The Z8 makes me want to switch to Nikon for the first time since forever! While they don’t have a lot of midrange lenses they have been killing it for sports and wildlife lenses! 😉
You nailed it about the mid point lens. Ive been thinking the same but hearing it from you solidify it. Still want to jump to Z8 because it's nearly perfect hybrid. Let's see if Nikon can capitalize on this momentum and release some mid level lens.
Absolutely. Now that I'm using the Z8 and the 50mm F1.2, it feels a bit heavy especially for video on the gimbal compared to the Canon and Sony 50 1.2 and I'm noticing the same thing across the lenses. At least they have the 28-75 F2.8 now so you have a lighter weight midrange zoom but the primes are lacking. They're also missing high end 35mm and 24mm options which are very popular. The F1.8 primes were solid for the Z6 cameras but for this beast, I feel like we need more and they have some catching up to do
Given that they were able to retain all of its optical engineers, Nikon's rebirth is not surprising, making well-known TH-camrs who predicted the company would go out of business appear like total fools.
I don’t get the card mix value proposition… pick SD or CFExpressB. That later are still impossible to find out in the wild and still ridiculously priced.
Hi Dan, thank you for this useful and detailed review. As you said I think Z8 is really powerful all-in-one camera. Although I love image quality by my GFX100S and perfect lenses that provide me 16bit fantastic and deep images but unfortunately it’s good for stills and not for wildlife, sports, and video! And of course too heavy for me specially for traveling and hiking! Z8 with lenses are not too much lighter but at least it’s the camera for all around. Just I hope the sharpness, colour rendering, dynamic range would be enough to satisfy me as pixel peeping person :) please advise.
I do highly recommend the Z8...it will get you insane frame rates, better autofocus, and stunning video. Nikon lenses (at least the pro versions) are also pretty heavy. If you also want something lighter, something like the A7RV could do the trick. Doesn't have quite the frame rate and video options but 10fps is fast enough for most people and you do have a smaller body, lighter lens options, and a really good sensor,
@@learningcameras i bought it, thank you for your advice. with battery and cards and L-shape handgrip is almost 1kg and not for traveling but it is a really all-in-one camera! i couldnt sacrifice some features to buy another small and light camera such as fuji xt5 or sony a7cr! now i am trying to test zf if is more handy for travelling!?
Thank you for the review. please, can you confirm if it has wireless tethering on capture one like the Z9. Can we shoot directly without wires into Capture one?
I'm assuming the R5 II is close but I'll be blown away if they used a stacked cmos sensor like the R8... I'm guessing it will be minor improvements like the R6 II
Yes, there is a My Menu and I use it because there are a lot of things you can't program to the i menu or custom buttons but you can put it in the my menu
Yep! Although, I haven't found a way to turn them on other than the menu lol...you can't seem to shortcut them to any button or the "i" menu. Not sure if I'm missing something but I feel like there should be a quick shortcut to turn that on
GREAT VIDEO as always!!! I am a hybrid wedding shooter and I can't find this specific answer anywhere and hoping someone here can help. What happens when you are in photo mode but hit the RED record button? Will it record using the CURRENT settings in Photo Mode or will it switch to the last VIDEO settings from the Video Mode? I hope it pulls from the video settings and even uses the Log format, despite being in Photo mode and then jump back to the Photo settings when I end the video clip. Also curious is the Z9 and Z8 allow for loading a LUT preview while recording. Thanks for any help on this.
Hey! So the red record button on my Z9 functions as a custom button in photo mode so you can map it to a TON of things...weirdly though one of them ISN'T the ability to record video. As far as I can tell, you HAVE to switch to video mode to record video. I also don't see an option for loading a custom LUT as of now
@@learningcameras Thanks for the quick reply and your time. Not a huge downer since switching to video mode on these bodies supposedly has a faster response time than on other bodies but shooting in LOG and having a Custom LUT loaded is such a huge advantage. Oh well... thanks again.
Do all continuous auto Focus Features like human eye auto Focus animal auto focus planes trains and all automobiles work while in video mode. And will high speed sync Flashpoint strobes work with the electronic shutter?
Love this review. Wasn't clear tho on sensor protection, does the z8 have the automatic sensor shield that you can turn on or off to protect the sensor (like z9) or just a cap?!
