I consider the Darrell Young guide to mastering the Z 6II/Z 7II to be an extremely valuable addition to Nikon's .pdf manuals and guides to the Z 7II and well worth the purchase price.
Thanks very much for the recommendation!
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Post your latest purchases.
- Thread starter 87mstng
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I consider the Darrell Young guide to mastering the Z 6II/Z 7II to be an extremely valuable addition to Nikon's .pdf manuals and guides to the Z 7II and well worth the purchase price.
Thanks very much for the recommendation!
Nice!
Looking forward to hearing about the 6L sling and what lenses, etc. will fit in it with your Z 6.
blackstar
Senior Member
Is it true or I miss read that using a smallrig L bracket with camera over a tripod would make the camera sit at nodal point, so perfect to shoot pano? Appreciate to clear my head.
BF Hammer
Senior Member
I have that Smallrig L-bracket on my Z5. It has markings to help align the centering to the lens, but I don't believe that to be nodal point. The film plane is marked on the camera body and is too far forward to be at nodal without some front-rear adjustment. I understand the lens used also changes nodal point. Not that I ever shot a pano that way anyhow.
EDIT: what I have is not a Smallrig, but branded Leftfoto. It is a close copy of the Smallrig bracket though.
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I have large hands and was interested in the Smallrig L-brackets after reading about them.
From what I can tell, they have been discontinued; they're no longer on their website. I read somewhere that the reason they were discontinued was that they were unstable in portrait position but I searched for a while and found no reviews mentioning that issue or posts on forums complaining of it.
I have the Smallrig #2258 L-bracket on the way from an eBay seller as my latest purchase. There are still some available there.
From what I can tell, they have been discontinued; they're no longer on their website. I read somewhere that the reason they were discontinued was that they were unstable in portrait position but I searched for a while and found no reviews mentioning that issue or posts on forums complaining of it.
I have the Smallrig #2258 L-bracket on the way from an eBay seller as my latest purchase. There are still some available there.
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TwistedThrottle
Senior Member
Thanks! It's no miracle worker, its intended for small setups. The smaller the lenses and body you have, the more you'll be able to fit but it all depends on how you have the dividers set up. I think its best to set the dividers up to create 3 even compartments and if done correctly, can collapse on themselves towards the outside to allow one big space if needed. So far I've used it to fit the smallrig'd z6 with the 14-30 attached and the 24-200 (or the 50 f1.8s or the 24-70 f4) next to it with a little space for a strap or a blower or something else small underneath one of the collapsed dividers- not sure if a 28 or 40 would fit under there, I dont have one to try but for reference the FTZ does fit, but un necessary with either of these lenses. So I could do the 14-30 attached to the camera, the FTZ under the flap and 70-300 on the side but then when done with the 70-300, there'd have to be a disassembly process before stowage. There is not a lot of space in there, but the design allows the zipper to close when you got it crammed full of stuff. It pays to be mindful of what lens is attached and what lens is stored next to the camera in the sling. They should both fit on the camera in the space allowed for the camera or else you're swapping lenses back before storing the camera (Capture Clip?)The sling is taller than the cubes and so the longer lenses like a 70-300 or the 105 macro that should lay down in the cubes, (and waste all the space above the lens in their little compartments) they have enough space to stand up in the sling but then there isnt enough room for a lens'd camera to fit too, so its a tradeoff. The 10l may be a better fit if you want a 3 lens kit with you or if the lenses you use are of the larger variety, but its a bigger bag and I was after a smaller one so the 6l does great with 2 lenses.
TwistedThrottle
Senior Member
I cant answer that for ya, I mostly take my panos handheld but it sounds like [MENTION=48483]BF Hammer[/MENTION] got you covered!
Thanks for sharing exactly the kind of information I'm always looking for.
I have pd's 30L Everyday Backpack for when I want to haul a bunch of stuff. I have a couple of small LowePro bags from the film and DSLR days that I can use for the Z 7II/Smallrig L-bracket and a couple of lenses, but they're small, top-loading shoulder bags and I'm interested in something more handy for carrying on a hike, etc.
A sling pack is my next bag. I like the Peak Design gear I have so far, so their sling packs are high on my list. I live in a very rural area so I don't get to look at bags and packs in person before I buy them. Reviews from fellow enthusiasts are invaluable... thanks again.
I have pd's 30L Everyday Backpack for when I want to haul a bunch of stuff. I have a couple of small LowePro bags from the film and DSLR days that I can use for the Z 7II/Smallrig L-bracket and a couple of lenses, but they're small, top-loading shoulder bags and I'm interested in something more handy for carrying on a hike, etc.
A sling pack is my next bag. I like the Peak Design gear I have so far, so their sling packs are high on my list. I live in a very rural area so I don't get to look at bags and packs in person before I buy them. Reviews from fellow enthusiasts are invaluable... thanks again.
