Z 8

This camera is capable of incredible wildlife, landscape, and action shots. But the overly complex and dated menu system is in serious need of revision. It took me many hours of watching YouTube videos and online tutorials to finally get a handle on the settings and how to set them up for my needs.

So far I’m loving it. I have the 180-600mm and the 24-120mm. Along with the 2x tele-converter. I wish the small lens would accept the converter but it’s not necessary. I can’t wait to try some more lenses. Overall I’m very pleased with the quality and results of the z8.

The Z8 is an awesome camera once you get the settings correct. I watched you-tube videos from other photographers and their settings and tried each once and found a happy place for my own photography needs.3d tracking is the best. Only drawback I have is the weight. Was using a Z50 to see how I liked mirrorless and that was a nice lite camera. But, I will take the added weight for the photos the Z8 produces.Combine the Z8 with the Nikkor 70 - 200 lense and you will be happy.

I have previously owned several Nikon cameras, including several SLRS and the last being a Z7, my first mirrorless. I decided to move up to a Z8 for its autofocus capabilities, and paired with my Z lenses, I am not disappointed. The camera has been in my possession for a few months now, and I am still learning, especially navigating the enhanced autofocus capabilities and personalizing the Shooting Banks and Fn buttons to my preferences. As an avid amateur, the learning curve in establishing shooting settings has been steeper for me than with my previous Nikons (so many options). But, then again, I am taking this camera and its capabilities a bit more seriously. However, I am finding some very good resources and guidance from folks like Hudson Henry, Steve Perry, and Jason Odell. It would be nice if Nikon produced more camera-specific learning opportunities in their instructional library. That said, I have found my initial shots and the exposure settings with Aperture or Shutter Priority have been truly remarkable, as has been the Auto Focus capture speed compared to my Z7. So far, the biggest downside is the heat production and battery life. While shooting bursts on a very warm day to capture airshow photos, I was getting error messages about overheating. All that aside, for someone still learning, I am loving my new Z8. Once again, thank you, Nikon.

When I bought my first D850 it blew my mind with its image quality and versatility. I expected the Z8 to be more of the same with a few improvements. It isn’t. My mind is being blown again by what I can do with the Z8 much more easily, and some things that I couldn’t do with the D850 (such as long exposure night cityscapes from a Chicago bridge that was getting shaken by constant trains).The Z8 has an amazing act to follow in the D850, but really does succeed.

From a faithful Nikon user, D700,D810, D850 then sold everything with a move to FujiFilm for what I thought a better photography experience. Happily I took the dive and switched back over to the Z8. Fast, always on target, natural colors out of camera etc! Just an amazing all around camera system!

If? It is a photographer/videographer's desire to go to the next level through exploring constantly improving capabilities through firmware updates and enhancements then the Z8 is the camera for you. The Z8, when coupled with Nikon Z mount lenses the opportunities to enhance current work and develop new skills and talents is endless and I know this sounds like a ad but the Z8 has allowed me to develop not just new skills but produce images and videos that exceeded anything I thought possible.With firmware enhancements to the auto focus system and purchase of the Z mount f/1.2 85mm S prime my portrait work has improved in quality to a level I did not think possible. Because of this and learning how to grow with the camera and other Nikon lenses including the f/2.8 24-70 S and f/2.8 70-200 S I have been able to produce the kinds of images and videos that opened the door for me to do presentations at camera club on abstract photography, artistic photography, and video composition.My passion is landscape, nature, and people and the recording capability in the manual mode for video production is extraordinary. Especially, when coupled with a Tascam Portacapture X-8, 32 bit stereo field recorder. The sound quality is phenomenal and I will be using this and a Rode Video Mic Pro Plus in Vancouver in 3 weeks to record and document orca's, humpbacks, and grizzly bears in the Great Bear National Rain Forest. Image quality and detail when using f/2.8 lenses or f/1.8 lenses produce incredible quality in low light situations. These Nikon tools utilized with NX Studio 1.9 ensure very sharp downloads for easy review and editing before moving to state of the art photo and video software. When all of this is combined (both still photography and videography) into a single video with nature recordings at the time of capture and the addition of music, and scripted narration support significant interest in the work you are doing. These things would not be possible without the many features designed and enhanced through firmware upgrades in the Z8.Which is why I have been asked to develop a professional educational on "How to improve personal videography through better inclusion of techniques associated with cinematography." To do this I will be featuring the power of the Z8's video capabilities. In closing, the Z8 has allowed me to develop new skills and understandings has to what can be done in both photography and videography by experiencing greater opportunities to create. Truly an amazing tools and firmware update 3.0 encourages that journey to greater creativity with an incredible sense of accomplishment. Well done Nikon!Jock

A very good camera, amazing considering it is generation one of the Z8, but frustrations for the photographer remain. Nikon needs to continue releasing improvements to stay ahead of the competition. To push into the five star realm, they need continued improvements in autofocus. Eye tracking on long-necked birds and animals other than pets is underwhelming. Resetting to a user’s standard settings requires a work around. Precapture does not include raw or even HEIF, and this is a pro level camera. Focus stacking can only be triggered within the menu rather than with the shutter or other assigned button. Battery life needs continued improvements. There’s more. It’s a great camera, yes, but I just can’t go to five stars. Yet. Hopefully Nikon will continue to upgrade generation one, exceeding what the competition has delivered. The D850 was and is a five star DLSR. The Z8 is so close to being a five star mirrorless. Come on Nikon… you can do it!

The Z8 has replaced my D850 in my bag and it is a nice addition. I bought it with the new kit 24-120 S, which replaced my F-mount 24-120 Gold Ring and I think that it is sharper than the old one. Please check out the bee pictures below, original and cropped. The focus is fast and the metering is accurate. I appreciate the lighter weight, especially after carrying it for several hours. It works well with my existing stock of F-mount lenses, which was a real concern for me. I pair the Z8 with my D6, which gives me a good range to work with as each camera has strengths of their own. The only complaint that I have is battery life, although I get more use than the 300-400 that I was told to expect.