So far it's good, not great. I've done a few small shoots and a bunch of menu customization and I'm just below 50% so still on my first battery. I'm a bit concerned for longer video shoots with faster frame rates but it seems to be OK, not bad like the black magic cameras or Canon C70 but not as good as a Sony A7RV/Canon R5. You can use a battery grip or power via USB C
Wait for 15 years Nikon Z8 cameras still do not have flip screen to vary-angle selfies, body size and weight big and heavy, I have to change to Canon for R6II camera which is lighter and have vary-angle flip screen
Meaning it doesn't oversample from the entire sensor so it sub samples. That will impact the quality slightly but I'm pretty sure every hybrid camera over 16mp sub samples 4k120
It will be one of the best on the market for a large sensor camera. I'll be testing it but I expect minimal rolling shutter and likely better performance than the Sony A1. The A7SIII will likely still be the champ just because it only has 12 megapixels to scan but I expect the Z8 to be close because it uses a faster sensor than the A1
So this is definitely higher end than a Z7III would have been. The Z7 was always a Z6 with higher resolution. With this, Nikon is going stacked cmos so more after sports, wildlife, and event more than the Z7 ever did. Not sure if we'll keep seeing the Z7 after this. If we do, my guess is they will go higher resolution which could appeal to landscape photographers especially
This camera is made to compete with the R5 and A7R V. They should be releasing a Z6 III to compete with the R6 II and A7 IV. I don’t think the Z7 line will be taken any further.
Based on one of your previous Nikon Zii reviews, I will be looking for the expression on your wife's face after using the Z8. She was clearly frustrated with the the Zii's. I am assuming it will perform the same as the Z9. My concern is real time battery life. I enjoy your reviews very much, but in the end, i would like to know what camera you use as your daily driver. For what its worth, my order is in.
Haha...yeah, she had a rough time with the AF system in the Z6II with portraits. It would just occasionally lock on the background and not want to switch. Curious on battery life too although battery life isn't the biggest issue unless it's just horrible. I need to know how long batteries will last so I can prep and get extras but as long as I can get through a 1-2hr shoot without changing, I'm good. Usually I'm taking a break after an hour or two so it isn't the biggest deal to do a battery swap. Longer the better but I think I can live with mediocre battery life. Right now I swap between Canon and Sony the most. I use Canon when I'm shooting photos only or hybrid photo/video with the R6II and R5 because they do both well. For Sony I mostly use it for video only. The A7SIII and A1 have advantages compared to Canon on the video side with low light and 120fps especially so having those extra features helps. Occasionally I'll use Panasonic instead of Sony for video if I don't need autofocus but usually good autofocus is critical for what I do even outside of youtube. If Nikon's autofocus holds up, It theoretically does everything I need it to do better than all my other cameras. Maybe a flip screen would have been nice for youtube vids but usually I'm hooked up to a monitor anyway so probably not an issue. I don't really vlog
Is that a problem? Technically the Sony A1 has a mechanical shutter but it's useless unless you are shooting under 6fps. Plus you get viewfinder blackout so why have a shutter? Sony got rid of the shutter on the new ZV-E1 too but since that doesn't have a stacked cmos sensor, that was a risky move
@@bradl2636 The Z8 uses a stacked cmos sensor so the readout speeds are almost instantaneous...over 20 times faster than a typical camera so it's almost impossible to see rolling shutter and banding. Nikon claims it's faster than the Sony A1 and Canon R3. I've shot golf swings and there is imperceptible amounts of rolling shutter
@@learningcameras Folks seem to be missing the point. Z8 identical to Z9 means that Nikon may have caught up but innovation has stalled. This is a very bad sign. Incoming global recession and sticky inflation coupled with supply chain problems means it’s going to be a miracle if Nikon makes it through the next few years.
@@bradl2636 I kind of think it means that Nikon decided not to cripple the Z8 like everyone else with a normal sensor and instead used the same tech as the most expensive cameras available. But image quality improvements have been stalled for over 5 years across all brands.
Nikon has literally made the same camera twice. What for? I’d be mad if I already paid for a Z9. Watch Z9 sales tank. Glad I went with Sony. $4,000 and still no flip screen. Nikon is just not getting it.
