Thanks Julian ,great insight into a live music event ,you did well with the focal length available to you in 'the pit' ,as you said, a lot of things to bear in mind whilst pressing that shutter button. Gave the z8 a good work out too!
Thanks. Yes, 200mm would have been better, but as I have 46mp from the Z8, a little cropping doesn't result in a loss of quality. Both me and the Z8 got a work out for sure! :-)
Glad I came across your video. Very helpful. Concur with you regarding the back button focusing. The 3D tracking makes subject tracking seem primitive. I own a pair of Z6ii’s and after getting the Z8. I’m blow a way by the differences. Your video was great and thanks again for sharing. Cheers
If you run headphones you’d be able to hear the shutter through them at a show if you used earbud style ones and hearing the sound mattered to you. Noise cancelling ones would possibly do a good job of providing hearing protection too.
Thanks Howard, glad you found it interesting! I've shot more small gigs that I can remember. The stadium gigs are a rarity - mostly because we don't get many down where I am! :-)
Nice video Julian, a world away from Dartmoor 😊. Like your new camera but still prefer my Nikon F4s 😅😅😅. Well done on the gig mate, some smashing images. How are your black and white landscape's shaping up?
It's a little bit different from Dartmoor, but not that far away as it turns out. Yes, errr....b&w landscapes are still on the to do list....but they are on the list!
In at the deep end for sure. It was at least a Nikon so I knew my way around the menus and controls. I couldn't have imagined do the gig with a Canon or Sony!
I personally cannot see any benefit on landscape photography or any other genre that does not require serious AF capability. For these cases and perhaps for serious video work, this is where the Z8 excels. I would be interested to hear Julian's view on this too.
Hi Julian, thanks for sharing your experience with us! And thanks for your - great - pictures! I was wondering about the « banding » on concerts (with led lights, maybe there was not in this particular show…). Did you already encounter this problem while shooting with the Z8? Anyone here already experiment that with the Z8? I’m still hesitating with the D850 for that particular reason. Thanks per advance for your answers (and excuse my not perfect english… 😉)
Hey, thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I'm aware of the issue you are talking about. I would get it with the Z7 if I was shooting the electronic shutter was being used. I didn't experience this issue with the Z8, but that was only one concert. However, like the Z9 the Z8 includes the "High-Frequency Flicker Reduction" feature that allows you to change the shutter speed in smaller increments reducing the impact of LED light flickering.
Julian hi another great video and showing a different side of your photography. What is the 3 song rule? Looks like you’re having fun with the Z8 take care Trev
Hey Trev, always nice to read a comment from you. The 3 song rule means that generally speak you are allowed to photograph the first three songs of a band or artist. It's fairly standard and it's very rare to get more than that. So if you don't get your shots within the first three songs...tough. :-)
@@jbairdexp wow that’s pressure, you have done brilliant then it must one of those situations where you really need to know your camera. Great job Julian
@@trevorfinnis9111 That's been the great thing about live music photography...you have to learn your camera controls blind. It transfers well into the world of landscapes as you stop thinking about how your camera works freeing you up to concentrate on other things like composition.
Shows how much I keep my ear to the ground, I didnt know they were playing until the evening that they were playing and I only live 4 miles away from Argyle's ground 😂 I used to do stage work but only on a small scale ie small stage work. large gigs like Muse I would have sneaked in and mingled in the crowd, lens in one pocket, camera in the other and spend all my time ducking diving trying to avoid the security 😊
Living 4 miles away you might have almost heard them! Security was tight for gig for sure, but they were all super friendly and polite. You can always get some good shots from within the crowd so sneaking in a camera and lens is worth a shot! :-)
Thanks. Apologies for the delay in responding - I've been away. I've shot a few concerts since Muse and IMHO the Z8 is the best Nikon camera I've ever used for concert photography.
@@larsmartinteigen6884 Yes, I did at first, but the menu options for "Photo flicker reduction" and "High-frequency flicker reduction" can be used to eliminate such issues. It could still be a challenge if you have a wide range of LED lights running at different frequencies, but it's not an issue I've continued to experience.
Those are quite impressive and sharp images? How did the battery issue worked out? There have been reports that the Z8 is a power hungry machine with its fast electronics, did you have to change batteries quite often? Cheers.
