Three basic Z6 III questions...

[Chrissi_82]

What does "readjusting the WB to the normalized level" mean?

Thank you, the scale is +3 to -3 if I remember correctly, I simply meant that I adjusted back to zero.

I think this is a simple exposure issue and not a white balance issue. How bright was the light in this scene? Full sunlight, or cloudy or overcast? The simplest explanation is that the image is underexposed because the light was dim for the f/5.6, 1/500, and iso100 settings.

Thank you, that seems to be the consensus here.

 

[Chrissi_82]

thank you, but that's too advanced for my abilities currently. I'll save that for the next holiday.

 

[Chrissi_82]

thank you Michael, that seems to be the general view in the forum. Not sure why the setting was docked at 100 though.

 

[Chrissi_82]

As for charging, I would look to the specs of your set up. If you're charging in-camera, the body needs to be connected to some kind of usb power brick that plugs into the wall, not just an outlet to usb adapter. And if you're traveling internationally, that power brick needs to be compatible with the local power supply.

The interesting thing is that even here in Germany, only 1 out of 3 chargers so far have worked. It's also not the cable - those chargers don't work with the Nikon cable either. Pretty strange for such an expensive toy.

 

[rangel28]

Sorry, some basic questions, but I would appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction.
1. Would you have any guidance on which setting is responsible for this weird dark picture, please? I played around with the white balance for the first time (*). The settings in the i menu were on auto if I remember correctly, but it seemed I could override it with the dedicated button. Still, despite readjusting the WB to the normalized level and the auto setting in the I menu, the images got really dark. In the viewfinder, everything looked fine. I could not find the correct setting, so did a factory reset, then saved my default mode in U1 and adjusted safely from there. However, I would love to avoid such a scenario in the future. I can bring back the picture in post, that's not the issue. It just seems a bit strange. Light was still decent at the time, so playing around with the shutter speed should also not be the big factor..



(*) I blame Youtube. Saw a video that showed this "dark bird against the sky" image. I thought - hmm, that's happens all the time. Why don't I fix this?
2. Is the Z6III a bit finicky when it comes to the charger? During a trip to Gabon which was the first one with the camera, it did not charge. I blamed the voltage or whatever and went the detour via the powerbank. Now, the same thing happened again in SW Africa. After my return. I started to dig into this issue and found several threads online with people having similar issues. As a consequence, I ordered a PD compliant charger as per the recommendation - still not working. Now I have an order for another one with even more W - it seems to be strange that my most expensive electrical toy is very sensitive when it comes to its power source (1 out of 4 chargers working is not great ).

3. I bought a new card for the camera. During the holiday, I transferred the photos to my tablet via USB card reader. Everything got really hot. My SD card in the tablet got corrupted, and now I'm wondering if there could be a connection. Is it possible that the transfer overwhelmed the external SD card (simple Sandisk, nothing fancy)? It has happened also twice now, never with the transfer from the slower cards in tze previous Z6.

Regarding the charging issue, for the few times I have charged the battery with the charging cable, I have not had any problems and the camera battery charges for me with the supplied USB-C cable and the charger I use for my Samsung Galaxy S24+ phone or Anker charger. Then again, I have not tried to charge the battery in-camera in Africa, where power output may be different.

Why not buy an external Nikon EN-EL15c charger? I know it's an additional thing to carry, but I usually carry two batteries and prefer to use an external charger, so a charger always goes with me when I travel. Nikon EN-EL15c chargers are not inexpensive, but Amazon does sell a number of third party chargers for less.

Another option is a third-party battery than can be charged via a built-in USB-C port like the SmallRig (Orange) EN-EL15C battery. It's very convenient to be able to charge the battery with a USB-C wire, and more than likely the charger and wire you use for your cell phone will work fine with the battery.

Richard Angeloni

Photography website featuring the work of photographer Richard Angeloni

richardangeloni.smugmug.com

 

[Thom Hogan]

Chrissi_82 wrote:
1. Would you have any guidance on which setting is responsible for this weird dark picture, please?

You were in Shutter priority exposure mode. I'm betting that the aperture was flashing and the exposure bar was showing underexposure, but you didn't look to see them. As someone else pointed out, Shutter priority has an issue when it runs out of aperture range to adjust; Nikon's default is to keep the display bright so you can frame, but the flashing aperture/exposure bar are things you have to watch for. This is one of the reasons why I'm almost always in Manual exposure or Aperture priority. The former doesn't have the problem, it just shows you what you've got, the latter is really difficult to get into a "can't get there" problem.

