Three basic Z6 III questions...

[Chrissi_82]

"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.

Thank you for your patience with me.

I got another charger, USB C and USB A with 65W. The USB A is not working with the camera. THe USB C works fine. I checked several cables, always the same result. I also checked with my standard charger - same thing. So I'll return the charger again, order another charger (to new one is pretty voluminous) and going forward use a USB C cable for the camera. I'd need a USB A to charge my Olympus TG-6. So this should hopefully address this topic.

Regarding the overheating. I didn't imediately remove the SD card from the tablet (did not have a needle with me). But the camera card and the card reader both got very warm. But it could also have been that the USB C port did not really work flawlessly, not sure.

 

[Chrissi_82]

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:

Thank you very much and my apologies. I finally solved what probably went wrong. In hindsight, it should have been obvious to a regular user of the Z6III. :-D

So I thought I played with the WB button. However, the ISO button is nearby - and I must have pressed the ISO button in my excitement. Then, I switiched the setting from auto to 100. Afterwards, I fiddled again with the WB - but the ISO remained fixed at 100. As Thom wrote and you tested, the camera must have flashed the warnings which I did not notice. It became clear to me what must have happened when I followed your steps.

I am glad that this got solved. Again, a big thank you to everybody for the kind and helpful feedback.

The underexposed pictures started when there was an elephant posing, which must have contributed to my excitement and to me not paying attention to what settings I actually changed. Sorry for that.

 

[Chrissi_82]

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.

Thank you Thom, lesson learned.

 

[Chrissi_82]

Q1: The user (probably) pressed the ISO button instead of WB, changed the setting from Auto to 100 and happily ignored the warning signs the camera threw at him in the display.

Q2: USB C works, USB A did not. I don't really know the rationale, but I can live with that going forward, I'll just bring a USB C/USB C cable with me while travelling.

Q3: Not sure if there really is a connection. In the future, I'll transfer to the tablet memory to be on the safe side.

Thank you for your kind and helpful comments.

 

[ZapperVT]

Q2: USB C works, USB A did not. I don't really know the rationale, but I can live with that going forward, I'll just bring a USB C/USB C cable with me while travelling.

USB PD (power delivery) - the high power mode needed to charge your camera - is only available with USB C (USB C charger with PD mode and USB C PD cable). So a USB A to C cable or adapter won't work.

It's always a good idea to test all your chargers and cables before a trip.

 

[buildingsights]

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.

i didn't ask for anything (the bit in inverted commas is not from me!).... your explanation seems correct, but it does not apply to my post.

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.

ofc, and at least in the Z8 and the z7 II when the exposure is correct (exposure bar at 0), the bar is no longer displayed

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.

it looks like you missed my previous explanation; here it goes again (and again i was not asking, i was just idly speculating): "re-reading my own answer again, ... 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'.""

(for convenience and context, I have also just copied in the earlier post; it appears below:

Thom Hogan wrote:

buildingsights wrote:

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."

 

[Thom Hogan]

"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.

Thank you for your patience with me.

I got another charger, USB C and USB A with 65W. The USB A is not working with the camera. THe USB C works fine.

USB-A is not USB Power Delivery, it's the old 2.5 or 5W, which will not charge a Z6III.

 

[Chrissi_82]

USB-A is not USB Power Delivery, it's the old 2.5 or 5W, which will not charge a Z6III.

Noted, thank you Thom for pointing this out!

Edit: If future Googlers stumble over this thread: It's a bit confusing. Power Delivery is a feature of USB C. Not all USB C plugs will support PD though. USB A will not work despite the W numbers indicating that it should be sufficient on paper.

 

[camelguy]

I've successfully charged batteries in my z6iii and my z8 through an 18w PD USB-C connection. This was in India, where the voltage is 230. The unit says Output: DC5v/3A, 9v/2A & 12v/1.5A. I have no idea what that means in the real world - all I know is it worked, no problem. It was an Intex Bolt Quick 18W QC.