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Firmware updates are critical for photographers. They not only improve on existing features but also help in bridging the gap between newer and older technology. For instance, a firmware update can help to improve RAW files or battery; in other cases, it improves low-light performance or autofocus quickness. Quite recently, Nikon announced that they are bringing in a new feature in the Nikon Z6 III, which was launched in 2024. Here’s what it’s about.
According to Nikon USA’s X account (via Asobinet), the company first announced upgrades for Nikon Zf, which has received improvements such as bird subject detection, high-resolution zoom, enhanced manual focus support, and better access to creative Imaging Receipts through Nikon Imaging Cloud. However, someone quickly pointed out that the Nikon Z6 III, which is a new camera, still lacks bird-detect autofocus. To which Nikon responded:
We plan to add Bird detect AF to the Z6 III by the end of the year. Stay tuned!
This firmware update is really crucial for bird photographers, who need better tracking and focusing ability for birds in flight. Thus, bird detection autofocus will make it easy to get detailed images and help many to execute their creative vision with ease.
In addition to this, we believe the Nikon Z6 III will also receive the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI)’s Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) tools, which will benefit many photographers. This means that users can preserve their original image’s metadata, which will help safeguard their copyright. With the C2PA firmware, others can also easily help to pull out the real image if someone uses AI to alter the original photographer for nefarious purposes.
Since by the time the camera will already be a year old, Nikon will have to introduce better updates, that go beyond the two mentioned above. Perhaps a better performance on people of color, just like the Z9 updates, will be better. In our review, we found the camera does a decent job, but it is not as spectacular as the Z9, which is leading the class. Similarly, we also found the Z6 III to lag a bit for street photography. At the same time, while the camera provides clear high ISO images, it is still nothing too out of the ordinary. Perhaps, if the new update also includes far exceptional ISO performance, like the Nikon D3, then we may have something singing praises about.
In our test, we found the Nikon Z6 III, a smaller version of the Z8, which is a version of the Z9. The biggest innovation in the camera was the semi-stacked sensor, which has a really great high readout speed. In addition, the viewfinder was also the brightest at that time. But other than that, it is like any other Nikon camera. So our hope is that when the Nikon Z7 III is released, the company will take notes about what photographers really want, work on it, and give us a perfect camera. In 2025, that’s the least we can hope for.
