Until today I’d had my Z50 out only for distant landscape shots with the 300mm PF lens; no birding, which is why I got it in the first place. The PF lens focuses a tad slow anyway, a bit slower with the 1.4X attached, and slightly slower still when adapted via the FTZ.
I’ll be the first to admit that my standards (and patience levels) shift sharply when I shoot critters. But nothing could have prepared me for how utterly abysmal the Z50’s autofocus would be when chasing birds, dragonflies, and butterflies. Even when I grabbed the focus ring to ballpark the focus, it would either continue hunting or, more often, balk altogether.
To be fair, the two Z-mount kit lenses have no such problem. Focus is very fast and accurate. Trouble is, there aren’t any long lenses in Z-mount yet. And even if there were, I think my trust is exhausted.
Looks like a certain brand is about to be cleanly swept out of my dry cabinet in the near future.
