It’s not even a quarter of a century since Nikon launched the FM3a. At the time, Nikon was already producing feature-packed models such as the F5 and F100. Nevertheless, I’m going to use the former manual classic FM3a as a springboard for my futuristic visions. There are two reasons for this. The personal one is that I entered the Nikon waters with the FM3a. But more importantly, this camera had just two basic functions: shutter speed and ISO.
The only other small features this camera had were auto shutter speed, automatically set ISO from the film cartridge, exposure compensation, a self-timer, a depth-of-field preview lever, a frame counter and, of course, levers to rewind the film. And that was it.
Now, try to squeeze the features of today’s digital cameras into one sentence. It would be a sentence long enough to fill a book, and it would take a champion freediver’s breath away to read it. But as they say, the appetite grows with the food, so I asked myself a question. If I had the chance, what features would I add to an already great camera like the Nikon Z9?
I put this question to myself and to my dear colleague Jason, with whom I let my imagination run wild. Well, here’s the result of our visionary musings.
Table of Contents
1. Smart manual
A great way to keep control of the vertices of the exposure triangle is to shoot in manual mode with Auto ISO. This gives you full control over the ‘creative’ variables of aperture and shutter speed. The technical part of the triangle, the ISO, is under the camera’s control.
Manual with Auto ISO does have one catch, however. Let’s say you’re shooting wildlife in a forest. You have an aperture of f/2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/400. The camera assigns ISO 400 to these values. As long as the animal stays in the shadows, everything will be fine.
But even on a dark forest floor, a ray of sunshine will occasionally strike, and that can be a problem because a dramatic increase in light cannot always be compensated for by lowering the ISO, with its minimum somewhere around 100. In such cases, unless you manually reduce the shutter speed, the result will be an overexposed image.
And yet a little tweak, which I call Smart Manual (or Foolproof Manual), would do the trick. In cases where Auto ISO cannot lower the ISO further, the camera would compensate by changing the shutter speed to maintain the correct exposure. And, it would automatically return to the set value when the lighting conditions return to the ISO limits.
2. Pre-Release in Raw
Pre-Release is a potentially very useful feature whenever the reaction times of our slow neural systems fail. Imagine, for example, a toucan in a nest hole. For endless minutes, it just peeks out of its cavity while you wait for it to slip out and spread its wings.
Your finger presses the shutter every time the toucan barely moves, but it does not fly. After a few such attempts, your attention wanes and you miss the actual flight. The typical result is that you end up with a card full of the same photos of the toucan peering out of the hole.
The pre-release function allows you to rewind time by up to one precious second by temporarily storing images in the camera’s buffer. These images are only recorded to the card when the shutter is fully pressed. Since April 2022, when the Nikon Z9 got this feature in firmware version 2.0, we have basically been able to photograph the past. That sounds great, but…the “but” is so big that I never use this feature on my Z9: it is restricted to JPEG output.
Yet, other manufacturers by now have it in Raw. Both Sony and Canon have it in their top-of-the-line models. It is even present on Canon’s EOS R6 Mark II, although in this model, the result is stored in an inconvenient single file from which you have to extract the desired Raw image in compatible software, typically Canon Digital Photo Professional.
Of course, smaller sensor cameras were the first to get a pre-release feature with Raw. Both the OM System (Pro Capture) and Fujifilm (Pre-Shot) have it. Fuji’s speed machine, the X-H2s, with its 26.1MP APS-C sensor, can shoot up to 40 Raw images per second in Pre-Shot. Even the high-resolution Fujifilm X-H2, with its 40.2MP sensor, can shoot at 13 fps from the entire sensor area. Now 13 fps may not seem like much, but consider that virtually the same speed was achieved by the 20.8MP Nikon D5 when shooting continuously with an electronic shutter.
3. Digital ND filter
This is another wonderful feature that probably doesn’t need an introduction for users of OM System cameras. Their Live ND filter feature can simulate a range of ND filter densities from ND2 (1EV) to ND64 (6EV). I say “simulate” because the camera uses a composite of multiple exposures to achieve the ND filter effect. However, the end result is a single Raw file that can be processed as if it had been shot with a real filter.
ND filters are most often used when we need to capture or emphasize movement. Typical examples are running water, clouds moving across the sky or leaves blowing in the wind. However, good quality filters are expensive and there can also be problems with different thread diameters. Not to mention that some telephoto lenses require either very large filter diameters (e.g. 95mm for Nikon Z 180-600mm) or special drop-in filters in the case of expensive exotics.