TwistedThrottle
Senior Member
I'd buy it again if I had to. I like the size, just big enough for the bare essentials and comfortable too, its not too heavy when wearing as a sling pack on the back. I'd probably feel the same about the 10l; fill it up and then want just a bit more space but be ok with what I could fit. It'd be a little larger on the back and a little more heavy, but the 3 would certainly be too small for my needs. Adorama has a lot to learn about what kind of photos they share, especially with their Peak Design lineup. B&H has much better photos of what to expect but I agree, it sucks trying to base your decision off a few pics. Watching the vids from Peak Design on Youtube helped a bunch plus they showed some loadout options for the different sizes available.
This is sort of why I'm buying a smaller bag. Whatever bag I have, I'll fill it up. If it can only hold the Z 7II and a couple of lenses, then I can't overload it with stuff I really don't need to be carrying for a casual hike or outing... packing discipline forced through size constraint.
There's a good chance there'll be a Peak Design 6L sling pack in my next "latest purchase" thread.
As of today, my latest purchase is an Anker 20W power block and their 6' USB-C to USB-C cord for charging/powering my Z 7II.
Just a follow-up on the SmallRig L-bracket...
It arrived today. It's nicely made and finished and the fact that it carries the appropriate hex wrench (held in its own little slot, secured with magnets) is a huge benefit. I hate rummaging around for Allen keys whenever I'm installing/removing a quick-release plate, L-bracket, etc. I have them in all my camera bags and tripod bag, but they always tend to settle into the deepest recesses. SmallRig's idea of having one carried on the bracket is genius.
It installed easily and is very secure. I saw a video review where a guy showed his moving around on the camera even after he tightened it but mine definitely does not. BUT... the rumor I heard about the portrait orientation being unstable was true. The portrait side of the bracket is adjustable so you can move it out away from the camera body to allow clearance for cables, tethering, etc. Even with the bracket slid in close, it still wiggled a bit. (Even when adjusted all the way in close, you can still access the rubber doors on the camera for connecting USB, etc.)
I removed the screws that held the side piece on, put some blue LocTite on them, and tightened them down hard. I also tightened the adjusting screw down nice and tight. Voila! No more wiggles; everything is rock-solid and I'm happy! By the way, the correct torquing procedure for those screws is per the classic gear-head's creed: tighten them until they are just about to strip, then back them off an eighth turn.
blackstar
Senior Member
Ok, now the Smallrig's L-bracket is no where to buy (except ebay?) So for other brands, anyone use Haoge PNL L-bracket or Sunwayfoto PNLO-z6iiN L-bracket? Or any other brands? Any suggestions? The Sunwayfoto offer a special design that it leave out the bottom battery area, so free to change battery w/o taking off the bracket. But I suspect it would cause weight unbalance? Appreciate any inputs.
Fred Kingston
Senior Member
I have the SunwayFoto for my D810... I don't notice any balance issues... I do like that I can change the battery without unscrewing the L-Bracket... And I can't see any difference between SW's $50 bracket and ReallyRightStuff's $200...
BF Hammer
Senior Member
The 2nd Z-body bracket I bought was branded "Leftfoto" and is apparently an exact duplication of the Smallrig. I suspect it was too exact as the Amazon listing I purchased has gone missing. I bought a different one when I first bought my Z5 but I took it off after a week. It was more minimalist, but still managed to feel like it was in the way. I really like how the Smallrig style L-plate extends the bottom of the camera body and makes it actually easier to grip. The allen wrench stores in the bottom with rare-earth magnets and it is secure there. I even used the portrait position extended last weekend for a Milky Way photo shoot and it was stable enough for that. But I use a remote shutter release cable.
"Auto" picture control on the Z 7II. The photos were post-processed with NX Studio. The sheep was cropped a bit with no other adjustments. The photo was taken inside a livestock barn. The midway photo was also cropped and had +20 Shadow Protection, +10 Contrast and +10 Saturation. I usually add contrast and saturation to make up for what's lost when using shadow protection or D-Lighting adjustments. It was taken at dusk.
Here's the unedited version:
...and similarly cropped with no other adjustments:
Here's the unedited version:
...and similarly cropped with no other adjustments:
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Bikerbrent
Senior Member
glade to see your success with the Z 7II camera. The bottom photo looks really nice.
Danno
Senior Member
Nice photos. The Z glass is amazing isn’t it. I do not use my 50 1.8 much anymore. Most photos I take are at church these days and I use either 24-70 f2.8 or the 85 f1.8. You are right, the Z glass does impact your appreciation for the F glass. I have replaced all of my F glass with the comparable Z glass and I do like it better.
I don’t post as much right now because most the photos I take are at church and I just don’t feel good about posting them, but I really prefer the results.