Is the Nikon Z8 Really that Good? Surprise Events and Coastal Maine On Location Photography!

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

So, if anyone who reads the comments is wondering why the Zf autofocus kept going bananas during the filming of the studio portion of this video, well I forgot and left it on animal tracking so it had no idea what it should be looking for. Oops. 🤣

[@junebug1553]

Owl's Head sounds and looks like a very cool place. And your pictures are really, really beautiful. The Z8 sounds amazing and I have to confess, I jumped up when you said you bought one and said, "Yes!" I can't wait to see what all you do with it. Maybe a little birdie will fly into one of your frames.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

I’m hoping for sure! I need to get out and work the wildlife more. I also need that 180-600 I’m beginning to think.

[@RadAlzyoud]

A good and real world review. Congrats on your new Z8. You actually put your money where your mouth is 😊

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Thank you! I am definitely trying to live what I preach.

[@brians.1357]

I enjoyed the video, congrats on the new camera body! “Z8”. Yeah it is not cheap but it’s like 4 different excellent cameras in one including video “Swiss Army knife” so I think it’s worth it 👍

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

I completely agree with you. Thank you for your thought and for watching! 🙂

[@Robert-R]

Congratulations on your Z8, Tom! As I was watching the video I figured you'd end up buying one. Great camera. I bought a Z9 In January 2023 and love it. BTW, I believe the Z8 is just as fast as the Z9. It should do 20fps Raw like the Z9 does. I'm hoping for a firmware update that will allow pre-Capture to be shot in RAW instead of only JPG. That feature will be great for wildlife photography. Fingers crossed. I too have a Zf, and I still have my D850. I did buy a used Z6 a couple years ago with only 400 shots on it that I use primarily for astro. Unlike most people I don't really like the small form factor of the Z6/Z7. I may end up switching to the Zf for astro and get rid of the Z6. It still has less than 1000 shots. With regard to the shadow noise, that is something that I had noticed in my Z9 images when editing them in LR. The shadows were much noisier than I was expecting, even at low ISO settings such as ISO 250 or 400. If I opened up the image in Capture One or Nikon NX there was no noise. So it was something within Adobe's handling of the Nikon Z9 (and presumably Z8) files. I've recently learned that you can fix this by changing the settings. In the Presets tab of LR Preferences change the Raw Defaults to Camera Settings instead of Adobe Default. Problem solved. I'm heading to TX for the eclipse. Going to be at Garner State Park, which is pretty much right under the center of the path. Figured that the likelihood of clear skies was going to be better there than in New England in early April so made plans with some friends from TX two years ago. Hope it stays clear for you on the 8th!

[@jpdj2715]

If you Google for "inadequate deBayerisation" you may find my comments explaining that noise. No OLPF is part it. I'm a happy Z 8 user, by the way.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Thank you for this information! And thank you for watching!

[@RadAlzyoud]

The worst thing about gear is not using it.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Exactly!

[@johnforbes4795]

HI Thomas. I had to chuckle when your surprise came towards the end of the video. My Z7ii replaced my D750's (I had two of them.); and my Z9 replaced my D850. I shoot a lot of movement and the Z9 was, for me, a much greater movement (mostly dogs shows) camera than the D850. But the biggest things were how much more quiet the Z9 was than the D850 (I used the D850 with a Nikon battery grip.). I used to get a lot of sideways glances at the dog shows when my D850 was pushing out 9fps (and a couple of complaints about freaking out a dog) because it sounded like a machinegun at full chat. The Z9 is truly a great camera. BUT, having shot with the Z9 and Z7ii side-by-side, I put in my pre-order for a Z8 the day after it was introduced. The EVF blackout of the Z7ii and the lower fps were the primary reasons for the trade. So now I shoot with both the Z9 and Z8 outfitted with complementary lenses for what I'm trying to capture. I probably miss my Z7ii more than I miss my D850, primarily because the Z7ii is a wonderful hiking, landscape and travel camera with great image quality. Rather than purchase a ZF, I'd consider buying a Z7iii if it is at least as capable as the ZF, but with the 45.7MP sensor and near the same size as the Z7/Z7ii. By the way, you mentioned 15fps for the Z8, and by now I'm sure you know it can shoot 20fps RAW (I usually have mine dialed down to 15fps because I almost always capture the movement moment than I'm looking for.). I look forward to your upcoming videos about the Z8.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Thank you for the feed back! Yes, I’ve been all over the place on all of this but the Z8 definitely ticks all the boxes. And… yep, I dialed mine to 15 as well. 20 is just insane. I do remember how loud the D850 was. I so appreciate the quieter mirrorless cameras and now the shutter less cameras. I just love it. Also, the more video I shoot the more I’m just astounded at how good a video platform this camera is as well. It’s just an insane camera. Thanks for watching and thank you for your comments!

