I love the Z8. For me it is the natural successor to the D850. I was in Japan in May and walked into a camera store. It was there, on display, and I asked if they had any in stock for sale. I assumed they would be sold out but they had one left! It was a sign... So I bought it there and then. If you are hesitating, don't. It's a beast of a camera!
I have the R5, Sony Fx3, F30 and other cameras from Nikon and Canon; I just got the Z8 this week and have been playing with it, love at first sight honestly! Amazing camera!
The latest Z9 firmware update added bird detection and it is quite an improvement for focusing on those birds in trees and bushes. Now the problem is that switching back and forth from animal detection to bird detection requires too many steps in the i Menu. I am hoping they will add a firmware update to let us assign a function button to change detection modes separately. Steve Perry noted that bird detection mode is very poor for detecting animals.
The R5 is front side illuminated. The Z9/8 is Backside. Big difference when doing long exposures and or higher ISOs. The noise is much lower in the Nikon Z8.
In China here, a brand new Nikon Z8 now is almost 23000 RMB, which is about 3200 USD, that's impressive. And I believe that its price will drop to less than 3000 USD soon.
Christopher, your reviews are top notch in my view. I enjoy the way you explain it and all the tests that go with the reviews, I would add it brings more confidence of a well explained review at all angles. Cheers from Oregon USA.
1. Re: EVF… it has its own read out channel from the sensor independent of writing to card. 2. Noise reduction can be turned down or off for JPEGs. 3. Re: batteries… 400 shots is low. On weddings I can routinely get 1500 over the course of a day. Mirrorless is more about on-time vs shots taken. You can put it on 20 fps and rip through 1500 shots in a minute and still be at 98% battery. But off and on all day and checking images one at a time… much lower shoot count for sure.
On the last one - yeah, I also look at MILC battery life more as on time rather than shot count (just like using DSLR in Live View). En-El 15c gives roughly over 3 hours of use, while En-El 18d - 6-7 hours.
On the Z8 for weddings, what do you have the AF set to? Release, balance, or focus. I notice it comes set to release, but I have changed mine to balance. Not used it at a wedding yet as I only got it yesterday.
As my eyesight isn't great, I only ever shoot using the rear LCD, as the live image of my subject is considerably larger than in the EVF, I can quickly and accurately compose my subjects unlike with a small EVF. I wonder how many shots I would get with just using the LCD?
The Z8 is a beast of a camera. I love it from the first day I own it. I no longer have any desire for another camera. And that means something in my case.
For the last couple of decades I've been a Canon user and I've been slowly moving over to Nikon the Z8 is my next Cam I'm getting in the new year with the 180-600mm. I have been debating between the Z8 and Z9 because of the firmware/features but as you say they Z8 is likely updaing soon in the new year.
@@livejames9374that wasnt the point. The point was that this guy is comparing z8 to r5 glossing over the fact that the r5 has tech 3-5 years older inside of it.
One point about the lifespan of batteries in cameras. I think now with how fast modern cameras are shooting there probably should be a new way to meaure the lifespan. For instance you must of shot about 100 to 150 shots when showing the speed and size of the buffer. At 400 shots that would mean the battery could be drained in less than a minute.
That's because the CIPA rated battery life is taking a picture every 30 seconds. So 340 shots CIPA basically means the camera can stay active for 170 minutes. Nikon also provides a "burst" battery life rating of 2280 shots for the Z8. Not sure how it's measured, though.
"I AM" ...patiently waiting to see what Nikon brings to market with the Z6iii. I've considered the Z8 & 9 but I am a stills shooter and both of those cameras offer way more than I need/want. Thanks for another good review Chris!
@@malekith13 The image quality of the Z6 and Z6ii are wonderful. That sensor works well in low light as well as with strobes. The quality from the Z7/7ii is also very nice however not as well in low light... And that is also what holds me back. I'd be ok with 33MP as long as the low light/high ISO image quality is there. Perhaps the Z6iii will replace both the Z6 and Z7 somehow?
@@1bozina i have a z6 and it's Indeed a great camera, but i guess many people would like higher MP for to be able to crop and zoom inside the image, 24MP is indeed a little low for landscapes, let's hope the pixel shift will works better than on the zf, would be nice if it's works in camera like on the Panasonic's ^^
Z7II is better than Z6II for low light in 99% of situations. Z6II will have marginally more dynamic range. Z7II will have more noise and more detail. Use AI noise reduction and you end up with same/similar noise with more detail. Data is king
That 3-way tilt screen is a blessing for photography, so that's a huge plus for the z8. After playing with the new Zf I will confidently say, that that's just the preparation for what's to come with the next Z6/7 which might be due early next year. If you don't absolutely need that 45mp and the huge body, you might want to wait for the Z6 III. Edit: thanks for bringing back memories with the "I am a..." slogan, I wish they brought it back!
Oh boy, good catch. There are two ports further up thou, maybe he got confused there. My first time holding a camera of that type, I just couldn't figure out where to set af-modes and had to find out about the use of that button via the manual lol.
@@PiTdeLyX Ah yeah. The one further up the camera is the 10 pin port. But in the video while talking about it his fingers were on the focus mode button. I got confused there.
Autofocus seems to jump around too much when trying to shoot sports and it’s a tad heavy. I actually tried both the z8 and z9 recently and I find the z9 is more comfortable to hold. Great camera overall though. Autofocus is about on par with the R5 but the R6 ii still has better autofocusing overall. However, it doesn’t have all the power packed features the z8/z9 has.
Hi Chris, your video is brilliant and informative as always! Could you review the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8 lens? It is strongly recommended by a lot of sun star enthusiasts and I am surprised to find that you havent reviewed that lens!
A nice Z8 review....I see that a number of the YT photographers are making a big thing of selling their Z8's in favour of other makes.. No doubt they are being offered more money to promote those companies.