No worries with the battery. Made all those shots on a single battery and the warning light wasn't even on. 8K video is only feature that I've found so far that can be a sucker for the battery. :-)
Hi Julian another interesting video, thank you. I photograph sports mainly equestrian and hockey, sometimes under floodlights. I use a D850 fast enough during the day but can be a bit slow in low light, luckily Topaz comes to the rescue with using 10,000 ISO. Seriously looking at the Z8 how does your Z8 perform at high ISO unfortunately, the Z9 is out my price range. I have the Z6II and love it but not ideal for sport
Thanks John, glad you found it useful. I don't shoot a lot at higher ISOs so it's difficult for me to provide an objective view, but from what I have seen from my high ISO shots is that the Z8 certainly does not perform any less well than the Z7 or the D850 before it.
Good choice of camera bodies. As much as I enjoy using my D850, it's a bit too contemplative for fast action work. So, it stays home and the Z9 goes to the people-in-action shoots.
BTW, the silence of the Z cameras is a great selling point when I'm talking to musicians. If it's a small venue, they do NOT want to hear a camera that goes BRRRR!
Totally agree, I think the silence of the camera is a benefit. It will just take a little time to get used to have years and years of hearing a camera go clack, clack, clack!! :-)
Great video. Can you speak a bit more on configuring and shooting with the camera changing the ISO with the lens ring? That sounds very exciting. And is that Z lenses only or can you do that with an F lens and the FTZ adapter?
Thanks. As long as the Z lens has a control ring I think you can set it to change the ISO. You can check but connecting your lens and then heading to the custom control menu ( ruclips.net/video/MXgPymOYmAI/видео.html ) I believe this is a feature on all Z cameras with Z lenses that have a control ring. I don't think it's available on F mount lenses (but I could be wrong on that - I don't have any to test).
@@jbairdexp so that’s one reason/advantage for getting an “S” lens. I shoot a lot of theater/play performances and the lighting is always very challenging. Would be great to just set my aperture and shutter speed then adjust the ISO as needed while looking through the viewfinder to get the right exposure.
@@mskvarenina I just checked, but I can set the control ring on my DX crop lens, the 16-50mm (a kit lens) to have the control ring set to ISO. However, I can't set the control ring to ISO when the same lens is attached to my Z fc. So it may be a camera specific option. Though I still suspect it's only available on Nikon Z mount lenses.
interesting point about moving away from the back-button focus! also, you are not the first that sees his picture output double or triple with the electronic shutter of the z8, it seems hard to not shoot intensely it like that :)
@@michaelseirer True, I just checked how many I shot last time....900 in one day! :-) I really had better dial back that FPS! No issue with banding yet....but Muse is the only gig I've shot with the Z8. This festival will be a much better test.
Hi, Julian, again it’s me! 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.
Hi, that's a tricky question to answer as everyone's perception on quality will vary and I also can't compare those cameras side by side. All I can say is that I have no issues with the raw files from the Z8 and they more than adequately deliver the results I am looking for. If you really want to pixel peep, try renting a Z8 for the weekend and do some of your own tests. :-)
Since getting the Z8, I also find that I don't use back-button focus any more. The speed and accuracy of the focus system has removed the necessity for BB focus.
I agree. I still use BBF for landscapes, but for other things I leave focusing to the shutter button. I have setup two settings banks, one for landscapes, one for everything else so I can switch between the different ways to focus.
Sure can. Not a problem in sight. No warm or hot light warnings for either the camera or the card. I believe those types of problem only occur when shooting 8K RAW video for extended periods of time, and it is also very card dependant as well. I don't think hot card warnings is a problem with stills shooting, even at high FPS.
Hi, I owned Sony a1 and then tested Fuji xh2s, and then after weeks watching reviews and testing just came to buy z8 because of truly hybrid and all in one camera, but surprisingly I watched some complaints from professional photographers about: Not accurate AF all the time and missing lock on subject, heated card after 15 minutes videography or photography in events, not solid back dial and low quality of grip for slipping hand after long time shooting, and other issues you mentioned here. I can accept and handle everything but of course not about failure on AF tracking system and overheating cards or body! I need to make sure about theses matters upon your field experience to make the right decision. Please advise. Thank you
I personally haven't experienced the problems you have described, but every photographers requirements are different, and what they will tolerate is different. The Z8 suits the types of photography I do very well. But your milage might vary. :-)
Check out my Nikon Z8 review announcement and unboxing - ruclips.net/video/b6_ZUyAF1n0/видео.html
Happy for you Julian that you got the Z8. cant wait for your content on and with this camera.
