I never take you seriously, so that's fine.
Feel free to pretend like that statement isn't true. I'd put them in the top 10% of all cameras made, if not 5%. I'm not sure what your criteria is, but your opinions are historically awful, so your criteria probably are irrational
Which lens were you using?
Tamron g2 150-600, on the ftz. Far from an excellent quality extremely fast focusing lens, though I will say my copy is excellent (for the lens, obviously it's never going to be as sharp as the 10k$ primes).
So similar to the 44 sec mark in this video?
No, in flight, relatively close up.
My main issue is me related, in a lack of smooth tracking (even with my z9), though they're very erratic most of the time.
Tried to upload from my phone, if it doesn't work, let me know. This is one example, I have a lot more, but I only saved a few of the best shots to upload vs the number I actually got in focus
The 44 sec mark when I watch it is one bird low over water weaving and bobbing towards the camera. Which is how I generally see them.
I have yet to get a good picture of one over water, because where I see them that way they're too far away to nail a single one in a shot. I know a few places where I can see them relatively close, even if it's against a busy background, etc.
I do not shoot BIF against sky backgrounds. May be just my opinion, but I find it too much like saying "here - I documented this bird"
I typically don't post images, but here is one I captured. The round spots on the image are rain drops, as it was raining slight.
Not my place to tell you what you can do with your gear, but out of my D4s, D500 and D850, I could only capture images of swallows with the D4s and D500. The D850 could not focus fast enough to capture the image. On top of that I tried the 300 2.8VR and due to it's size and weight, I could not follow focus fast enough with my body movement to keep on track. I think I tried the 200-400VRII as well. No luck. I used the 70-200 VRII, which is a fairly fast focusing lens, and fairly small in size. I would not have been able to follow focus with a lens the size of a 150-600, nor would I be able to get the auto focus on such a lens to focus fast enough to get an image.
Just my thoughts on shooting swallows
I was able to follow these decently, when my tracking was up to par (which is the weak point for me). I'd say I got 50% of shots in focus on the bird, with maybe half of those with the eye in good focus. It helped being close.
I have a few other images, but I'm not going to dig back for my external with all the raws to export all the examples from that, but I have a few others I can easily find against more busy backgrounds (or with multiple swallows in the picture).
I'll also say they were cropped, so far from frame filling, which should have made it more difficult. I didn't find it to be the case.
If I had a fast prime (such as the 400 4.5 now, or similar high end primes prior such as the 300 2.8, etc I'd have a higher hit rate, and with my z9 now I'll have a better one too, just lack of opportunity to go out and get images of them.
This is one reason I laugh when people say the z7 can't handle it. I've done it, and Anayv (I believe, though I could misspell it) on the dpreview forums has shot them with a z50 and sigma 100-400 adapted (and with a 1.4x tc) and done extremely well.
In short, people blame the autofocus or cameras, but I've personally found user skill to be the single most important factor specifically regarding this subject (birds, and swallows especially, in flight).
Attached here is a very heavily cropped image from that same day, and really the same hour as the other shot. I got I think 3 or 4 other shots of the second in reasonably good focus, with one of the first in good focus (but I wanted the second one in focus more), and then they were off in a different direction.
I also enjoyed your shot, and I'd love to be able to get that close to the ones over lakes here ,but they're often just too far away behind brush/trees to easily get to without disturbing other birds (which I'd rather not do).
I'm pretty sure I could use most of the cameras mentioned in here fairly well. As someone said further up, a lot of it comes down to the settings. I certainly wouldn't rush out and buy a Z8 if the camera I use now is working fine, I would wait and see what a lot of users are getting that I was interested in and if they had any issues. A Z9 I would love to have, because Nikon is getting some very interesting lenses these days. I shoot with Nikon, Sony and Canon shooters. All birds and BIFs. I honestly don't' see any of them having too much trouble.
As for examples of swallows in flight, well they are pretty easy if you practice on a fantail that we have here. If you can nail a fantail in flight, swallows look darn slow and easy to get.
Pick your weapon of choice and go out clicking IMO.
Danny.
I don't think Ghostfox and certainly not myself, were debating about buying a Z8 as a better alternative to what we were shooting the sparrows with. I looked at a couple of videos of fantails flying, and they don't appear to be as flicky as the barnies (barney sparrows) I was shooting. But either way both are difficult. When it comes to BIF, and if that is what you are referring to as Nikon getting "interesting lenses these days", I'm not seeing what they are getting that is not available in other systems. There is no 500Pf, 300 2.8, 500 f4 or the 200-600 in Zee mount. The exotics that they have in Zee mount are like the exotics in any mount - out of the price range of most, so while for example, a 600 f4 might be interesting, price will prevent most from obtaining one. I've seen fellows having difficulty shooting herons with a Z9, and if I were buying either Nikon, I think it would be the Z9 over the Z8. Unless Nikon has changed how they operate, it has always been that they state that the bodies have the same AF (D810 / D4, D850/D5) but the pro bodies have always had the better AF. So I would suspect that when pushed, the Z9 AF might be a bit better.
But if you are privy to some pintail or sparrow images shot with a Z9, A9 or A1 or one of the Canons, post a couple or give me a link or two. Always interested in the best AF'ing bodies, but rarely see any wow images.
I think you're mistaken if you think you can pick any recent body and go shooting barnies or fantails.
Looking at the lenses 600 F/4, 400 F/4.5, 400 F/2.8, 800 F/6.3, what's not to love there. An adapted 500 F/5.6 PF I would love to try as well. Fantails are a lot more erratic than swallows, they can take off 90 degrees straight up and twist in the own body length which is not much. Swallows can't do that. I was shooting swallows with manual focus teles not that long ago, so a mix of manual focus and AF www.birdsinaction.com/Swallows-on-the-wing/ If they are any good or not is a matter of opinion, but I don't really find swallows that hard to get.
A Nikon Z9 or probably the Z8 (yet to see it though) would be fine and with something like 400 F/4.5 or an adapted 500 F/5.6 PF and should handle fast movers I would imagine. The folks I shoot with don't really have issues with Canon, Sony or Nikon.
I really do think Nikon is getting some darn nice lenses these days in Z mount.
Danny.
Beautifull shot, Thanks!
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
I had meant to tell you in my previous post that you have some nice BIF images on your website. I got the link from your DPReview profile. I'll have a closer look when I get some time.
Danny, you have some superb images on your site. Very impressive stuff, well done!