I get 3400-4000 RAW shots on High Efficiency RAW * on a battery charge >> Tip switch off all unused features and quit looking at your pics on screen after taking
I got faulty D600 and D800 cameras and have never really forgiven them. Went back into Full Frame recently with Canon R5, didnt even consider Nikon. That tilt screen is far better than canon
Viva La Plastic >> But I must admit I LOVE my Canon Pixma Printer >> Maybe they should stick with making Office Machines >> I have been Nikon since 1971 and give thanks that I have No need for any other brand as the Buttons , Controls and FEEL in the hand are perfect and Quality Feel in the hand with Best IQ with the Z Mount matched to S Lenses >> Life is sweet @@montazownianr1
@@montazownianr1I think that‘s a matter of taste. I personally really don‘t like Canon‘s button layout and find it very confusing, because I‘m not used to it and it goes strongly against my muscles memory
WTF is it with camera manufacturers giving their Mirrorless cameras a linear design?; the body shape and profile of high-end DSLRs had curves, the D850 is beautifully contoured with curves but the Z8 is linear as are lower priced Mirrorless cameras; if the Z8 was as curvy and made entirely of a Magnesium alloy it would have been much better.
A few months ago I finally jump from Canon 70D into Nkon Z 6II, it's really great, the only two things, a shitty no side flip screen drives me crazy and there is no grid for rule of thirds.
I'm waiting for Canon to have a review copy ready. As soon as I get my hands on one it'll be top priority. In the meantime...I'm working on some other pretty awesome equipment...a camera that necessitated me getting a new test chart... :-)
What was the ambient temperature during your video recordings? I did a shoot with Z8 in the early Summer in a warmer environment (guessing between 25-30 deg C) and Z8 produced heat warning after some time shooting at 4K 60 High Quality.
You should get update to firmware. It adjusts the temp warning. It is a slight update before what Chris mentioned as a planned update to bring more features such as faster shooting speed
@@Mr09260 the heat warning is about the cf express card not the body, unlike canon which is self crippled to record at a fixed time. The issue is the card, you're recommending a downgrade
I’m very interested in watching your review of the Nikon Z f. I currently use the Z8, and I’m eager to find out if the Z f will allow me to take better night-time photos. In my experience with the Z8, using ISO settings from 2000 - 6000 range results in a lot of unpleasant grain, which forces me to shoot at the lowest possible ISO to achieve clear images. I try to never go beyond 800 with that camera 😢
I don’t know of any camera that will get you noise-free results above ISO 1600. The Zf supposedly has improved stabilization which can help, using faster lenses helps, but the noise is going to be a given unless you go to something like a Fuji GFX, which in turn has worse stabilization and slower lenses, negating any advantage. The Z6/Z7/Zf all have non-stacked sensors which nets a little improvement at high ISO relative to the Z8, but nothing dramatic. It’s also worth noting that Nikons take noise reduction very well, I think owing to that less processing gets applied to the RAW in-camera. Taking a shot with the lens cap on at a given ISO and shutter speed, you can mess around with the sliders in Lightroom until you get a result you’re happy with and use that as a profile for pictures with similar exposure settings. With some careful massaging in post, I’ve gotten good, print-quality exports out of a Z5 up to ISO 10000. Not anything I would put on a billboard, but just fine for A4.
What about the plastic body, did you felt any loss of "feel" using a plastic camera? That´s the main downside for me, and not understandable why Nikon used plastic in this range. Also , the lack of mechanical shutter, is also another bug, for me. A camera that simulates the shutter.. feels like a cellphone. Shame.. because I really want to buy this camera.
The body doesn’t feel plastic by any means. It’s quite a rugged body with great ergonomic. And the lack of a mechanical shutter takes some getting used to but I think it’ll be great for the longevity of the camera with one less moving part you have to worry about failing.
Nikon z8 is set to af-c -- shooting raw only -- set to continuous high 20fps -- but when I hold down the shutter button, I can only fire off 1 shot? What am I missing?
Hi, I’m shooting with Fujifilm gfx100s but it’s not good for all types of photography which I like (Portrait, Landscape, Still-life). It’s heavy and bulky with gf lenses to carry around, and slow for sports and wildlife if sometimes I like to experience it! But it seems Z8 is all in one camera. The only matter important to me is if I switch to Z8, with 14bit and 45mp, could I achieve the same high images quality (detailing, colour rendering, and deep dynamic range) by gfx100s with 16bit and 102mp? Thank you.
battery life is no issue at al for me. they are so small that I can fit a couple in a small pocket. easily getting 1000+. for my personal use case that's not even close to my typical day
The Z8. Despite its higher resolution the Z8 has a faster sensor. Z8 can read at 1/270 the XH-2S is only 1/180. And last time I checked some of the video modes on the Fuji seemed to be buggy and worse than on the XT-4
I really wanted the Z8 I had a D850 for a long time and I was looking at buying a Z8 in the end. I didn't buy the Z8 and there are a few reasons why but image quality is not one of them the image quality out of this camera is amazing, especially with good glass. I ended up actually buying a Fuji GFX 50 S mark 2 for landscape photography as I may professional landscape photographer only part time, but yeah I saw a lot of work and I really saw the difference with the GFX files that I downloaded in comparison to the Z8. Yep, there are a lot of people using different cameras and I was able to download some raw images from both sites and play with them in editing and what I could do with a GFX file destroyed what you can do with a Z8 file and the sharpness was just insane and there was a big drop in prices on the GFX 50 mark 2 so much so that it was half the price of Z body in Australia. The body was $7000. I could get a GFX 50 S mark 2 for about $3800 that is just insane for medium format and had to be done.. And for landscape photography that's all I need. I would not use the GFX camera for action wildlife or anything else but you can use it for portraits as well and landscapes are fantastic with the GFX camera. I just think the Z8 is very overpriced for what it is.
I think i'm the only person in the world that has a hotshoe cover that the camera shipped with on at all times. Every video and person i run into with a camera has it missing 😅
I don't know why you put this camera in the same class as the canon ros R5. They are not in the same league. We are talking about a stacked sensor camera version a conventional sensor camera. Canon does not have a shuttle-less sensor.