2. Is the Z6III a bit finicky when it comes to the charger?

Yes and no. You need 27w (9v 3a) minimum. Moreover, there's negotiation that happens prior to charging actually starting. The USB source and cable must be PD capable/aware, and must be able to meet the minimum. When other things are plugged into the same multi-outlet USB source, I've seen negotiations take as long as 30 seconds before the multiple devices have successfully negotiated the power. (You might have noticed that a MacBook plugged into a multiple USB power source beeps when you plug something else in; that's because of the negotiation, the MacBook will renegotiate (not all devices do).

3. I bought a new card for the camera. During the holiday, I transferred the photos to my tablet via USB card reader. Everything got really hot.

"Everything" as in table, reader, and card?

My SD card in the tablet got corrupted, and now I'm wondering if there could be a connection. Is it possible that the transfer overwhelmed the external SD card (simple Sandisk, nothing fancy)? It has happened also twice now, never with the transfer from the slower cards in tze previous Z6.

This is more difficult to assess. Heat and corruption are two different things that could be related, but also could be unrelated. We also have a bunch of other factors here (SD versus UHS-I/II), size of card (FAT or exFAT), and more.

 

[Thom Hogan]

wow, that's far too much effort for my little issue. But thank you very much. In hindsight, I think I was in shutter priority but could see the impact of the WB setting in the view finder.

See my other message. The WB will change correctly in the viewfinder. But exposure is the issue here, and Shutter priority has a bar on what it will do.

However, if it was the ISO setting that was the culprit in my case, I would not have noticed it as per your trials.

Your EXIF data doesn't show AutoISO in effect. If it had been in effect, you would have also seen the ISO value in that same information bar change color.

What's needed here is for you to be alert to the clues and warnings that the camera's viewfinder is giving you. Flashing and change of color are signs something isn't right for your aperture/shutter speed.

 

[Thom Hogan]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

You asked for "automatic." The camera is automatically adjusting the viewfinder so that you can compose. It's also flashing the aperture value in the information at the bottom of the viewfinder, and the exposure bar is showing underexpose, clues you need to pay attention to. That's Nikon's way of saying "automatic isn't going to work to fix everything."

 

[Thom Hogan]

He said you should use highlight weighted metering for birds in flight.

This would entirely depend upon how much the bird is filling the frame and whether you actually added the proper compensation.

As I point out in my books, if half or more of the frame is bright and not your subject, setting exposure compensation to +2.0 and using Highlight-weighted metering will probably work. That's because the "highlight"—in this case sky—will be brought down to a middle gray tone, and you're adjusting it back up via exposure compensation.

However, when the bird is doing nearly filling the frame, you can end up with a worse result using this technique, as it will still see the highlight and adjust the exposure down, but it should be seeing the bird and adjusting solely for that.

 

[rhlpetrus]

Chrissi_82 wrote:
1. Would you have any guidance on which setting is responsible for this weird dark picture, please?

You were in Shutter priority exposure mode. I'm betting that the aperture was flashing and the exposure bar was showing underexposure, but you didn't look to see them. As someone else pointed out, Shutter priority has an issue when it runs out of aperture range to adjust; Nikon's default is to keep the display bright so you can frame, but the flashing aperture/exposure bar are things you have to watch for. This is one of the reasons why I'm almost always in Manual exposure or Aperture priority. The former doesn't have the problem, it just shows you what you've got, the latter is really difficult to get into a "can't get there" problem.

Aperture priority is next best thing to full manual, and one can choose a front button to toggle between friendly view (pretty close to what auto esposure mode would show) and a realistic exposure with histogram, from which one can adjust exposure as usual and get desired result.

Most of the time I use it with Auto ISO and set minimum SS at 1/125s. It'll force ISO up if required for the f/stop uses if SS is below 1/125. Given that the current FF bodies will work absurdly well up to 3200 or even higher, it saves time when lighting gets low. Of course, for those with steady hans, plus VR etc, and depending on the lens (WA to normal, eg), minimum SS may be lower.

I've almost never used SS priority, it's only for very special applications, like when you want a slow SS to follow motion, for example.

