3 Kenya Images with Nikon Z8 and Nikkor 180-600mm

[Dale D]

Have been editing every day since return from Kenya. Here are some examples. (no drone permitted inKenya)
Double click to enlarge each image. Preparing assets for future video. Comments welcomed always.
Nikon Z8 body
Nikkor 180-600mm f/56.-6.3 @600mm
Shutter Preferred
Auto ISO
Mostly hand held

Edited with iMAC in Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, Masking tool, Topaz DeNoise AI,

Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens




Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens

 

[LoudThunder]

All I can say is National Geographic had better look out… WoW!!!

 

[Dale D]

All I can say is National Geographic had better look out… WoW!!!

Thanks- I forgot to include two more. Please see new edit adding Lilac Breasted roller and Male Lion lying down.
Dale
Miami

 

[Bob in Savannah]

Have been editing every day since return from Kenya. Here are some examples. (no drone permitted inKenya)
Double click to enlarge each image. Preparing assets for future video. Comments welcomed always.
Nikon Z8 body
Nikkor 180-600mm f/56.-6.3 @600mm
Shutter Preferred
Auto ISO
Mostly hand held

Edited with iMAC in Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, Masking tool, Topaz DeNoise AI,

Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens
View attachment 169946View attachment 169951



Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens

wow. Amazing pics. More amazing animals. And birds!
I know its silly but i always wanted a big cat. To the detriment of me and the cat, im sure. lol
Thats why it never happened.

These are some great shots. +1

 

[Dale D]

wow. Amazing pics. More amazing animals. And birds!
I know its silly but i always wanted a big cat. To the detriment of me and the cat, im sure. lol
Thats why it never happened.

These are some great shots. +1

Thanks OJ- spent the entire day on these images.

Dale

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Jeepers, you'll have the BBC knocking on your door lol

 

[Dale D]

Jeepers, you'll have the BBC knocking on your door lol

Thanks Yorkshire_Pud

 

[San_Marino]

Have been editing every day since return from Kenya. Here are some examples. (no drone permitted inKenya)
Double click to enlarge each image. Preparing assets for future video. Comments welcomed always.
Nikon Z8 body
Nikkor 180-600mm f/56.-6.3 @600mm
Shutter Preferred
Auto ISO
Mostly hand held

Edited with iMAC in Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, Masking tool, Topaz DeNoise AI,

Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens
View attachment 169946View attachment 169951



Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens

Love the shot of the kitten messing with their mom. I'm jealous of the trip Dale.

 

[Dale D]

Love the shot of the kitten messing with their mom. I'm jealous of the trip Dale.

Many thank yous
Some day you really should go there

 

[DougMcC]

Dale, these are wonderful images. I assume you are loving your Nikon mirrorless system.

 

[tca]

Have been editing every day since return from Kenya. Here are some examples. (no drone permitted inKenya)
Double click to enlarge each image. Preparing assets for future video. Comments welcomed always.
Nikon Z8 body
Nikkor 180-600mm f/56.-6.3 @600mm
Shutter Preferred
Auto ISO
Mostly hand held

Edited with iMAC in Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, Masking tool, Topaz DeNoise AI,

Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens
View attachment 169946View attachment 169951



Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens

GREAT shots...very nice!
What focal points were you using?

 

[GFields]

Awesome photos! Loved all of them.

 

[Dale D]

Dale, these are wonderful images. I assume you are loving your Nikon mirrorless system.

Hi Doug:

I fought digital vs film for years and then relented to digital. I fought mirrorless also for years- due to my age, and finally gave in. It was the correct decision. I used the high shutter frequency (20 fps) many times to capture and freeze motion of animals. My shutter with the Nikon DSLR D750 only went to 6 frames per second rather than 20 FPS. The Auto focus-Continuous locked on the eye and followed the eye wherever the animal or bird moved! AD-C is the most amazing thing about this camera. Also used back button for us to lock in the eyes, then I could only concentrate on the shutter button.

The Nikon Z8 is an amazing product!

Dale

Dale

 

[DougMcC]

Thanks, Dale. I have a D800 getting dusty as I have focused on my Mavic 2 pro and now my Mavic 3. I assume that new lenses would be necessary to take full advantage of the Z8. That’s an entry hurdle I would have to call Dr. Phil for “domestic negotiation” instructions. These pictures are tempting. Do you have Dr. Phil ‘s number by chance?
I’m glad you enjoyed the trip and I am impressed with your images.
Doug

 

[Dale D]

Thanks, Dale. I have a D800 getting dusty as I have focused on my Mavic 2 pro and now my Mavic 3. I assume that new lenses would be necessary to take full advantage of the Z8. That’s an entry hurdle I would have to call Dr. Phil for “domestic negotiation” instructions. These pictures are tempting. Do you have Dr. Phil ‘s number by chance?
I’m glad you enjoyed the trip and I am impressed with your images.
Doug

Thanks, Dale. I have a D800 getting dusty as I have focused on my Mavic 2 pro and now my Mavic 3. I assume that new lenses would be necessary to take full advantage of the Z8. That’s an entry hurdle I would have to call Dr. Phil for “domestic negotiation” instructions. These pictures are tempting. Do you have Dr. Phil ‘s number by chance?
I’m glad you enjoyed the trip and I am impressed with your images.
Doug

Doug:

I once lusted for the D800! I still have kept my 2nd D750 and 28-300mm lens for timelapses because the Nikon always has the intervalometer built in. I sold off the first of two D750's and 2nd 28-300mm lens to get the $ for the Z8.

