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Change FPS in Firmware
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Jan 14, 2021 09:03:04   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
kymarto wrote:
Very doubtful it would get more than a 10% increase. There are hardware limitations on read speed off the sensor and the data pipeline.


I would surmise way less than 10%, if any. The code for doing the transfer to the memory card is probably a sole task, not multiplexed, so the speed is limited to the physical transfer rate of the electronics (memory, processor, etc.).

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Jan 14, 2021 09:05:59   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
digitalnut wrote:
I am looking at a Z5 to get into mirrorless, but it only shoots 4.5 FPS. I shoot a lot of college and school Lacrosse and I would like at least 8 FPS. This number coming from my D7500 and works out perfect for the action shots. What I would like to know is, is it possible for Nikon to do a firmware Update to increase the frame rate? The Z5 has everything I want except the speed. I have asked Nikon about doing an upgrade, but they said they are not at liberty to tell me what is going to be updated in their cameras or updates to their cameras. Any information that you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
Please Stay Safe and keep shooting !!
I am looking at a Z5 to get into mirrorless, but i... (show quote)


While technically it is possible in certain situations, I've never heard of it. Back in the 80' it was not uncommon for IBM and HP to make a laser printer that could do 10 pages per minute, and use the exact same printer for a cheaper model that could only do 5 pages per minute. The rationale was that throttling the printer speed saved $$$$ in R&D costs.

This article may be of interest:

https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/108805/is-it-possible-to-increase-a-cameras-burst-shooting-fps-through-software-change

Ignore the snark - there are trolls that would rather berate and ridicule than to actually help shed light on a question or problem.

On another note, do you really need the extra frame rate? I shot tons of high school and collegiate sports in the late 70s and 80s using a motor drive and manual focus (Novoflex Follow Focus) lenses. Got great shots. High frame rate is a spray-n-pray technique and not a substitute for timing and anticipation - aka - being in the right place at the right time.

These were all taken with a Nikon D200 and an old (but reasonably sharp and fast) 80-200 F2.8 AF-D. The frame rate on the D200 was 5 fps.

I think you'll be fine with the Z5, but there are other cameras to consider. According to CameraDecision.com, the Z5 gets a rating of 76 for sports shooting, but the D780 gets a 90, making it a far better camera for sports, and it has a 7 fps rate.

https://cameradecision.com/faq/is-the-Nikon-D780-good-for-Sports-Photography

https://cameradecision.com/faq/is-the-Nikon-z5-good-for-Sports-Photography


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Jan 14, 2021 09:10:52   #
SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA
 
digitalnut wrote:
Thanks for all the info. I knew someone here would have the knowledge of how these cameras and electronics work better then me. Sounds like it isn’t possible to get the speed that I want without going to the Z6, which I don’t really want, because of the price and the more expensive memory card that it takes. The Z5 uses two SD cards and the price is in my budget. Again, THANKS for all your input.


That more expensive memory card is a good part of what allows the higher frame rate. The Z6 also has a sensor with better low light capability which would help with the things you’d shoot. I’ve seen suggestions for Olympus and Panasonic but those MFT sensors won’t give you great low light performance. You can’t eat lobster on a chicken nugget budget.

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Jan 14, 2021 11:23:10   #
outdoorcat
 
chrisg-optical wrote:
An interesting proposition - "overclocking" your camera...


That camera was smoking!

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Jan 14, 2021 11:33:16   #
BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh
 
I would not expect a firmware update to improve the frame rate. I'm not an expert or one of their engineers but in my opinion the frame rate is driven more by the image size (sensor megapixels) and processor, both of which are fixed in the camera hardware.

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Jan 14, 2021 12:15:36   #
Nicholas J DeSciose
 
Bye a Z6- Z7.

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Jan 14, 2021 12:19:01   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
I do own a Z6 but I am not sold on its ability for sports work. That being said, it is a good camera that will meet your speed requirements. I would not bet and an FPS change due to firmware updates. If it were me, I'd be careful of the OM system due to future uncertainty as Olympus just sold them off. Best of luck.

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Jan 14, 2021 13:11:05   #
RightOnPhotography Loc: Quebec,QC
 
Why not to add another $200 and buy a new Z6? There are lots of used Z6 around and it will cost you less than the new Z5.

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Jan 14, 2021 13:32:46   #
BebuLamar
 
Gene51 wrote:
While technically it is possible in certain situations, I've never heard of it. Back in the 80' it was not uncommon for IBM and HP to make a laser printer that could do 10 pages per minute, and use the exact same printer for a cheaper model that could only do 5 pages per minute. The rationale was that throttling the printer speed saved $$$$ in R&D costs.

This article may be of interest:

https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/108805/is-it-possible-to-increase-a-cameras-burst-shooting-fps-through-software-change

Ignore the snark - there are trolls that would rather berate and ridicule than to actually help shed light on a question or problem.

On another note, do you really need the extra frame rate? I shot tons of high school and collegiate sports in the late 70s and 80s using a motor drive and manual focus (Novoflex Follow Focus) lenses. Got great shots. High frame rate is a spray-n-pray technique and not a substitute for timing and anticipation - aka - being in the right place at the right time.

