10 Things I Got Wrong About The Nikon Z8!

[@johnforbes4795]

My mother taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Because of that, I was close to not leaving a comment. But, then reading through some of the viewers comments I realized that I had to mention a couple of things. For instance, the viewer who took your word regarding the complexity of the Z8 and felt that it was far more complicated than his D850.. The one previous time we interacted, I acknowledged that many people consider the Sony cameras to be user friendly (in fact some people think of them as an expensive point and shoot cameras). I accept that Nikon's require a learning curve, but as the previous owner of a D750, a D850, a Z6ii, and a Z7ii, I really don't think the Z8 is much more complicated than my D850. More sophisticated? Yes. Better burst, better autofocus, better quietness? Yes. But, I believe any D850 user who shoots in Manual Mode, Aperture Mode or Shutter Priority could quickly set up the Z8 to their liking. And, as far as the lens lineup? Yes, Sony has a bunch of them. But, in my use case of shooting dog movement, quite a bit of landscape and whatever else strikes my fancy, I'm certainly not lacking for lens selection. In fact, my old F mount lenses (mostly Sigma) worked wonderfully on my Z9 via FTZ adapter. My Zeiss Milvus f/2m ZF.2 Macro lens (manual focus only because Zeiss intended it that way) was great on both my Z7ii and Z9 and while I did tell the camera it was using a manual focus lens, it was easy to do so. So, I get that it's far less entertaining to just acknowledge that it's very usable as is, I think that most camera buffs who "speak Nikon" will find the Z8 to be a really wonderful Nikon camera. Not a Sony, but a fine Nikon.

[@OkwyUgonweze]

Am a portrait photographer and have Z7ii. My Z8 was recalled even before I could lay my hands on it, please tell me how close the Z8 is to Z7ii regarding image quality. I had a Z9 and the noise was atrocious so I let it go. I find the Z7ii the perfect camera regarding image quality. Hoping you responds.

[@GregThurtle]

As a former Nikon shooter I'd love to try out a z8,

[@WesPerry]

The Z8 has the exact same image quality as the Z9. Same sensor, same imaging pipeline.

[@OkwyUgonweze]

@@WesPerry I think nikon tweaked the Z8 to slightly improve the signal to noise ratio.

[@johnforbes4795]

@@WesPerry As an owner, or past owner of the D850, Z7ii, Z9 and Z8, I agree regarding the image quality of the Z8 versus the Z9; apples and apples. I really don't see much difference between the image quality of the D850, Z7ii, Z9 and Z8 when you get everything right. The stacked sensor in the newest Nikons certainly makes a difference in write speed/read speed, but not in sharpness or resolution. However, I was always lukewarm about Nikon lens quality (with a few relatively expensive exceptions), but the Z lenses are significantly better than the old F mounts lenses in my opinion. I do find the Z9 and Z8 to be better in my use-case for getting the exposure right in the camera. I find the EVF versus my much-loved D850's optical sensor, very helpful, especially when I have to shoot in the harsh light of midday. As for the question on image noise of the Z9 versus the Z7ii; I sure didn't notice a difference between the two when I shot them indoors, in lousy lighting with comparable lenses mounted on them.

[@AbhinavYadav-zm7ut]

I love these kind of reviews where someone tries a different camera brand. There were so many usability things which you highlighted compared to a typical Nikon reviwer (good and bad).

[@WesPerry]

I try as best I can to be objective, even with the Sony stuff… which is probably why Sony doesn’t sent me review samples either 😂

[@AbhinavYadav-zm7ut]

@@WesPerry 🤣

[@martinsarre]

Nit picking at its finest , some valid niggles that I agree with though 👍

[@victorlim5077]

Nikon has hit it out of the park with the Z8. Kudos that you pointed out the mistakes, Wes. On the focal length for non CPU lenses, the Nikon Z9 you can now choose the exact focal length with firmware 4.0. i presume the same update will come to the Z8 as well. Hopefully the Auto Capture feature as well.

[@WesPerry]

It looks like auto capture won't be coming to the Z8. Nikon previously announced that it would, and then Very quietly removed it from the KZbin video announcing upcoming features for the Z8. Weird.

[@victorlim5077]

@@WesPerry Yes, that was perplexing as it was actually announced by Nikon staff in their videos. Hopefully down the road when they probably made the feature more stable.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry Nikon never made any promises for upcoming firmware updates in history. This is like opening a can of worms if you do that because customers are automatically disappointent if they don't have their personal feature request implemented. One exception was to promise 8K 60p mode for the Z9.

[@larrymcniff1232]

Wes, thanks very much for the updates and clarifications. Nikon is not alone in creating camera manuals that suck! They all do it, so that's why I always recommend getting a 3rd party manual for a camera. Those 3rd party manuals fill in the gaps with understandable explanations. On to your comments about the "artsy" photographers who only want to turn on the camera and go. That's fine, but the Z8/Z9 are not a good match for them. That's not a fault of the camera. Those photographers want basic controls only. Other photographers want/need more finite control. Think of it as the difference between driving a street-legal Dodge with 1,000HP on the street versus a NASCAR Dodge on the racetrack or a sailboat versus a sailboat in the America's Cup. In those latter examples, the degree of tweaking the car or boat will make the difference between losing and winning. You can't take a Leica or Hassy from the portrait studio to a pro football game and expect great results. I don't see this as a weakness, PITA yes, but not a weakness.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

The Nikon Zfc was made for those who prefer the "artsy" way to create stills. It's a fun camera where you can hide the back display to make it look like a film camera. The Black Edition with the manual Voigtländer lenses is a perfect match.

