Nikon’s latest firmware brings some meaty upgrades for Z 6 and Z 7 owners in the shape of eye autofocus, and many were excited to see how it compares to the likes of Canon and Sony. Photographer Jared Polin was given a week’s head start with the new feature and has tested it extensively. Check out this video to see how it performs.
As part of his assessment, Polin tries a couple of different lens combinations and is very thorough in his real-world tests using the Nikon Z 6. Sony still seems to be ahead of the game by some considerable distance, which is understandable given that it’s had a few years’ head start over the competition. There are various limitations revealed in Nikon’s nascent technology, but Polin seems optimistic for what is to come.
If you’ve yet to upgrade the firmware, head to the Nikon Download Center by clicking here.
Two small points that Polin picks up on caught my interest: firstly, Sony’s method of installing firmware updates is dreadful compared to Nikon, something that I wish could be improved. Sony, if you’re reading, please take note. Save us some fiddling and allow us to install it from an SD card! Secondly, Polin speculates that shooting portraits in AF-S (autofocus single) mode is now almost a thing of the past: switch to AF-C (autofocus continuous), trigger eye autofocus, and let the camera do the work instead of playing with focus points or playing the classic “focus, recompose” game. Things have changed.
If you’ve installed the latest firmware for your Z 6 or Z 7, let us know in the comments how you’re finding the eye autofocus performance.