If you’re an experienced Nikon photographer with your trusty DSLR, there might be a new mirrorless camera that interests you—the camera. Nikon Z9. With its high-resolution stacked sensor and 3D-tracking autofocus, this seems to be Nikon’s most serious attempt yet to recreate the magic of top-of-the-line DSLRs. But in harsh underwater conditions, can it really take pictures as good as powerful cameras like the D500 or D850?
A photographer looking to answer that question is a professional shooter in Australia Nicolas Remywho recently opened an online underwater photography school Underwater Club. Through an upcoming event on Facebook, Nicolas is inviting members to join him to discuss “Z9, DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and the future of underwater photography”.
Nicolas has been effectively training the Z9 over the past few weeks, pushing its autofocus performance to the limit in low-light and low-visibility conditions. Also, he is finding out how the performance of the Z9 compares to his D500. “I also spent 6 hours diving,” Nicolas wrote on Facebook event page“swapping between the Z9 and my favorite Nikon DSLR, in the same dive, shooting the same subject, to pinpoint those differences.”
Nicolas will share his experiences and findings in an upcoming DPG article, but his “side chat” is a great opportunity to hear directly from him about his experiment. —including “autofocus, viewfinder experience, and battery life”—and stealthily preview his images and interact with other accomplished photographers (from both DSLR and mirrorless camps).
Online event, titled “Side chat: Mirrorless vs DSLR for underwater photography,” will take place on Thursday, May 25, at 8 p.m. AEST. (Note: As this is an inconvenient time for those outside of the Asia-Pacific region—6 a.m. in New York and 11 a.m. in London—Nicolas will host a side chat on Wednesday. two if there are enough participants. Please contact Nicholas if you are interested.)