Z9 sales might go down but not by much. It will go back to being more of a specialty camera like the Nikon D4 a Canon 1DX used to be. Nikon was selling them like crazy because they didn't have a D850 equivalent camera so the Z9 was the only option if you wanted a high quality Nikon camera
@@ghas4151 I’m a Sony user but even I agree that this blows the A7RV away. In video features alone.. that’s incredible that you can shoot in all 4K modes without crop. Curious if it’s pixel binned like the A7RV.
@@bradl2636 it demolishes the camera it’s meant to compete with, the A7R V and goes toe to toe with the A1. What’s funny about that? The only funny thing is that Sony’s camera lineup is currently looking like a terrible investment.
The Z8 makes me want to switch to Nikon for the first time since forever! While they don’t have a lot of midrange lenses they have been killing it for sports and wildlife lenses! 😉
You nailed it about the mid point lens. Ive been thinking the same but hearing it from you solidify it. Still want to jump to Z8 because it's nearly perfect hybrid. Let's see if Nikon can capitalize on this momentum and release some mid level lens.
Absolutely. Now that I'm using the Z8 and the 50mm F1.2, it feels a bit heavy especially for video on the gimbal compared to the Canon and Sony 50 1.2 and I'm noticing the same thing across the lenses. At least they have the 28-75 F2.8 now so you have a lighter weight midrange zoom but the primes are lacking. They're also missing high end 35mm and 24mm options which are very popular. The F1.8 primes were solid for the Z6 cameras but for this beast, I feel like we need more and they have some catching up to do
Is Nikon offering a Supercomputer option for 8K/60 mode image editing..?
Proxies: are you a joke to me😅
Test the dynamic range and compare to the Z7ii and Z9, same with af and built.
I just preordered, cannot wait!
Awesome!!! Congrats
Thanks for using Manny Ortis wife as model in this video I think you guys are friends for a long time !
Yep! I've known both of them for a few years
Thanks for this straight preview
Given that they were able to retain all of its optical engineers, Nikon's rebirth is not surprising, making well-known TH-camrs who predicted the company would go out of business appear like total fools.
I think you're the guy that recommended the motherboard I bought.
haha...awesome!
good review on the new Z8.
Nikon has come to claim their crown.
😂😂😂😂😂
Please do a dive into the Starlight mode - how to use it , what it’s all about … Thx !!!!!
Good Luck buddy 👍 💙 ❤
Increased size helps with cooling
I'm sure it does... I wish Sony would take that to heart haha
How do you preorder from Canada?
Could you test the megadap etz adapter to let us know if some of that Sony glass can fill the need for now?
Any thoughts on the overheating issue?
I don’t get the card mix value proposition… pick SD or CFExpressB. That later are still impossible to find out in the wild and still ridiculously priced.
Hi Dan, thank you for this useful and detailed review. As you said I think Z8 is really powerful all-in-one camera. Although I love image quality by my GFX100S and perfect lenses that provide me 16bit fantastic and deep images but unfortunately it’s good for stills and not for wildlife, sports, and video! And of course too heavy for me specially for traveling and hiking! Z8 with lenses are not too much lighter but at least it’s the camera for all around. Just I hope the sharpness, colour rendering, dynamic range would be enough to satisfy me as pixel peeping person :) please advise.
I do highly recommend the Z8...it will get you insane frame rates, better autofocus, and stunning video. Nikon lenses (at least the pro versions) are also pretty heavy. If you also want something lighter, something like the A7RV could do the trick. Doesn't have quite the frame rate and video options but 10fps is fast enough for most people and you do have a smaller body, lighter lens options, and a really good sensor,
@@learningcameras i bought it, thank you for your advice. with battery and cards and L-shape handgrip is almost 1kg and not for traveling but it is a really all-in-one camera! i couldnt sacrifice some features to buy another small and light camera such as fuji xt5 or sony a7cr! now i am trying to test zf if is more handy for travelling!?
Thank you for the review. please, can you confirm if it has wireless tethering on capture one like the Z9. Can we shoot directly without wires into Capture one?
Canon better step up especially on the prices. I’ve been a Canon user for years. May buy a Nikon Z8 to try out.
