Nikon Z 105 Macro

Focus peaking has a lot to do with bokeh and precision at all focus ranges on the scale if you decide to use it. If you begin using it and practice with it you will literally be able to see depth of field in images and be able to front focus or back focus for desired effects.

It's still a work in progress for me and like anything else as I use it more the less I have to think about it and it becomes second nature.

Just as a side note, I almost always use autofocus but as soon as autofocus is acquired I tweak the focus ring a tiny bit to review what the autofocus selection focus peaking looks like and adjust if I don't like it. For most non macro shots the autofocus is right where it is supposed to be but I still confirm it if I care about the shot being just right.

It eliminates all the shots when I am in tight and AF finds the bugs back or butt and I want the whiskers sharp. Just roll the focus peaking forward onto the whiskers until I like it and press the release. It's takes a fraction of a second because the focus is already close.

It works the same on anything distant and let's me slide the bokeh around and work with aperature. Instead of stopping down to make sure what I want is focused and at the same time focus stuff I may want soft the focus peaking contour patterns allow me to "see" and decide where I want the focus to begin and end.

I use the focus scale in the viewfinder along with focus peaking. When doing macro I have my manual focus ring set to react very slowly. It's setting F9 "Focus Ring Rotation Range" on the Z9. It let's me slide the contours over the subject very precisely and make minute adjustments to DOF as well as focus.

To me FP is kind of like using ultrasound or radar only in the visible light spectrum. I have to think it probably started life as a military precision targeting system technology concept and has led to a lot of tanks and aircraft being splashed.

It's helped me and I hope you get some use out of it too. Happy shoting, Bob.