Z 8

I've used nikon gear ever since my father handed his down to me when I was a kid in the '80's. The image quality and feel of a Nikon is distinctive. And the Z8 are squarely in that mold. You could do a blindfold test and distinguish the Nikons from all other mirrorless offerings. For me the first tests are portraits and sports. Portraits - Can I see the color and sparkle in a person's eye(s). Can I freeze a story in a shot. Can I do this to the exclusion or harmony with the environment and atmosphere of the shot. The Z8 (with nikkor lens) nails it. Framing in the new viewfinder, adjusting to lighting conditions or being fast enough to capture a subtle emotional change. Nailed it. Totally nailed it.Sports - we're talking about figure skating. You need to hit at least 1/1000 second in bad lighting at a distance sweeping across a distance. The auto focus was spot on. Well over 85% pin perfect. 3d tracking across the rink. And bursts to catch the fastest spins. When cropping the images are crisp and colorful and frozen slices of a complex routine. Nailed it!The Z8 is exactly what I wanted. The feel and performance of a classic Nikon with advantagea of a state-of-the-art mirrorless. Well done!

I have been shooting with the Z9 for about a year and like everything about it except the size while walking around. My second camera has been a Z6ii, and while I liked the form factor, matching its video to the Z9s, and even the stills, was a bit of a challenge. And, of course, the Z6ii lacked so many of the Z9s advantages, especially in terms of focus. The Z8 solves all those problems. Stills and video match the Z9 perfectly, and I'm perfectly happy with the size of the Z8 for off tripod work. I have encountered "hot card" warning shooting 8k on the Z8 as a second perspective while also shooting the same format on the Z9, with no overheating issues. So yes, that is a difference. But I am willing to accept it for the smaller body size. When I gave up my D850 for the Z9, I was mostly happy but missed the D850's smaller size. With the Z8, I no longer miss my D850. It's just an awesome all around camera. Highly recommended.

Everything I love about my Z9 with the weight and size of my old D860; the Z8 will be my workhorse camera body. I'm half thinking of selling the Z9 and getting an additional Z8, it's that good (minus built in GPS and a tiny list of other things).

I've been shooting with Nikon professional-level cameras since the late 1960s. The Z8 is by far the most versatile and powerful of them all. It's a joy to use. The color rendition is outstanding. And sharp! Wow is all I can say. Best of the Nikons I've used.

This camera is a leap from the z7ii and Z50. I’m still getting to know how to use it but it definitely makes me want to get out and shoot often.

I upgraded from a Z6ii to the Z8 and it's my dream camera because it has everything I want. The AF is amazing and it's the best I've ever used. It locks on the subjects eye and never lets go. The camera takes fantastic pictures and need very little correction. EVF is also a huge upgrade and is incredible, There's no 'blinks' on the screen when you take a picture so it's seamless when a picture is taken. The camera is totally silent with mirrorless and the electronic 'shutter' clicks actually help and took me a bit to get used to..120 FPS..Wow! . I only shoot pics and don't do video. The camera has a very solid, heavy build to it. I have an old Nikon F-4 film camera and it has that same classic camera feel that not many competitors have.

As an owner of the z9 I purchased this for my son as a graduation gift from College. The smaller size and capabilities of the z8 will be a great camera for him to use for many years. He will have plenty to learn with all the features this camera offers.

Bottom line: For me, the Z8 deserves all the rave reviews it's received. It's an outstanding camera.RAW images have been consistently excellent, with very good dynamic range. Shadows and highlights are readily recoverable in Lightroom. There seems to be little noise up to ISO 1600 (I haven't shot much higher). Color rendition is also very good.The Z8 is the most configurable camera I've ever used. Virtually every button on the body and on Z lenses can be customized. The combination of the I button and My Menu function allows easily changing settings without taking your eye from the viewfinder, which is itself extensively customizable. The wealth of focus options, backed by subject selection and lock-on functions, makes the camera excellent for shooting both action and stills. I can easily lock on to our 10 month old Maine coon kitten's eye and follow him as he careens around the room.Physically, the camera feels very good in the hand with a substantial grip. It's an excellent size for on the move shooting. Buttons and dials are easily accessible. The viewfinder provides a 100 percent view that can be sized for the naked eye or eyeglasses. Battery and memory card compartments are what they need to be. The moveable rear screen takes some of the pain out of shooting from low to the ground, but wish it could be more flexible.GPS is lacking, as are some connectivity options. There are work arounds, but still . . . .Look, I could go on and on (just ask my wife) about the Z8, but I'll just sum up and say that I've never been as happy with a new camera body as with the Z8 -- and I've bought quite a few during my 76 years.

Very satisfied with the new Z8 so far. I'm glad that Nikon now has a semi-pro body that can compete with the competition on the same level (Have the Z7 II as well, but I feel that it's a step down to the competition but the Z8 brings on a new level of performance, in a smaller package). The only thing I would ask for is for them to bring EDM (Electronic Delay Mode) back for the Z8 (they added it to the Z9, so hopefully this also gets added back to the Z8 at some point too -- the previous Z cameras had this feature and it's one that was not included in the Z8 as of right now). The funny thing is that I was about ready to buy a D850 for sports/wildlife (as the Z9 was not appealing to me with the integrated grip and the price) but glad I waited for the Z8.