Nikon Z7 II image not centered?

[JulieJule]

We recently got a Nikon Z7 II and my husband kept telling me that he did not feel like the image her was seeing on review was the same as they image he thought he took. I thought he was crazy until I took it out yesterday and took some photos of a group of people I was sure I centered in the frame came back way off-center! Is this something common with this camera? Is it something we can fix or do we need to send it in? I am sure we are approaching the end of our warranty period so I want to take action as soon as possible. I have a Z8 and that took a little getting used to as far as framing because the info covers up part of the image, but this Z7 II is completely different. It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

 

[BasilG]

We recently got a Nikon Z7 II and my husband kept telling me that he did not feel like the image her was seeing on review was the same as they image he thought he took. I thought he was crazy until I took it out yesterday and took some photos of a group of people I was sure I centered in the frame came back way off-center! Is this something common with this camera? Is it something we can fix or do we need to send it in? I am sure we are approaching the end of our warranty period so I want to take action as soon as possible. I have a Z8 and that took a little getting used to as far as framing because the info covers up part of the image, but this Z7 II is completely different. It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

The EVF image comes from the sensor, so an alignment issue is unlikely. Is the eye cup mounted correctly so that you can see the entire EVF screen? And are you holding the camera steady so that the IBIS re-centering does not cause large framing changes?

 

[michaeladawson]

JulieJule wrote:I have a Z8 and that took a little getting used to as far as framing because the info covers up part of the image, but this Z7 II is completely different. It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

No, that doesn't make any sense. You say it's the vertical that is off? Looking at your photo I would have assumed it is the horizontal that is off. What am I misreading in your post?

As the responder above said... what you see in the viewfinder is coming directly from the sensor. What the sensor sends to the EVF is exactly the same image that is captured in the photo.





--
Mike Dawson

 

[skyrunr]

It doesn't seem possible that the photo would be that good if something (lens/sensor) was that far off. Does this happen with the EVF, LCD, and Snapbridge?

Can you get a smartphone photo of the LCD and your subject being centered that shows the difference in framing?

Where and when (usually within 30 days) did you get the Z7II, and can you exchange it for another copy?

 

[AlainCh2]

...
It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

Please try this as a test.
Centering the frame on the same SMALL subject:

a) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically using EVF on both.

b) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically USING THE MONITOR

( Please, post back the 4 images )

--
___.............................!............................ ___
-------- Mid of French/Italian Alps --------- I Love my Carnivores. >https://eu.zonerama.com/AlainCH2/1191151
.
Photography ... It is about how that thing looks when photographed..
( Avoid boring shots )

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

and took some photos of a group of people I was sure I centered in the frame came back way off-center! Is this something common with this camera?

The image in the viewfinder is generated directly from the sensor - and is what the lens is pointed at.

Although in lens VR can reframe an image moderately the 70-180 used for the photo does not have in lens VR.

If you have or can borrow a tripod take an image with the camera firmly attached to the tripod.

You should get exactly what you see in the viewfinder. Assuming you do you need to practice holding the camera steady when taking pictures.

--
Leonard Shepherd
In lots of ways good photography is similar to learning to play a piano - it takes practice to develop skill in either activity.

 

[j_photo]

...
It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

Please try this as a test.
Centering the frame on the same SMALL subject:

a) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically using EVF on both.

b) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically USING THE MONITOR

( Please, post back the 4 images )

This seems like a good suggestion. Maybe the optics in the EVF are out of alignment.

 

[jthomas39]

Do you wear eyeglasses? I can't quite see the edges of the scene in the EVF with glasses. If I can easily read the camera settings data at the bottom, the top of the frame is slightly out of view.

And I normally have the grid in view, and it's toggled on/off by the joystick button. The grid is in quarters, (not thirds as many photographers like), so there's a horizontal and vertical line through the center of the scene.

An easy test:

Use single point AF, and press the OK button to center it on the frame.

test one: Pick a small target subject to center. See if it is centered on the image review.

test two: Align a straight edged subject, like a window frame, with the top edge of the scene. Then compare with image review again.

 

[BasilG]

...
It's the vertical that is off, not the horizontal, if that makes sense.

Please try this as a test.
Centering the frame on the same SMALL subject:

a) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically using EVF on both.

b) Shoot it horizontally, turn the camera, and shoot it vertically USING THE MONITOR

( Please, post back the 4 images )

This seems like a good suggestion. Maybe the optics in the EVF are out of alignment.