[@Jackourd]

exactly....thats the more convinient answer to this video, in terms of user mannual...the actual menu system of sony still sucks....when i first hold sony m frustated that many useless settings are turned on bydefault even very frustate to find the card format option.

[@j16m02]

You are absolutely right on about menu complexity in recent cameras. I have had my A7RV for a few months now. I've come so close to just throwing the thing across the room! Just choosing file formats and the options for the card arrangement was a whole big project, and I dare not try to change it. I've resorted to just using it like a 15 yr old camera. Just the basics, thank you.

[@gosman949]

Sony is famous for their terrible menus. They are not a camera company.

[@WesPerry]

I know what you’re getting at, but it’s a spurious statement. Technically Nikon is “not a camera company” by your evaluation, since their main business is optical processing machines and industrial lenses. Not all this stuff we’re talking about here. And canon? Their main business is printers, again, not cameras. Meanwhile Sony makes more of the camera components in house and either C or N. But either way, even my argument is also spurious. They all sell cameras. They are all “camera companies”.

[@j16m02]

@@gosman949 Seriously??? Maybe the most "fanboy" response I've ever heard

[@gosman949]

@@j16m02 hahaha

[@amermeleitor]

I had Sony and Canon before. Now with Nikon. Canon menus and UI are the best, Sony the worst. Nikon menus are not "bad" but sometimes weird, but you can learn, with Sony that was a mess

[@gbye007]

Now that's value add for a KZbinr. There's lots of info here that no one else has revealed, at least that I no of. Subs to you.

[@snasayed]

Totally agree with you on the fact that cameras and their manuals should be user friendly. Today i checked out the Z8 at a store and i couldnt find the auto shooting mode in addition to the regular A, P, M, S that exists. They said its their bit it wasnt. Closest is Progamme Auto option. Even the the technical staff at the shops missed it. Just like a car, i need to know what my camera can and cannot do. Learning shortcuts and buttons allow us to create efficiency in the system which is time saving. I guess i am one of the rare ones then who needs to know everything when using a marvel piece of art like the Z8

[@Martin-nu6ym]

Being an owner of the A1, the Z8 sparked my interest but I think I'm good staying with Sony. Thankfully, I'm not one of the disgruntled owners since the last big firmware update was the one that pleased me with the S, M, and L compressed raw file sizes. I think the GM II zooms helped me out more than anything. The A1 AF with those lenses matches what I require.

[@WesPerry]

For me, finding the a1 to be out of my price range ($10,000 where I live), I’m seriously considering the Z8 as a “budget” a1 (costs just a little more than Half the price of the a1).

[@amermeleitor]

​@@WesPerrywhy not a Canon R3?

[@hans6304]

​@@amermeleitorinteresting

[@mm8276352]

Good nuanced follow-up. Never noticed that flicker reduction causes blackout (I'm shooting outdoors almost exclusively, Z9, same thing in that regard, just verified it). However, I don't agree that a camera like this should be simple and please photographers that wouldn't even use a menu button. Z8 and Z9 are about customizability, and that is an important capability. You need to have cameras like that at the top of the lineup. If you want a simple camera, don't buy one with a gazillion buttons and then refuse to use them. Buy a simpler (cheaper) camera.

[@WesPerry]

It’s not about not having functions or features, it’s about making them easier to access and customize. Like having a searchable menu, a more fluid touch based user interface, better item descriptions/help menus within the camera, better organization of the menus (less relevant if searchability is very functional), etc. And also having very thoughtfully considered base settings that are more versatile/broadly applicable.

[@pawetura549]

Thank you very much for this material. Interesting observations. I am a teacher. All in all, I should encourage you to read and study manuals and manuals. But... You're absolutely right! I've been using Nikon for 20 years and haven't mastered any personalized setting banks. It frustrated me terribly. It kind of was, but not quite. Fuji popped out of the menu and then did not fire to the previous position. The new Sony menu is like a bible with footnotes, references. The Polish translation of the menu looks duplicated in several places. I use mostly English. Some time ago I picked up a Canon R5. Madness! After a quarter of an hour I was taking pictures of birds in flight. Simple menu, C1, C2, C3 after a few minutes I knew everything.

[@livejames9374]

It appears the photo flicker reduction setting = blackout issue is a bug because it was just corrected on the Z9. You should try adapting Sony lenses on the Z8 next. Also you’ve touch on some items that have never been talked about on KZbin in your two Z8 videos. Kudos. Last thing of note…. The E mount vs F mount logic is a bit flawed because some of those lenses sharpness scores are with the 61MP sensor which inflates the number a bit for those lenses tested on that camera. You can see for example the 70-200 GM (version 1) has a 38 sharpness on 42mp sensor and 51 sharpness score on the 61mp A7R4. I can assure you that lens isn’t as sharp as the F mount 70-200E FL.

[@Jackourd]

absolutly gr8 observation, those DXO merk points for sharpness ratio are varied as per nos. of Mega Pixel so here its not a perfect or even matchable comparision,

[@yophotodude7693]

Photo flicker reduction is not the LED light banding protection. This is a feature when shooting under sodium vapor and mercury vapor lights. If you're not shooting under those conditions, you don't need this on. The other option High Speed Flicker reduction enables micro shutter speeds to deal with banding.

