

■ Video Recording

• Subject detection is now available when [Single-point AF] is selected for [AF-area mode].
• Extended the dimensions of focus areas available with [Wide-area AF (C1)] and [Wide-area AF (C2)] AF-area modes.
• Added [Flat Monochrome] and [Deep Tone Monochrome] Picture Controls. Also added support for “Flexible Color” Picture Controls.
• Added [Reset focus after shooting] to [Auto capture]. Also added [Face] to subject detection type options.
• Selecting [ON] for [Hi-Res Zoom] in the [VIDEO RECORDING MENU] now displays a focus point on the detected subject in the shooting display.

■ Playback

• Added [Date] to [Filtered playback criteria] in playback menu and playback “i” menu.
• Added [Loop playback] in the video playback “i” menu.
• Added [Auto-rotate during playback] to the playback menu.

■ Controls

• Added an [Active subject detection options] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in positions of a10 and g6.
• The a14 [Max. aperture Lv during MF] item is now a15 [Maximum aperture Lv] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• Added a [Focus limiter setting] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position of a17.
• [Focus limiter] and [Cycle subject detection options] are added to the roles assignable via f2 [Custom controls (shooting)] and g2 [Custom controls] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] and separate settings can now be saved to [Recall shooting functions] and [Recall shooting functions (hold)]. In addition, a magnification option of [400%] has been added to [Zoom on/off].
• Added [Jump to the source image] as an assignable role to f3 [Custom controls (playback)] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• Added a [Cycle image area using built-in TC] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position of f11.

■ Network

• You can now add descriptive text to existing network profiles using [Connect to FTP server] in [NETWORK MENU].
• Added [Sync date and time with NTP server] to [Connect to FTP server] > [Options] in [NETWORK MENU].
• Added [Overwrite copyright info] to [Connect to other cameras] in the [NETWORK MENU].
• The master camera can now detect and connect to remote cameras on the same network.
• Added [USB streaming (UVC/UAC)] to [USB] in the [NETWORK MENU].

■ Other Changes

• Made improvements to the autofocus operation and its reliability including subject acquisition during still photography.
• Direct measurement of white balance is now available also for still photography via applications, such as NX Tether.
• Voice memo recording is now available with external microphones.
• Changed the specifications for uninterrupted video output to HDMI devices such as external monitors when recording ended.
• The headphone volume level can now be adjusted in the “i” menu during video recording.
• Videos no longer rotate automatically with the camera when [Auto-rotate pictures] is set to [ON] in the [PLAYBACK MENU].
• Added [Flat Monochrome] and [Deep Tone Monochrome] Picture Control options to [RAW processing (current picture)] / [RAW processing (multiple pictures)] in the [Retouch] menu. Also added support for “Flexible Color” Picture Controls.
• The speed at which the camera cycles through focus points using the multi selector or sub-selector no longer slows down when changing direction.
• The tonal characteristics have been changed when [ON] is selected for Custom Setting g14 [View assist] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• Fixed typos in the monitor display when pressing a control to which [Shooting menu bank] had been assigned using Custom Setting g2 [Custom controls] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] while either [Histogram] or [Wave-form monitor] was displayed during video recording.

WOWZERS!! Well done Nikon!!!

Keeping them fingers toasty is back to the top of the list this winter. I have all sorts of gloves in the closet, but the beginning of NFL season brought a new idea to my mind. The players have muffs they tuck their hands into between plays to keep them warm. That got me to thinking, so I went looking. Then I found they make these muffs for hunters and then the light bulb went on. There are times when shooting, that gloves just don’t work, normally when I’m shooting stills and video back to back. Bare fingers work the controls faster, surer. The muff seemed like a good solution so I got the Moxule Muff. I found it very comfortable, I could shoot / drive / walk around with it without any discomfort. It has a front pocket you can put electric hand warmers (my favorite ones) in or a teleconverter. You can easily slip your hands in the muff, keep them warm, slip them out to shoot and then back in again. It’s a simple, elegant solution to toasty digits, Moxule!!

Yellowstone is a spectacular location in Wyoming / Montana for vast landscapes and amazing critter! In this short video, I go through some of the basics of when, where, and why you want to shoot at this location. Enjoy!

Despite not much snow, if any on the mountains, big game mammals are making their annual trek down slope for the winter. They come down to lower elevations where gathering food is easier at the height of winter when there is less snow cover. It makes access to these magnificent critters simpler such as these Rocky Mountain Sheep. These rams, along with a herd of about eighty heads, were photographed yesterday at the 6000-foot mark. It’s essential to remember they are coming down for food and not do anything that would hinder that basic biology. Yeah, you might be able to be right amongst them with a 70-200, DON’T! I was shooting primarily at 1200mm giving them space to graze at will and at their comfort range rather then pushing them about, possibly diverting important foraging. Being amongst them is a huge thrill, nothing like wild sheep but be good guests as you make your visual story to share with others. Now’s the time though, they’re comin own!

It was kinda like de-ja-vou. I gotta tell ya, the Z24-70f2.8 is a great lens! I remember all too well when it was first introduced, I had to find out if it was as good as 24-70f2.8, which was an all-time favorite of mine. When I received the Z24-70f2.8II, its size and weight gave me pause, not the quality being finer than the F mount version. I once again made a call before ordering the Z24-70f2.8II and when I heard of the reduction in size and weight and its performance, the lens was in my hands two days later.

The loss of weight with its internal zooming mechanism blows my mind! How the magicians at Nikon pulled that one off is amazes me! Yes, the 77mm filter size is indicative of the slim down of the lens. How they got the lens so slimmed down with a new AF motor and internal zoom still has me scratching my head a month later.

It’s when I’m out shooting with it that my mind goes to a fog, the quality is better than all previous versions! The detail it captures like seen below, shot at f2.8, is making capturing intimate natural detail a snap. It focuses so much closer than previous versions, it can do macro. Even I made a couple nice macro shots last week and I’m not a macro shooter.

It has a clickable ring that you can set to do a number of functions. I set it to f/stops. The shade has a sliding door, making it simpler to rotate attached filters. While sharpness (dare I say, flat field sharpness) it the top attribute I love of the lens, right behind it is its smaller size! I reworked my camera bags adding space because the Z24-70f2.8II requires less. I can wrap up my affection for this version simply, Z24-70f2.8II … holly molly!

Buckie is the real deal! A wrangler on the sprawling Philmont Scout Ranch, he does it all and this evening he added to his resume, model. Pushing a herd of horses around, I knew he would not be close, so I grabbed the 180-600 to make some shots. The light was gorgeous, the action was fun and the Z180-600 knocked it out of the park as a portrait lens! You can see the wear in his chaps, the hair on the mane of the horse and then there is that mustache. Every time I grab the Z180-600 from the bag, I am not disappointed. What a versatile lens!