These were all taken with a Nikon D200 and an old (but reasonably sharp and fast) 80-200 F2.8 AF-D. The frame rate on the D200 was 5 fps.

I think you'll be fine with the Z5, but there are other cameras to consider. According to CameraDecision.com, the Z5 gets a rating of 76 for sports shooting, but the D780 gets a 90, making it a far better camera for sports, and it has a 7 fps rate.

https://cameradecision.com/faq/is-the-Nikon-D780-good-for-Sports-Photography

https://cameradecision.com/faq/is-the-Nikon-z5-good-for-Sports-Photography
While technically it is possible in certain situat... (show quote)


I don't think that is the case of the Z5 and Z6 because the 2 don't share the same body. However, in the case of software back in the old days they used to release a full version and then a lite version. The 2 versions are identical except that they just disable some functions in the lite version but don't even remove the code. The file size of the 2 softwares are the same. It made easy to have the lite version without having to rewrite it.

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Jan 14, 2021 14:02:03   #
Rational1
 
DirtFarmer wrote:
I would think that FPS is determined by the physical and electronic limitations of the camera body. It could be considered a selling point so if it were possible to go above 4.5 they would advertise it that way.



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Jan 14, 2021 14:21:24   #
PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA
 
DirtFarmer wrote:
I would think that FPS is determined by the physical and electronic limitations of the camera body. It could be considered a selling point so if it were possible to go above 4.5 they would advertise it that way.


Also my opinion!

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Jan 14, 2021 14:48:55   #
Vince68 Loc: Wappingers Falls, NY
 
digitalnut wrote:
I am looking at a Z5 to get into mirrorless, but it only shoots 4.5 FPS. I shoot a lot of college and school Lacrosse and I would like at least 8 FPS. This number coming from my D7500 and works out perfect for the action shots. What I would like to know is, is it possible for Nikon to do a firmware Update to increase the frame rate? The Z5 has everything I want except the speed. I have asked Nikon about doing an upgrade, but they said they are not at liberty to tell me what is going to be updated in their cameras or updates to their cameras. Any information that you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
Please Stay Safe and keep shooting !!
I am looking at a Z5 to get into mirrorless, but i... (show quote)


If you are considering a Z5, why not consider a Z6 instead. With the Z6II coming out, the Z6 will start being discounted considerably. Right now at Adorama or B&H, and others I presume, the Z6 is only $200.00 more than a Z5 is. The Z6 is a better camera than the Z5. Some pecs below.

Z6 shoots 12fps, Z5 4.5fps
Z6 BSI CMOS sensor, Z5 CMOS
Z6 low light sensitivity -3.5 to +19EV, Z5 -2 to +19EV
Z6 Video Crop Full Sensor width, Z5 1.7x crop
Z6 has better LCD resolution than Z5
The Z6 has the LCD display on top right side, the Z5 does not

The Z5 does have more shots per battery life, at least on paper than the Z6, and it does have 2 SD UHSII card slots compared to the Z6's 1 XQD/CFexpress slot.

If you are shooting sports, the Z6 is the better choice due to the fps and low light capability.

These are the specs that stand out to me that I would look at if I were shooting sports and action and was considering going mirrorless and thinking about a Z5.

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Jan 15, 2021 06:06:04   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
BebuLamar wrote:
I don't think that is the case of the Z5 and Z6 because the 2 don't share the same body. However, in the case of software back in the old days they used to release a full version and then a lite version. The 2 versions are identical except that they just disable some functions in the lite version but don't even remove the code. The file size of the 2 softwares are the same. It made easy to have the lite version without having to rewrite it.


I agree - I was just illustrating an example of a situation where something like that could be possible.

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Jan 15, 2021 06:33:36   #
chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY
 
Vince68 wrote:
If you are considering a Z5, why not consider a Z6 instead. With the Z6II coming out, the Z6 will start being discounted considerably. Right now at Adorama or B&H, and others I presume, the Z6 is only $200.00 more than a Z5 is. The Z6 is a better camera than the Z5. Some pecs below.

Z6 shoots 12fps, Z5 4.5fps
Z6 BSI CMOS sensor, Z5 CMOS
Z6 low light sensitivity -3.5 to +19EV, Z5 -2 to +19EV
Z6 Video Crop Full Sensor width, Z5 1.7x crop
Z6 has better LCD resolution than Z5
The Z6 has the LCD display on top right side, the Z5 does not

The Z5 does have more shots per battery life, at least on paper than the Z6, and it does have 2 SD UHSII card slots compared to the Z6's 1 XQD/CFexpress slot.

If you are shooting sports, the Z6 is the better choice due to the fps and low light capability.

These are the specs that stand out to me that I would look at if I were shooting sports and action and was considering going mirrorless and thinking about a Z5.
If you are considering a Z5, why not consider a Z6... (show quote)


Very valid points -- the first 3 advantages are enough to tilt me towards the Z6...really the only feature the Z5 has over the Z6 is the dual card slots....if you're not shooting mission critical assignments the Z6 is the one, and if you are Z6/7ii are the go-to models. The meager savings of the Z5 are just not worth it.

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