What is the Nikon Z8?
Nikon released their first full-frame mirrorless camera a few years ago with the Z 6 and Z 7 duo. The camera is well-built with great image quality and ergonomics to match but performance. autofocus performance is disappointing and there is only one card slot; Not the best option for a working professional. A few years later, Nikon tried to step it up by releasing the second generation of the aforementioned bodies. They have the dual card slots needed for backups as well as a mirrored processor to aid in focusing. It clearly makes the camera more suitable for serious photographers, but there are still people who stick with their “old guns” and keep reliable DSLRs.
The release of Z9 However, there is a bit of a game changer. It features an excellent 45-megapixel stacked sensor combined with the Exspeed 7 processor that allows it to work at incredible speeds when it comes to autofocus and continuous shooting. The complete removal of the mechanical shutter mechanism shows how much Nikon relies on the speed of the new sensor while making the camera completely silent when needed. A strong and sturdy body with a large battery is essential for sports and wildlife photographers but is a bit overwhelming for many who don’t need the built-in vertical grip. So where to go next? Z6 II And Z 7 II still too slow and small for some while the Z 9 on the other side of the realm of fantasy is too big, heavy and expensive for many. And those who still swear by D850? This is where 8 come in.
Body Worthy of a Hardcore Professional
Grab the large and heavy Z 9 and remove the vertical battery grip. have yours 8. This is as simple as I can make it, but a bit more. The body is significantly larger than the Z 7 II. It feels like it was made for larger hands. None of those “pinkies stuck under the battery door” stuff can be found here. Your whole hand is holding the camera and it feels like it will get the job done. The ergonomics are pretty similar to the Z 9, which can only be a good thing since I’m still trying to figure out what’s wrong with that camera.
The button layout is also roughly the same with a few differences. The drive dial on the left side is gone, so your drive controls are now included in a single button on the top plate. Some buttons below the Z 9’s LCD screen are also removed because the body is not as tall. For example, the voice notes button is gone, which is understandable. The Z 9’s voice notes button is even disabled by default. I can’t name one person I know who uses that feature. I’m sure it has fans, but there are plenty of other buttons to map that feature as well.
The final difference is weight. The whole thing is 250 grams lighter than the bigger brother due to the fact that Nikon Z8 use a smaller EN-EL15(a/b/c) battery compared to the Z 9’s larger EN-EL19 battery. This results in shorter battery life but really isn’t worth the loss of sleep. I currently have the camera by my side with 745 shots taken and 45% battery life left. An added bonus is if you’re going to upgrade from the D850 8 which means for success you can still use your old battery again.
The same three-way tilting screen that we saw on the Z 9 is present, allowing us to frame the frame comfortably from most angles. The hinge mechanism is built like a tank with minimal risk of breakage. I like this monitor model much better than the single-hinge fully articulated Canon-style monitors I’ve seen break multiple times in my career.
It’s the ‘Mini’ Z 9 Inside Review
Many are speculating what the internals will be. Well, I think we’ve got the best possible outcome we could hope for. The sensor, as well as the processor, are the same ones we saw on the Z 9. This means we get identical 3D tracking of multiple subjects with a dark out-of-focus ratio. minimum to a minimum. The camera can also shoot at the same rate of up to 20 raw files per second or up to 120 JPEG images per second. All of that without a viewfinder display and while making full use of tracking autofocus. And if you turn off the speaker, the camera will be completely silent.
The only two differences here are the card slots and the lack of a GPS module, which explains the lack of a drive mode dial on the top of the body. It is used to house the module on the Z 9. The difference in card slots means you don’t need to shell out extra money for a CFexpress Class B card if you don’t need speeds near 2 GB/s. The 8 has a combination of a UHS-II compatible SDXC card slot and the aforementioned CFexpress Type B slot. The only disadvantage to consider is that if you’re going to use the card as a fallback and you’re going to shoot in faster burst mode than in raw, your write speed will be limited due to the card bottleneck. SD is slower.
There’s not much to say about image quality that hasn’t been talked about in the Z 9 reviews and subsequent firmware updates. 45-megapixel stacked sensor is not clear at higher ISO values like Z 6 II or R6 II, but it still delivers great picture quality, lots of detail, and lots of dynamic range. Colors are presented beautifully and faithfully. Each brand has its own signature when it comes to colors. Canon has warmer skin tones, Sony is the opposite and I find Nikon to be the most neutral. I’m sure I’ve angered some of you but this is just personal preference. Don’t take me too seriously in that regard though, I’m actually a Fujifilm shooter so I don’t really know anything.