[@anfalshams]

Mercury lights don't create banding.. LED creates banding... And flicker reduction is for led lights... Because led worksby PWM at 50-60hz..

[@WesPerry]

Antiflicker is also for fluorescent bulbs, many of which Do actually flicker, especially older ones. Antiflicker usually isn’t sufficient to deal with the flicker caused by sodium vapor bulbs, unfortunately, which is often the worse as bad ones often cycle through different colors with each pulse.

[@thisisbenji90]

As a Nikon user, I'm convinced that there's a lot of grumpy old Nikon users out there who find any reason possible to make excuses for this company.

[@WesPerry]

I mean. It’s the case with every brand to be honest. But 100% yes. Haha

[@ThePhotographyHobbyist]

2:00 That's a good point about the cable length. This would never affect me since I don't need to do that, but obviously quite a few pros may be shooting that way...so yes, two cables needed and if you use a really long cable for the USB data cable, maybe you'll need an inline power injector for that one.

[@WesPerry]

I asked a cable manufacturer about the feasibility of that but haven’t heard back yet

[@Photomeike]

Wow! There is alot to unpack here. But what I realized the most is that the comments from your last video must have really made you mad to come back and make this. You guys please don't make him come back and make any more Nikon correction videos. Just thank him for trying and move on! Thanks for trying Wes!

[@WesPerry]

I’ve never gotten so many aggressive/threatening comments on a video before. I’ve deleted dozens of totally inappropriate ones of course. But yeah. It was a lot 😂

[@TheDka1]

Tbh the most rattled camera users I seem to come across are Nikon users. Upset in the comments, and so so many defensive videos about why Nikon is actually the best camera system loool. It does make me chuckle but tbf the Z8 and Z9 are monsters and are top of the pile currently.

[@Photomeike]

@@TheDka1 facts! 🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelblack4803]

@thedka1.... guilty. There has been so much blatent misinformation about the company and uninformed comments about the cameras that, yes, people will publicly try to correct it. (See the Northup's commentary about Nikon's imminent bankruptcy from a few years ago). And it's not fair to the brand or model if an influencer, who is used to other brands, makes errors in the brand many others are familiar with. The errors are often not malicious, just from inexperience with the product. That's all. I hope I wasn't the aggressive ones @Wesperry. Apologies if I was.

[@WesPerry]

But Nikon being on the edge of bankruptcy was an empirical fact: they were literally on the edge of bankruptcy. They had to lay off and downsize aggressively to survive to this point. Thankfully they somehow made all the right choices in their position (it can never be known what tough choices will ultimately work out in the end in such a volatile market), and the Z9 and Z8 May have saved the company, as long as they can make enough of them to really turn a strong profit. That last part was very tough for them with the Z9, as it took well over a year for them to ramp up production to meet demand (I’ve spoken to many people who just switched brands because they were tired of waiting for their Z9 preorder to come to fruition, many of whom actually switched back when it finally came in. Crazy!), but they seem to be doing much better with production of the Z8 👌🏻

[@seanmolincreative]

As far as I'm concerned, the only "official" manual are the Thom Hogan guides he writes for every new body. I've bought every single one he's done for my new bodies since 2007 and they are worth their weight in gold. They are literally setup like the manufacturers manual, but give suggested settings, explain every single thing in absolute complete detail (even the science and engineering behind many of the concepts), and go as far as to say when Nikon's default is wrong and why it is wrong. As a bonus, he continuously updates them based on new information and firmware updates.

[@andrewmason8691]

Thank you for the rant on the Manual. I’m so sick of hearing people say RTFM for something that is not user friendly. That’s why Thom Hogan has his own 1,000 page (ugh!) user guide.

[@WesPerry]

It’s a strangely unpopular opinion. And iPhone/android phone has Significantly more settings and features and THERE IS NO MANUAL because for the most part it just isn’t necessary!

[@michaelblack4803]

Still doesn't hurt to read the manual. It's many times more expensive than an iphone. It's not a long read and its surprising the little things that you retain. Even if you're messing around woth the camera, have a questions, but then remember reading something about it in the manual.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

Do you know why there are so many problems with computer & software users calling the IT support? It's because users are too lazy to read instructions even if they are getting it by e-mail. 99% of the problems is mostly a dumb user not being familiar with his tools. The same problem applies to reading manuals.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry You can't apply that to smartphones. They are simple consumer devices mostly for facebook, whatsapp, instagram. Have you ever done enterprise IT support in a company with thousand employees? That's a different story.

[@Gr1ff1D0]

