Z9 Release Thread

[Akira]

I think the biggest problem for the anti-flicker system is that there seems to have been so many different cycles of the lighting, since the LEDs had taken the world where there used to be only 50 or 60Hz.

It would be challenging to set the shutter speed and/or frames per second in harmony with all the existing cycles of the flickers in the same room.   

[iustin]

The e-shutter at least in the A9 works by reading the data in blocks of lines whereas the mechanical shutter curtains move smoothly across the sensor surface (and the curtains are out of focus). This creates a different effect in flickering lights: sharp bands in the e-shutter vs. softer bands with the mechanical. The softer bands are less conspicuous. I don't know how the Z9 sensor is read; it might be that it is read one line at a time instead of blocks in which case it would be closer to how mechanical works.

Ah, yes, this makes a lot of sense, both the block reading and the distance to the sensor. Thank you very much for the explanation, learned something new!

[David H. Hartman]

I think the biggest problem for the anti-flicker system is that there seems to have been so many different cycles of the lighting, since the LEDs had taken the world where there used to be only 50 or 60Hz.

It would be challenging to set the shutter speed and/or frames per second in harmony with all the existing cycles of the flickers in the same room.   

Maybe this is no solution but in days of old when photographing a TV screen a slow shutter speed was used. In the case of decorative LED holiday lights perhaps a slow shutter speed with image stabilization ( or a tripod  ) ?

Dave ( who may be too tired to understand )

[David H. Hartman]

Is it Real or is it Photoshop?  [/i]

[Akira]

Maybe this is no solution but in days of old when photographing a TV screen a slow shutter speed was used. In the case of decorative LED holiday lights perhaps a slow shutter speed with image stabilization ( or a tripod  ) ?

Dave ( who may be too tired to understand )

Yes, the slow shutter is the only likely solution for now to me.

[David H. Hartman]

My photo above was a test with my new D850. There was only one exposure but I developed the NEF in CaptureNXD twice. Once for the screen and once for the rest. Then I composed them in Photoshop. I'm screeching my head: the exposure was 1/400th at f/5.6 with an ISO of 16,000. That's what the EXIF says. 

[Jan Anne]

DPR just posted their final review of the Canon R3, the only other full sized pro body at the moment but according to rumors a 1 series high res model is underway to compete with the Z9:
https://youtu.be/dURKsOcAhxc

Around 12:10 they show how the auto flickr reduction mode works, the camera makes a suggestion of the best setting which you can accept or ignore.

[chambeshi]

However the Z9 performs in the real wild, it has certainly stirring up the industry and raising Nikon's profile

https://techtipsaz.com/the-nikon-z9s-new-sensor-could-be-the-start-of-a-big-shift-in-photography/

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/mirrorless-now-half-of-revenue-company-on-track-to-grow-40-nikon-india-md-7632449/

and one of the many responses among the community of passionate photographers, especially of natural history:
https://youtu.be/o6QVXt3ECVE

This video mentions the impact of the antiflicker function under artificial light
https://youtu.be/sX8liUIlqCQ

[David H. Hartman]

Something I don't think has been mentioned regarding flicker problems isc the persistence of a light source. If a light source has a long persistence I don't believe flicker will be a problem. Cheap lights will frequently have a short persistence. Shop light fluorescent tubes have a cheap coating inside with short persistence and annoying flicker. That flicker can give people head aches. I would think cheap LED lights might have short persistence also.

Dave

[Jack Dahlgren]

Something I don't think has been mentioned regarding flicker problems isc the persistence of a light source. If a light source has a long persistence I don't believe flicker will be a problem. Cheap lights will frequently have a short persistence. Shop light fluorescent tubes have a cheap coating inside with short persistence and annoying flicker. That flicker can give people head aches. I would think cheap LED lights might have short persistence also.

Days

LEDs themselves have almost zero persistence. They are either on or off and can switch at megahertz frequencies. However for things like white LEDs a phosphor is excited by the blue LED light and emits a white light. The light trail of most of the ones I’ve seen seem to indicate that the decay is rather quick.

[David H. Hartman]

LEDs themselves have almost zero persistence.

That seems obvious. Thanks!

Dave

[Ilkka Nissilä]

This video mentions the impact of the antiflicker function under artificial light
https://youtu.be/sX8liUIlqCQ

Can you point to which part of the video talks about the flucker? I find it difficult to watch the whole because of the overflowing enthusiasm of the people on the video.

[golunvolo]

@5 min 40 seconds into the video it starts to talk about banding and flickering

[Ilkka Nissilä]

@5 min 40 seconds into the video it starts to talk about banding and flickering

Thanks! They talk about flicker under fluorescent lighting and how the flicker reduction feature is able to expose the shots when the lighting is at its brightest, reducing variation between shots. However, the discussion mainly revolves around the effects of the lighting flicker on the images, not the viewfinder (which normally cannot adjust the frequency of refresh to time for peak lighting intensity unless they came out with something new).

[chambeshi]

Latest video by Morten Hilmer on assignment for Nikon - Svalbard using Z9 with 800 f5.6E FL and its bespoke TC1.25

lovely images and footage of a confiding Arctic fox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJhQk7M78PE

The next Morten Hilmer movie with the Z9, this time with Svalbard polar bear encounter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLbDUvb69Pc&ab_channel=MortenHilmer

This is a superb piece of documentary. Certainly reminds us that being a wildlife photographer isn't always glamorous (or safe!)

Part of me wondered if they'd used the Z9 to shoot the video, but in several sections you see other people with other equipment (e.g. 19:30)