Advice on buying a lens? (Nikon)

[mollyc]

I use my 105 macro on my Z6 frequently; probably the bulk of my photos posted here use that lens with the adpater and it works better on my Z6 than any other Nikon camera I've used it with.

I do also shoot Lensbaby because I like the look of it.

So much of this is off topic though. The OP asked about a Nikon lens and then segued to Nikon cameras. This particular thread really should be kept to Nikon products for his sake. If you don't shoot Nikon, great for you, I honestly hope you enjoy your gear, but those of us who do shoot Nikon are able to help the OP sort out his issues.

 

[Clix Pix]

Well, then have at it, then!

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I use my 105 macro on my Z6 frequently; probably the bulk of my photos posted here use that lens with the adpater and it works better on my Z6 than any other Nikon camera I've used it with.

I do also shoot Lensbaby because I like the look of it.

So much of this is off topic though. The OP asked about a Nikon lens and then segued to Nikon cameras. This particular thread really should be kept to Nikon products for his sake. If you don't shoot Nikon, great for you, I honestly hope you enjoy your gear, but those of us who do shoot Nikon are able to help the OP sort out his issues.

We did lose track here. I posted all those monster tele photos a few pages ago, but I was trying to lighten the mood, I swear! 😇

 

[mollyc]

We did lose track here. I posted all those monster tele photos a few pages ago, but I was trying to lighten the mood, I swear! 😇

It was a group effort 😂

 

[kallisti]

I'm really wondering if it's my FTZ adapter. It was dimly lit room shooting a picture of my dog on the floor about 6 or 7 feet away (just a test photo). Sounds like a tough shot but the D7500 was able to do it on the same settings. I tried changing the live view option that Molly suggested but that didn't seem to make a change. Sometimes the focus goes wildly out of focus and it doesn't know how to focus at all and I have to step in with the manual focus and then it goes back on track and finds a reasonable subject. This is true with the 35mm f/1.8 and the 24-70 f/2.8 Nikkor lenses. But it seems it's more of a all or or nothing thing with the FTZ adapter? It works or it doesn't? Most of the time, in proper light, it works excellent.

I'm really torn. How often am I going to be in these low light situations - I'm not sure, but I would like the versatility. The video that the Z50 captured last night in normal conditions was honestly absolutely gorgeous and stunning, which is very attractive to me. It autofocuses beautifully as my 13 month old flailed around. 😂 But I also think the most frequent video opportunities I'll have will be those impromptu family moments and my iPhone may be the primary shooter for those. I also really love the exposure in real time as I learn more of how to shoot good photos, but I'm sure I can continue to learn on a traditional dSLR (just less immediate gratification).

Here are the same pictures back to back - one where it could focus and another where it could not:

Z50
24 mm f/2.8
ISO 28,800 (auto)
Shutter speed: 1/125 (too fast I know... but also happens on slower shutter)

FYI - both pictures have underwear quickly photoshopped out from the right, LOL. It was a test pic! 😳😅🤪View attachment 964193View attachment 964194

I agree with above posts that comment on the extremely high ISO in your example. Even with your shutter speed of 1/125th sec @ f/2.8, the ISO of 28k implies a very low light situation where many AF implementations would struggle. In this situation you really need a fast f/1.4 prime which would give you 2 stops of exposure and bring your ISO down to ~7k—still quite large but might give the AF a fighting chance.

Max ISO numbers for a camera body are misleading. Higher ISO result in significant increase in noise, loss of dynamic rage, and loss of sharpness.

For my Z7, there is a soft break point at ISO 800. There is a harder break point at ISO 1600. Files shot at ISO 800 or lower are almost always fixable in post. Files shot at ISO 1600 are generally still useable. Files shot at higher ISO values start to really suffer. 3200 might be usable, but it isn’t a given. My cutoffs relate to analysis of RAW files in RawDigger (for objective data) and also my experience with actual images.

I often shoot in aperture priority mode with my Z7. I have my minimum shutter speed set to 125th sec. I chose this value based on my common shooting subject—my son. Slower shutter speeds blur his “normal” movements. I have my max ISO set to 1600, because of the significant drop in file quality at ISO values above this cutoff.

Most of the time these settings work, even if I’m not shooting my son.

Sometimes I go full manual, especially if I am taking my time and using a tripod.