@@timwhite8500 depends on what you do; if you're a wedding photographer, you definitely want a single system, because if anything breaks/dies during a ceremony, you must be able to cross switch bodies, lenses, on camera strobes, batteries, brand and/or mount related accessories, etc, to fill the void. So for example my cameras should have same lens mount and same battery, at least. And if I have one dslr body and one mirrorless body (like I had for almost 3 years), I need my lenses to be all dslr compatible, because they fit both bodies, while any mirrorless lens wouldn't fit on the dslr. At ceremonies full reliability and total compatibility is always the first rule.
Really is it a concern? I mean, I used manual focus with old Sony, like the A6000 and the worst of all, the A3000. Now with a Z50. Not problem at all. With the Z8 it may be much better, because it have a lot more resolution evf. What cameras have you used?
Other brands with higher EVF resolution is only for play back. When focusing or shooting it drops down to Nikon levels when in actual operation. And is much darker. With the Z8/Z9, how it starts is how it is always. No high specs with asterisks found in another brand.
Maybe, but the EVF zooms in manual mode, and the update rate is much faster than the other guys so called high res EVF. Manual focus works great on my Z8
@@gilrenno4853 if you can, wait. At the end of 2024 the market will be more settled and clear. Maybe Canon opens the RF mount, maybe Nikon will launch a killer cheapo and great Z6III or Z7III, maybe more brands join the L mount, or maybe Sony dominates more than ever. I got a Z50 and Z30 and a pair of AF primes from Viltrox and TTartisan, but I sold them and decided to wait a year. I'm still with my 6D and other Canon DSLRs
there is only the base firmware that came with the z8. there werent any additional updates yet. the first firmware update for it , is coming in january and will introduce the z9 bird AF to the z8 as well, possibly some more things
Eh, the D850 was $3300 when it was released, and that was in 2017...adjusting for inflation, that's just about $4000 in May 2023 when the Z8 was released.
@@FawfulDied we are no longer on the release date, and the Z8 required little R&D compared to the D850 whose hardware (shutter, sensor et al) was new and unique to it.
I have to say/ask, what the hell does a photographer need 30fps and beyond for? And what the hell does a photographer need to stress about not having a fully foldable screen for video use? I say to those who stress about these, just get a pro level camcorder already!
There is a level of diminishing returns but for action more FPS is always better than less. As for video use, Nikon markets it as a hybrid camera, so you can take it up with them.
@@arunphillips6977 Any mirrorless camera is a video camera that happens to take photos. You can't have smart, fast, and accurate AF without creating a good video camera as a byproduct.
I actually prefer the flip up/down screen on my D750 to the flip-out one on my Zf. Mainly because it's faster to switch from "screen out" to "screen up", and also it doesn't extend past the side of the camera.
About 6:31 you show two versions of an image. The right one labelled as JPEG and you point at noise reduction having been applied. The left image you label as "RAW" and that is absolutely NOT a raw image. To call it raw is misleading, if you know how it works in the Bayer paradigm. You imply that the right JPEG is an SOOC JPEG. OK, fine, and it illustrates Ken Rockwell's position to never shoot raw (I don't agree with him). With Nikon you can create your own profiles - Picture Control - that tell the camera how to do the raw processing. And you can save them from the camera to card and load them into another Nikon again. The left image then MUST HAVE BEEN "raw processed" in post by another app than Nikon's in camera one. You know what happens with raw meat in cooking? It gets well done or rare or .. Your "raw" image int he video is between rare and well done. The noise you see, is not "camera noise", but Bayer noise that is inadequately dealt with by your raw processing software. Failed raw processing is what I call it to be perfectly clear. The thing that plays a role, here, in the Bayer noise is the absence of an OLPF in the 45.4MP (and earlier 36MP) Nikons. An OLPF is hardware help at shoot time to make raw processing easier. It may, in a very simple way, reduce Bayer noise, deal with jagged edges/lines (therefore also called an anti-aliasing (AA) filter), and through that potentially reduce banding a bit. The downside of the OLPF is that it reduces low light sensitivity, reduces dynamic range, reduces contrast envelope (dynamic range available to a single shot), reduces colour space, reduces contour sharpness, and increases vignetting a lot. You need a lot better AI in the mathematically precise and repeatable wild-assed guessing of missing colours that is raw processing. Really a lot better. The essence in better AI is that it needs to build a sort of understanding bout what your photo is about in the study of AI we had a discipline called "computer vision" and while a lot of AI was old school algorithmic and "early vision" in computer vision is too, it is the late vision (2nd stage) in computer vision where the challenges are. Learning AI can make this easier, but this needs a learning phase under guidance (to teach what is interpreted correctly and what not) and example cases that represent the later reality well enough when the learned is applied after the training phase. This is where cameras can differ a lot, as well as versions of firmware. Adobe has been slacking for 10 years - Nikon had Eliminated the OLPF from the D800 in their D800E version thereof, over 10 years go. You will see the Bayer noise - failed raw processing - especially in darker image zones, low contrast zones, and blurry zones where Adobe's basic AI has a hard time solving the Bayer noise. DxO and Topaz are a couple years ahead with better AI, and this past year, Adobe threw AI Denoise into Adobe Camera Raw (ACR - the app under the Develop tab in Lightroom Classic) that is their "raw processor". Having said all this, so much is going on in raw processing that you have to seriously doubt the validity of comparing different digital cameras or their lenses in ACR. Noise addressed a bit, Adobe now must still fix demosaicking to a much higher level - ACR still generates digital artefacts that become very visible with pixel peeping or prints of, say A2 size. Sometimes, however the artefacts merely show as lack of sharpness and in that case you may be surprised about the detail level Topaz Gigapixel AI can get out of your files. This can totally change your opinion of how good your camera/lens are.
Maybe you're forgetting the reviewer is showing pictures of .... printed photos. The artifacts, the "non RAW ness" and "softness" you see, is just the quality of the printed photos. The close up of the people is a close up of a photo of people. Not an actual photo of people.
Some aspects of the AF *SUCKS*! Nikon needs to release a firmware update to stabilise and improve the AF, especially in stills photography. The hit rate is 40-50% ! Video is ok but stills … bad.
