D4 discussion and picture thread

[jerryph]

I'll tell you what, let's just agree to disagree and leave it at that, but I bet you are going to say I am being argumentative and illogical again, though... lol

[apaflo]

Originally Posted by jerryph

I'll tell you what, let's just agree to disagree and leave it at that, but I bet you are going to say I am being argumentative and illogical again, though... lol

No, only if you are. This response obviously was not, and I don't see any reason to assume the next article you write won't be logical and to the point also. (Edit: It wasn't... oh well.)

[jerryph]

Why don't you leave the future to the future and stop acting like the thread police, trying to fight crime and all, ok?

Sit back, and enjoy... it makes life a lot more enjoyable.

[Pixtaker]

Jerry, I just got my D4 after a 2 month wait, but it was worth the time! I liked your wireless "cheap shots" idea and plan to look into the purchase of the MB-1132 unit. At present I am still learning about all the controls on the D4 - WOW!!! I am blown away by the speed of focusing in low light and the spot on resolution of the images. I have experimented with the 3D focus and have found it will be very useful during my sports photography. I have only scratched the surface of what this thing can do and I look forward to learning more everyday.

[jerryph]

Congrats!!

Oh yeah, even after a month of studying and playing with this camera, it still blows me away!

The Sapido router is working awesome, I love the wireless teathered ability or just remote viewing and control of my D4, and I again plan to take it out into a park this weekend just to play some more with it (it's going to be a looooooong weekend, a wedding on Friday, a Strobist get together on Saturday... lol), it is an awesome way to check focus using an iPad... though the focus is so freaking accurate, it is near impossible to take an OOF shot... except under ONE condition, if you are not aware of it.

Using the following settings:
A1 - Focus priority
A2 - Focus priority
A3 - 1
A4 - OFF

These settings force the camera to NOT shoot until it is in focus, AND disables the focus function from the shutter. To focus, you must use one of the 2 rear AF buttons to get the camera to focus.

On cameras like the D200, D300, D700, D3, and D3s, with AF-C turned on and the A4 setting turned OFF, and settings set to FOCUS priority, if the shot is not in focus, the camera will simply *not* take the photo. You press the shutter but nothing happens. You must focus the shot, and then the shutter trips. With the D4 it *will* take the shot, out of focus or not, and this is disconcerting, making some think that there is something wrong with their D4, but that is normal functionality.

To avoid blurry photos, make sure you press and HOLD the rear AF button so the camera focus motor engages. Once you release the AF button, irrespective of if you have given the camera the time to attain focus or not, it will release the shutter, thinking that you, as the operator, have what you want in frame in focus, and not interfere with stopping the shot.


Here are 2 scenarios that explain how to work the camera with AF-C activated and A4 turned off:

This is very cool if you are shooting moving objects (for example, a couple walking towards you), press and HOLD the rear AF button and press the shutter often. Each shot will be in PERFECT focus and the camera will NOT release the shutter until 100% focus is attained.

But as soon as they stop moving, you can release the rear AF button and recompose and shoot 10 times, and since focus never changes from where you placed it on your unmoving couple, the camera never refocuses and you get 10 shots very fast in a row without the AF interfering or causing a delay, again all in 100% perfect focus.

Another example, if you are, again for example, following a moving couple and are pressing and holding the rear AF button and pressing the shutter, all shots will be in focus. Once you take your finger off the AF button, the camera assumes what you are looking at is in focus and the shutter releases taking shoots of your still moving couple which will give you a nice set of blurry photos, but as long as the rear AF button is pressed, it will NOT fire until the camera confirms it is in focus no matter how long you hold the shutter button down. If you happen to use a lens that is slow focusing, the interval between shots can be long. It just won't give you a blurred shot.

This comes in uber-handy for recomposing shots before taking the photo, but drove me nuts for about 2 minutes until I figured it out. Even the Nikon manual is not very clear on this, but... that is how it is.

[apaflo]

Originally Posted by jerryph

it is near impossible to take an OOF shot... except under ONE condition, if you are not aware of it.

Using the following settings:
A1 - Focus priority
A2 - Focus priority
A3 - 1
A4 - OFF

On the D4 the A3 register should be OFF, and the A4 register should be set for "AF-ON Only" for the configuration you are suggesting. I'm not sure that is an ideal configuration though...