I'm assuming the R5 II is close but I'll be blown away if they used a stacked cmos sensor like the R8... I'm guessing it will be minor improvements like the R6 II
On the Nikon D850 you have a FN2 My Menu button, does the Z8 have the My Menu where you can assign various Menu Funtions to access quickly?
Yes, there is a My Menu and I use it because there are a lot of things you can't program to the i menu or custom buttons but you can put it in the my menu
Does it have the lighted buttons on the back of camera like the Z9?
Yep! Although, I haven't found a way to turn them on other than the menu lol...you can't seem to shortcut them to any button or the "i" menu. Not sure if I'm missing something but I feel like there should be a quick shortcut to turn that on
GREAT VIDEO as always!!! I am a hybrid wedding shooter and I can't find this specific answer anywhere and hoping someone here can help. What happens when you are in photo mode but hit the RED record button? Will it record using the CURRENT settings in Photo Mode or will it switch to the last VIDEO settings from the Video Mode? I hope it pulls from the video settings and even uses the Log format, despite being in Photo mode and then jump back to the Photo settings when I end the video clip. Also curious is the Z9 and Z8 allow for loading a LUT preview while recording. Thanks for any help on this.
Hey! So the red record button on my Z9 functions as a custom button in photo mode so you can map it to a TON of things...weirdly though one of them ISN'T the ability to record video. As far as I can tell, you HAVE to switch to video mode to record video. I also don't see an option for loading a custom LUT as of now
@@learningcameras Thanks for the quick reply and your time. Not a huge downer since switching to video mode on these bodies supposedly has a faster response time than on other bodies but shooting in LOG and having a Custom LUT loaded is such a huge advantage. Oh well... thanks again.
@@learningcameras Thanks for the reply. This camera is a power house.
Do all continuous auto Focus Features like human eye auto Focus animal auto focus planes trains and all automobiles work while in video mode. And will high speed sync Flashpoint strobes work with the electronic shutter?
Yes, all focus features work in video and high speed sync will work with e shutter
Thank you for the video. Can the flash sync speed of 200/s compensate whit High speed sync? Thank you.
Yes, high speed sync should work for faster shutter speeds without issue but I'll try and verify if there are limitations
@@learningcameras Thank you. Curios and Interest to see your complete review.
Please test the audio capture. My Z6 audio sucks
Love this review. Wasn't clear tho on sensor protection, does the z8 have the automatic sensor shield that you can turn on or off to protect the sensor (like z9) or just a cap?!
Thanks! Yes, it should have the automatic sensor shield that you can turn on/off. I'll verify later today when I get mine but Nikon said it does
Yes, they have that
Battery life
So far it's good, not great. I've done a few small shoots and a bunch of menu customization and I'm just below 50% so still on my first battery. I'm a bit concerned for longer video shoots with faster frame rates but it seems to be OK, not bad like the black magic cameras or Canon C70 but not as good as a Sony A7RV/Canon R5. You can use a battery grip or power via USB C
Wait for 15 years Nikon Z8 cameras still do not have flip screen to vary-angle selfies, body size and weight big and heavy, I have to change to Canon for R6II camera which is lighter and have vary-angle flip screen
4K 120p sub sampled meaning ?
Meaning it doesn't oversample from the entire sensor so it sub samples. That will impact the quality slightly but I'm pretty sure every hybrid camera over 16mp sub samples 4k120
@@learningcameras Will the fall in quality is noticeable?
👋
Nobody talking about video rolling shutter
It will be one of the best on the market for a large sensor camera. I'll be testing it but I expect minimal rolling shutter and likely better performance than the Sony A1. The A7SIII will likely still be the champ just because it only has 12 megapixels to scan but I expect the Z8 to be close because it uses a faster sensor than the A1
The non-locking card slot door is way too easy to pop open accidentally 😢
I'm confused about this camera. Wouldn't a Z7 mk3 make more sense . . .
So this is definitely higher end than a Z7III would have been. The Z7 was always a Z6 with higher resolution. With this, Nikon is going stacked cmos so more after sports, wildlife, and event more than the Z7 ever did. Not sure if we'll keep seeing the Z7 after this. If we do, my guess is they will go higher resolution which could appeal to landscape photographers especially
This camera is made to compete with the R5 and A7R V. They should be releasing a Z6 III to compete with the R6 II and A7 IV.