To say that the R5 competes with a Z8 is quite laughable, actually. The only competitor is the A1, except it's far, far more expensive, has considerably worse video AF and video in general, and has no access to Z lenses.
@@KungPowEnterFist Brother autofocus is autofocus whether in videos or photos. What are you talking about. Nikon barely has better autofocus than the new Panasonic phase detect
@free-qe6wx Almost all camera reviewers say the competition of best autofocus for both video and photos is between Sony and Canon. And currently most are leaning to Sony for reliablility. Check gerald undone, Jared Polin and the major reviewers who use these cameras daily. No one ever mentioned nikon autofocus being any special. Plus sony doesnt need any of the Z lenses considering the E mount is open. Sony E MOUNT has way more lenses than Nikon from the budget side to the professional side. Hell even the whitehouse reporters use sony A9 cameras. Nikon is good but no way you are comparing those 2 in terms of autofocus. Whether video or photo
@@jkagwen The Sony A1 cannot do eye AF in video. The Z8/Z9 can. I believe the A9III will be the first Sony camera with a comparable AF for video as it does for stills. None of the other Sony camera's do that, and their video AF sucks. You should do at least casual research before responding. Nikon barely has better AF than Panasonic AF? Again, please get some sort of clue before responding.
Actually, its a beautiful camera, This an action camera used mostly with long teles, so you need to take it to your hands with one of those to make a judgment.
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I love the Z8. For me it is the natural successor to the D850. I was in Japan in May and walked into a camera store. It was there, on display, and I asked if they had any in stock for sale. I assumed they would be sold out but they had one left! It was a sign... So I bought it there and then.
If you are hesitating, don't. It's a beast of a camera!
When you bought it in Japan, was the interface available in English?
@@jimbolic0809 Indeed it was Jim. If I recall correctly, it had Japanese and English by default.
Z8's weakness is the materials the body is made of, not as durable as all Magnesium-Alloy; I heard it feels like solid plastic.
@@FART-REPELLENT Carbon fiber and magnesium. Plenty robust.
@@myfakeguuglaccount8307 That would have been the case, but isn't because the Z8 body has a lot of plastic in it
I have the R5, Sony Fx3, F30 and other cameras from Nikon and Canon; I just got the Z8 this week and have been playing with it, love at first sight honestly! Amazing camera!
It is the best camera I have ever owned. It just makes everything so easy to do, and it is such an enjoyable piece of kit to use.
The latest Z9 firmware update added bird detection and it is quite an improvement for focusing on those birds in trees and bushes. Now the problem is that switching back and forth from animal detection to bird detection requires too many steps in the i Menu. I am hoping they will add a firmware update to let us assign a function button to change detection modes separately. Steve Perry noted that bird detection mode is very poor for detecting animals.
The R5 is front side illuminated. The Z9/8 is Backside. Big difference when doing long exposures and or higher ISOs. The noise is much lower in the Nikon Z8.
"The noise is much lower in the Nikon Z8." really?
@@prokremelskidezolati1426 test it yourself during long exposures.
Love to see Nikon making a comeback. I picked up the Zf and it's wonderful.
In China here, a brand new Nikon Z8 now is almost 23000 RMB, which is about 3200 USD, that's impressive. And I believe that its price will drop to less than 3000 USD soon.
Es tan bestial esta cámara que no necesita global shutter. La mejor del año!!!!!
I have this camera. Wish you could give it a try at birds with the 2.0 update. Makes a important difference.
Christopher, your reviews are top notch in my view. I enjoy the way you explain it and all the tests that go with the reviews, I would add it brings more confidence of a well explained review at all angles. Cheers from Oregon USA.
1. Re: EVF… it has its own read out channel from the sensor independent of writing to card.
2. Noise reduction can be turned down or off for JPEGs.
3. Re: batteries… 400 shots is low. On weddings I can routinely get 1500 over the course of a day. Mirrorless is more about on-time vs shots taken. You can put it on 20 fps and rip through 1500 shots in a minute and still be at 98% battery. But off and on all day and checking images one at a time… much lower shoot count for sure.
On the last one - yeah, I also look at MILC battery life more as on time rather than shot count (just like using DSLR in Live View). En-El 15c gives roughly over 3 hours of use, while En-El 18d - 6-7 hours.
On the Z8 for weddings, what do you have the AF set to? Release, balance, or focus. I notice it comes set to release, but I have changed mine to balance. Not used it at a wedding yet as I only got it yesterday.
I get 3400-4000 Shots per the 3 Charge ups I have had on my Brand new Z8 .. >> Just switch off all the not used for features and dont Peep too much
@@nickwilliams7867release. Large area face detect with Fn 2 button set to recall 3D tracking for non-human AF needs.
As my eyesight isn't great, I only ever shoot using the rear LCD, as the live image of my subject is considerably larger than in the EVF, I can quickly and accurately compose my subjects unlike with a small EVF. I wonder how many shots I would get with just using the LCD?
Chris ..please, please revisit the Z8 after the 2.0 update yesterday....it's perspective changing. thank you.
The Z8 is a beast of a camera. I love it from the first day I own it. I no longer have any desire for another camera. And that means something in my case.
Canon user here, but I would definitely buy this over any Sony.
Nikons lens selection in pretty limited tho
Sony is really good
@@Yupthereitism just not a fan.
Some people have described Sony Mirrorless cameras as being like a PlayStation games console 😂
@@YupthereitismI have Sony and the Nikon's. The problem with Sony is ergonomics. However it is very good indeed.
For the last couple of decades I've been a Canon user and I've been slowly moving over to Nikon the Z8 is my next Cam I'm getting in the new year with the 180-600mm. I have been debating between the Z8 and Z9 because of the firmware/features but as you say they Z8 is likely updaing soon in the new year.
I would love the Z9 but my Z8 fits my hand Perfectly
its not a competitor to R5 ;) its a class above it, no doubt there.
That's easy to do when you start developing your product after the 'companion' is out.