The same sentence as the first sentence in the previous paragraph can be said about autofocus. It is simply brilliant. The subject tracking is near perfect. I’ve never had a situation where it let me down. You just need to know how to set it up correctly for whatever situation you’re in and it should work. Even when shooting with the stunning 50mm f/1.2 S lens in wide mode. The only difference from the Z 9 is the new ability to track aircraft which I am positive will be retroactively added to the Z 9 with another firmware update.
Must mention: Video specs
I’m actually a photographer and I don’t delve into video, but there’s a lot to be said about the video capabilities of this camera body. Because other than the Z 9, there is no other mirrorless capable like this one. The fact that we were able to record full-frame 8K footage at 60 frames per second not only in 10-bit, but also in raw, is astounding. And thanks to a recent court ruling that allows Nikon to continue using the raw data that is compressed internally despite RED’s best efforts, the feature still exists. And don’t worry. If 8K is too much for you, you can reduce the resolution to 4K, giving you the option of up to 120 frames per second.
Thanks to the stacked sensor, the rolling shutter effect is essentially gone. Except when you’re shooting 8K raw footage. For some reason, the readout slows down at that resolution causing the footage to be a bit shaky when panning quickly from side to side.
What I like
The sturdy body with the perfect size feels just right in my hand. The shape of the handle is very well finished and is suitable for large palms as well as smaller hands. The autofocus system is almost perfect. I can’t think of a single instance where it failed me through no fault of my own. The viewfinder is large, bright, clear, and fast. While the resolution isn’t nearly the highest on the market, the view is still great, not dark, and easy on the eyes. It’s clearly not just about the resolution, but also about the optics that cover the viewfinder display. The lack of a mechanical shutter and the inclusion of a well-tested stacked sensor make the camera extremely silent in all situations. However, the visual feedback when taking pictures is clear and unobtrusive.
The fact that we still get close to 20 megapixels (19.4) in DX mode makes this an absolute must-have for the wildlife photographer or the D500 lover. The shutter speed combined with the pre-shot feature ensures you’ll almost never run into a situation where there’s no picture. When shooting at the full 45.4-megapixel FX resolution, you capture an amazing amount of detail when the subject is well-lit.
What I don’t like
I don’t consider myself a noise/grain hater, but when you get to the five-digit ISO, grain can lead to a noticeable loss of detail. This is to be expected at such a resolution so there is really nothing to complain about but it would be wrong to say the image is clear as day. Something to consider before you make a purchase. However, the image quality is still at the highest level.
I really wish I could map one of the lens’ Fn buttons so subject detection can be toggled on/off quickly. Such a conversion helps a lot when I don’t want the camera to recognize faces because sometimes it’s a bit too good and focuses on faces I don’t want.
The shutter sound is the first thing I turn off. Sure you can change its volume and even pitch, but I can’t stand it for some reason. It feels uncomfortable at times and sounds small and irritating. It would be nice if it could be changed to a soft click or similar sound instead of a fake shutter. The tiny speaker didn’t help at all. Fortunately, the sound can be completely disabled.
I don’t want to give it back
As I said at the beginning, I have been using the camera for a week since the announcement date. During that week, I had to go out with him every day from early morning until late at night. I used it to shoot anything I could. Some basic tourist shots of Prague, street photography, studio photography using strobe lights, wildlife in the local park and at the zoo. I wish I had had more time with it to shoot a wedding, take it with me on a documentary trip to Ukraine, or just enjoy the autofocus a bit longer. It’s nice to not have to think about it.
If I were a Nikon shooter 8 would be a strong candidate for my primary camera. Let’s consider the reasons. The autofocus is far beyond the Z 6 II series, and the Z 7 II isn’t even equal. The speed compared to those two are not even on the same ballpark. Ergonomics is much better unless you want your camera to be small and travel-friendly. And the camera’s overall capabilities are much more professionally oriented. On the other hand, the Z 9 is significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive. Smart inside, you’ll get pretty much the same exact camera for less than $1,500.
Sample
The following samples were obtained by machine Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 Lens and Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR Lens WILL at various aperture, shutter speed and ISO values between 64 and 18,000.
