ONLINE: Nikon Z 8 & Z 9 Masterclass by Simon Stafford on 5th, 6th & 7th December 2023

Please note that this event will take place as an online webinar over the course of three sessions:

Tuesday, 5th December 2023, 7:00pm - 9:00pm GMT
Wednesday, 6th December 2023, 7:00pm - 9:00pm GMT
Thursday, 7th December 2023, 7:00pm - 9:00pm GMT

Continuing his highly successful series of photographic seminars and workshops presented in association with Nikon Owner Magazine and Grays of Westminster, Simon Stafford, Technical Editor of Nikon Owner has prepared this 3-part workshop to help you make the most of the Nikon Z8 and Z 9 cameras, irrespective of your level of photographic knowledge and experience.

The Z 8 and Z 9 cameras share many key functions and features; Simon will explain how to optimise the performance of these cameras for stills photography through appropriate selection of settings for functions and features such as autofocus, through-the-lens metering, sensor-based Vibration Reduction, electronic shutter control, electronic viewfinder, monitor screen displays and many more. By developing your understanding of each camera model, he will enable you to use it to best effect.

His aim is to achieve a dramatic improvement in your craft of taking photographs with these innovative, exciting and highly versatile cameras by mastering core skills through practical application. Simon will also discuss other aspects of photography with the Z 8 and Z 9 cameras, such as the Z Nikkor lenses, using the FTZ / FTZ II  lens mount adapter and a variety of other Nikon accessories. Simon will share his in-depth knowledge accrued over nearly 40 years of photographic experience so that you can achieve high-quality, professional-looking photographs consistently when using the Nikon Z 8 or  Z 9.

Please note this event will not deal with the video recording capabilities of the Nikon Z8 & Z 9 cameras, which will be the subject of a separate presentation in due course.

Agenda

Session 1 - Tuesday, 5th December 2023 (7:00 - 9:00 pm)

• Introduction to the Z 8 & Z 9 cameras
• Imaging sensor - an overview
• Camera buttons, EVF and monitor display - an overview
• Z Nikkor lenses - features and functions
• Using F-mount Nikkor lenses with the FTZ / FTZ II adapter
• Depth-of-Field - how it is displayed and controlled
• Built-in lens corrections
• Vibration Reduction - its operation and application
• Image crop modes
• File formats, including support for HEIF (Z 8 only)
• Memory card and buffer memory considerations
• Exposure control, through-the-lens (TTL) metering and histogram
• Silent (electronic shutter) photography - best practice

Session 2 - Wednesday, 6th December 2023 (7:00 - 9:00 pm)

• The Autofocus System - an overview
• AF points in detail
• AF modes in detail
• AF-area modes in detail
• AF point selection
• Customising AF settings for optimum results
• Autofocus tips and tricks
• Using AF-tracking with Lock-on
• The AF-ON button (Back-button focusing)
• Focus Shift (focus stacking) feature - an overview

Session 3 - Thursday, 7th December 2023 (7:00 - 9:00 pm)

• ISO sensitivity, ISO noise reduction and using Auto ISO
• White Balance
• Picture Controls, plus new Tone Mode options (SDR/HLG) (Z 8 only)
• Useful camera features and customisation of button controls
• Using and refining the menu system, including My Menu
• The Custom Settings menu - key settings
• The Setup menu - key settings
• Image review options and settings
• Firmware and updating firmware

This course is suitable for all experience levels. Ideally, each attendee should have a Nikon Z 8 or Z 9 camera to refer to during the event, together with a Z-mount lens, and if available, a Nikon F-mount lens and FTZ / FTZ II adapter. The event will also be suitable for any photographer giving serious consideration to adding a Z 8, or Z 9 to their equipment.

Each attendee will receive a full set of the presentation notes in the form of a PDF file, plus a full recording of each session in the MP4 file format.

Testimonials

“I enjoyed the format of the webinar and found it very useful. The Z9 is a mighty beast and I was looking for thoughts on customising it to my taste, so your insights into setting it up were most helpful. It was apparent that people’s knowledge and understanding were quite varied; however, your presentation was so clear and comprehensive that I’m sure we all came away with many nuggets of information to be confident in using the camera. Having the recording and notes will enable me to go back at a future date and widen my setups for new challenges.” Chris B.

“Thank you again for the Z9 Masterclass and the course material. I can read the manual many times and get the idea as to what I need to do, however, I have found on your courses you make it sound simple and easy to follow especially when you link functions together. What more can I say. I am having lots of fun setting up the Fn buttons which I find very useful!” Malcolm G.

“Your three-part Nikon Z9 Masterclass course is absolutely brilliant!" Andrew L.

“Once again thank you for the excellent course on the Nikon Z9 and I will look out for future courses.” John J.