My point for you is that it’s really, really important to understand how your Z50 is making exposure choices in full auto mode or semi-auto mode (like aperture priority).

If you set your max allowable ISO to 28k, then that is the ISO that most of your low-light images will be captured at. This can have very negative consequences regarding image quality, sharpness, dynamic range, and AF performance. In my experience, it sounds great to set broad parameters for how the various auto modes behave, but in practice (especially in poor lighting) all of your images are going to end up at your “worst case” scenario with the highest ISO you have allowed. So choose this ISO value carefully.

It might be better to set your max ISO to a more modest level and then manually increase ISO to a higher level if a specific image demands it. This lets you determine the pros and cons of a higher ISO for a particular image.

Others have commented on the role of choosing the best AF mode. This is really, really important. Worth experimenting with to get a feel for which AF mode works best for different subjects.

 

[r.harris1]

It is indeed buyer’s choice. Whatever system floats your boat, they can all produce stellar images if you spend time learning the ins-and-outs. All of them. My own preference is Nikon but it’s simply personal for a variety of both mundanely technical and wildly subjective reasons. At the end of the day it literally doesn’t matter one iota which brand you shoot. Really. Go handle them if you can, ignore clickbait reviews (that’s literally most of them, by the way) and employ your mind and senses. Find a system you like and that meets your unique needs and enjoy!

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

It is indeed buyer’s choice. Whatever system floats your boat, they can all produce stellar images if you spend time learning the ins-and-outs. All of them. My own preference is Nikon but it’s simply personal for a variety of both mundanely technical and wildly subjective reasons. At the end of the day it literally doesn’t matter one iota which brand you shoot. Really. Go handle them if you can, ignore clickbait reviews (that’s literally most of them, by the way) and employ your mind and senses. Find a system you like and that meets your unique needs and enjoy!

I take the reviews with a grain of salt, and then go to a user's forum and get feedback there. Sites where real everyday users post results from bodies and lenses. It's not bad once you're already an owner of that gear too, because those sample shots can quickly tell you if the limitation is from you or from the gear. Rarely is it the gear in my case, but I have learned to pick my lenses in this way.

 

[r.harris1]

I take the reviews with a grain of salt, and then go to a user's forum and get feedback there. Sites where real everyday users post results from bodies and lenses. It's not bad once you're already an owner of that gear too, because those sample shots can quickly tell you if the limitation is from you or from the gear. Rarely is it the gear in my case, but I have learned to pick my lenses in this way.

Yes, and it’s the lenses where spending time choosing brings rewards. It’s rarely the body sensor as many are made by Sony anyway. The imaging pipeline, which includes the sensor but also everything between it and writing the raw file, can be a differentiator, or the autofocus engine perhaps. But give me a nice lens any day and I’ll be happy.

Back on topic ever so slightly, a reviewer and photographer I respect, Thom Hogan, has an interesting review of the Z50 That may be worth OP’s perusal: https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-cameras/nikon-z-camera-reviews/nikon-z50-camera-review.html.

 

[Apple fanboy]

To OP, regarding your results, are you shooting single point/single area focus in low light? Sorry if I missed that part. I think wide area or multi-point focus can be a lot less reliable in this situation. If I were in this scenario, I’d for sure want a smaller focus point. It puts you in more control over the camera anyway.

As for the brand criticism, I’ve shot Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus, and I have gotten winners out of all of them. I’ve also been frustrated by all of them at times. We’re all capturing light here, and I don’t see the need to disparage a brand that didn’t work out for me. It’s buyers choice.

I really don’t think any camera brand make bad cameras these days. They are all good. It’s just personal choice based on what features/lenses/price point are fit for the individual.
I think I could take any camera brand and take a bad photo with it! But that’s nothing to do with the gear!

 

[deep diver]

This has been a great discussion about so many of the possible reasons for this problem. There is a lot of information and I know I have learned a lot. There is yet one more possibility that has not been suggested. While it is unlikely, the OP might just have a faulty unit. At this point I am no longer clear on whether the issue is the body or a particular lens. In either case, it might be worthwhile to exchange the unit and see what happens.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Thank you everyone, I have learned so much from you all. I clearly have a lot to learn in terms of crafting a good photo, but you have to start somewhere! On my D50, I used it as a point and shoot and never dared venture into the manual mode as I was intimidated by it. Needless to say I have broken out of that shell now!

