Nikon Z 9 Service manual

Professional
Setting Guide
—Sports AF Edition—

2
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Sports AF: Autofocus Basics............................................................................................................ 4
Focus Mode: AF‑C......................................................................................................................................... 4
AF‑Area Mode: 3D‑Tracking (Solo Events)/Dynamic‑Area AF (S) (Teams)......................................... 4
AF Subject Detection Options: Auto ........................................................................................................ 5
Focus Tracking with Lock‑On ..................................................................................................................... 5
Blocked Shot AF Response: [2] ....................................................................................................................................5
Subject Motion: [Steady] ...............................................................................................................................................5
AF-Area Mode .................................................................................................................................. 6
Sports AF: Custom Settings ............................................................................................................ 8
a1: AF‑C Priority Selection.......................................................................................................................... 8
a3: Focus Tracking with Lock‑On............................................................................................................... 9
a4: Focus Points Used.................................................................................................................................. 9
a5: Store Points by Orientation................................................................................................................ 10
a6: AF Activation ........................................................................................................................................ 11
a7: Focus Point Persistence ...................................................................................................................... 12
a8: Limit AF‑Area Mode Selection........................................................................................................... 14
a9: Focus Mode Restrictions..................................................................................................................... 14
a10: Focus Point Wrap‑Around................................................................................................................ 14
Sports AF: Custom Controls.......................................................................................................... 15
Focus‑Related Control Assignments....................................................................................................... 15

3
Table of Contents, Continued
Recommended AF Settings by Event ........................................................................................... 17
Overview: Settings by Event.................................................................................................................... 17
Soccer ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Gymnastics .................................................................................................................................................. 18
Floor Exercises and Rhythmic Gymnastics ........................................................................................................... 18
Balance Beam.................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Vault ................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Rings and Horizontal and Uneven Bars................................................................................................................. 19
Athletics ....................................................................................................................................................... 20
Sprints (Hand-Held, Single Runner, from the Front) ......................................................................................... 20
Hurdles.............................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Marathons (from a Vehicle)........................................................................................................................................ 21
Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw, and Javelin (from the Front, at a Distance)........................................ 21
Long Jump, Triple Jump, and Pole Vault (Facing Oncoming Jumpers)...................................................... 22
High Jump........................................................................................................................................................................ 22
Aquatics ....................................................................................................................................................... 23
Swimming........................................................................................................................................................................ 23
Diving ................................................................................................................................................................................ 24
Artistic Swimming......................................................................................................................................................... 24
Table Tennis................................................................................................................................................. 25
BMX and Skateboarding........................................................................................................................... 25
Motor Sports ............................................................................................................................................... 25

4
Sports AF: Autofocus BasicsSports AF: Autofocus Basics
The following settings are suitable for most sports:
Focus modeFocus mode AF‑C
AF-area modeAF-area mode • Solo events: 3D‑tracking
• Team events: Dynamic‑area AF (S)
Photo shooting menuPhoto shooting menu
AF subject detection options [Auto]
Custom SettingsCustom Settings
a1 AF‑C priority selection [Release]
a3 Focus tracking with lock‑on Blocked shot AF response [2]
Subject motion [Steady]
a9 Focus mode restrictions [Continuous AF]
Focus Mode: AF‑CFocus Mode: AF‑C
The camera adjusts focus continuously while the AF‑ON button is pressed
or the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.
AF‑Area Mode: 3D‑Tracking (Solo Events)/Dynamic‑Area AF (S) (Teams)AF‑Area Mode: 3D‑Tracking (Solo Events)/Dynamic‑Area AF (S) (Teams)
We recommend 3D-tracking as the AF-area mode for solo events. The
focus point can be made to track a selected subject.
For team events, we recommend dynamic-area AF (S). You can quickly
adjust focus as you switch from one player to another.

5
Sports AF: Autofocus Basics, Continued
AF Subject Detection Options: AutoAF Subject Detection Options: Auto
The camera will detect humans, animals, and vehicles and choose a sub-
ject for focus automatically.
Subject detection is available when wide-area AF(S), wide-area AF(L),
3D-tracking, or auto-area AF is selected for AF-area mode.
Focus Tracking with Lock‑OnFocus Tracking with Lock‑On
Custom Setting a3 [Focus tracking with lock‑on] controls how autofo-
cus responds to changes in the distance to the subject.
■ Blocked Shot AF Response: [2]
Increasing the speed with which the autofocus system reacts to blocked
shots ensures that focus responds quickly to frequent subject changes.
■ Subject Motion: [Steady]
[Steady] is suited to a wide variety of subjects.
Recommended Settings by Event
See “Recommended AF Settings by Event” (page 17) for the recommended AF settings for dierent
sporting events.