I personally do not set A4 that way, and use "Shutter/AF-ON". But I typically am more likely to use AF-S than AF-C too. I find it easier to let the focus lock, and if I want to reset the focus I can release and then again half engage the shutter button. Both methods work, but either one may or may not be easier physically for any given person's fingers.

These settings force the camera to NOT shoot until it is in focus, AND disables the focus function from the shutter. To focus, you must use one of the 2 rear AF buttons to get the camera to focus.

On cameras like the D200, D300, D700, D3, and D3s, with AF-C turned on and the A4 setting turned OFF, and settings set to FOCUS priority, if the shot is not in focus, the camera will simply *not* take the photo. You press the shutter but nothing happens. You must focus the shot, and then the shutter trips. With the D4 it *will* take the shot, out of focus or not, and this is disconcerting, making some think that there is something wrong with their D4, but that is normal functionality.

It works the same way on the D3, D3S and D4, except of course it is the A4 register on the D3 models and the A3 register on the D4. It functions only in AF-C mode, and does not change the priority selection for any of those models. That register selection has no effect in AF-S mode.

The distinction between release and focus priority in AF-C mode is set with register A1, and for AF-S mode is set with register A2. The A2 selections are the same for those models, but the A1 register on the D4 has an addition selection (Focus + Release) that is not available on previous models.

Note that in either AF-C or AF-S, with any priority other than focus the shutter can be tripped even if the camera is not in focus, but when the priority is set to focus the shutter will not trip until the little dot in the viewfinder is turned on to indicate focus. (That is absolutely true with models previous to the D4, but as you note there is a change in the way the D4 works when using Focus priority. I'll discuss that below.)

Everyone needs to be aware that in AF-C mode when focus is achieved and the viewfinder dot is turn on it does not "lock" focus. That is, because it is in continuous servo mode it will continue to seek correct focus, and if the object at the selected focus point moves closer or farther from the camera the lens will be refocused as long as the focus mechanism is activated (by the AF-ON button or a half pressed shutter button if that is activated). Releasing the AF-ON button will effectively "lock" focus if and only if register A4 is set to "AF-ON only", because otherwise as soon as the shutter release button is pressed the AF system will again be activated.

With AF-S mode, when focus is achieved it is locked at that point, and even with the AF-ON button still pressed, or the shutter button still half pressed, all effort to focus will cease until it is reactivated by releasing the appropriate button or pushing it fully to release the shutter, and then re-engaging it.

That is, in either AF-C or AF-S mode if the appropriate register is set for "focus priority" the shutter will not release until focus has been achieved; and conversely if the appropriate register is set for any other priority it is possible to make exposures when the camera is not focused. With the D4 disabling AF (releasing the AF-ON button) allows the shutter to be released as long as it is not configured enable AF with a half pressed shutter button. (With previous models the shutter could not be released even when AF was not enabled if Focus priority was selected.)

These different options allow exceedingly good results in a variety of different situations, but realizing which configuration is optimum for any given circumstance requires very careful reading of the manual!

To avoid blurry photos, make sure you press and HOLD the rear AF button so the camera focus motor engages. Once you release the AF button, irrespective of if you have given the camera the time to attain focus or not, it will release the shutter, thinking that you, as the operator, have what you want in frame in focus, and not interfere with stopping the shot.

The only time the "Focus priority" does anything is when AF is enabled, either via the AF-ON button, or a half pressed shutter button if that is configured to enable AF.

If you want to prevent the shutter from being fired when the camera has not achieved focus in AF-C mode, configure the half press shutter button to enable AF. The same thing works in AF-S, except that when focus is achieved it will lock at that point, and as long as the AF-ON or the shutter button is half pressed AF will 1) not change and 2) allow the shutter to be fired.

That allows for two different methods to "focus and recompose". If AF-S is enabled just half pressing the shutter button until focus is achieved, and then while it is locked the scene can be recomposed and a full press of the shutter button will fire the shutter without changing the focus. If AF-C is enabled the shutter button half press must be configured to not enable AF, the AF-ON button is used to attain focus and is then release before the scene is recomposed and the shutter released.