[@elafal377]

Hello, Great video! I’m new to professional photography and looking to buy lenses. What lense range do you recommend for an all in one? Is it possible to purchase one? If not, what two?

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Well, it depends really but if you want a standard all around, I love the 24-120. Its sharp, has wonderful image quality and covers a great range while maintaining excellent image quality. If you need a wide lens and want to travel light, still have filter ability but still want excellent image quality without breaking the bank, I love the 14-30 F4. It's really hard to beat. As for telephotos, the 70-200 f2.8 is just fantastic but I wanted the extra reach so landed on the 100-400 which is just insanely good. Not cheap but really really good. Not 2.8 either so if you need the wider aperture then the 70-200 is your jam. If you want extra reach and don't mind spending the 70-200 with a 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter will get you where you want and still let you have that 2.8 aperture. Hope this helps!

[@kapurar]

Thanks for the great video. As a former owner of a D750, and D850 and a current owner of two Z8s, the menu banks are very annoying. It is ridiculous that Nikon has refused to allow the menu banks to function like U1, U2 settings on the D750. I am continuously messing up the menu banks and have no way to go and reset them. I love my Z8s but hate the menu banks and that there is no way to lock the settings.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, I agree. I want my U1 U2 U3 banks back. This is kind of ridiculous.

[@douglasritchie2836]

Well, Thomas, very interesting hearing your take on the Z8, I kind of thought it might get to you, I jumped in when it came out and every time I use it I turn into that kid from decades ago when I got A Praktika slr and entered real Photography. Like you I love the form factor and ergonomics of my Z7II especially when off the beaten track. But the ergonomics of the Z8 are superb and the autofocus is terrific, in poor light at the coast it will still focus through a ten stop Nd filter with ease.

[@anthonymrbs]

The Praktica LTL 3 was my first 35mm too!

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

I definitely feel like a kid when I use it. It’s such a joy!

[@mrz1342]

Hi, I’m shooting with Fujifilm gfx100s but it’s not for all types of photography, and it seems Z8 is! Just I’m not sure if I switch, could I take high quality photography with Z8 (in 14bit) versus 16bit in gfx100s?! Please advise.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

The quality of the Z8 is excellent. No, it’s not going to be the same as the huge files you get from the GFX but unless you are printing or cropping in the extreme it’s not going to make a huge difference. In other words, they are going to be very close for all intents and purposes. As I said, if you need huge files, then you know you do, but I would say the image quality is as good in relative terms. For example, if you scale a 100 mp file to 45, they will pretty much be indistinguishable save for the differences in color science. 45 vs. 100 MP is always going to have a trade off so that’s what you have to ask yourself. Do you NEED 100 MP. I find that I don’t and I still print very large. I hope this helps.

[@mrz1342]

@@ThomasPetzwinkler you are right. I’m wondering how much is good iq with 14bit 45.7 mp! Even the view finder and lcd although are less than my sony a1 but still looks great! Yes, I’m pixels piping person and I don’t want to extra large print my photos. The important matter for me is deep-image quality which stands for colour rendering, dynamic range and providing light and shadows in detail. Gfx100s is great for it but is bulky with large lenses and slow. Gfx ii is faster but still not good for any kind of shooting movements. One of the advantage of z8 for me would be “all in one” camera that is giving my confidence if i want to take portraits, landscapes, astro, sports, etc.!!! That’s why i owned and changed many brands and models of cameras till now. I calculated with trinity f2.8 lenses+ 85mm and essential accessories in bag will be 5kg which I believe is great. I would like to hear more about your experience with this camera, please.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

I don't think you could go wrong with the Z8 and the advantages sound like they would outweigh the disadvantages for you.