@@BrianSFischerexactly, wait until the R5 Mark II comes out
@@dr_squirrelwait until the Z8ii comes out. 🙄 rinse and repeat
But it was much less good for the past 3 years..... 😬 Time during which Canon has been piling in pro/rich amateur customers 😁😎
@@livejames9374that wasnt the point. The point was that this guy is comparing z8 to r5 glossing over the fact that the r5 has tech 3-5 years older inside of it.
Great Review. Down to earth and honest.
I'm not jumping off of my R5, but it looks great!
One point about the lifespan of batteries in cameras. I think now with how fast modern cameras are shooting there probably should be a new way to meaure the lifespan. For instance you must of shot about 100 to 150 shots when showing the speed and size of the buffer. At 400 shots that would mean the battery could be drained in less than a minute.
I think mirrorless should be measured by how many hours it can stay on. My Z6 can go through 3000+ pictures or
The battery drains by looking through view finder and chimping a lot, you could take thousands of images on one battery.
Yup. The rear LCD is less power drain than the EVF too.
Old Wive's Tale its NOT like that >> think 4000 images on a charge
That's because the CIPA rated battery life is taking a picture every 30 seconds. So 340 shots CIPA basically means the camera can stay active for 170 minutes.
Nikon also provides a "burst" battery life rating of 2280 shots for the Z8. Not sure how it's measured, though.
Camera of the year
"I AM"
...patiently waiting to see what Nikon brings to market with the Z6iii. I've considered the Z8 & 9 but I am a stills shooter and both of those cameras offer way more than I need/want.
Thanks for another good review Chris!
maybe more of a Z7III then ? most times the Z6's seems to be more of a all rounder than the Z7's that mostly about stills i think.
@@malekith13 The image quality of the Z6 and Z6ii are wonderful. That sensor works well in low light as well as with strobes. The quality from the Z7/7ii is also very nice however not as well in low light... And that is also what holds me back. I'd be ok with 33MP as long as the low light/high ISO image quality is there. Perhaps the Z6iii will replace both the Z6 and Z7 somehow?
@@1bozina i have a z6 and it's Indeed a great camera, but i guess many people would like higher MP for to be able to crop and zoom inside the image, 24MP is indeed a little low for landscapes, let's hope the pixel shift will works better than on the zf, would be nice if it's works in camera like on the Panasonic's ^^
Z7II is better than Z6II for low light in 99% of situations. Z6II will have marginally more dynamic range. Z7II will have more noise and more detail. Use AI noise reduction and you end up with same/similar noise with more detail. Data is king
That 3-way tilt screen is a blessing for photography, so that's a huge plus for the z8.
After playing with the new Zf I will confidently say, that that's just the preparation for what's to come with the next Z6/7 which might be due early next year. If you don't absolutely need that 45mp and the huge body, you might want to wait for the Z6 III.
Edit: thanks for bringing back memories with the "I am a..." slogan, I wish they brought it back!
@3:50 I don't believe that is a "protruding 10 pin port", it is the "Focus-mode button".
Oh boy, good catch. There are two ports further up thou, maybe he got confused there.
My first time holding a camera of that type, I just couldn't figure out where to set af-modes and had to find out about the use of that button via the manual lol.
@@PiTdeLyX Ah yeah. The one further up the camera is the 10 pin port. But in the video while talking about it his fingers were on the focus mode button. I got confused there.
Judging by the hint about the telephoto lenses, there's a chance we may see a 180-600 review soon?
Take it from me Its a Match made in Heaven Z8 - 180-600
This is my dream camera 😊
Dont care about the specs or framerates, I just like it
It's the best as of this year
Autofocus seems to jump around too much when trying to shoot sports and it’s a tad heavy. I actually tried both the z8 and z9 recently and I find the z9 is more comfortable to hold. Great camera overall though. Autofocus is about on par with the R5 but the R6 ii still has better autofocusing overall. However, it doesn’t have all the power packed features the z8/z9 has.
Camera looks amazing, on top of the awesome performance.
Toneh and Chelsea’s camera of the year (z8 & z9)
I waited for the Z8 over 2 years .... at last .. I bought the Z9 and im not sorry for that 👏
Hi Chris, your video is brilliant and informative as always! Could you review the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8 lens? It is strongly recommended by a lot of sun star enthusiasts and I am surprised to find that you havent reviewed that lens!
A nice Z8 review....I see that a number of the YT photographers are making a big thing of selling their Z8's
in favour of other makes.. No doubt they are being offered more money to promote those companies.
Where did you bought your Crystal 🔮 ball? 😅😂🤡
@@Mr_Ev1 It's "Where did you buy your crystal ball ?"
@@tectoramia-sz1lu who cares 🤡
Do you have a video highlighting low light performance and bokeh? Genuinely curious, thank you for the content
Great video, however, I got 2200 shots from one battery on my Z8 last week during a wedding. so I'm not sure what you are doing with your z8.
2,200?; presumably you didn't review each and every time you made an exposure.
Geez, that dynamic range is nuts
I get 3400-4000 RAW shots on High Efficiency RAW * on a battery charge >> Tip switch off all unused features and quit looking at your pics on screen after taking
Great review as always thanks!! Hoping for a z6iii in the near future tho
I got faulty D600 and D800 cameras and have never really forgiven them. Went back into Full Frame recently with Canon R5, didnt even consider Nikon. That tilt screen is far better than canon
The only thing the Z8 cant do that the R5 can is make toast in Camera when videoing at 4K Lol
@@Mr09260 yeah, i cant face selling all the canon gear but when it come to an upgrade I'll be open minded
I love Nikon
ISO 4000 is the second base gain of the sensor for best low light performance.
Waiting for the review of Z 85mm F/1.2
I love it's pseudo-DSLR design. Nikon cameras always look cool.