Real filters also do not have as much convenience and speed. When shooting landscapes, speed may not be a critical factor, but the same cannot be said for wildlife. The ability to activate an ND filter with a single button press would be a fantastic feature. Water birds such as ducks, dippers and herons look very nice surrounded by motion-blurred water. Not to mention, the digital ND filter won’t fall into the water when you’re trying to screw it on quickly.
4. Automatic Focus Stacking
Nikon has a Focus-Shift function that allows you to take photos with a depth of field so great that they can’t be taken in the standard way, such as by stopping down. The principle is that the camera takes a series of photos of the same scene, each with a slightly shifted plane of focus. Then, these have to be merged into a single image in Photoshop or a dedicated stacking application such as Helicon Focus.
But the whole process is quite complex and involves a number of settings in the camera’s menu. With Nikon, you first have to focus on the closest point you want in focus, correct the plane of focus slightly towards the camera, adjust the number of frames, the focus step width between frames, the time interval between shots and a few other things, and then finish the process by pressing Start and OK. It takes another three seconds before the actual recording starts. Do you also find this a bit tedious? Let’s leave aside the need for post-production, which adds even more time to the overall process.
I would love it if the focus stacking function could be assigned to a function button, like a Record button. With focus stacking enabled, all you would have to do is focus on the closest (or possibly the last) point you want in focus, press the shutter button, and the camera would do the rest. Based on the focal length of the lens and the shortest plane of focus, it would calculate the number of frames needed and the focus step width, and start a fast sequence (at least 10 fps). This would make it possible to capture even moving subjects.
It would be great if the camera could also merge the resulting images straight into a JPEG or even a Raw file. Again, not a revolutionary idea, as the OM System can merge up to 15 images directly in-camera. This may not be enough for very small subjects, but it is more than enough for landscapes with a large depth of field.
5. Customizable Focus Limiter
A focus limiter is typically a feature associated with telephoto or macro lenses. With these, there is usually an option to limit the range of focusing via a switch on the lens. On the Nikon Z 180-600mm, for example, you can choose between the full range or 6m to infinity. In some situations, however, it would be useful if the AF range could be defined more precisely.
One such scenario is when using the Auto-capture function. Limiting the AF range would make the AF work more accurately and also reduce the number of false triggers.
In this mode, you would have a clear idea of where the subject should be, so it would not be a problem to determine the exact distance with a small tolerance. This is also the case when photographing hummingbirds on a flower, woodpeckers and toucans near a nest hole, birds on a branch, etc. With this feature, your camera would never focus on a distant background or some object too far away from the intended subject.
How would you work with a customizable focus-limiter (CFL)? You would first focus on the spot where you expect action. Then you would activate the CFL by long-pressing the Memory set button or another programmable button. The Fn button on the lens and the Command dial could be used to set the distance range within which the AF should be sensitive to the subject. Pressing the Memory set button again would deactivate the CFL and return the AF range to the default values set on the lens.
Conclusion
You have just read five features that Jason and I would like to see in a future Nikon camera. As you can see, we’re not being immodest! Essentially, most of the features I’ve mentioned would require only minor changes to the camera’s firmware. The limit may be processing power in some cases, but not for all suggestions. If any of these features were to appear in a future Nikon camera, or even better, in a firmware update, that would be fantastic.
To you, our readers and active photographers, I have a few questions. What new feature would you like to see in your future camera? Would you be willing to pay for new features for your existing camera, as is the case with major updates to many software products (such as photo editors)? I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments section, and…I also hope someone at Nikon is listening.
Smart Manual will be extremely useful.
