The Nikon Z8 is better than you think! (hands on preview)

Unfortunately with too much problems. People became b-tester and that's nor serious at all. When you party 4-5k euros for camera, that must be perfect.

Im looking to buy new set for my Model shoots, portraits and video. Was thinking get Sony A74 and Sony 50mm 1.4 gm. This Nikon looking great, but if i will buy the same high level set up i will get almost double weight(( Checked how many options of really premium lenses Nikon has, and was surprised that not so many and they are so over weight((Will check what Panasonic and Fuji can offer, but looks like will go for Sony. Many thanks for great review

First thing which I noticed that I dont feel when shot is taken, so haptic feedback, buzzer or something would feel nice. It's cool that someone besides myself shares same opinion

I agree that haptic feedback would be nice. I seem to doubt if I pushed the button hard enough and check to see if I took a picture

Nice review. When the Z8 came out I was very impressed. But I have a Z 7ll and I am very happy with it. For the average person the price is too much. For the pro who wants a back up . Maybe. And if you are rich and have lots of money. This is for you.

I am a z9 user (Love!) and shoot off-road racing. The z9 is tricky to use with a lot of engine noise around and I have had to learn to watch the yellow box flash in my viewfinder to make sure I’m getting the shot. That said though, it is the lightest and best sports camera I have ever used. I’d love to try out the z8 for a carry around/non work camera

I was surprised how well it handled, nice feel in the hand. Very responsive, quite fast. Should be a huge hit for my nikon buddies. I am a Canon guy but could easily be persuaded. The Canon still has a more solid feel to me and we don't need to talk about their color science. I know you are basically a Sony man, but you have to agree the Zed 8 is going to be a force to recon with. Thanks great video.

The trouble you have with Haptic Feedback is the potential for vibration to effect the image quality.

Greetings, thank you for the video. My photography journey is considering returning to Nikon from Fujifilm. No complaints regarding the X-system; just the acknowledgement of the limitations of a crop sensor. A considerable strength are the film simulations. My question is , are your lightroom presets 'certified' with Fujifilm? Travis

I own the Z8 since a week now. I am just overwhelmed by the quality and possibilities of this camera. I have the D850 and a lot of f-mount lenses as well as z-Mount lenses. I swapped my Z6 II for the Z8 and I haven't regret it a second. And for the first time I think about selling my D850 incl. lenses and make a total move to the z-mount system.

Recall from NIKON, Lenses don't mount problem and overheating

The Best Z8 Review >> thank you so much

I just got a Z8. I used to shoot a Z6. Images from my Z8 seem noisier than the z6. I recognize that Z8 has more megapixels and hence is more noise prone. Would appreciate your insight on this 🙏🏼

I JUST BOUGJHT ONE I SAID BYE BYE TO SONY A7r5

Just based on how it looks... it's gorgeous. It looks the part. Great design

Is there a way to adjust the brightness of the top display on the Z8? Compared to my z6 its very dark

Hello sir, thank you for the mini review of the nikon z8. I have been into photography since I was 12. I am 60, and now I have a lil experience with cameras. My first nikon was the nikon coolpix 5000, from there nikon d70, from there nikon d200, and now presently nikon d500. I have wanted to go to mirrorless for some time, but nothing ran to nikon. I was thinking about going with Sony, but I have a ton of nikon glass. So I was probably going to go with either z6ii or z7ii. But hold up, wait a minute. Nikon introduced the z9 I loved the camera but not the size. So I say all of this to say I think my patience has paid off Nikon z8 will be my 5th nikon camera!!!! Thanks again for the review....

Awesome review! Super happy with my Z8! Was just wondering, how do you expose internally properly since there isn't any exposure tools in video mode? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

you know it's a Nikon user when everything is shot on -0.7 exposure compensation :D

I am concerned about the battery. Seems like a real limitation.

I've never understood why CIPA ratings are so off. People are shooting thousands of images on a single battery charge on the Z8, let alone the Z9 which is rated for 700 shots.

about the shutter sound, I think that if we could upload custom shutter sounds to the camera that'd be dope.

I'd record the sound of my D700's shutter and put that in !

I think the D850 was NIkon's real basis for the Z8, with a bit of modern technology of course (the stacked sensor for the Z9, and the shutterless design) but in a body and layout that's similar (although a little smaller) than the D850. I think Nikon saw comments from people who didn't like the Z6/Z7 for example, because they were too small (among other issues, like auto focus) and that those people were going to continue to use their D850 until a more suitable system came along, or they would switch to something else and so Nikon wanted to find a way to bring those D850 users over to the Z system, and I think for many, this may be the camera that does that (we could argue that the Z9 would have also fit the bill, but for some/many, the larger body and/or higher price point may have prevented some people from moving to the Z9 from a D850 or D810/D800, because not everyone likes built-in grips, and $5500 is quite a bit of money for a camera in general (although I think the Z9 is a bit underpriced at $5500 too, but for some it's just not financially possible or justifiable for them). I think that is what really pushed nIkon to do the Z8 the way they did. The other thing is I think Nikon has gotten into this pattern over the past 2 years of releasing some surprising things at amazing competitive prices. For example the Z9 is $5500, where they probably could have charged $6,000+ for it (we'll say $6k because I think it is still a step behind cameras like the Sony A1 which are $6500). But the Z8 is priced at $4,000 whereas I think Nikon could have probably asked $4500 and given it's feature set, compared to the R5 for example, could have gotten away with it (I suspect an updated R5 Mark II will be around the $4000 price point too, just like the Sony A7R V is) so some of it is to meet the existing price point but pack the Z8 with a lot of features from its bigger sibling the Z9. I'm actually glad they did ,because I was sort of expecting something like a 36MP (so lower res than the Z7) but probably the same speed as the Z9, so I'm glad they kept the same sensor as the Z9 in the end, and didn't skimp out on a 36MP sensor. But I think in the end, the D850 was their model for what the Z8 should feel and look like, and this is pretty evident given the marketing material Nikon has, where they compare it mostly to the D850 and Z9.

Sure it is but at what cost? Which camera gives the best value IYO?

Wow go Nikon!

I'm pretty much thinking two things: how much at panamoz and how well does it handle EF lenses

Can I take still photo while recording a video with nikon z8 camera?

Thanks Ted, great review. I am really happy to see Nikon hit the ball right out of the park. Best thing to attract new interest is many manufacturers putting out great products.

If you make the Z9 shutter sound the lower tone, you can actually feel it in the body. Not quite as strong as an actual shutter, but it’s there. Also, not having a shutter can be an issue with certain types of light (I’m a concert shooter). You can see horizontal banding in certain images.

The Art of Photography . .

Quick Question, please . .

Z7 ii Image Quality :
Is the image quality of the Nikon Z7ii equal to the image quality of the Z8?
Or does The Z8 produce more lovely images than the Z7ii?

I understand there are more aspects to these fine cameras that define what they really are, but for this question, I would like to concentrate solely on Image Quality.


Thank You Very Much.

With the Z8, I was expecting Nikon to continue with the time-honored tradition of the 800 series DSLRs and deliver a high-megapixel camera. Since the Z9 is 45 MP, I expected the Z8 to be 60MP. I was disappointed.

how much money nikon gave to you ? it is porobably trash for low light

Why should data and power across one USBC socket be impossible for Nikon? My boring GH5Mk2 has only one USBC and I have used it many times tethered to my laptop and delivering power at the same time.

i am 14 and i love phtography and cinema i use my phone for photograpy and now i want to bye a camera for first time and i have a low budget what shuld i get?

"Better than you think"... Who the hell thinks the Z8 ISN'T a great camera?? 🤨

Awesome review….. 👌

I have zero familiarity with Nikon cameras.
I've owned Kodak, Sony, Canon, and Panasonic..
Nikon images just seem to be soooo high contast. They look like phone photos.

Still too heavy. Waiting for a baby Z8.

All great points but one omission: there is a setting to have a small white frame flash around the outside of the image when taking photos. This way it can be silent and also have no blackout, while still giving the photographer feedback. I find this works perfectly.

You're possibly one of the few folks that reviews gear that would tempt me into buying what you've spoken about ,.,,,


In saying .that . I feel Camera Brands are turning a hobby into unaffordable . Whereby it's like becoming a member of an exclusive Golf Club , Whereby to even partake you gotta have the money . Because it certainly ain't cheap . Anyone buying into Mirrorless really needs a spare £10-20,000 and then some

And with the Z8 Body priced at $3999 at Wex here in the UK the Canon R6 Mrk2 Kit is priced the £3999 i've seen advertised

It’s still HUGE

The great thing I like about Nikon is they are always updating firmware with better user experience. You know Z8 will evolve more In Firmware, exciting.

"Real" photographers WILL purchase the Z8, lol. I have two Z9's already and seriously considering the Z8 a well.

Haptic feedback? As in... introducing vibrations in a camera as a design choice??? What am I missing here?

Great review - thanks. As to the film simulations, I can only imagine that the original "developers" of these film stocks put a lot of time and their considerable expertise into what they sold and for you to resurrect them (if that is a fair description) is in my opinion a great thing to do. No, I am not a sycophant nor am I nostalgic but in emulating these film stocks, this saves a large body of knowledge from being lost.

Good review