Please keep in mind that each image I sent out took me at least 30 minutes of editing! It was already good out of the camera, but Photoshop, and its ability to isolate each portion of the image for editing with the MASKING tool makes all the difference. Every part of each image is edited (e.g.: foreground, back ground, eyes, subject, shadows, cropping, etc. Your D800 is a spectacular camera. To go digital , I first tried using my old F/ mount lenses with the FTZ Z8 adapter but I quickly gave up and went to my first Z lens which is a walk around 24-200 f/4-6.3. For the Africa trip, I first intended to rent the Nikkor 600mm prime but is weighed 10 pounds and impossible to hand hold. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 for $1800 and used it for more than half the images I shot in Kenya. Nearly all of the images I have sent out are hand held without a problem.

Here's a bonus for you from today's editing

Dale

 

[DougMcC]

Doug:

I once lusted for the D800! I still have kept my 2nd D750 and 28-300mm lens for timelapses because the Nikon always has the intervalometer built in. I sold off the first of two D750's and 2nd 28-300mm lens to get the $ for the Z8.

Please keep in mind that each image I sent out took me at least 30 minutes of editing! It was already good out of the camera, but Photoshop, and its ability to isolate each portion of the image for editing with the MASKING tool makes all the difference. Every part of each image is edited (e.g.: foreground, back ground, eyes, subject, shadows, cropping, etc. Your D800 is a spectacular camera. To go digital , I first tried using my old F/ mount lenses with the FTZ Z8 adapter but I quickly gave up and went to my first Z lens which is a walk around 24-200 f/4-6.3. For the Africa trip, I first intended to rent the Nikkor 600mm prime but is weighed 10 pounds and impossible to hand hold. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 for $1800 and used it for more than half the images I shot in Kenya. Nearly all of the images I have sent out are hand held without a problem.

Here's a bonus for you from today's editing

Dale

That focus on the eye despite the grass is pretty amazing. Obviously, you were traveling in a photographer’s paradise and taking full advantage of the opportunity !
Now I’ve been using the new and improved masking in LR Classic and that has upped my game. Haven’t compared it to PS.

 

[Dale D]

That focus on the eye despite the grass is pretty amazing. Obviously, you were traveling in a photographer’s paradise and taking full advantage of the opportunity !
Now I’ve been using the new and improved masking in LR Classic and that has upped my game. Haven’t compared it to PS.

Not to belabor the point but the masking engine is identical , as are many other features between LR and Photoshop. (according to Colin Smith who produces weekly videos and is a developer and speaks for Adobe). No comparison needed.

Once you "lock IN" the eye with your cursor, the autofocus continuous (AF-C), you can re-compose and track the eye wherever it moves and the focus will stay on the locked in focus point.

 

[Paul Harvey]

Have been editing every day since return from Kenya. Here are some examples. (no drone permitted inKenya)
Double click to enlarge each image. Preparing assets for future video. Comments welcomed always.
Nikon Z8 body
Nikkor 180-600mm f/56.-6.3 @600mm
Shutter Preferred
Auto ISO
Mostly hand held

Edited with iMAC in Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, Masking tool, Topaz DeNoise AI,

Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens
View attachment 169946View attachment 169951



Tawny Eagle in a Tree
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lioness walking towards me
Mother Cheetah with kittens

Beautiful shots! Do you work for National Geographic? What shutter speed(s) did you use? Were they all shot at 600mm?

 

[Dale D]

Beautiful shots! Do you work for National Geographic? What shutter speed(s) did you use? Were they all shot at 600mm?

Beautiful shots! Do you work for National Geographic? What shutter speed(s) did you use? Were they all shot at 600mm?

You honor me with that compliment for National Geographic! Unfortunately, I do not work for them. I am a retired ophthalmologist, a practiced for 38 years here in Miami. The beauty of the Z8 Nikon is that I can put the camera on shutter preferred, set the auto ISO, and the camera will do the work for me. I aim for a shutter of at least 1/500second but often get more. For wildlife, especially birds I like to shoot at high shutter speeds. Here is try EXIF data for the lion walking by our car.

Dale

 

[Paul Harvey]

You honor me with that compliment for National Geographic! Unfortunately, I do not work for them. I am a retired ophthalmologist, a practiced for 38 years here in Miami. The beauty of the Z8 Nikon is that I can put the camera on shutter preferred, set the auto ISO, and the camera will do the work for me. I aim for a shutter of at least 1/500second but often get more. For wildlife, especially birds I like to shoot at high shutter speeds. Here is try EXIF data for the lion walking by our car.

Dale

How well does the Z8 with noise at 5000 iso?