But canon buttons layout was always better :(
Viva La Plastic >> But I must admit I LOVE my Canon Pixma Printer >> Maybe they should stick with making Office Machines >> I have been Nikon since 1971 and give thanks that I have No need for any other brand as the Buttons , Controls and FEEL in the hand are perfect and Quality Feel in the hand with Best IQ with the Z Mount matched to S Lenses >> Life is sweet @@montazownianr1
@@montazownianr1I think that‘s a matter of taste. I personally really don‘t like Canon‘s button layout and find it very confusing, because I‘m not used to it and it goes strongly against my muscles memory
WTF is it with camera manufacturers giving their Mirrorless cameras a linear design?; the body shape and profile of high-end DSLRs had curves, the D850 is beautifully contoured with curves but the Z8 is linear as are lower priced Mirrorless cameras; if the Z8 was as curvy and made entirely of a Magnesium alloy it would have been much better.
@@montazownianr1I still remember that beautiful print button 🤣 🤡
Love your reviews
A few months ago I finally jump from Canon 70D into Nkon Z 6II, it's really great, the only two things, a shitty no side flip screen drives me crazy and there is no grid for rule of thirds.
there is a rule of thirds grid! try pressing the DISP button a few times :)
you might also have to go in the menu but i know it’s there
It's not rule of thirds. There are four lines.@@coled463
why not r6ii or zf?
The Z6 II has bad autofocus unfortunally.
Is the 24-105 f2.8 review on the way?
I'm waiting for Canon to have a review copy ready. As soon as I get my hands on one it'll be top priority. In the meantime...I'm working on some other pretty awesome equipment...a camera that necessitated me getting a new test chart... :-)
What was the ambient temperature during your video recordings?
I did a shoot with Z8 in the early Summer in a warmer environment (guessing between 25-30 deg C) and Z8 produced heat warning after some time shooting at 4K 60 High Quality.
My tempterature was about 21 deg C. Unfortunately that's as hot as things get in Wales in the winter ;-)
You should get update to firmware. It adjusts the temp warning. It is a slight update before what Chris mentioned as a planned update to bring more features such as faster shooting speed
try the Canon R5 for Heat its the best
@@Mr09260 the heat warning is about the cf express card not the body, unlike canon which is self crippled to record at a fixed time. The issue is the card, you're recommending a downgrade
This camera is professional photographers, not for kids doing Tik Tok videos, that's why gets heat up
Good image stabilization would be nice to see
I’m very interested in watching your review of the Nikon Z f. I currently use the Z8, and I’m eager to find out if the Z f will allow me to take better night-time photos. In my experience with the Z8, using ISO settings from 2000 - 6000 range results in a lot of unpleasant grain, which forces me to shoot at the lowest possible ISO to achieve clear images. I try to never go beyond 800 with that camera 😢
I don’t know of any camera that will get you noise-free results above ISO 1600. The Zf supposedly has improved stabilization which can help, using faster lenses helps, but the noise is going to be a given unless you go to something like a Fuji GFX, which in turn has worse stabilization and slower lenses, negating any advantage. The Z6/Z7/Zf all have non-stacked sensors which nets a little improvement at high ISO relative to the Z8, but nothing dramatic.
It’s also worth noting that Nikons take noise reduction very well, I think owing to that less processing gets applied to the RAW in-camera. Taking a shot with the lens cap on at a given ISO and shutter speed, you can mess around with the sliders in Lightroom until you get a result you’re happy with and use that as a profile for pictures with similar exposure settings. With some careful massaging in post, I’ve gotten good, print-quality exports out of a Z5 up to ISO 10000. Not anything I would put on a billboard, but just fine for A4.
Lumix S5IIX Ou Canon R6 Mark II.
3:30 It would be good to know if the SD card slot is UHS-I or UHS-II (or SD Express, eventually).
It is UHS-II. All the Z FX cameras with full-size SD slots have UHS-II support. The DX cameras only have UHS-I.
What about the plastic body, did you felt any loss of "feel" using a plastic camera? That´s the main downside for me, and not understandable why Nikon used plastic in this range. Also , the lack of mechanical shutter, is also another bug, for me. A camera that simulates the shutter.. feels like a cellphone. Shame.. because I really want to buy this camera.
The body doesn’t feel plastic by any means. It’s quite a rugged body with great ergonomic. And the lack of a mechanical shutter takes some getting used to but I think it’ll be great for the longevity of the camera with one less moving part you have to worry about failing.
It doesn't need a shutter????? Jesus 🤡
Maybe nikon should try to make CPL/ND lens can drop in the body, in front of the CMOS.
Is your 4K 25p examples using the oversampled from 8K mode or is it the line skipped mode?
Nikon z8 is set to af-c -- shooting raw only -- set to continuous high 20fps -- but when I hold down the shutter button, I can only fire off 1 shot? What am I missing?
Z8 has a second base ISO at 4000... so best to either 800 or 4000 for best DR and image quality (For video)
@7:45 very impressive.
Do you think if sell my D850 and buy a Z8 my photography will get better?
If you use autofocus or need fast shooting your photography will get way better. There isn’t much of a difference in photo quality itself
The camera companies would go out of business without selling new cameras,
Hi, I’m shooting with Fujifilm gfx100s but it’s not good for all types of photography which I like (Portrait, Landscape, Still-life). It’s heavy and bulky with gf lenses to carry around, and slow for sports and wildlife if sometimes I like to experience it! But it seems Z8 is all in one camera. The only matter important to me is if I switch to Z8, with 14bit and 45mp, could I achieve the same high images quality (detailing, colour rendering, and deep dynamic range) by gfx100s with 16bit and 102mp? Thank you.
Não! São duas câmeras com finalidades opostas. Com a Z8 e mantenha sua gfx100s.
No! There are two cameras with opposite purposes. With the Z8 and keep your Gfx100s
meike 85mm 1.4 review for nikon z mount
What Card did you use for the burst shots?
what about make special video about skintone of each brand
battery life is no issue at al for me. they are so small that I can fit a couple in a small pocket. easily getting 1000+. for my personal use case that's not even close to my typical day
Shame there's no PC terminal.
Ordered one, got fed up waiting for an updated Z7ii.
11:25 Which lens was used to take this picture?
What kens would you get to do routine travel photography with your Z8?
Your comment makes absolutely no sense as it is grammatically incorrect.