Thanks Rob...can't wait to get out with the camera to start shooting landscapes!
Great working with you again Julian - I'll let you know when I have another massive gig for you to shoot!
Always a pleasure mate! Big or small, let's do it again soon. :-)
Excellent photographs of the bands. It's interesting to see other photographic work by you. Thank you for sharing. Peace and Safe Travels.
.
Thanks very Craig! ATB Julian
Thanks Julian ,great insight into a live music event ,you did well with the focal length available to you in 'the pit' ,as you said, a lot of things to bear in mind whilst pressing that shutter button. Gave the z8 a good work out too!
Thanks. Yes, 200mm would have been better, but as I have 46mp from the Z8, a little cropping doesn't result in a loss of quality. Both me and the Z8 got a work out for sure! :-)
I really enjoyed the video Julian. You certainly have photographed quite a few stars.
Brilliant photograph's.
Well done mate.
Thanks Tim! All the best. :-)
Glad I came across your video. Very helpful. Concur with you regarding the back button focusing. The 3D tracking makes subject tracking seem primitive. I own a pair of Z6ii’s and after getting the Z8. I’m blow a way by the differences. Your video was great and thanks again for sharing. Cheers
Thanks so much James. Camera tech moves on and so sometimes you have to embrace that and change the way you shoot. Z6s and Z8, a nice setup. :-)
Love hearing your experience. Great opportunity as a reward for your decade of hard work.
Thanks. Those opportunities are rare, so even more reason to grab them with both hands! Thank you for watching. :-)
Great video Julian, interesting to see a different side of your photography. 👍🏻
Thanks Eddie :-)
If you run headphones you’d be able to hear the shutter through them at a show if you used earbud style ones and hearing the sound mattered to you. Noise cancelling ones would possibly do a good job of providing hearing protection too.
Hadn't considered using headphones, but I do always go to gigs with ear plugs anyway. :-)
Very interesting Julian. I’ve been shooting gigs for a while but not at such large events. Great insights
Thanks Howard, glad you found it interesting! I've shot more small gigs that I can remember. The stadium gigs are a rarity - mostly because we don't get many down where I am! :-)
Interesting insight into another genre. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching! :-)
Amazing photos, Julian. 👍
Thank you!
Awesome video Julian. That would have been a great experience!
Thanks Jim, yes, I really enjoyed it!
Nice video Julian, a world away from Dartmoor 😊.
Like your new camera but still prefer my Nikon F4s 😅😅😅. Well done on the gig mate, some smashing images.
How are your black and white landscape's shaping up?
It's a little bit different from Dartmoor, but not that far away as it turns out. Yes, errr....b&w landscapes are still on the to do list....but they are on the list!
Enjoyed your little review of the Z 8 and liked the way you straight in at the deep end. So your learning curve was 10 all the way, excellent 🙂
In at the deep end for sure. It was at least a Nikon so I knew my way around the menus and controls. I couldn't have imagined do the gig with a Canon or Sony!
@@jbairdexp just waiting on my Z 8 hopefully this month
@@seanhernon9059 Finger's x'd!
Hi Jules. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on what added advantages you see in using the Z8 for your landscape photography. Cheers. Paul
I personally cannot see any benefit on landscape photography or any other genre that does not require serious AF capability. For these cases and perhaps for serious video work, this is where the Z8 excels. I would be interested to hear Julian's view on this too.
Hey Paul, nice to read a comment from you as always. I'll be producing a video review of the Z8 and will be covering that very topic. :-)
@@jbairdexp Looking forward to it.
@@paulburwood8231 Just need all these blue skies to go away! 🙂
I was apprehensive at first moving up from the Z6II, but the Nikon Z8 was most definitely worth the upgrade.
Good to hear. It's a proper step up from the Z6 II. Happy shooting.
Hi Julian, thanks for sharing your experience with us! And thanks for your - great - pictures! I was wondering about the « banding » on concerts (with led lights, maybe there was not in this particular show…). Did you already encounter this problem while shooting with the Z8? Anyone here already experiment that with the Z8? I’m still hesitating with the D850 for that particular reason. Thanks per advance for your answers (and excuse my not perfect english… 😉)
Hey, thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I'm aware of the issue you are talking about. I would get it with the Z7 if I was shooting the electronic shutter was being used. I didn't experience this issue with the Z8, but that was only one concert. However, like the Z9 the Z8 includes the "High-Frequency Flicker Reduction" feature that allows you to change the shutter speed in smaller increments reducing the impact of LED light flickering.