[@mrz1342]

@@ThomasPetzwinkler thank you for your reply. When I tested z8 I liked the clarity and sharpness in both viewfinder and lcd but resolution in Sony a1 and Gfx are almost 10m, dot per inch and so different. I’m wondering if higher resolution for viewfinder and lcd is an advantage or not? And is it previewing the actual image that I shot and processed by sensor, or it’s just for the time of looking at a subject before shooting? It’s very important to shoot what you see and to see what you shoot! That is why mirrorless camera is more accurate for photography I believe. So, what’s this matter in Z8?

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

@@mrz1342 the viewfinder and rear screen have absolutely nothing to do with the image being recorded by the camera except for to show you a representation of what the camera is seeing. There is really not much accuracy to it. Understanding how your histogram works is the most Important any way to learn how to work with your sensor. That and the Z8 definitely has better image quality than the Sony without a doubt. The Sony is really good in many ways but Nikon really concentrates on maximizing the final image quality level.

[@borlach321]

Your composition is really great. I'm an amateur and need to improve this skill. Just curious, it seems a Z7II could take the same photos and is much cheaper than the Z8. Do I really need this camera if I don't shoot anything that moves, or only moves a little?

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Thank you for your kind words! No, you don't need this camera. The Z7II will take identical photos. This camera is for those that want the extra performance and the little things like starlight view. You can even get the same image quality out of a Z7. Buy used and save a bundle! Thanks for watching!

[@GQLewis]

Battery life is the biggest drawback to the Z8 in my opinion. Also, the SmallRig cage (can't blame Nikon for that) does not allow a 10 pin cable shutter release while installed.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

So did you try a Z8? Battery life is very good considering the small batteries. If you need more then the grip or a Z9 solves that issue. It’s unfortunate that the cage blocks the shutter release however, why use a cage when making photos? I prefer an L bracket which doesn’t get in the way at all. When I’m filmmaking, I don’t need a shutter release so the cage isn’t as big of deal. Thanks for watching!

[@intrinsicimagery]

I shoot weddings with a Z9 and Z8 with the grip. In a ten hour wedding the Z8 uses three batteries and the Z9 one. I’m not mad. Same as Z7 II.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Yeah, I am feeling like the Z8 is about the same as the Z7II. Still better than my Z7 so there is that. I'm not mad either. it is what it is right?

[@markgross]

Dude, you must get into the place where you have totality! there is no comparison between 99.5% totality and totality.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Trying to work it out. It would be just so cool to get islands in the shot though!

[@KibbitUpIt]

If loving gear is wrong, then I don't want to be right 😢

[@jeffreystulin8130]

Totality is completely different from almost totality. There is no comparison. Go to Vermont if the weather cooperates.

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

Yeah, I’m thinking about how I’m going to do this.

[@nevvanclarke9225]

I considerd it . ...i went GFX instead GFX image quality is way beyond the Z8 for everything except wildlife If you're landscape photographer..get a GFX camera...if you can afford it

[@ThomasPetzwinkler]

The image quality isn’t far off. I’ve used a GFX. I don’t want the limitations imposed by the medium format system. I like very wide and zoomed in. Can’t do that with the GFX. Money was never even a consideration. Versatility balanced with IQ was.

[@mrz1342]

@@ThomasPetzwinkler exactly! Z8 is versatile, all in one, with great image quality using as jpeg only, raw for editing, as well as printing. My gfx100s is heavy, bulky, only good for studio and landscape on tripod! IQ is perfect if you learn how to set your camera though. To me it’s too much sacrificing just for possibility of huge print and aggressive cropping!