I don’t think the Z7 line will be taken any further.
Based on one of your previous Nikon Zii reviews, I will be looking for the expression on your wife's face after using the Z8. She was clearly frustrated with the the Zii's. I am assuming it will perform the same as the Z9. My concern is real time battery life. I enjoy your reviews very much, but in the end, i would like to know what camera you use as your daily driver. For what its worth, my order is in.
Haha...yeah, she had a rough time with the AF system in the Z6II with portraits. It would just occasionally lock on the background and not want to switch. Curious on battery life too although battery life isn't the biggest issue unless it's just horrible. I need to know how long batteries will last so I can prep and get extras but as long as I can get through a 1-2hr shoot without changing, I'm good. Usually I'm taking a break after an hour or two so it isn't the biggest deal to do a battery swap. Longer the better but I think I can live with mediocre battery life. Right now I swap between Canon and Sony the most. I use Canon when I'm shooting photos only or hybrid photo/video with the R6II and R5 because they do both well. For Sony I mostly use it for video only. The A7SIII and A1 have advantages compared to Canon on the video side with low light and 120fps especially so having those extra features helps. Occasionally I'll use Panasonic instead of Sony for video if I don't need autofocus but usually good autofocus is critical for what I do even outside of youtube. If Nikon's autofocus holds up, It theoretically does everything I need it to do better than all my other cameras. Maybe a flip screen would have been nice for youtube vids but usually I'm hooked up to a monitor anyway so probably not an issue. I don't really vlog
Z9 buyers are gonna be pissed.
Nikon just released a Z9 clone without a grip, but if you actually add a grip, it’s BIGGER than the Z9 😂😂😂😂😂
Too many missing lenses. Still. Zero chance I’m throwing money into lenses that won’t adapt to any other system.
No mechanical shutter. 😂
Is that a problem? Technically the Sony A1 has a mechanical shutter but it's useless unless you are shooting under 6fps. Plus you get viewfinder blackout so why have a shutter? Sony got rid of the shutter on the new ZV-E1 too but since that doesn't have a stacked cmos sensor, that was a risky move
@@learningcameras Rolling shutter and banding in artificial light to begin with…
@@bradl2636 The Z8 uses a stacked cmos sensor so the readout speeds are almost instantaneous...over 20 times faster than a typical camera so it's almost impossible to see rolling shutter and banding. Nikon claims it's faster than the Sony A1 and Canon R3. I've shot golf swings and there is imperceptible amounts of rolling shutter
@@learningcameras Folks seem to be missing the point. Z8 identical to Z9 means that Nikon may have caught up but innovation has stalled. This is a very bad sign. Incoming global recession and sticky inflation coupled with supply chain problems means it’s going to be a miracle if Nikon makes it through the next few years.
@@bradl2636 I kind of think it means that Nikon decided not to cripple the Z8 like everyone else with a normal sensor and instead used the same tech as the most expensive cameras available. But image quality improvements have been stalled for over 5 years across all brands.
Nikon has literally made the same camera twice. What for? I’d be mad if I already paid for a Z9. Watch Z9 sales tank. Glad I went with Sony. $4,000 and still no flip screen. Nikon is just not getting it.
$4k and it absolutely blows the A7R V away…
Sony will be panicking after this. Makes the A1 look a terrible deal.
Z9 sales might go down but not by much. It will go back to being more of a specialty camera like the Nikon D4 a Canon 1DX used to be. Nikon was selling them like crazy because they didn't have a D850 equivalent camera so the Z9 was the only option if you wanted a high quality Nikon camera
@@ghas4151 I’m a Sony user but even I agree that this blows the A7RV away. In video features alone.. that’s incredible that you can shoot in all 4K modes without crop. Curious if it’s pixel binned like the A7RV.
The hype was all for T H I S..?
😂😂😂😂😂
Did you expect something else lol?
For a camera priced sub $4K and outperforms the Sony A1 in many ways - $6.5K camera.
@@ghas4151 😂😂😂😂😂 what?
@@bradl2636 it demolishes the camera it’s meant to compete with, the A7R V and goes toe to toe with the A1. What’s funny about that? The only funny thing is that Sony’s camera lineup is currently looking like a terrible investment.
@@ghas4151 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