Nikon Z6 III’s First Major Firmware Update Adds Bird AF, Auto Capture, and C2PA

Aug 26, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A Nikon Z series mirrorless camera is centered against a vibrant green and yellow abstract background.

Nikon released firmware version 2.00 for its popular full-frame Z6 III mirrorless camera. The major update adds new subject detection features, automatic capture, C2PA functionality, and much more.

The Nikon Z6 III launched last summer and instantly made a strong impression. The camera’s novel partially stacked image sensor enables blazing-fast shooting speeds, excellent autofocus performance, and impressive video capabilities. With firmware 2.00, Nikon is further expanding the Z6 III’s autofocus features while also providing professional photographers, primarily photojournalists, with the content authenticity tools they demand.

C2PA Compliance and Image Provenance Comes to the Z6 III

The Nikon Z6 III is the first Nikon camera to support the brand-new Nikon Authenticity Service, a new C2PA-compatible solution for media organizations and photojournalists to deliver more trusted photos.

Nikon Authenticity Service adds an image provenance function to the Z6 III. Users can make a prior request through Nikon Imaging Cloud to load a digital certificate onto the Z6 III. This certificate is required for image provenance and adds a digital signature to the metadata, indicating whether a captured image has been tampered with. This can also prove precisely when a photo was captured and that it was shot using a Nikon camera.

When this file is edited in C2PA-compliant editing software, additional provenance and authenticity information can be embedded into the file, living alongside the original shooting data. Image provenance data can be viewed in Nikon Imaging Cloud.

Nikon has been working on C2PA technology for a long time, and now that the Z6 III has image provenance in firmware 2.00, photographers can see the approach Nikon plans to take concerning content authenticity. The solution, the Nikon Authenticity Service, will work in conjunction with Nikon Imaging Cloud. Nikon Z9 owners are still waiting on content authenticity tech after Nikon promised it way back in 2022.

Nikon Z6 III Firmware 2.00 Adds New AF Features, Auto Capture, Better Bracketing, and More

With firmware 2.00, the Z6 III now features a new dedicated [Birds] mode in its subject detection menu. When this new mode is selected, the Z6 III can automatically track birds in flight with improved precision, ensuring they remain sharp and in focus, even when flying against complex backgrounds.

A kingfisher with outstretched wings flies away from a branch, holding a small fish in its beak against a blurred green background. — Credit: Nikon

The Z6 III now also features a new “Focus limiter” setting that can be assigned to a custom control, allowing photographers to limit their shooting distance range and thereby improve autofocus reliability in certain situations.

Another update involves the Z6 III’s Pre-Release Capture shooting mode. Photographers can now select the JPEG fine image quality setting in this mode. With Pre-Release Capture on the Z6 III, photographers can record images for up to one second before the shutter release is fully pressed, making it easier to capture the perfect moment, even when it is unpredictable and short-lived. It is a popular setting for sports and wildlife photographers in particular.

Nikon Z9 firmware update 4.0 — Nikon added Auto Capture to the Nikon Z9 in 2023. In this example, photographer Joel Marklund is using a second Z9 to capture a different angle of a skateboarder automatically. This function is also useful for wildlife photographers and photojournalists. | Credit: Nikon

Like the additions above, there is yet another feature coming to the Z6 III that was first introduced in Nikon’s flagship Z9 and Z8 cameras. Firmware 2.00 adds Auto Capture to the Z6 III. This mode enables automatic image capture within specific, user-set parameters. For example, photographers can set up the Z6 III at a remote location and specify that when the camera detects a particular subject, direction of movement, or shooting distance, the camera automatically captures images. This feature also includes a scheduling function, allowing the Z6 III to be turned into a customized wildlife camera trap. Auto Capture also works in conjunction with the Z6 III’s robust data transfer features, including Nikon’s USB-to-Ethernet adapter.

A pink ranunculus flower with a green stem on a pale background. Three close-up images highlight the delicate petals and water droplets on the flower. — With the new firmware update for the Z6 III, photographers can combine focus shift and AE bracketing with Pixel Shift shooting, meaning they can capture higher-resolution macro images like this one that photographer Paul Van Allen captured using the Nikon Z8. | Credit: Paul Van Allen, Nikon

Additional operability improvements include a new automatic monitor display function to disable the eye sensor when the vari-angle monitor is deployed, a first for a Nikon Z series camera, the option to exit zoom view in manual focus mode by half-pressing the shutter, the option to combine Pixel Shift shooting with AE and focus bracketing, a recall settings function, USB streaming support without software, improved firmware updating using Nikon Imaging Cloud, and more.

 Image credits: Nikon. Header image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.