 

[Satyaa]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

I don't expect Nikon to respond here but this could be addressed in next firmware update if it was reported to Nikon.

I don't have a Z6iii. So, I am unaware of this behavior and equally surprised.

 

[Satyaa]

He said you should use highlight weighted metering for birds in flight. I tried it on my Z6iii for about 5 minutes. Everything was dark. Changed it to spot metering, then center weighted, then matrix metering. They all worked fine. His advice is... bad.

Good analysis.

I don't shoot BIF but imagine that I would want spot metering. I won't care for blown highlights in the sky as long as I get the bird right. Especially true when the bird fills the frame and the rest is irrelevant.

In my case, the scene is exactly opposite. The artist on the stage is under spotlight and brightly lit. The rest of the stage is usually dark. I don't want to blow the highlights (the artist). That's where I use highlight priority.

--
See my profile (About me) for gear and my posting policy. My profile picture is of the first film camera I used in the early 80s, photo credit the internet.

 

[buildingsights]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

You asked for "automatic."

i didn't!

The camera is automatically adjusting the viewfinder so that you can compose.

so was I not correct (more or less) in speculating: "When the exposure is correct, the lines with the -/+ appearing at the bottom of the viewfinder or on the side of the monitor disappear indicating the correct exposure. And also it seems that using A or S set automatically the 'view mode (photo Lv)' to 'Adjust for ease viewing'."

re-reading my own answer again, though, I agree I didn't write it as clearly as a british person who is actually awake might have put it... especially the second sentence. Let me re-phrase that second sentence: "And also, when using A or S, it seems that the camera automatically sets the 'View mode (photo Lv)' to 'Adjust for ease of viewing'."

but thanks for making me clarify what i had in mind!!!
and ofc, for your knowledge.

It's also flashing the aperture value in the information at the bottom of the viewfinder, and the exposure bar is showing underexpose, clues you need to pay attention to. That's Nikon's way of saying "automatic isn't going to work to fix everything."

 

[buildingsights]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

I don't expect Nikon to respond here but this could be addressed in next firmware update if it was reported to Nikon.

it doesn't seem to be a 'bug' or even a problem, just a behaviour to be aware of

I don't have a Z6iii. So, I am unaware of this behavior and equally surprised.

i always have the camera in M mode, and this doesn't happen in M mode.

in A or S mode, however, this behaviour also happens in the Z8 and the z7 II as well ( i will try with the D800... it seems to work in a similar way)

 

[monte12345]

When I first move to mirrorless the salesman took the time to explain to me the situation in regards to USB-C cords. Because it is rather complex and the cord provided with my Z7 II was a bit short. Too short for use with a computer with the USB-C 4.0 ports on the back of the computer.

First, you need to purchase some PD Capable USB-C cords and preferably ones that are rated for 40gb/s. Typically in a computer store these will be in the Apple Section because Apple has been into high speed data transfer much longer than Windows PC gear. Go to the regular cord section and what you will see are 5 gb/s and 10 gb/s cords and they will be dirt cheap. Go to the Apple section and prices are much higher and it's not because it's Apple, it's because it is HIGH SPEED. Note Best Buy is extremely spotty on high speed data cables so start in the Apple section first and in the computer section be specific about asking the Rep for 40gb/s PD Capable cords. At my Best Buy in the entire store they only had 2 cords, a long one with the Apple stuff and a short one in the Windows PC area.

Second, throw out all of your 5 or 10gb/s cords, because they are too slow and much much too easy to get them mixed up with the "good stuff".

Concerning the dark image of that Elephant, I suspect that you were shooting in Manual with the Auto ISO turned off. Been there, done that. Because I just don't like Auto ISO and usually have it off. However if the light is getting dim I will turn it on to provide some insurance in regards to exposure and deal with the excess noise and loss of fine detail during Post. Bad news for me is then something exciting suddenly happens I will forget to turn on the Auto ISO at times.

 

[Satyaa]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

I don't expect Nikon to respond here but this could be addressed in next firmware update if it was reported to Nikon.

it doesn't seem to be a 'bug' or even a problem, just a behaviour to be aware of

I don't have a Z6iii. So, I am unaware of this behavior and equally surprised.

i always have the camera in M mode, and this doesn't happen in M mode.

in A or S mode, however, this behaviour also happens in the Z8 and the z7 II as well ( i will try with the D800... it seems to work in a similar way)

I use my Z7ii in S most of the time. I will check what this behavior is.

 

[monte12345]

I have a 65 watt power supply for my Laptop and used it sometimes to charge up the batteries in my cameras directly. Doing this doesn't result in faster charging at all, it takes the same amount of time as my 10 watt wall wart or my 10 watt Nikon MH-25a charger. This leads me to believe that the cameras limit the charging power to 10 watts or a bit less.

 

[Thom Hogan]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

You asked for "automatic."

i didn't!

If you set Shutter-priority exposure mode, you did. You specifically asked for "automatically adjust the aperture based upon the shutter speed (and ISO)." And the camera does exactly what you asked it to automatically do right up to the point where it runs out of apertures, at which point it has to make a decision (clarity of viewfinder, or underexpose in the viewfinder?). The problem with any underexposing the viewfinder is that this is the stream that serves focus data, so when you underexpose it, the camera would also fail at "automatically focusing." So, instead of failing at two things, the camera fails at one and flashes things to give you a warning.

The camera is automatically adjusting the viewfinder so that you can compose.

so was I not correct (more or less) in speculating: "When the exposure is correct, the lines with the -/+ appearing at the bottom of the viewfinder or on the side of the monitor disappear indicating the correct exposure.

The exposure bar will be at 0, and neither shutter speed nor aperture will flash.

And also it seems that using A or S set automatically the 'view mode (photo Lv)' to 'Adjust for ease viewing'."

That's not clear writing, but I think you're asking "does setting A or S override View mode (photo Lv)?" The answer to that is yes, but... The but comes in the case of A, where it is much more unlikely that the camera can't set a proper shutter speed.

 

[jthomas39]

Why is the response in S mode different?

no idea... where is nikon when is needed!

I don't expect Nikon to respond here but this could be addressed in next firmware update if it was reported to Nikon.

it doesn't seem to be a 'bug' or even a problem, just a behaviour to be aware of

I don't have a Z6iii. So, I am unaware of this behavior and equally surprised.

i always have the camera in M mode, and this doesn't happen in M mode.

in A or S mode, however, this behaviour also happens in the Z8 and the z7 II as well ( i will try with the D800... it seems to work in a similar way)

I use my Z7ii in S most of the time. I will check what this behavior is.

It's easy to show this effect:

Testing the Shutter priority view that shows the same brightness as a correctly exposed photo, even though the new shutter speed is way too brief:

In a quite dark room, Z6 with 24-70 f/4. Set a fixed ISO 100 to make this easier to test, but it also works with auto ISO if the scene is dark enough.

My correctly exposed scene was Shutter priority, 1/8 s, f/4, ISO 100.

To find this correct shutter speed, I kept shortening the shutter speed until the aperture reached max f/4, and then with another click to an even shorter exposure, first the f4 icon started blinking, then the Exposure Indicator appeared -- that's the "light meter" at the right side of the frame. Take a photo at the 1/8 shutter speed. Review the photo-- it matches the view brightness.

Now change the shutter speed to a much briefer exposure. As the shutter speed shortens, the Exposure Indicator shows the amount of underexposure.

I reduced the shutter to 1/60 second to see the exposure indicator showing about 3 stops underexposed. The view still shows the same brightness as the 1/8 sec correctly exposed photo. But this 1/60 photo is very dark, as expected. I can change to 1/2000 second and the view stays the same, but the photo is completely black.

 

[Thom Hogan]

I have a 65 watt power supply for my Laptop and used it sometimes to charge up the batteries in my cameras directly. Doing this doesn't result in faster charging at all, it takes the same amount of time as my 10 watt wall wart or my 10 watt Nikon MH-25a charger. This leads me to believe that the cameras limit the charging power to 10 watts or a bit less.

USB Power Delivery is a negotiation. The devices disclose what they're capable of, and a value is negotiated, if possible, that both can use.

When power delivery via USB (note the change in wording) first came along, it was specifically 2.5W limited, because that's what's in the USB 2.0 specifications. Eventually this increased to, I think, 15W with USB-3. The USB PD specifications came later and define what can/can't be done. The Z6III is a USB PD device.

The primary—there are more possibilities now—USB PD deliveries are:

• 5V at 2A (10W)
• 9V at 3A (27W) <-- What the Z6III wants
• 15V at 3A (45W)
• 20V at 5A (100W)