I do see that I was likely in too low of light conditions. I will mention that despite the challenging conditions, the D7500 was able to do it while the Z50 could not. It's a bit extreme though, and unlikely to get reasonably good photos with either even when focused, at least with the equipment I have.

AF-S is really the sweet spot for me. AF-C and AF-A cause more trouble than they help at times, particularly in low light. I am trying to use auto-area AF, but sometimes finding myself switching to wide-area AF.

AF-F (full time) with auto-area AF on video is great, however.

I think the Z50 is growing on me. I find myself slowly adapting to the new layout of controls, though I do prefer D7500's layout. But that is quite a larger camera. I am going to try and put the camera through its paces this weekend. Despite my gripes of AF, it may have been more my fault and unrealistic expectations. I do see the possibility that at the end of the day, my switch may be from my Nikon D50 to a Nikon Z50. Quite a jump!

The review from Thom Hogan helped me a great deal as well.

Apologies for jumping around from topic to topic on this thread. I have been at MR for 15 years and have never spent much time in here, and I clearly have been missing out - you all are a very helpful and nice group.

 

[deep diver]

Thank you everyone, I have learned so much from you all. I clearly have a lot to learn in terms of crafting a good photo, but you have to start somewhere! On my D50, I used it as a point and shoot and never dared venture into the manual mode as I was intimidated by it. Needless to say I have broken out of that shell now!

I do see that I was likely in too low of light conditions. I will mention that despite the challenging conditions, the D7500 was able to do it while the Z50 could not. It's a bit extreme though, and unlikely to get reasonably good photos with either even when focused, at least with the equipment I have.

AF-S is really the sweet spot for me. AF-C and AF-A cause more trouble than they help at times, particularly in low light. I am trying to use auto-area AF, but sometimes finding myself switching to wide-area AF.

AF-F (full time) with auto-area AF on video is great, however.

I think the Z50 is growing on me. I find myself slowly adapting to the new layout of controls, though I do prefer D7500's layout. But that is quite a larger camera. I am going to try and put the camera through its paces this weekend. Despite my gripes of AF, it may have been more my fault and unrealistic expectations. I do see the possibility that at the end of the day, my switch may be from my Nikon D50 to a Nikon Z50. Quite a jump!

The review from Thom Hogan helped me a great deal as well.

Apologies for jumping around from topic to topic on this thread. I have been at MR for 15 years and have never spent much time in here, and I clearly have been missing out - you all are a very helpful and nice group.

We hope you'll stay around and join the Photo of the Day and Weekly Photo Contest threads.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Thank you everyone, I have learned so much from you all. I clearly have a lot to learn in terms of crafting a good photo, but you have to start somewhere! On my D50, I used it as a point and shoot and never dared venture into the manual mode as I was intimidated by it. Needless to say I have broken out of that shell now!

I do see that I was likely in too low of light conditions. I will mention that despite the challenging conditions, the D7500 was able to do it while the Z50 could not. It's a bit extreme though, and unlikely to get reasonably good photos with either even when focused, at least with the equipment I have.

AF-S is really the sweet spot for me. AF-C and AF-A cause more trouble than they help at times, particularly in low light. I am trying to use auto-area AF, but sometimes finding myself switching to wide-area AF.

AF-F (full time) with auto-area AF on video is great, however.

I think the Z50 is growing on me. I find myself slowly adapting to the new layout of controls, though I do prefer D7500's layout. But that is quite a larger camera. I am going to try and put the camera through its paces this weekend. Despite my gripes of AF, it may have been more my fault and unrealistic expectations. I do see the possibility that at the end of the day, my switch may be from my Nikon D50 to a Nikon Z50. Quite a jump!

The review from Thom Hogan helped me a great deal as well.

Apologies for jumping around from topic to topic on this thread. I have been at MR for 15 years and have never spent much time in here, and I clearly have been missing out - you all are a very helpful and nice group.

Try dropping to small area AF. Not necessarily single point, but where the center 1/3 section of the camera drives the focus point. It seems a little counterintuitive, but you can grab your focus there and often pan to reframe your subject with the focus lock held (the half shutter button press). I think you’ll get less focus hunting in the low light that way.