@@FART-REPELLENT what lens would you use for routine travel? It was just a simple typo! Sorry.
24-120mm f/4 is the best lens IMO for that. If you can only carry around one lens, it should be that one.
Compared to Fujifilm xh2s, which one has a better rolling shutter
I Love Fuji Slide Film
The nature of 8.6K FF sensor and oversampled 4K made the Z8 slower
The Z8. Despite its higher resolution the Z8 has a faster sensor. Z8 can read at 1/270 the XH-2S is only 1/180. And last time I checked some of the video modes on the Fuji seemed to be buggy and worse than on the XT-4
I really wanted the Z8 I had a D850 for a long time and I was looking at buying a Z8 in the end. I didn't buy the Z8 and there are a few reasons why but image quality is not one of them the image quality out of this camera is amazing, especially with good glass. I ended up actually buying a Fuji GFX 50 S mark 2 for landscape photography as I may professional landscape photographer only part time, but yeah I saw a lot of work and I really saw the difference with the GFX files that I downloaded in comparison to the Z8. Yep, there are a lot of people using different cameras and I was able to download some raw images from both sites and play with them in editing and what I could do with a GFX file destroyed what you can do with a Z8 file and the sharpness was just insane and there was a big drop in prices on the GFX 50 mark 2 so much so that it was half the price of Z body in Australia. The body was $7000. I could get a GFX 50 S mark 2 for about $3800 that is just insane for medium format and had to be done.. And for landscape photography that's all I need. I would not use the GFX camera for action wildlife or anything else but you can use it for portraits as well and landscapes are fantastic with the GFX camera. I just think the Z8 is very overpriced for what it is.
Pure nonsense. The Z8 is an amazing all rounder. Lens selection is above and beyond the Fuji offerings. Where is your 100-400? Yeah right 😅
I think i'm the only person in the world that has a hotshoe cover that the camera shipped with on at all times. Every video and person i run into with a camera has it missing 😅
I recently did a shoot and got 1300 photos with 5% remaining on the battery. You have to learn ways to conserve the battery.
Can you explain how one can achieve that?
no complaint about no sensor cover shield?
There is a sensor cover shield
I don't know why you put this camera in the same class as the canon ros R5.
They are not in the same league.
We are talking about a stacked sensor camera version a conventional sensor camera.
Canon does not have a shuttle-less sensor.
Probably price--the Z8 is $600 more than the R5 and $1000 less than the R3.
Well, i want one. Now how do I pay for it?
Try selling your farts to pay for a Z8?
Z8 morning star.Add the spikes yourself.
If you're a pro then it's always a good idea to carry a couple of spare batteries.. even on a D6 whose battery takes forever to deplete.
I like tilt display’s of Nikon. Far better then sony and canon rotatables ones
You need a faster card to use 8K 60 😉
I stay to my sony a7iii 😅 if I switch than to Fujifilm
Why not run multiple systems?
@@timwhite8500 nice idea but I life in the wrong country 🇩🇪 camera and lenses are very expensive here ! 4300€ for the z8
@@timwhite8500 depends on what you do; if you're a wedding photographer, you definitely want a single system, because if anything breaks/dies during a ceremony, you must be able to cross switch bodies, lenses, on camera strobes, batteries, brand and/or mount related accessories, etc, to fill the void.
So for example my cameras should have same lens mount and same battery, at least. And if I have one dslr body and one mirrorless body (like I had for almost 3 years), I need my lenses to be all dslr compatible, because they fit both bodies, while any mirrorless lens wouldn't fit on the dslr.
At ceremonies full reliability and total compatibility is always the first rule.
Hi thanks for sharing, can you use It in manual Focus? It has the lowest resolution evf of ALL..
Really is it a concern? I mean, I used manual focus with old Sony, like the A6000 and the worst of all, the A3000. Now with a Z50. Not problem at all. With the Z8 it may be much better, because it have a lot more resolution evf. What cameras have you used?
Other brands with higher EVF resolution is only for play back. When focusing or shooting it drops down to Nikon levels when in actual operation. And is much darker. With the Z8/Z9, how it starts is how it is always. No high specs with asterisks found in another brand.
Maybe, but the EVF zooms in manual mode, and the update rate is much faster than the other guys so called high res EVF. Manual focus works great on my Z8
I am still using a d 800...and i dont now what to do...
@@gilrenno4853 if you can, wait. At the end of 2024 the market will be more settled and clear. Maybe Canon opens the RF mount, maybe Nikon will launch a killer cheapo and great Z6III or Z7III, maybe more brands join the L mount, or maybe Sony dominates more than ever. I got a Z50 and Z30 and a pair of AF primes from Viltrox and TTartisan, but I sold them and decided to wait a year. I'm still with my 6D and other Canon DSLRs
Wow! If I hadn't purchased my Sony a7 IV last year, I would definitely consider this new Nikon! Shame it's not price competitive :/
It's a pro Model with the absolutely best price-performance ratio.
Which firmware did you use in your test?
there is only the base firmware that came with the z8. there werent any additional updates yet. the first firmware update for it , is coming in january and will introduce the z9 bird AF to the z8 as well, possibly some more things
@@ThatNormaIt has the 1.01 firmware with very minor fixes.
@@LDam-pf6lx yeh just checked. weird, mine came right away with 1.01
3rd
One thing bugs me..... Its release price has jumped by nearly $/£1000 compared to its D850 ancestor.....
😵💫
Eh, the D850 was $3300 when it was released, and that was in 2017...adjusting for inflation, that's just about $4000 in May 2023 when the Z8 was released.
@@FawfulDied we are no longer on the release date, and the Z8 required little R&D compared to the D850 whose hardware (shutter, sensor et al) was new and unique to it.
2nd. :)
No dou... Nikon z8 is bast camera but auto focus is just good. not exeland little slow
I have to say/ask, what the hell does a photographer need 30fps and beyond for? And what the hell does a photographer need to stress about not having a fully foldable screen for video use? I say to those who stress about these, just get a pro level camcorder already!
There is a level of diminishing returns but for action more FPS is always better than less. As for video use, Nikon markets it as a hybrid camera, so you can take it up with them.