6
AF‑Area ModeAF‑Area Mode
The following eight AF-area modes are available in focus mode AF-C.
AF-area modeAF-area mode DescriptionDescription MonitorMonitor
dSingle‑point AF The camera focuses on a point selected by the user.
dDynamic‑area AF (S)
The focus point is selected manually. The camera focuses on the
subject in the selected focus point when autofocus is initiated, but
if the subject later briefly leaves the selected point, the camera will
focus based on information from surrounding points. Choose if
the camera has difficulty focusing, or for active subjects that are
hard to keep framed in a single point, and choose an option with
broader coverage if the subject is moving unpredictably or occu‑
pies a large area of the frame.
eDynamic‑area AF (M)
fDynamic‑area AF (L)
fWide‑area AF (S)
As for single‑point AF, except that the camera focuses on a wider
area.
gWide‑area AF (L)

7
AF‑Area Mode, Continued
AF-area modeAF-area mode DescriptionDescription MonitorMonitor
u3D‑tracking
The camera tracks focus on a selected subject. This option is avail‑
able only in photo mode.
• Position the focus point over your subject and start tracking
by pressing AF‑ON or by pressing the shutter‑release button
halfway; focus will then track the selected subject as it moves
through the frame.
• To end tracking and restore the previously‑selected focus point,
release the AF‑ON or shutter‑release button.
• If the subject leaves the frame, remove your finger from the shut‑
ter‑release button and recompose the photograph with the sub‑
ject in the selected focus point.
hAuto‑area AF The camera automatically detects the subject and selects the fo‑
cus point.
Caution: 3D-Tracking
The camera may be unable to track subjects that are obscured by other objects or leave the frame.
Quick Focus-Point Selection
• For quicker focus-point selection, choose [Alternating points] for Custom Setting a4 [Focus points
used] (page 9).
• If you prefer to use the sub-selector for focus-point selection, you can choose [Select center focus
point] for Custom Setting f2 [Custom controls (shooting)]> [Sub‑selector center] to allow the cen-
ter of the sub-selector to be used to quickly select the center focus point (page 15).

8
Sports AF: Custom SettingsSports AF: Custom Settings
a1: AF‑C Priority Selectiona1: AF‑C Priority Selection
Custom Setting a1 [AF‑C priority selection] controls whether the cam-
era gives priority to focus or shutter release.
: Subject not in focus
: Subject in focus
: Photo taken (frame number shown in top left corner)
GRelease: Pictures can be taken whether or
not the camera is in focus. Frame rates do not
slow during burst photography.
BFocus + release: In burst mode, priority is
given to focus for the first frame and to release
for later frames, ensuring that the first frame
is in focus and that no subsequent frames are
missed. Frame rates do not slow.
FFocus: Pictures can only be taken when the
camera is in focus.
Note: Release timing not exactly as shown.
Shutter-release
button pressed
all the way down
1234567
123456
1 2 3 4

9
Sports AF: Custom Settings, Continued
a3: Focus Tracking with Lock‑Ona3: Focus Tracking with Lock‑On
This menu contains two options: [Blocked shot AF response] and [Subject
motion].
■ Blocked Shot AF Response
If AF‑C is selected for focus mode, focus tracking with lock-on will prevent the camera refocusing
when your subject is briey obscured by another object, ensuring that it will continue to track the
main subject once the obstacle has moved away. Choose the length of time before the camera
refocuses from [1(Quick)], [2], [3], [4], and [5 (Delayed)]. Lock-on applies only while the camera is
focusing; to focus at a new distance without waiting for lock-on to end, re-initiate autofocus.
The camera will track and focus on objects at the same distance as the
main subject. High values (slow response) make the camera slow to re-
focus on obstacles when the shot is blocked. Select low values (quick
response) to quickly refocus on subjects passing in front of the camera
and for improved response when switching rapidly from one subject to
another.
■ Subject Motion
Choose how the camera tracks subjects in motion. Choose [Steady] for subjects approaching the
camera at a steady pace, like sprinters or race cars on a track, [Erratic] for long or triple jumpers and
other subjects prone to sudden stops and starts.
a4: Focus Points Useda4: Focus Points Used
Choose number of focus points available for manual focus-point selection.
Choosing [Alternating points] reduces the number of focus points to roughly a quarter of to-
tal available, speeding focus-point selection. The number of points available for the pinpoint AF
AF-area mode is not aected.
Manual focus-point selection is available in all AF-area modes except auto-area AF.
Main subject
Obstacle

10
Sports AF: Custom Settings, Continued
a5: Store Points by Orientationa5: Store Points by Orientation
This option lets you concentrate on shooting without having to worry
about focus-point selection. Choose whether the camera uses the same
focus point and AF-area mode in all orientations, or stores separate fo-
cus points and/or AF-area modes for use in “wide” (landscape) orienta-
tion, “tall” (portrait) orientation with the camera rotated 90° clockwise,
or “tall” orientation with the camera rotated 90° counterclockwise. The
options are [Focus point], [Focus point and AF‑area mode], and [O].
[Focus point]: Rotating the camera restores the
focus point last selected in the chosen orien-
tation. If you select [O] after choosing this
option, the camera will select the center focus
point for all orientations.
Camera rotated 90°
counterclockwise
Landscape (wide)
orientation
Camera rotated 90°
clockwise
[Focus point and AF-area mode]: Rotating the cam-
era restores the focus point and AF-area mode
last selected in the chosen orientation. In the
example shown here, dynamic-area AF (S) is
selected when the camera is in landscape ori-
entation, 3D-tracking when it is rotated 90°
counterclockwise, and wide-area AF (L) when
it is rotated 90° clockwise.
[O]: The same focus point and AF-area mode
will be used regardless of camera orientation.