I compiled the following list for a similar topic on.the BCG Forum in November last yea r:-
*Stacked Sensor with Cross-type AF points (similar to D6 design) not restricted to one set(s) of colour pixels – this should deliver Autofocus that is significantly stickier, and solves Closest Subject Priority glitches;
* Real-Time Clipping – highlights and shadows;
* Auto VR, which allows refined control over maximum shutter speed that switches VR off;
* Higher EVF resolution – Z6 III spec;
* Focus-Stacking Burst mode, which captures a batch of images over preset focus distance, eg 20 HE*RAW frames covering 10 cm at 120fps from initial AF position – with the menu choice to stack either behind or in front of the initial plane of focus;
* PreCapture RAW at up to 60 fps as a minimum (also available in High-speed burst mode);
* High Speed Burst RAW eg 5 seconds at 120fps with options to use with both PreCapture and/or Focus-Stacking Burst;
* Expanded Custom Menu options;
* RSF Hold improved – allow at least 3 different RSF Setups/Shooting Bank, and add missing features especially camera Mode – S,A,M, and switching frame rate setting e.g. 20fps to Single;
* Depth of Field Bracketing with constant exposure (using Auto ISO);
* Capture RAW Stills when recording video (even if sampling base image data of the jpg feed);
* Auto Lock of vertical grip so it cannot operate when camera is tilted to horizontal (menu option)
And 2 more :-
* Cycle Subject Detection Modes – similarly to switching AF modes with Cycle AF, we have the straightforward option for a subset of choices eg only show Bird, Animal, SD OFF only. If selected as available in the sublist, Auto mode has the added option to open up to full set of categories, or be set for the zoological (i.e. preferred) categories only. Heck, Nikon should be able to add this feature in a Z9 Firmware;
* Action Priority Autofocus – This AI based AF feature is likely to be added in future Nikon MILCs…. This is aimed primarily for athletes, but it’s feasible that it should be trained to Focus solely on the Cat amongst the Pigeons, or Leopard among the Impalas, Lion amongst the Zebras etc. Nikon is probably working on a feature similar to Canon’s
Love the suggestions, especially the ND filter.
Another thing I would love to add is live view stacking to make focusing on low light (or starry skies) easier. Even though starlight mode helps, it’s still way interior to image stacking.
Raw pre release could easily be done via firmware. Did you know the full sized Jpeg files used by Nikons pre capture are actually twice the size of HE RAW files? Therefore it’s not a file size or buffer limitation, and surely not a processing pipeline issue. It was a choice , that Nikon made. Nikon could offer an HE RAW option if they wanted to. I wonder if they’re holding out for the next model like Sony did with the release of their A1 mkii? I was hopeful that Nikon wouldn’t follow Sonys practices as they tend to alienate their own customer base (many unhappy A1 users who wanted pre capture via a firmware release, which never happened)
Sounds like you need to buy an OM II! But seriously, here is my wish list for Nikon:
**Remove the artificial image file name limitation** Why is that so difficult? I want to provide a set of letters/numbers that will be unique no matter how many images I take. Option to have a simple date numbering, or add a letter of the alphabet every time you go past 9999 images.
1. RAW in pre-release – yes, yes, yes please.
2. GET RID of Menu or Settings Banks or add a simple option to have them default to the original settings whenever you switch-off or change to another bank. Just a simple option. How many times have I found upon switching on my Z8, that something has carried over from the last time I used it.
3. Have the Recall Shooting option for more than one set of settings. Allow different buttons to recall different shooting modes. Almost negates #2.
4. Voice-activated option to select key functions. “I want birds in flight setting”
5. Option to have settings associated with which lens is attached. If I’m using the 105mm macro I have aparticular set of conditions. Why not have that change automatically when mounting the lens? Again, an option that you can choose to have or ignore.
6. How long before the camera can recognize what you are trying to photograph and tweak the settings accordingly?
7. Have the # of images remaining on your card change color in the viewfinder at a predetermined settings. For example, the number, I know it is an estimate, changes to red or even flashes when there are less than 100 images available on the card. Same for the battery symbal, it should flash or change color.
8. An option to have the camera sleep when it is pointing down and become active when pointing towards the horizontal or vertical. The battery performance on my Z8 is poor given the camera’s size.
9. Simple ISO/Shutter/Aperture shift settings. This is hard to explain and may be impossible. Once I have my “bankable” shots (I photograph birds exclusively, often at ISO3200 or higher) I would like the camera to drop the ISO for better quality knowing that there are risks of camera shake. Open the aperture first if possible, then drop the shutter.
10. Smarter manual, slightly different from Libor’s. You limit the aperture range, the shutter range and the iso range. Then set a preference for “action” or “depth of field” and let the camera provide those settings. Still able to use exposure compensation.
1) I would like to see a built in gray card that is combined/taken with each image.
2) Another placement of the right dial-button (it’s called the sub-command dial in the manual). Not at the front of the grip but at the top. Just like Canon cameras. So that it is more difficult to accidently change settings.
3) A classic design like the F3HP with a 45 MP or more sensor.