I didn't realize that the "rules of engagement" for photographers in the pit were so strict... You came back with an impressive set of photos!
Thank you. The three song rule is pretty standard, but generally speaking the bigger the concert the more controlled it is. :-)
Loving all the D750 images! 🤘
Bloody great camera! :-)
Julian hi another great video and showing a different side of your photography. What is the 3 song rule? Looks like you’re having fun with the Z8 take care Trev
Hey Trev, always nice to read a comment from you. The 3 song rule means that generally speak you are allowed to photograph the first three songs of a band or artist. It's fairly standard and it's very rare to get more than that. So if you don't get your shots within the first three songs...tough. :-)
@@jbairdexp wow that’s pressure, you have done brilliant then it must one of those situations where you really need to know your camera. Great job Julian
@@trevorfinnis9111 That's been the great thing about live music photography...you have to learn your camera controls blind. It transfers well into the world of landscapes as you stop thinking about how your camera works freeing you up to concentrate on other things like composition.
Shows how much I keep my ear to the ground, I didnt know they were playing until the evening that they were playing and I only live 4 miles away from Argyle's ground 😂
I used to do stage work but only on a small scale ie small stage work. large gigs like Muse I would have sneaked in and mingled in the crowd, lens in one pocket, camera in the other and spend all my time ducking diving trying to avoid the security 😊
Living 4 miles away you might have almost heard them! Security was tight for gig for sure, but they were all super friendly and polite. You can always get some good shots from within the crowd so sneaking in a camera and lens is worth a shot! :-)
Great video :) Interesting to see what you think of the z8 on concert photografy. Have you shot more concert since this video was recorded?
Thanks. Apologies for the delay in responding - I've been away. I've shot a few concerts since Muse and IMHO the Z8 is the best Nikon camera I've ever used for concert photography.
@@jbairdexp Did you experince any banding with the led stage lights? I see some reports of that.
@@larsmartinteigen6884 Yes, I did at first, but the menu options for "Photo flicker reduction" and "High-frequency flicker reduction" can be used to eliminate such issues. It could still be a challenge if you have a wide range of LED lights running at different frequencies, but it's not an issue I've continued to experience.
Muse, my favorite band…how cool!
One of my favourite bands as well, so very cool!
Those are quite impressive and sharp images? How did the battery issue worked out? There have been reports that the Z8 is a power hungry machine with its fast electronics, did you have to change batteries quite often? Cheers.
No worries with the battery. Made all those shots on a single battery and the warning light wasn't even on. 8K video is only feature that I've found so far that can be a sucker for the battery. :-)
Hi Julian another interesting video, thank you. I photograph sports mainly equestrian and hockey, sometimes under floodlights. I use a D850 fast enough during the day but can be a bit slow in low light, luckily Topaz comes to the rescue with using 10,000 ISO. Seriously looking at the Z8 how does your Z8 perform at high ISO unfortunately, the Z9 is out my price range. I have the Z6II and love it but not ideal for sport
Thanks John, glad you found it useful. I don't shoot a lot at higher ISOs so it's difficult for me to provide an objective view, but from what I have seen from my high ISO shots is that the Z8 certainly does not perform any less well than the Z7 or the D850 before it.
Good choice of camera bodies. As much as I enjoy using my D850, it's a bit too contemplative for fast action work. So, it stays home and the Z9 goes to the people-in-action shoots.
BTW, the silence of the Z cameras is a great selling point when I'm talking to musicians. If it's a small venue, they do NOT want to hear a camera that goes BRRRR!
Totally agree, I think the silence of the camera is a benefit. It will just take a little time to get used to have years and years of hearing a camera go clack, clack, clack!! :-)
Great video. Can you speak a bit more on configuring and shooting with the camera changing the ISO with the lens ring? That sounds very exciting.
And is that Z lenses only or can you do that with an F lens and the FTZ adapter?
