Imagery: Auto - Large Table of Contents

EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-05-09 07:35:25
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 3.149.213.209

For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login.

Nikon Z8

Autofocus Errors in Low Light

As discussed, Nikon apparently made a design decision to rely on autofocus stopped-down to the shooting aperture (through f/5.6 or so) to compensate for the egregious focus shift designed-into far too many Nikon NIKKOR Z lenses. While this in fact works well for most users most of the time, as a strategy it is a disaster out in the real world, namely, the requirement to focus wide open in dim light while exposing stopped down.

Nikon autofocus cannot reliably focus in dim light that I often shoot in, even at f/1.2. Very poor precision and accuracy is seen. I am making no claim about other systems, many if not most have similar issues, but Nikon needs work IMO.

Article continues for subscribers...

Diglloyd Guide to Mirrorless is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for only about 75 cents a day!

Diglloyd Guide to Mirrorless offers comprehensive integrated coverage of most APS-C and full frame mirrorless cameras and lenses.

Special emphasis is placed on Sony full-frame, including Sony lenses and the high performance Zeiss Batis and Zeiss Loxia lenses plus Rokinon/Samyang and others. Fujifilm X, Olympus and Panasonic M4/3, Sigma dp Merrill and dp/sd Quattro are also covered in depth. Years in the making, it offers a wealth of material for choosing and using a mirrorless camera.

  • Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away. For example, the best way to set up your Sony camera.
  • Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly with the numerous lenses available for Sony.
  • Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning—best practices and how-to and processing parameters are discussed and shown.
  • Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops.
  • Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
  • Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
  • Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.

Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Sony.

Variants AF,MF available in full article
f1.2 @ 1.0 sec, ISO 64; 2023-06-21 20:46:37
Nikon Z8 + Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S

[low-res image for bot]

diglloyd Inc. | FTC Disclosure | PRIVACY POLICY | Trademarks | Terms of Use
Contact | About Lloyd Chambers | Consulting | Photo Tours
RSS Feeds | X.com/diglloyd
Copyright © 2022 diglloyd Inc, all rights reserved.