A simple feature: a counter visible on main display or in the top one that tells you how many shoots are left in a timelapse/focus shift or any other multishoot programs. Eve a tiny white number on a black screen, to avoid disturbing night shooting.
That’s a good idea. On a similar note, if you use the extended shutter speeds on the Z6 it actually counts back the seconds on the top display, which is a fantastic feature, however, I would like if it also did that during Long Exposure Noise Reduction.
yes – I’ve seen it. But when you run a focus shift of 300 pictures you’ve to check the led indicator of the memory card if it’s still running or not. Nothing big for a simple firmware update on cameras that are supposed to worth thousands……….
Well, what I’d like to see on ALL Nikon cameras is an old fashioned split focus circle that appears when you set the camera to manual focus. I like trying manual focus from time to time, but it is so hard to actually achieve perfect focus that I usually give up after a few tries. I don’t know whether this would be a feature of the lens or the camera. The camera, I suspect. I bet it can be achieved with a simple firmware update. This would make me very happy.
How would this work with DSLRs? I think it would have to be physically installed!
I think this is also possible by software. Wasn’t it on a recent PetaPixel podcast, where they said Canon did it mirrorless with an opening and closing V in the viewfinder?
Nikon’s green box is like an on/off switch. It would be nicer to have a continuous visualisation, showing how you approach focus and how you loose it again turning the ring too far.
I don’t see how this could work without changing the optical path. The old school focusing aids worked by putting prisms in the path of the viewfinder with a huge loss of light (and likely attendant reduction in IQ if you were to slap that in front of a sensor for mirrorless cameras).
You could maybe have a visual indicator for how in-focus the particular AF pixel or set of pixels is, but that’s about as good as it gets (e.g. the dots when in manual mode).
Split prism is a different solution with a different set of tradeoffs than are compatible with current camera designs and tradeoffs.
Oh well, it was just a thought. I wasn’t visualizing real prisms like in the old days. I was thinking of some sort of software idea. It would have been nice, though.
A different visualization of the data coming from the AF sensors is certainly possible, it’s just how do you visualize the data coming from 493 focus points in a way that lets you quickly tell what’s in focus? I think the red dots do a reasonable job, but I admit I’ll go to punch-in focus to make sure, so perhaps there’s a better visualization.
Phase detection autofocus raison d’être: to provide the direction of focus error; whereas contrast detection autofocus does not provide the direction.
This information could be shown in the camera’s EVF. E.g., display sensor image in black and white; overlay it with one colour for objects too near, a different colour for objects too far (using data from each AF sensor).
You wrote “…putting prisms in the path of the viewfinder with a huge loss of light”.
Really? I thoroughly enjoyed using focussing screens such as the Type K2:
mir.com.my/rb/ph…creens.htm
I don’t have extensive experience with those focusing screens, but I put my hands on an F2 recently, and the focusing screen looked like it was inflicting a stop or more of light loss outside of the focusing area. The focusing area itself looked like it was taking maybe half a stop from ambient.
I can see why people like using them for manual focus, It was damn near effortless to manually focus with it.
I just don’t believe it to be compatible with modern designs. Maybe someone could cram one in somewhere on a DSLR (between the pentaprism and the diopter? aftermarket at the viewfinder?) but it doesn’t fit mirrorless designs anywhere even in theory as far as I know.
Now you’re saying that the focussing screen area containing the prisms is brighter than the area that doesn’t. Make your mind up about the light loss of prisms🙃
The relative brightness of such a viewfinder depends on the f‑number (relative aperture) of the lens. However, with very fast lenses the brightness is restricted by the limited size of the reflex mirror.
It often seems that various commentators don’t begin to comprehend what it means to have six or more decades of experience in photography — both technical and artistic experience.
Great list Libor. One feature that Nikon does have on some cameras are the Lo ISO values below base ISO, i.e. Lo.3, Lo.7 and Lo1.0. Although not ideal this does get us in the direction of a built in ND filter. I’ve never used them. Has anyone given them a go? I’m curious how they work from a technical perspective, and what is given up when they’re used.
it doen not give that much – see it as over exposure. I have a z8 and over exposed the saturation gets stronger and also the contrast. You can use it only in places with flat light/ subjects with little dynamic range. The sensor is 64 asa.
PS the d850 was better in this regard -kept the colours more steady in over/under-exposure.
The LO ISO modes overexpose a shot at base ISO (64/100) and then push the exposure down to look like the lower ISO specified. So, yes, you get a longer exposure of “normal” brightness, but compared to a shot with an ND filter (or true lower ISO), you lose RAW headroom in the highlights.