Is it possible that the EVF is misaligned such that the OP does not see the entire "screen"? If so, the aspect ratio would have to be different (i.e. not 3:2, but something closer to a square).

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

Maybe the optics in the EVF are out of alignment.

The optics electronically deliver what the sensor records - being out of alignment would not affect what is centred in the image

 

[redeeman]

isnt it possible its zoomed in(magnified in the screen/viewfinder), and not in the center?

 

[BasilG]

isnt it possible its zoomed in(magnified in the screen/viewfinder), and not in the center?

Good idea.

 

[j_photo]

Maybe the optics in the EVF are out of alignment.

The optics electronically deliver what the sensor records - being out of alignment would not affect what is centred in the image

I'm referring to the optics between the electronic display on our eye. If these glass (or plastic?) lenses were misaligned, the person looking through the EVF might not be seeing the full image.

 

[Edj-nl]

I would suggest to update firmware and to try this option:
This will allow you to check wether is is a 'wearing glasses issue'.

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.50 to 1.60

• ..
• • Added [Finder display size (photo Lv)] to the [SETUP MENU].
• ...

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/518.html

 

[HRS]

No, that doesn't make any sense. You say it's the vertical that is off? Looking at your photo I would have assumed it is the horizontal that is off. What am I misreading in your post?

Yes, OP's description does make sense.

It's the up-and-down axis (the vertical one) that was supposed to be centered over the man who is in the middle of the group.

--
"Ad hominem" somebody if you can't offer facts to refute theirs.

 

[jthomas39]

Sorry, I'm still confused by which direction the center is displaced.

I cloned two red rectangles to find the center of the frame. Is the green box where you set the center of the frame in the viewfinder?

The space above and below the central man is what you expected? So the shift is directly horizontal to the left?



...

EDIT-- Just how far over is that green box? It's almost exactly 1/3 of the frame. (I drew the left blue box, then cloned it twice.) Huh, I wonder if that means anything.

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

I'm referring to the optics between the electronic display on our eye. If these glass (or plastic?) lenses were misaligned, the person looking through the EVF might not be seeing the full image.

In this scenario it is possible the viewer would see a part "blacked-out" segment in the viewfinder.

There is no information to support this.,

 

[allanimal]

Others have replied with lots of ideas. One thought I have:
The display can show a lot of information about the exposure and camera settings at the edges of the frame, and this information can be superimposed on top of the edges of the image. Sometimes I have misframed a shot because I thought these icons were outside of the image area instead of superimposed on it. Perhaps this is it?
by pressing the DISP button, you can cycle through the various levels of info displayed. Try finding the version with little or no “clutter” and see if the images still seem off-center.

 

[Ernie Misner]

Do you wear eyeglasses? I can't quite see the edges of the scene in the EVF with glasses. If I can easily read the camera settings data at the bottom, the top of the frame is slightly out of view.

And I normally have the grid in view, and it's toggled on/off by the joystick button. The grid is in quarters, (not thirds as many photographers like), so there's a horizontal and vertical line through the center of the scene.

An easy test:

Use single point AF, and press the OK button to center it on the frame.

Yes, important to have the AF point centered to begin a test. And if wearing glasses, it is all too easy to get an off centered subject if the AF point is not centered to begin with.

test one: Pick a small target subject to center. See if it is centered on the image review.

test two: Align a straight edged subject, like a window frame, with the top edge of the scene. Then compare with image review again.

 

[astirusty]

We recently got a Nikon Z7 II and my husband kept telling me that he did not feel like the image her was seeing on review was the same as they image he thought he took. I thought he was crazy until I took it out yesterday and took some photos of a group of people I was sure I centered in the frame came back way off-center! Is this something common with this camera?

I don't remember seeing any DPReview Posts of Z7 or Z7ii images being shifted left, right, up, or down. With that, I would say it's not a common problem; instead a rare problem.

Q1: Do you and your husband see image shifted with any other lenses?

Q2: When a lens is mounted, does it feel secure (no side to side movement)?

Q3: Is Z mounting ring on camera and on particular lens used in photo clean, no bumps from gunk?

Q4-6: Is your Z7ii brand new? Did it come in a factory sealed box? Any signs camera might have been bought / returned (rejected); then passed off as new?