The models previous to the D4, as you've indicated, would not fire the shutter in "Focus priority" unless AF was enabled and the focus dot was on, hence to focus and recompose the camera had to be set to "Release priority".

Here are 2 scenarios that explain how to work the camera with AF-C activated and A4 turned off:

This is very cool if you are shooting moving objects (for example, a couple walking towards you), press and HOLD the rear AF button and press the shutter often. Each shot will be in PERFECT focus and the camera will NOT release the shutter until 100% focus is attained.

But as soon as they stop moving, you can release the rear AF button and recompose and shoot 10 times, and since focus never changes from where you placed it on your unmoving couple, the camera never refocuses and you get 10 shots very fast in a row without the AF interfering or causing a delay, again all in 100% perfect focus.

That is true, but a way that I personally prefer for that scenario is to use AF-S with Focus priority. For each of the single shots as they are slowing walking, just fully release the shutter button between each shot. For the 10 or whatever shot once they are stationary, focus once and the maintain a half press on the shutter button while take other exposures with different framing. (I have fingers that are well co-ordinated and able to make precision movements, some people do not and they might find my method more difficult instead of more easy.)

Another example, if you are, again for example, following a moving couple and are pressing and holding the rear AF button and pressing the shutter, all shots will be in focus. Once you take your finger off the AF button, the camera assumes what you are looking at is in focus and the shutter releases taking shoots of your still moving couple which will give you a nice set of blurry photos, but as long as the rear AF button is pressed, it will NOT fire until the camera confirms it is in focus no matter how long you hold the shutter button down. If you happen to use a lens that is slow focusing, the interval between shots can be long. It just won't give you a blurred shot.

On the older models that required either switching between AF-S configured for Focus priority and AF-C configured for Release priority, or going into the menu and changing from Focus to Release priority. Hence the D4 is slightly more versatile for those who don't want to use the shutter release button to activate Auto Focus.

This comes in uber-handy for recomposing shots before taking the photo, but drove me nuts for about 2 minutes until I figured it out. Even the Nikon manual is not very clear on this, but... that is how it is.

And then it gets even more complex... deciding what configurations to use for subjects that are not only not stationary, but aren't walking nice and slowly! There's a big difference between something that might move in just any direction, and something that is much faster but not erratic.

One possible use for Shooting menu banks and Custom settings banks is to try to make switching between configurations easier. Unfortunately Nikon's concept of software user interfaces is perhaps a bit less than what it could be, and their implementation of "banks" is very poor. As it is, if you switch to Bank B, any change made is also the "saved" setting that will be restored if Bank B is selected again at some later time. Each time Bank B is selected every single option that it changes has to be checked to see if it is right for your current use, because there no basic Bank B Configuration. What they should have had is a separate "Save the current Bank" option. That way a "standard" configuration for Bank B could be saved, and while it might not fit exactly each situation for which Bank B would be enabled, the user would more likely be able to remember what has to be changed from their "standard" than they would be to remember what the last Bank B config happened to be. But, alas, there is no "Save" option.

[apaflo]

Originally Posted by Pixtaker

I have experimented with the 3D focus and have found it will be very useful during my sports photography.

Depending on which type of sport you are shooting, the previous register configurations might not be useful.

Particularly the A3 register, which we've suggested be set to OFF, might be better set to some amount of delay for shooting something like a basketball game. For a sport where the subject would be stationary but there might be interfering objects that occasionally block your view of the subject, AF-S might be a better mode.

Note that 3D tracking is for a subject moving erratically from side to side within the viewfinder, and is unrelated to maintaining focus as a subject moves towards or away from the camera. 3D tracking is a mechanism to pick which focus point will be used, these other options change how it is used.

Predictive focus tracking is useful for any sport that includes fast moving objects that quickly change the focus distance. It is an integral part of AF-C. Note that in the example previously discussed of a subject slowly walking toward the camera there is virtually no benefit from using AF-C, with predictive tracking, over AF-S simply because the camera can focus as fast as the subject is moving. But if the object is a bird in flight, an airplane at an air show, speeding cars at the race track, or even speed skaters, then AF-C and predictive tracking is the choice. It will allow relatively high frame rates to still provide in focus images of moving objects shot in Continuous High speed mode.