Assume you shoot a waterfall at ISO 100 and 1/10 sec. But then you discover that you need to recover the brightest parts of the waterflow by pulling down the highlights in post, and in doing so, you are fully exploiting the highlight information present in the RAW file. In the LO1 shot at 1/5 sec, those highlights are gone (irretrievably overexposed by 1 stop).
Looking at these comments I’m happy to see I’m not the only one who wants to be able to control Auto ISO minimum shutter speed with the shutter speed dial while in Aperture Priority mode! It honestly baffles me why this isn’t an option not only on my Nikons, but as far as I know on any other brand.
Auto ISO is such a basic functionality and yet there is no way to quickly change it’s settings with a dial. Not even on the flagship cameras. You have to dive into the menu to change them but by that time the moment you tried to capture might have passed.
Of course Manual with Auto ISO is an alternative, but as stated above in the article, it is very easy to overexpose that way in quickly changing lighting conditions, and by the time you correct it, the moment, again, might have passed. In addition, 99% of the time I don’t need a very specific shutter speed. I only need it not to go below a specific value.
I love shooting street photography for example and reaction time is key on the street. That’s why I’m so obsessed with efficiency and getting to my desired settings as fast as possible with the least amount of button presses.
In those situations Aperture Priority with Auto ISO’s minimum shutter speed set around 1/200-1/320 works the best. That way I only have to dial in aperture, and I can do that without even looking at the camera, so by the time I raise the camera in front of my face everything is already set up properly. That works most of the time, but there are still situations where I need to change the minimum shutter speed quickly.
Now as far as I know, you can sort of do that on the Z8 and the Z9 through programming a different Auto ISO minimum shutter speed under recall shooting functions and it’s the main reason I’m planning to get a Z8 soon. Having two different minimum shutter speeds available at my fingertips is already a huge help. However, what would be even better is being able to fully control the minimum shutter speed via the shutter speed dial.
Of course not having this option is not the end of the world. It’s not that it’s impossible or even difficult to go around it, it’s just that it is tedious. If I suddenly need a different shutter speed, I could just switch my Z6 into Manual, but that usually requires me to take my eyes off the scene. And so does going into the menu. Having this functionality available through the shutter speed dial would be both quicker and easier and would allow me to concentrate more on the one thing that really matters and that is composition.
Lastly, I need to mention the Zf. Because the Zf allows you to control at least the maximum ISO aspect of Auto ISO with the ISO dial (as long as you set your maximum ISO in the menu to 200). If only it could do the same for the shutter speed dial on the top! Then you could set aperture with the front dial, maximum ISO with the ISO dial, minimum shutter speed with the top shutter speed dial and use the rear dial for quick compensation in case your histogram is off. It would give you full creative control* right at your fingertips while also making it practically impossible to overexpose. If the Zf could do that I would buy one in a heartbeat.
*except when you need a very specific shutter speed, but if you are in that kind of situation, you are probably already in Manual and not really in a hurry.
This is available on most canon cameras, including the R8, through their Fv setting. This allows you to either set or leave automatic any of aperture, speed, and ISO and to change any of them with the main dial, either to a different setting or back to auto.
Oh, neat! I didn’t know about that on Canons. Even more reason for Nikon to finally come up with their implementation of this.
Like you Balaz, i haven’t seen auto Iso minimum shutter speed on dial on any camera. And I can see myself switching just for that feature.
You do not have to go into menus on the Nikon Z8/Z9 to change auto ISO /manual ISO. I have that assigned to the dedicated ISO button …hold the button and spin the dial. Real simple. I recommend you pick up Steve Perry’s guide on the Nikon Z8/Z9 setup. It’s easily the best guide for customizing these cameras
What I would like to see are… 1) Nikon lenses with a special aperture ring. That would be great for my Zf
2)An adjustable focus limiter for my MC 105mm. Because now the focus has a very difficult time when you are close to the limit. I didn’t buy this especially for macro purposes (more for landscape and portrait) because my old Sigma 150mm macro lens is unbeatable on my Nikon D810.
3) More firmware updates for my Zf because I have the impression that Nikon only endowed the top models well!
4) Any other points you list would be very nice including the digital ND filter and auto iso Smart Manual (or Foolproof Manual) would be very welcome.
Thank you for the very interesting article.