Thanks. As long as the Z lens has a control ring I think you can set it to change the ISO. You can check but connecting your lens and then heading to the custom control menu ( ruclips.net/video/MXgPymOYmAI/видео.html ) I believe this is a feature on all Z cameras with Z lenses that have a control ring. I don't think it's available on F mount lenses (but I could be wrong on that - I don't have any to test).
@@jbairdexp so that’s one reason/advantage for getting an “S” lens.
I shoot a lot of theater/play performances and the lighting is always very challenging. Would be great to just set my aperture and shutter speed then adjust the ISO as needed while looking through the viewfinder to get the right exposure.
@@mskvarenina I just checked, but I can set the control ring on my DX crop lens, the 16-50mm (a kit lens) to have the control ring set to ISO. However, I can't set the control ring to ISO when the same lens is attached to my Z fc. So it may be a camera specific option. Though I still suspect it's only available on Nikon Z mount lenses.
Great video!
Thank you! :-)
interesting point about moving away from the back-button focus! also, you are not the first that sees his picture output double or triple with the electronic shutter of the z8, it seems hard to not shoot intensely it like that :)
I'm shooting a 3 day festival next weekend, so we'll see if I can take less than a 1000 photos this time!
@@jbairdexp 3 days will for sure be more than 1000 photos :) btw did you have any banding issues with led lights?
@@michaelseirer True, I just checked how many I shot last time....900 in one day! :-) I really had better dial back that FPS! No issue with banding yet....but Muse is the only gig I've shot with the Z8. This festival will be a much better test.
@@jbairdexp cool, would love to get some feedback then. enjoy the festival!
Hi, Julian, again it’s me! 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.
Hi, that's a tricky question to answer as everyone's perception on quality will vary and I also can't compare those cameras side by side. All I can say is that I have no issues with the raw files from the Z8 and they more than adequately deliver the results I am looking for. If you really want to pixel peep, try renting a Z8 for the weekend and do some of your own tests. :-)
Hello Julian: Can you provide info on the L bracket you had on the Z8 in this video? Thank you, Paul Connors
Paul I don't have the link to hand but it's mentioned in my Z8 unboxing video (the one before this one). 👍
@@jbairdexp Many thanks, Julian.
Just in case you didn't get it - 🛒 3 Legged Thing QR11 2.0 Universal Camera L-Bracket - amzn.to/3MwAFLo
Since getting the Z8, I also find that I don't use back-button focus any more. The speed and accuracy of the focus system has removed the necessity for BB focus.
I agree. I still use BBF for landscapes, but for other things I leave focusing to the shutter button. I have setup two settings banks, one for landscapes, one for everything else so I can switch between the different ways to focus.
Can you shed light on hot card warning or did you experience during shooting .
Sure can. Not a problem in sight. No warm or hot light warnings for either the camera or the card. I believe those types of problem only occur when shooting 8K RAW video for extended periods of time, and it is also very card dependant as well. I don't think hot card warnings is a problem with stills shooting, even at high FPS.
Hi, I owned Sony a1 and then tested Fuji xh2s, and then after weeks watching reviews and testing just came to buy z8 because of truly hybrid and all in one camera, but surprisingly I watched some complaints from professional photographers about: Not accurate AF all the time and missing lock on subject, heated card after 15 minutes videography or photography in events, not solid back dial and low quality of grip for slipping hand after long time shooting, and other issues you mentioned here. I can accept and handle everything but of course not about failure on AF tracking system and overheating cards or body! I need to make sure about theses matters upon your field experience to make the right decision. Please advise. Thank you
I personally haven't experienced the problems you have described, but every photographers requirements are different, and what they will tolerate is different. The Z8 suits the types of photography I do very well. But your milage might vary. :-)
How was the battery life?
I didn't check it after but I know that the red battery light wasn't on so I would assume it still had plenty of juice to do some more shooting.
What type of L bracket is used on z8?
I mention it in this video - ruclips.net/video/b6_ZUyAF1n0/видео.html
👋👋👋
Thank you. :-)
Boomtown rats, it has been a long time since I saw that name
I have to say though they absolutely rocked that gig. Sir Bob had so much energy! I got a few cracking shots from that gig.
E te ne è uscita 1 buona?
What do you think? I always feel I could have done better - but saying that, for this gig, I was very limited.
you would have taken the same boring snaps with any of the dslr cameras from the last 15 years. ffs
Thanks for watching and your constructive feedback. :-)