First, thanks for the video. I was initially put off by the introduction and the a red flags in it. “A lot of people count on me” You could tone that bit down a little. (What you mean is that it’s worth explaining some of your observations and taking a second look at the review based on the feedback.) I use a Z9. There is a lot I like but I also recognise that it (and I guess the Z8) has some characteristics which make things tricky for KZbin reviewers. You have to get the video out quickly while interest is still high BUT the camera has a pretty steep learning curve and SO many options. This is especially so if the reviewer has a set of assumptions or practices which are fundamentally different. I think both the Z9 and by implication the Z8 need a lot of study and need a lot of setting up to get the camera to operate well. Lots of the issues I thought it had early on have ceased to be a problem for me. First they did several firmware upgrades. Secondly, I studied it, used it a lot and changed my approach. I had to learn to work with it and understand how it behaves. I still think the autofocus hedges its bets and throws in a couple of shots in a burst where a different focus point is used. This is only handy if you plan some focus stacking and the subject is not moving rapidly. In any burst of 20 there will be a couple of ‘insurance shots’ (I am being polite) BUT there will be plenty to choose from. I used dislike this but I have realised, that it no longer an issue I care about. It doesn’t get in the way of getting great shots and may even be part of the process for the Z9 (Z8) system. Is it a fault? Well if you want it to be - fine, but not really. Flicker ? The camera does black out with really low shutter speeds. Most people will not see blackout. It only happens if you set it up that way. There are 4 memory banks and you might like to set one up for indoor flickering LED lights. 2 USB is an odd choice. Lenses? Really? Have you used them? Lots of them are actually really good especially long primes which often work better. The Nikon Z series is growing nicely. There is a lot of choice for a new system and more on the way. Which lenses are missing? Yep there are some missing but Nikon is pumping out new lenses regularly and you know it. Manual focus is way better if you need it.

[@Jackourd]

Gr8 Video many thing to learn about, and one more thing i would like to tell about Z8, i have tested this that when we shoot @24,25,30,50,60p video and if you turned On VR Vibration Reduction inside the body then it will crop the footage, dont know how much it does but i noticed that video footage zoomed in when vibration reduction is On, but it didnt crop in 100 or 120p footage, check it out.

[@GregThurtle]

Lovely video. Good to see a different viewpoint and highlight that most photographers just use their bew camera just like their ancient old film cameras

[@WesPerry]

A strangely controversial take amongst us camera nerds lol

[@visionz_n_media]

I guess I’m one of those geeky guys, because I run through every menu option. I own and shoot with Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and Canon and setting up all my cameras to give me a uniform operation across these brands are how I keep them simplified 🤷🏽. I can also honestly say that I have never read a manual on any of the 30+ bodies that I own 🤷🏽.

[@tobynokla]

I love when *youtube* photographers have to make videos to have viable income streams.

[@WesPerry]

I don’t make much money on KZbin. I’m just a working photographer and have been for over ten years.

[@michaelblack4803]

@wesperry. Sorry one more thing. Blackout has nothing to do with flicker reduction. Flicker reduction imperceptibly delays a shot being fired to time with a light source. If the light source is 60Hz, you don't notice the flicker reduction happening. How to removed blackout: On menu item D13 you have shutter type A B and C. You can choose from black out, or 4 bars on each side flash, or a box at the edge of the frame flashes. The black out is 100% fake (like the "shutter" sound) and is only there to give an optical indicator that you took a shot. Otherwise the camera can be shot completely silent and blackout free. D13.

[@WesPerry]

I didn’t want to go into all the things that can cause it, but as I mentioned in the video, there’s another video linked in the description that can explain it better to you. The blackout in my camera was entirely due to flicker reduction being turned on, and you can even see in This video that it goes away when flicker reduction is turned off.

[@Mr09260]

Lovely Review Wes >> RESPECT

[@cronufc]

I kinda see your point, but overall I have to disagree regarding the settings and menu options. As a semi-pro wedding tog, being able to customise the buttons and have different features and options is of enormous value to my workflow. I feel that a £4k camera like the Z8 is targeting people like me who want and will invest time in understanding. Implementing and benefitting from such a rich level of features and customisation and it therefore, shouldn't strictly be seen as a negative point in all circumstances. I think if you're part of the demographic that is buying a £4k camera and don't need this level of customisation or features, that you're probably buying the wrong camera, or just have too much money that it doesn't matter. Which is fine by the way, but the intended use case of the Z8 product is likely not aimed at these people. If one has enough money for a Z8, then then can probably afford a Leica and be done with it, in terms of camera settings simplicity. I do take your point though, i see a lot of people looking at getting a Z8 on social media groups who clearly dont understand what they're buying into, and, well, that's their fault, and not necessarily down to Nikon' product designers, engineers, marketing etc. P.s. still a great video and love your channel ✌️

[@WesPerry]

I think you’re missing a bit of my point. One can start up a modern Canon or Sony camera with default settings and get very near to peak performance. But people keep telling me you need to tweak and tweak and tweak a Z8 or Z9 to get the most out of it. This should be wholly unnecessary and speaks to both a weakness in software development, and a lack of understanding for what the majority of their customers actually need for default settings. You Can dig deep into settings on Sony and Canon if you want, and likely will eventually as you become more comfortable with the cameras, but it’s not immediately Necessary. But when you do, you’ll probably still have to open the manual. And of course further to that, you’re unlikely to ever have to crack a manual to sort out settings on an X2D, because the menu system is so intuitive, organized, and well labeled.

[@cronufc]

@@WesPerry oh okay, I see what you're saying. I think that is entirely subjective, as different people will have different "ideal set ups".

[@Rev.DavidJTowns]

Do i buy the Z8 or Sony a9iii --- i was sold on the Z8 over the Z9 but now this Sony a9iii has me second guessing?

[@MrBlubb80]

Good comment on the manual. I looked into both the Sony manual (A7M4) and for the Z8 and was very disappointed by their quality. I remember the manual of the d300s to have been much more helpful.

[@WesPerry]

It’s amazing how much is in it, while still being incredibly vague in many ways 😂

[@yoelrey]

Wes you are awesome!

[@terencemorrissey4413]

We will have to wait for the Thom Hogan Z8 guide.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

Not really. The longer you have a camera the more you get familiar with it. That's the nature of things.

