Nikon Z7, Z6 Rolling Out Firmware 2.0 Update, Adding I AF, Advanced Low-Light AF

Nikon’s Z7 and Z6’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras boast very good hardware but there were some important features that were still missing, the biggest being Eye autofocus or Eye AF. This is a very useful feature, popularized by Sony’s mirrorless camera, which keeps the subject’s eye focused for a better portrait. Nikon officially announced in February that it was working on an update for both cameras that would come in May. Well, the company has kept its promise because the update is now live and can be downloaded for free for Z7 and Z6.

Firmware version 2.0 adds i-Detection AF which is said to be able to keep an eye on your subject continuously even when he is gone. It works for both single-shot autofocus as well as uninterrupted autofocus. Nikon says it’s capable of recognizing multiple people’s eyes and lets you choose which person and which eye to focus on. Like Sony’s system, Nikon claims that its Eye AF gets stuck in the subject’s eyes even when the subject’s face is partially or temporarily obstructed.

Without IAF, the new firmware is said to improve autofocus performance in low light. Nikon claims that focusing on portraits indoors and at night is faster and more accurate. Auto Exposure (AE) also works for continuous shooting in H + (extended) mode. This means that AE will now track any changes in each frame of the burst sequence.

If you have a Nikon Z7 or Z6, you can go to this link to download the firmware. All you have to do is copy the firmware to the root of the XQD card and install it from the camera’s ‘Firmware Update’ menu. Interestingly, this firmware does not mention RAW video output support for CFexpress memory cards. These two features were also being worked on, but we’ll probably see another update in the future.