@@FawfulDied This isn't about Nikon or Canon, Sony etc, it's about using the right tools.
@@arunphillips6977 Any mirrorless camera is a video camera that happens to take photos. You can't have smart, fast, and accurate AF without creating a good video camera as a byproduct.
wait what haha no flip out screen?! this is really dumb
I actually prefer the flip up/down screen on my D750 to the flip-out one on my Zf. Mainly because it's faster to switch from "screen out" to "screen up", and also it doesn't extend past the side of the camera.
About 6:31 you show two versions of an image. The right one labelled as JPEG and you point at noise reduction having been applied.
The left image you label as "RAW" and that is absolutely NOT a raw image.
To call it raw is misleading, if you know how it works in the Bayer paradigm.
You imply that the right JPEG is an SOOC JPEG. OK, fine, and it illustrates Ken Rockwell's position to never shoot raw (I don't agree with him). With Nikon you can create your own profiles - Picture Control - that tell the camera how to do the raw processing. And you can save them from the camera to card and load them into another Nikon again.
The left image then MUST HAVE BEEN "raw processed" in post by another app than Nikon's in camera one.
You know what happens with raw meat in cooking? It gets well done or rare or ..
Your "raw" image int he video is between rare and well done.
The noise you see, is not "camera noise", but Bayer noise that is inadequately dealt with by your raw processing software.
Failed raw processing is what I call it to be perfectly clear.
The thing that plays a role, here, in the Bayer noise is the absence of an OLPF in the 45.4MP (and earlier 36MP) Nikons.
An OLPF is hardware help at shoot time to make raw processing easier.
It may, in a very simple way, reduce Bayer noise, deal with jagged edges/lines (therefore also called an anti-aliasing (AA) filter), and through that potentially reduce banding a bit.
The downside of the OLPF is that it reduces low light sensitivity, reduces dynamic range, reduces contrast envelope (dynamic range available to a single shot), reduces colour space, reduces contour sharpness, and increases vignetting a lot.
You need a lot better AI in the mathematically precise and repeatable wild-assed guessing of missing colours that is raw processing.
Really a lot better.
The essence in better AI is that it needs to build a sort of understanding bout what your photo is about in the study of AI we had a discipline called "computer vision" and while a lot of AI was old school algorithmic and "early vision" in computer vision is too, it is the late vision (2nd stage) in computer vision where the challenges are. Learning AI can make this easier, but this needs a learning phase under guidance (to teach what is interpreted correctly and what not) and example cases that represent the later reality well enough when the learned is applied after the training phase. This is where cameras can differ a lot, as well as versions of firmware.
Adobe has been slacking for 10 years - Nikon had Eliminated the OLPF from the D800 in their D800E version thereof, over 10 years go.
You will see the Bayer noise - failed raw processing - especially in darker image zones, low contrast zones, and blurry zones where Adobe's basic AI has a hard time solving the Bayer noise.
DxO and Topaz are a couple years ahead with better AI, and this past year, Adobe threw AI Denoise into Adobe Camera Raw (ACR - the app under the Develop tab in Lightroom Classic) that is their "raw processor".
Having said all this, so much is going on in raw processing that you have to seriously doubt the validity of comparing different digital cameras or their lenses in ACR.
Noise addressed a bit, Adobe now must still fix demosaicking to a much higher level - ACR still generates digital artefacts that become very visible with pixel peeping or prints of, say A2 size. Sometimes, however the artefacts merely show as lack of sharpness and in that case you may be surprised about the detail level Topaz Gigapixel AI can get out of your files. This can totally change your opinion of how good your camera/lens are.
Maybe you're forgetting the reviewer is showing pictures of .... printed photos. The artifacts, the "non RAW ness" and "softness" you see, is just the quality of the printed photos. The close up of the people is a close up of a photo of people. Not an actual photo of people.
but too dear , nearly z9
Some aspects of the AF *SUCKS*! Nikon needs to release a firmware update to stabilise and improve the AF, especially in stills photography.
The hit rate is 40-50% !
Video is ok but stills … bad.
A lemon, too many issues, do you think they will get firmware for the strap lugs falling off? Is this serious? £4000 to test gravity.
To say that the R5 competes with a Z8 is quite laughable, actually. The only competitor is the A1, except it's far, far more expensive, has considerably worse video AF and video in general, and has no access to Z lenses.
Did you just say that the A1 has worse autofocus?? That has to be the biggest cope of the year
@@jkagwen Please re-read my comment. I said the video AF specifically.
@@KungPowEnterFist Brother autofocus is autofocus whether in videos or photos. What are you talking about. Nikon barely has better autofocus than the new Panasonic phase detect
@free-qe6wx Almost all camera reviewers say the competition of best autofocus for both video and photos is between Sony and Canon. And currently most are leaning to Sony for reliablility. Check gerald undone, Jared Polin and the major reviewers who use these cameras daily. No one ever mentioned nikon autofocus being any special. Plus sony doesnt need any of the Z lenses considering the E mount is open. Sony E MOUNT has way more lenses than Nikon from the budget side to the professional side. Hell even the whitehouse reporters use sony A9 cameras. Nikon is good but no way you are comparing those 2 in terms of autofocus. Whether video or photo
@@jkagwen The Sony A1 cannot do eye AF in video. The Z8/Z9 can. I believe the A9III will be the first Sony camera with a comparable AF for video as it does for stills. None of the other Sony camera's do that, and their video AF sucks. You should do at least casual research before responding. Nikon barely has better AF than Panasonic AF? Again, please get some sort of clue before responding.
First :D
Camera looks horrible😅
Like all nikonz 😀
Actually, its a beautiful camera,
This an action camera used mostly with long teles, so you need to take it to your hands with one of those to make a judgment.
@@DjCjFoto It looks like a square brick to me
@@Rumplestiltskin7 Which camera isn't a square brick?
@@DjCjFoto Leicas, Fujis, it's just my preference. If you like the look of Nikons it's all good, go and buy one
With which codecs did you do video tests?