[@m0nztam0nk]

Hey, thanks again for clarifying and updates…im THIS close moving my entire business to nikon as i LOVE their colours and Quality of their 1.8 Glass (oh the rendering on those…) and im fed up with Sonys terrible Skin rendition after 4years… Could you further test the low light af? It seems the only „hard“ potential weakness to me (your other points are valid 4 sure but rather inconvenient then actual dealbreakers to me…)

[@WesPerry]

What Sony(s) are you using? I’ve found the a7iv, a7Rv and a1 to be Very close to Nikon with regards to skin tones. Previous models definitely handled reds more prominently (scientifically more accurately actually, but unflattering and not what anyone wanted). I agree, though, Nikon still has the best skin tones. Always hated Canon’s. Too obvious they try to make them flattering and skin tones often look waxy or orange out of camera. Nikon had always struck the perfect balance 👌🏻 And the AF has apparently improved “a bit” since I had my hands on it, with subsequent firmware updates. But still not Quite there. (I speak to the owner of this camera almost daily). I find it … amusing or troubling? That every time there’s a major update for Z8/Z9 there are a bunch of videos and reviews saying “they finally did it!” But… didn’t they finally “do it” last time?? 😏 Okay I’m being nitpicky now lol. I’ll have to borrow it again sometime and see for myself and do a follow up. Who knows, maybe it’ll be title “THEY FINALLY DID IT!” 😂

[@m0nztam0nk]

@@WesPerry ive shot with the a7s3 and a7m4, so newest Sony colour science. I now tested for over 3 Months: Sony vs. Canon vs. Fuji. Fuji won clearly hands down in Colour (independent of the editing style by the way!). I invested in Sony, as my wedding Business 4 years ago, was 99% about Video and nobody did what Sony did with the a7s3, earned over 30K with that camera, solid investment...but now im moving back into Photography much more and started focusing on colours much more as i wanted to develop my style and found, that i always had to "fight" the Sony colours. In the Fuji i got very quickly where i wanted: vibrant yet flattering skintones with an overall soft filmic look, the Sony also delivered, but i needed 5x editing time on each image to achieve it, the colours, when pushed, always seemed to just "fall to the wrong place"... But Fuji fell apart in Autofocus and Low light, it was atrocious ( i REALLY tried all online tips to make it work man...)... i was 99% ready to commit to Canon then (Their skintones were more flattering 4 sure) but hesitated bec. their Lens Lineup and locked mount were a massive Roadblock...but as you said: it started bothering me, how unnatural Canon Skintones looked, almost fake and every image with that silvery orange filter on them with no way to remove it. Plus their 1.8 Lenses are terrible 4 sure... Then tested Nikon just to be sure and BAM: Instantly the Colormagic only Fuji had before was there again, natural, neutral yet flattering, Colors just "falling in place"...+ Full Frame and amazing 1.8 Lenses! So now im simply in Love with the Image Nikon renders with their 1.8 Primes and ask myself, if i can truly make it work for pro Weddings... until today, the z6ii has outperformed Fuji SIGNIFICANTLY, so the z8 might be IT... Sorry for the endless Wall of text, however if anyone actually read it, im sure there is some helpful info to be found from all my experiences... cant wait to test a z8 myself... it would truly be the best of both worlds: Technical ability and Artistic Expression! Cheers!

[@bladerealm124]

@@m0nztam0nk I shot Sony for many years and often consider getting another Sony body soon for the things I miss. But one thing I don't miss was trying to get skin tones looking natural. While they made minor improvements with each generation I still found them problematic on the A7RIV and A9II, the last Sony bodies I owned before switching to the Canon R5. I've been very happy with Canon overall, especially for portraits/skin tones. It does well with auto white balance and requires very little tweaking in post. With Sony I often found photos shifted too green/yellow. And when attempting to adjust it just didn't look natural. I have no experience with Nikon except for the Nikon ZF I just picked up but I'm interested in the Z8. Just waiting to see what Canon does with the R5II first and maybe the Nikon Z6III if it's releasing soon. With Sony I miss the compact bodies, endless customizable buttons and quick function menu, one button crop mode toggle (Canon doesn't have that option), MUCH better video AF on Sony, better log profile, better low light performance and dynamic range, better lens lineup, more compact lenses. Canon has far better ergonomics, world's better LCD screen, better animal eye AF last I checked but Sony may be as good with the A7RV/A9III now, better colors, and a few unique lenses that are exceptional like the 28-70 f2, compact 70-200mm f2.8, 85mm f1.2, and compact 100-500mm.

[@bladerealm124]

⁠was this post before or after the most recent Z8 AF firmware update that brought bird eye AF to the Z8? My understanding is it is a night and day difference from before, at least with bird eye AF vs only animal eye AF previously. The Z8 has been very tempting now that I've heard the AF is basically on par with Canon and Sony. Have you used it any further or talked with your friend about it more recently?

[@m0nztam0nk]

@@bladerealm124 as im now a proud owner of the z8 for over 2 months now i can attest, that even BEFORE the firmware Af was AT LEAST on par with a7m4. Now with experience of this time shooting playing children in very dark terribly lit rooms im confident to say, its on par with the Sony a7s3 autofocus, better if the face isnt visible even. So its the best ive used in my life, and the rumours about it being unreliable were untrue.

