Taken with a Z9 at 1/640 sec f/4.5 (Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S) with VR on.Look at the white lines in the water. None of the other shots taken that afternoon have such strange patterns. Is it the VR?

It's interesting because the effect is like you set the shutter for 1/13 or something. Was the water really fast? Maybe it's a combination of electronic shutter and VR? You might have to try to replicate it with different settings.

henk_hendriks wrote:Taken with a Z9 at 1/640 sec f/4.5 (Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S) with VR on.Look at the white lines in the water. None of the other shots taken that afternoon have such strange patterns. Is it the VR?Your shooting at 1/640 and that is light reflecting off the water's surface. The water is moving giving you a bit of motion blur on the water surface.I get that look/effect often when shooting ducks in the water with lower shutter speed and got this with my D500 as well as the Z9

Did you accidentally apply a Van Gogh filter in Lightroom?

henk_hendriks wrote:Taken with a Z9 at 1/640 sec f/4.5 (Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S) with VR on.Look at the white lines in the water. None of the other shots taken that afternoon have such strange patterns. Is it the VR?Did you have both on?  You've got some in the wing too.  Look at the full size on the diagonal from leg to shoulder.

Well, uh, it is unsharp. That is OK, it is about the bird I suppose. Good picture. may haveld have been better if the bird had turned it's head towards you. Rinse, lather and repeat untill you get a good result. Groupphotographers used to call "look for the birdy" to attract more attention. But he probably was already looking at you.Difficult to tell what the background is. We weren't there. Probably moving water with catchlights it. Those can move quicker then the water itself, due to waves.

It's just OOF highlights due to motion of the water and DOF.  Happens all the time, not unusual and not a malfunction.

Thanks all, I get it it's just OOF blurred water with fast moving light reflections on the water. It's just that this is the only image from that afternoon that had it, but all the other images had a different angle to the water and the ducks where further away, so that may have been the cause.

NeedMorePractice wrote:Did you accidentally apply a Van Gogh filter in Lightroom?Yes, starry starry night ... Buy my pro-pack of lightroom presets to apply the same effect to your own images

EricK214 wrote:henk_hendriks wrote:Taken with a Z9 at 1/640 sec f/4.5 (Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S) with VR on.Look at the white lines in the water. None of the other shots taken that afternoon have such strange patterns. Is it the VR?Your shooting at 1/640 and that is light reflecting off the water's surface. The water is moving giving you a bit of motion blur on the water surface.I get that look/effect often when shooting ducks in the water with lower shutter speed and got this with my D500 as well as the Z9Exactly.Best Regards,RB

I can't speak to the visual effect - but I will say I had no idea ducks have teeth! Weird!

Here's one with a similar effect.  I actually like the effect: