Ask Matthew...
Our resident Nikon expert Matthew Richards answers your questions and solves your problems. If you have a Nikon-related question, email it to mail@nphotomag.com
I took some photos of my kids waving sparklers around on New Year’s Eve with my Z 50, but the results were poor. Can you suggest what settings to use?
Emma Dowling
QSorry to hear things didn’t work out. Hopefully you can recreate the festive spirit with another pack of sparklers and try again. That type of shot often goes beyond the limits of what a camera’s autofocus and metering systems can cope with. I’d suggest switching to Manual. First up, select the Manual mode and dial in an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 with a shutter speed of around 4 secs. That should give enough time to capture trails left by the sparklers if your kids are waving them
Aaround, or sparks flying about them if they’re holding them still. Avoid Auto ISO and set the sensitivity to around ISO200. Focus manually on one of the children’s faces, rather than relying on autofocus. Finally, use your Z 50’s pop-up flash or a flashgun to illuminate your children.
My passion is wildlife photography on safari. Would the Z 6 and Z 7 work well for this or would I be better off sticking with my D750?
Brian Keenan
QThe D750 used to be my go-to camera and I never liked mirrorless, but the Z 6 and Z 7 changed my mind completely. They’re fabulous cameras and, for me, there’s
Ano going back. Even so, there are a couple of drawbacks for photographing wildlife on safari. The range of native Z-mount supertelephoto lenses, so far, boils down to just the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S, or the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S with a Z Teleconverter TC-2X, both of which are expensive options. However, you could use your existing super-telephoto lenses with an FTZ mount adapter.
The other issue is that, as with all other mirrorless cameras, battery life is very limited compared with your D750. You’d need spares, but bear in mind that many independently manufactured ‘EN-EL15’ batteries are incompatible with the newer Z 6II and Z 7II models.
I was disappointed to discover that my Nikon ML-L7 remote controller doesn’t work with my new Z 6II camera. Can you suggest a good alternative Bluetooth controller I can use?
Mike Johnson
QThe ML-L7 is a great little remote and works a treat with the Coolpix A1000, B600, P950 and P1000 cameras, even enabling you to adjust the
A
zoom setting. It also works with the Z 50 and Z fc, but sadly not with any of the full-frame Z-series cameras.
Nikon’s big-money solution is to use a pair of WR-1 Wireless Remote Control Transceivers, one as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. They have a mighty radio frequency range of 120m but cost around £1100/$940 for a pair, whereas the ML-L7 only costs £45/$45. For a relatively short-range, Bluetooth option, I’d suggest Nikon’s Snapbridge app on your smartphone, which gives you comprehensive remote camera control with the bonus of a live preview.
QI’ve been using my D7000 for several years and am wondering if, with winter upon us, it would be a good time to have it serviced?
Ian Kneeshaw
AAs I’m sure you’ve realized by now, the Nikon D7000 is an excellent camera but when it comes to servicing, I’d say ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Technicians generally just check to ensure that everything’s working properly in the camera, and you’d almost certainly notice if it wasn’t.
That said, a major issue with any digital camera that has interchangeable lenses is that dust can build up on the image sensor. If you notice dark spots in the same places on multiple images, especially those taken at a medium to long focal length, typically combined with a long focus setting and narrow aperture, it’s likely you’ll need to have your image sensor cleaned. DIY kits are widely available but not everyone feels comfortable using them, and some people are happier having their sensors cleaned professionally.