[@mrz1342]

Hi, 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! Please advise. Thank you

[@WesPerry]

It really needs another firmware update, unfortunately (and a lot of people don’t wang to hear that). My friend who owns this camera and has been using it regularly for a while now is often frustrated by slight misses in eye af. Unless he’s in Really good light, 1/4 photos are just slightly off. Which is pixel peeping for sure, but shouldn’t be a thing with such a high end camera and native 85mm lens.

[@WesPerry]

Sony used to have this issue, but they solved it about 3-4 years ago.

[@flashspotlight]

Wes, I love your lighting reviews. It’s okay to admit that you’re not familiar with the camera system though. There’s a learning curve with every camera that is solved by actually using it a lot. You don’t need to be a technical genius to make great art or figure out how to use a camera. I swear KZbinrs have strayed so far away the art of photography

[@WesPerry]

Most of this video is responding to the Extensive criticisms I received on the previous video. I had to delete dozens of offensive, threatening, and toxic comments. Apparently I made a lot of people Very angry 😂

[@AMGOSUK]

Wes -- I liked your review and this video as well -- the other and most common source of blackout is very low shutter speed. I don't shoot indoors with bad lighting so no need for flickr reeduction. One USB-data and One-USB-PD - that is it. Correct. I hope this will be fixed via firmware that allows data and PD for both. No-Z8 is not the portrait camera the Z9 is. The Z9 does not have this issue. IBIS works with 3rd party lenses when you set the focal length - correct. FW update for the Z8 is expected but not confirmed by Nikon. Lens support is not a Z8 issue it is a Nikon system issue and there will be 50+ by 2024. So really your point is crappy. I have all the Z-lenses I want. Sony E-lenses is full of crappy lenses only the GM are equivalent to Z-Mount S-line lenses. Nikon's top wildlife sports lenses are far superior than anything Sony has to offer. [I await Nikon's next lens road map]. I have an issue with the card door and YES it drives me crazy. The Reference Guide is fine and YES folk should read the manual if they are coming from any camera other than the Z8 -- you are nuts if you cannot be bothered. Of course you can just use a Z8 or Z9, but you will not get the best from them -- you sound like a whiny teenager (american). I like the fact that Pro-level cameras want you to work at it to use them - whiny little BTCS should basically get back to using crayons. Crop mode Af uses no more battery than in FX mode There is a BIG issue with Adobe and Nikon tethering on M1 Macs - or just my Mac Studio Ultra.

[@WesPerry]

Yes, there are lots of tethering issues with the Z8/9. I don’t understand why Nikon isn’t working aggressively with Adobe to resolve this immediately.

[@ozozzoo3840]

another informative video..... I enjoy all your videos.... BUT... I've noticed a bit of the glass is half empty in your videos.... Just saying... Keep posting we are watching.

[@WesPerry]

It’s very much intentional, as explained a bit at the beginning of the video. If I just read all the things it Can do, a review serves literally no purpose. It’s just a spec list. Being truly useful is finding out where things fall short that the manufacturers don’t want to talk about, but can be deal breakers for some.

[@fjphoto23]

It's been voted by PetaPixel, the Northrups, and other reviewers as the best camera of 2023.

[@jpdj2715]

non-CPU-Lens data not precise? Nikon only offers focal lengths and max apertures of Nikon lenses they ever made. 20mm yes, 21mm no. Etc. Seems new Z 9 firmware allows you to choose your desired numbers.

[@mariovargas936]

Just change the battery. Canon R5 Required me to get a DATA ONLY usb cable to tether and avoid file corruption. USB charging is nice but changing that battery is no big deal.

[@GregThurtle]

One point about firmware updates, seems nikon removed the ability to take photos or video when it detects specific subjects that they added to z9 and they said was coming to z8 (they edited their online video)

[@WesPerry]

Yep. Very odd. I wasn’t expecting that to come to the Z8 anyway due to the power requirements, and this has a Much smaller battery than the Z9.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry You don't know what Nikon has planned for upcoming firmware updates. But whining is more effective i guess?

[@WesPerry]

I’m whining? Nikon is the one who “unannounced” that feature. Doesn’t matter much to me.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

Sony doesn't even offer firmware updates like Nikon with tons of new features for free. Sony A1 flagship got outdated because it's not supported by firmware. A big no go for customers with that flagship price. So there is no point in arguing what is better.

[@WesPerry]

I did talk about this in the video. My a9 received Very significant firmware updates, adding the game changing real time tracking. But they seem to have shifted gears since then.

[@Jackourd]

again you are getting wrong about Z8. its not completely designed for protraits photography camera rather its designed for serious Videographer and for cinematic purposes thats why they deffereciate those ports as power deliver and data.. one for data output to the external monitor and one for constant power delevery, there are many benefits of this feature as everyone knows that out computer or laptop dont provide that much amt. of power for charge out these devices, even a camera need battery need more power to charge then mobile devices, if u had a single battery or missed ur card reader then plug one port to the charger and one port to PC or MAc and review and transfer data from Camera into ur computer.

[@johncooper9746]

11. Its is not designed primarily as a portrait camera. Thats just silly

[@WesPerry]

Nikon’s words, not mine.

[@johncooper9746]

@@WesPerry they also said the z7 was the d 850 replacement so....

[@WesPerry]

Yeah that was obviously “optimistic” on their part 😂

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry Where has this been Nikon words?

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry It is a D850 replacement. Why do you disagree? You don't know much about Nikon gear so why should i trust you about being familiar on a D850?

[@deanzat]

Thanks Wes. I've been on the fence over this and the Z9, largely because my Z7, Z6ii, and Zfc have all found ways to disappoint me. I'm sitting here with a dozen exquisite Nikkor lenses, but I feel too resentful toward Nikon to take another chance on a body. (I previously had a D850, D610, and D500, and fully expected 3D tracking on all the mirrorless cameras. HUGE disappointment, and four years of my own team telling me I'm just not trying hard enough to cycle through focusing options under changing conditions). I suspect when I retire from doing headshots and events in a year or two, I'll sell it all and get a Leica Q of some sort.

[@wilteduk007]

You'll not be disappointed with the Z8. I've had a lot of Nikon cameras over the years with stand outs like the D500 and D850. The Z8 is another fantastic Nikon camera, it supersedes all other Nikons for performance, bar the Z9.

[@ramonarias1234]

I don't see where is the problem.. Wanna use very advanced modes and very certain features? you have no choice but to go to the menu (on Nikon, Canon, Sony, Leica and Hasselblad too). Wanna just point and shoot? Choose a semi-automatic mode or even the "P" mode, which is used by MOST DOCUMENTARY PROFESSIONALS, who don't have time to mess around with manual modes In the rest of the things I quite agree, I still have to see the other video but I like your way of explaining things.

[@WesPerry]

Shhhh don’t tell them professionals actually sometimes use P mode or auto anything! Lol

[@ramonarias1234]

​@@WesPerry lol.. people are sometimes funny, they don't understand that what makes a good photograph is not the mastery you have of the technique with dials, but the composition, story/message and mastery of light I usually use aperture mode, combined with an auto iso it gives me exactly what I need at all times (except if I need to slow down or speed up, in which case I switch to S mode) I honestly only use M mode for long exposures and low light landscape photography.

[@WesPerry]

Until I used the Z8, which has a more complicated process for this, I didn’t even realize how often I’d switch my Sony to auto iso and back again for Just A Moment. Because it’s simply at the end of the iso dial, just a flick and it’s there. The process is oddly more complicated on Nikon, easier to just switch shooting modes, which is a little annoying. But sometimes it’s much easier to let the camera do some of the heavy lifting and just focus on getting the right shot!

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry At Nikon it's very easy to change Auto ISO. Push the ISO button and use the front and back dial to enable/disable AUTO mode and to adjust your base ISO value. Done. I think you need more time to get familiar with Nikon gear.

[@WesPerry]

Ah but it’s only One button press on Sony haha 😂

[@paak316]

Firmware updates just depends on which camp of owners. Fx3 owners on sony somewhat happy, not so much a7siii/A1. Same with Nikon, original z6/z7 and of course z9 owners, very happy, but those who bought z6ii/z7ii which was marketed as having double chip and power of z6/z7 and would perform better, yep no firmware there and those in that camp aint happy just like the A1 owners.

[@WesPerry]

The lack of a1 updates is truly perplexing. The flagship is the only camera it should Really be expected of. Speculating here, but I think Nikon thought they nailed it, but then Very quickly realized they still Way undershot with their Z6ii/Z7ii hardware after the a7iv and R6 came out and had to move All their R&D into the Z9 (and Z8) just to save the company from bankruptcy. And it turns out that that was indeed the right move. Still little consolation to the 6ii/7ii owners out there who were expecting (and promised!) further improvements.

[@victorlim5077]

@@WesPerry To be clear, Nikon themselves never promised the firmware updates for the Z6ii and Z7ii. It was Nikon Rumors which actually highlighted this rumor. I think the Expeed 6 processor is quite limited in it's capabilities. Don't think Nikon will continue using the Expeed 6 in future cameras.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@victorlim5077 Right. Any new camera release will have the Expeed 7.

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II got various firmware updates according to the offical Nikon firmware page. The history of the firmware versions are: - C1.00 to C1.01 - C1.01 to C1.02 - C1.02 to C1.10 - C1.10 to C1.20 - C1.20 to C1.21 - C1.21 to C1.30 - C1.30 to C1.40 - C1.40 to C1.50

[@paak316]

@@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas most times I won’t even reply but it’s comments like this that will make companies think consumers are ok. I have a z6 and z7ii. Before updates to z6, there was a big gab to the autofocus performance between the 2. Now the z6 autofocus performance is the same as z7ii and I believe same as z6 ii. Nikon release version 2 saying 2 exceed 6 will boost performance. It’s on record users even asking live on interviews with Nikon to boost performance of z6 ii/z7ii base on what they did on z6/z7 …. If one expeed 6 can bring z6/z7 to the same level of z6 ii/z7ii then sure we can squeeze some juice out of 2 expeed 6. If there are rumors of this then I’m not privy to it, I have been on the list of those asking Nikon to improve z6 ii/z7ii the same way the originals have been improved. That’s all.

[@hankdinardo4308]

My Z8 ch Mike Z8 charges while tethered to my M1 ultra

[@WesPerry]

That seems pretty unlikely given Nikon’s statement on it. The charging symbol might appear on your screen, but the camera won’t actually be receiving any power unless you connect a second cable, or are tethering wirelessly and cabled only for power. I tested it on an M1 Max and a new windows laptop, with 6 very different cables. (Tethertools, generic, area51, etc).

[@hankdinardo4308]

Wes I'm trying to understand are your saying is it that the Z8 won't charge if you're tethered to your computer while running Capture one at the same time?

