DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

Setting: Nikon Df, Nikon 70-200 mm f4 lens, conditions: mid day sunlight, soccer game, Settings: 1/500 sec., f8, Manual exposure, files: RAW plus JPEG fine, shutter setting CH, focus – AF-S.
A player was doing a sideline throw in from a full somersault. I had never seen this before so I tried to capture the sequence but when I got home I found only some of the images from the burst were on the card – some RAW, some JPEG.
Questions: Was I asking more than the Df body could do? Was my selection of both JPEG and RAW too much for the Nikon Df to record? Do I need a better body – e.g., D500 or D850? Or what do I need to change in my settings or set up? I’m trying to not give in to GAS when a little learning with my present equipment will suffice. I would appreciate advice for the next game. I will be changing to AF-C as one change.

Quixdraw Loc: x

The Df is up to anything reasonable and has never failed me. I do not use bursts ever, my reflexes are still adequate. The Df has the same sensor as the D4 Pro body. Go figure.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Could the reason you lost images be that your buffer was full? RAW and JPG is a lot of data to transfer.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

I'm not familiar with the DF but is there an option when in AF-S the shutter is triggered whenever the release button is pressed, or only when focus is detected?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

For the future, don't shoot raw+jpeg - it's redundant, and given the quality of your camera's raw files, there is no reason to capture jpeg. If someone is in a hurry to get a mediocre image straight from your camera tell them to wait a bit and you will send them one that is better. Besides, optimizing your camera exposure settings could mean you miss out on being able to take fullest advantage of the additional highlight headroom and overall greater dynamic range of the raw capture (aka fewer blown highlights, better shadow detail and quality). Oh, and you'll be able to take longer bursts before the buffer fills up.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Wow, Gene. You OK?

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

It's hard to say exactly what happened. I think you need to do a little experimenting. The camera should have taken 5.5 fps in burst mode. When you were pressing the shutter did you pay attention to the sound of the shutter? Did it seem to pause while taking a burst? If so it could have a setting where it will not shoot if the camera hasn't achieved focus, or the buffer may not hold many pictures. Also, you could have a very slow memory card it's trying to write the (raw/jpg) images to. There are a host of other thing that may be wrong with your settings. I think you should check EVERY setting in your menus and make sure you understand all of them and the impact the have.

uhaas2009

Does your memory card have the required writing speed to your camera? On some cards the reading speeds is significant but the writing speed is bad.

photoman43

I am betting it was the SD card (Write speed too slow) or certain camera settings, or a combination of both. Use the fastest SD card compatible with the DF. Check your manual for this info.

Make sure shutter release is set to Release and not Focus. Custom settings A 1 and/or A2. I set both to Release.

AF set to AF-C not AF-S. Dynamic area can be set to the one most appropriate with S being one of these. Set Continuous High.

RAW recording-- set to lossless compressed. I prefer 14 bit. (Lowering to 12 bit does speed up buffer. )

In Custom settings D, make sure that you have not restricted number of images shot continuously. Set d6 to 100. Double check your manual to make sure I am remembering the right numbers.

Turn off active D lighting and other things that impact buffer.

See Df buffer tests here:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-df/11

SD cards:
https://nikon-df.com/nikon-df-accessoires/recommended-sd-cards-for-nikon-df/

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

Nicholas J DeSciose

Get a better card. The best you can possibly get. Highest rate speed.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Change your focus from Focus Priority to Shutter Priority. You are likely missing shots because the camera has not kept up with the focus on such a fast moving subject.

User ID

And the Df, though very capable in most ways, was never intended for sustained action bursts. It’s surprising that Nikon didn’t put a false thumb wind lever on it to serve as the main power switch, like the false rewind knob thaz actually the power switch on the Pen-F, yet another discontinued retro-bauble.

Why the 20MP Pen-F goes 20fps (raw) while the 16MP Df goes 6fps we’ll hafta chalk up to the mysteries of Nikon :-(

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

photoman43 (and MT Shooter) are the only posters who got this right...
"AF set to AF-C not AF-S..." and be certain change your focus priority from Focus to RELEASE!

The OP gave you folks the answer.. "Settings" ... focus – AF-S"
AF-S defaults to Focus Priority... which btw is not appropriate for bursts.

Too funny the OP is thinking about GAS a.k.a. throwing money at the issue...
Folks PLEASE READ your MANUAL...
AND test your kit repeatedly BEFORE you showing up for a gig...

Sadly Nikon didn't empower the Df with a Battery Grip for more FPS...

To the OP... I shoot League Soccer commercially... it's my passion... I once tried the Nikon D610... Don't make that mistake... it is blind in low light and only has the limited 39 AF points of the D7000... Making my ownership of a D610 the shortest of any camera my career... Food for thought, you can pick up a used Nikon D3 for a song now... The D3 rocks 9 fps and shoots clean at ISO 6400... Mine will likely out last me... lol

Hope this helps DaveyDitzer
Believe you might enjoy hanging out in the Sports Photographer's Forum.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-103-1.html
Lots of Soccer Shooters there...
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Nikon D3 with an AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

(Download)