TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

And a happy New Year to you also Stephen. Getting closer will certainly be easier on your arms! The 70-200 f2.8 plus my 5D4 plus a grip is almost 6Lbs, and holding it at eye level for most of a long match leaves my arms tired, so I can’t even imagine holding up the 6lb 300 f2.8 PLUS the camera for an entire match - I am impressed. My son, who was a Heavyweight wrestler in HS and college and now in addition to teaching photography and graphics, is his HS Wrestling coach, has that lens. It’s a wonderful lens, but a bit of a beast for my old arms. Looking forward to more of your work.

Cheers,
Chris

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Stephen,

As mentioned previously I believe the 'subject tracking'/'face detect'/'eye detect' do not work in AF-Area Mode 'Wide area AF (L) or (S)'. These only work in 'Auto-area AF'. This is covered in the manual.

To confirm I undertook some testing;

Placed a face some 4ft behind a counter with a bowl on it as the closest object.

In 'Wide area AF (L)' with the face and bowl prominent in the focus box frame the image taken always showed the bowl in sharp focus and the face OOF.

In 'Auto-area AF' the 'Face detect' box was immediately shown over the face and then the 'Eye detect' symbol showed over the eye. The face being in perfect focus each time and the bowl being OOF.

For info, have you updated to the latest firmware version? It is now on 3.4 with improved eye detect.

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Hi Chicago:
Just saw this post of yours. I agree with the suggestions and comments here. White balance, etc.
Keep on shooting my friend, these are fine starting out, next time make the adjustments and happy shooting and a happy new year.

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

Chris,
I agree, getting closer would definitely help my photography.
My apologies if it sounded like I handheld the 300mm f.2.8 - I wish, but I almost always use a monopod. Even with the 70-200, I will use a monopod for a game/match. 6 lbs for a gripped DSLR and 70-200 lens (10 lbs with the 300mm) is too much for me to hold for an extended period of time. Plus the muscle fatigue then causes me to shake and everything goes down the tubes...
Stephen

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

Grahame,
You are correct - the Z6 does NOT have face/eye detection in wide area (L). I was reading/watching a video about the Z6ii (which I do not own) and incorrectly transferred that piece of information to my Z6. As my Z6 performed my better than my D810 for wrestling (more keepers - more eyes in focus), I kept thinking that the wide area (L) must have face/eye detection.

The next time I shoot sports, I will try the auto area AF on my Z6. I suppose I will have to consider getting a Z6ii if I really need face/eye detection in wide area AF (L), or more low light performance. If the Z6 does well, I may just get another Z6 (used) and save the money for something else. I know the Z6ii has better performance with low light autofocus - I just wished I knew how much of an improvement it is over the Z6 and whether it is worth the additional cost.

I have not yet updated to 3.4 (still on 3.3) but will do so this weekend. By the way, I glanced through your smugmug site - your photos, especially the mosquito macro shots) are fantastic.

Take care,
Stephen

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

Thanks Jules,
I still have a ways to go and I'm making adjustments as I go along (based on suggestions by you, Rick and other UHH members).
Have a happy and healthy New Year
Stephen

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Even if you know the sport well and can sort of anticipate, lots of wrestling is unpredictable, so I generally keep the camera at eye level all the time they are actually wrestling. Even bracing my elbows against my chest, it’s a real workout. The last year before Covid, I tried leaving the 70-200 in the car and using my 135 f2L and putting my Canon 1.4ex extender in my pocket (yielding ~200mm @f2.8) for those tournaments where I can’t get right to the edge of the mat. It’s LOT lighter and shorter, and even with the extender, it’s actually sharper than the 70-200 at 200mm. This year, I’m going to try my Fuji with the 50-140 f2.8, which is the crop equivalent of the 70-200, and the entire rig is only about 3Lbs. On the downside, whereas the FF Canon is fine at ISO 12,800, I’d like to limit the Fuji to 6,400. We’ll see how it turns out.

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

I don’t know much about wrestling but it is an interesting sport, with wrestlers slowly sizing up each other to quick moves and take downs. I’m going to try to get closer to the action if I can so I can use my 70-200 instead of the 300. I’m curious to see how you do with the Fuji. Everyone always talks about FF for low light action.