[@WesPerry]

The data port on the Z8 will accept no charge under any circumstance, regardless or what application or computer or charger you’re using. The port doesn’t seem to have any connection to the power system of the camera, only data.

[@hankdinardo4308]

Wes I own both of Z9 and Z8 via USBC to my M1, ultra and been able to charge both of them

[@WesPerry]

The Z9 should have no issue with this.

[@gavriel_adi]

You missed another important thing, the Nikon z8 and Nikon z9 are marketed as professional cameras for video as well, and for some reason none of the cameras can make backup video recordings, that is, recording on 2 cards at the same time, and this is perhaps the most serious problem that, for example, when photographing events or anything that cannot be restored It's a problem to take these cameras, and the funniest thing is that all the other companies, including all of them, have been doing it for years, including: Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm, Olympus (om system) and more.. Shame on Nikon that sells a camera at a higher price than all the other companies that don't Such a basic thing, and that's without talking about the recording time limit on the camera or the fact that it doesn't have a smart hot show for better quality sound recording, or the fact that the z8 doesn't have 2 compatible memory cards..

[@WesPerry]

But I didn’t miss that, I talked about it in the first video 😉 I said it would be a deal breaker for a lot of people. Between that and no card backups while shooting tethered, they have some serious redundancy deficiencies. The latter can be a huge issue if you have a connectivity issue and the computer doesn’t receive the image, suddenly there’s no photo at all! 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@gavriel_adi]

@@WesPerry True, absolutely right, definitely strange glitches that the company insists on keeping.. and let's not talk about the strange screen instead of an articulated screen or something better than it..

[@WesPerry]

I’m okayyyy with the screen. It’s nice and sturdy, the most useful screen as a photographer, but obviously not as fantastic for video At least it’s super usable in daylight! Unlike Every Sony screen 😩

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@gavriel_adi If you want vlogging / selfies buy the Z30. A bigger camera is not the right tool for selfies / vlogging. Or just put a external monitor on the hotshoe / use a smartphone as external monitor (for example with Nikon Snapbridge or a video capture app that uses the HDMI output of the camera).

[@KamenMinkov]

Allow me to disagree and please don't suggest that a camera at this level should be simplified. There are arguably simpler models (you can spot them by that they have an "Auto" position on the mode dial) that are better suited to people like the ones you mentioned, but you can't realistically expect a camera that does so many different things to not require you to dive into the menu every once in a while; moreover this is something that I'd do only once per setting bank (for each shooting scenario). It would arguably be way worse if the camera had this many features, but they weren't well described. Moreover, if coming from a somewhat recent Nikon, one would be mostly familiar with the menu.

[@WesPerry]

I definitely can expect such a camera to be quicker and easier to get the most out of, as Sony, Canon, Panasonic and especially Hasselblad already do it. It’s not magic 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@felm.974]

Too much nit picking, smh... Nikon lenses are great, smh, man... thank God I can make up my own mind. :)

[@WaechterDerNacht]

Just wait until cameras automatically orientate photos. Then suddenly protraits of you are turned around because it just puts hair above the eyes :-P

[@WesPerry]

😩

[@stevesvanderpool8653]

Why can't camera companies add a search feature in the menu's. The operating systems are ao antiquated. Android and IOS have solved this stupid issue.

[@WesPerry]

Seriously. The structure of the custom functions "pencil menu" is almost entirely random in the Z8. It's a touch screen, just let me type in what I'm looking for!

[@stevesvanderpool8653]

@@WesPerry Yes!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry How would you do a refined menu with so many options?

[@WesPerry]

A more fluid interface with touch text search, more top level categories, and better organization.

[@DA-yd2ny]

The more you shoot with it, the more you learn how to operate it and the more you’ll realise that the grass is not much greener in Nikon land ….. This is life 😉

[@JasonLorette]

Manual? 😂 Nope, no time for that lol. 📸😎

[@WesPerry]

Busy guy over here 😏

[@JasonLorette]

@@WesPerry ha ha no they usually just don’t make any sense to me and I wait for the smart people to read them and translate. 😂🤷🏻‍♂️

[@WesPerry]

Just ask ChatGPT to sort it out for you… Hmm, I wonder if that would actually work

[@JasonLorette]

@@WesPerry ha ha you’ll be through that manual in no time!

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry Learning new things must be stupid for the upcoming generation. Why learning to drive a car when it's doing everything automatically? This is what consumers want. Sad.

[@Mr.HarryPotter]

Zed Space 8 = Z 8

[@WesPerry]

I refuse 😂

[@cristianperaltafoto]

This camera is not for amateurs! That why the manual is confusing for them.

[@JessDemant]

What a stupid Nikon fanboy response

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@JessDemant He is right: If you want to stay dumb don't read any manuals. That's the reason why we have IT support for computers and software because 99% is a problem of a user not knowing the tools.

[@CO8848_2]

Didn't think it would be recalled so soon.

[@WesPerry]

An odd recall to say the least. I haven’t found anyone actually experiencing an issue yet. Mine is “affected”, but I can’t tell what the problem with the mount would be. Not terribly shocking, though. If you’re going to have a recall, it’s better to have it after a few hundred cameras have been moved instead of tens of thousands.

[@WesPerry]

(It appears to be just the first production run. My serial number is just over 500)

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

@@WesPerry Odd recall? It is a service advisory. Please learn the difference about it. 99% of the Z8 buyers don't have any problem at all and it is a minor fix to be applied. Sony wouldn't even do a service adivsory for this and let the customers pay the repair.