We hope you'll stay around and join the Photo of the Day and Weekly Photo Contest threads.

Agreed. The POTD is a great place to start, and you’ll typically only get feedback when you ask, so it’s not hostile in the slightest. Unless you try to slip CGI moonshots in there.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

I'm going to stick with the Z50. Spent about 3 hours with Z50 and 2 hours with the D7500 today and I am confident the Z50 is a better fit for me over the D7500. I found myself missing how the Z50 operates when I was using D7500. Subtle changes (and some not so subtle) in the UI I prefer in the Z series, as well as the biggest advantages for me being the EVF & 4k video with autofocus. Both took incredible photos, but for whatever reason most of the "keeper" photos from today were with the Z50. I don't have concerns with the autofocus anymore on the Z series. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'm going to stick with the Z50. Spent about 3 hours with Z50 and 2 hours with the D7500 today and I am confident the Z50 is a better fit for me over the D7500. I found myself missing how the Z50 operates when I was using D7500. Subtle changes (and some not so subtle) in the UI I prefer in the Z series, as well as the biggest advantages for me being the EVF & 4k video with autofocus. Both took incredible photos, but for whatever reason most of the "keeper" photos from today were with the Z50. I don't have concerns with the autofocus anymore on the Z series. Thanks again everyone!

Enjoy your new camera.

 

[kallisti]

I'm going to stick with the Z50. Spent about 3 hours with Z50 and 2 hours with the D7500 today and I am confident the Z50 is a better fit for me over the D7500. I found myself missing how the Z50 operates when I was using D7500. Subtle changes (and some not so subtle) in the UI I prefer in the Z series, as well as the biggest advantages for me being the EVF & 4k video with autofocus. Both took incredible photos, but for whatever reason most of the "keeper" photos from today were with the Z50. I don't have concerns with the autofocus anymore on the Z series. Thanks again everyone!

Congrats on the new camera.

One AF mode I use regularly is auto area with AF-C.

This let’s you choose an AF area (a decent sized square) and then retain that AF area as you either recompose or your subject moves within the frame. Since it’s AF-C, focus is continuously acquired on your chosen subject. Meant for moving subjects to track them and maintain AF. But I find it useful even for stationary subjects—acquire focus where you want it in a scene and then compose the shot to taste. The advantage over locking the focus with AF-S and then recomposing is that it can eliminate focus errors that can arise from swiveling the camera or changing camera position (i.e. moving the camera slightly forward/back or actually moving your feet slightly forward/back). All of these can change the subject distance. With a large depth of field (DOF) these changes may not affect subject sharpness (i.e. whether it is in focus or out of focus). But with a shallower DOF they can (various combinations of close subject, large aperture, longer focal length).

Auto area AF + AF-C isn’t perfect, either for moving subjects or stationary subjects. But it is the AF mode I use most often when not shooting on a tripod. I find it very easy to use and it works well most of the time.

This AF mode combo is also required for face/eye AF to function. If you are shooting people, face/eye AF can be very useful.

There is a slight learning curve to figuring out how to use it, but it is very slight. Once you play with it a little, it becomes easy and intuitive. Happy to offer advice if you have questions.

 

[gkarris]

I'm going to stick with the Z50. Spent about 3 hours with Z50 and 2 hours with the D7500 today and I am confident the Z50 is a better fit for me over the D7500. I found myself missing how the Z50 operates when I was using D7500. Subtle changes (and some not so subtle) in the UI I prefer in the Z series, as well as the biggest advantages for me being the EVF & 4k video with autofocus. Both took incredible photos, but for whatever reason most of the "keeper" photos from today were with the Z50. I don't have concerns with the autofocus anymore on the Z series. Thanks again everyone!

how's the viewfinder blackout in high speed continuous and AF-C?

thanks,

 

[mofunk]

I know I'm late. I read through a few comments. The D7500 is a nice camera. I held it against my D750 and the only difference is that its a full frame. I'm guessing if you get some fast glass with your D7500 you will get some great results. I know when I had my D90 my images looked a lot sharper with the 17-55 f/2.8 and the 24-70mm f/2.8. Looking at the range you would like to shoot is a good start. Then try out a few lenses. Don't be afraid to buy used. My last two lenses from B&H were used and they really look new. Or rent them before you buy. Lensrental.com