Nikon Z8 Review: The Pros and the Cons

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#landscapephotography #nikonz8 #nikon

[@kibbo00]

Dude, I disagree with your assessment about the 45mp cameras. It's the right size for detailed photos. Anything bigger would eat up soooo much hard drive space. This is a usable MP size. I agree with your assessment of useful details. Bottomline, as a landscape photographer, do you need more MP? I shoot launches from Cape Canaveral, wildlife and landscapes; 45mp is good for me.

[@Old-School-Liberal]

The weakness Nikon has is the lenses. My Leica M10-R has 40mp that camera with Leica lenses is amazing. It out performs anything from Nikon. I also have a Z6.

[@brianbrooking496]

I think Nikon are killing it in lenses wrt quality v price point. So much to the point, that Canon are now allowing others to manufacture RF lenses. Nikon have been stealing steady stream of Canon users due to their slow reaction to meet customer demands v price point. Enthusiasts not gonna drop £15k on a lense when they can get a £1.5k lense that performs flawlessly. Hello Nikon

[@youssefhamidi8152]

@@Old-School-Liberalit also costs at least 4x more than Nikon lenses.

[@TeddyD802]

@@Old-School-Liberaltry the 400mm 2.8 TC

[@hellatightdude]

⁠@@Old-School-Liberalmy guy, I shoot leica as well and there isn’t a lens without APO SL in its name that compares to Nikon’s top of the line S lenses. And MAYBE they’re 24-90 and 90-280 as well. Now if we’re talking about size to performance ratio of course the Leica has Nikon beat. But for sheer performance and especially performance to price, no M mount lens barring APO lenses even compares until we start getting into ethereal topics like “character” and “feel in the hand” and the typical stuff Leica shooters talk about while shooting boring street photos.

[@johnforbes4795]

I bought both the Z9 and Z8 (with battery grip). For me it was the right decision as I often have the need for shooting two camera bodies when I do my "assignment work shooting confirmation dog shows and my using the Z9 and having the Z8 with the battery grip fulfills that need for me when I shoot thousands of frames in a day. The size and form factor of the Z8 (without the battery grip) make it my go-to choice for hiking, travel and grab-and-go shooting, whereas the size and weight make it less desirable for me in these three areas, so having 2 Z9's for me would necessitate the need for a third camera for travel, hiking, etc.. I don't shoot much video, but I have the Z9 for longish videos if necessary and the Z8 is perfectly fine for shorter shoots. I absolutely prefer the 45.7MP stacked sensor versus the thought of getting 61MP with its implicit lower frames per second. The fps is the primary reason I switched from the D850 (using the quiet Z8/Z9 burst mode is a BIG DEAL when photographing wildlife). If, like you I was shooting primarily landscape, I may have held onto my Z7ii instead, as it takes wonderful landscape images even with the lesser autofocus system. Battery life? I use a camera quite differently from you. I focus through the EVF, I minimize use of the live screen, and turn off the camera frequently if it is not being used for a minute. Shooting primarily animal movement shots in burst mode, I've shot over 3400 frames on one battery with lots of charge remaining. Which camera do I prefer? If I only had one choice it would be the Z8, but I'm happy to not have to make that decision as I love the Z9 as well.

[@gbwalther3198]

Hey, with all that extra weight, why didn't u just get the battery grip and let it go at that. Then u could have carried your Nikon Kool Pic & felt like u were a real wilderness guy cause you'd have something else in your other hand besides a bear spray can just in case. 😎😎

[@edwardekman9832]

So far, it is the best do all camera in the marketplace. I feel there are very few cons for its capabilities. Maybe the Z7II will be that higher sized sensor.

[@HikingWithMartin]

great video but you should just assume most of us havent seen your z9 review so you can just go straight into it because i didnt know what you were talking about for the first 4 minutes but i watched the whole video and found it really useful! thanks!

[@ThatNorma]

This camera always had to have a stacked sensor...this is a hybrid camera , excells at video and stills/action so the stacked sensor makes perfect sense. A 61mp sensor would have such slow readout speed that it would defeat the purpose of this camera. It seems that like me , what you really wished for was a z7iii

[@mlai2546]

Toyota Corolla had 1.8 liter engine since 1998. Do you need more than 1.8l for that size vehicle? 45mp is more than enough. For cameras 100mp does not offer you better image quality. Like 8k TV vs 4k TV. Also think of Nikon Z8 as Sony A9ii. Nikon gave us a 45mp camera that is the same price as a Sony A9ii. And on the bonus side, you get a 45mp sensor instead of a 24mp.

[@horstschoninger1265]

No problem with battery life. Is good to carry a second battery. For more consumption I add on an Anker Power Pack and this more than enough. Charging batteries, Anker Power Pack and camera on a high output plug - in connecter to the car cigarette lighter outlet. For landscape photography you should not have any problems. Many people don't read their instructions and blame it on the camera maker. I see it all the time. Practice with your camera is important. I like the Z8 and be happy every time I use the camera. You never find a camera which is designed personally for you. But is on you how smart you get around from what you have to make it perfect.

[@c.l.gattis2230]

And the z8’s battery can be topped off with a external power pack. I enjoy having the ability to swap batteries from my other camera.

[@stanobert3475]

Nikon is cranking out glass like crazy. This seems to be their primary goal right now, especially to placate the wildlife and bird photographers with big wallets. This may be their new niche. Their cropped sensor gear seems to be low on the priority list. I traded in my Nikon DX mirrorless gear for a Fuji XT-5 which I use for travel. I use the Z8 and Z professionally, but the Fuji for enjoyment. The Z8 is a fine camera, but the Z9 is in a class of its own. It just keeps on going and going without overheating. Nikon may introduce some professional DX gear, but not anytime soon.

[@Photojouralist123]

Just buy more batteries or stick a power brick in the 2nd USB PD port

[@summitbid]

It’s great that I’m able to get more batteries and use a power brick, but I don’t think I should be forced to use them halfway through a shoot with a $4,000 camera because Nikon doesn’t want to design a new battery.

[@lilmichael212]

A lot of your cons were kinda reaches tbh which speaks to how amazing this camera actually is lol “it doesn’t have a few more megapixels” grasping at that point lol Also the last rant was weird. What is Sony gonna do next? Or Canon? Questioning a camera company for having a varied product line was such a strange critique. I think you just may like some other brands more. 😂

[@summitbid]

I actually was criticizing it for NOT having a varied product line. The z8/z9 was huge push by Nikon gain market share now that the market has shifted towards enthusiasts and professionals. You can’t really argue that the z8 doesn’t undermine the z9 (you could argue it’s a better camera with more recent firmware updates). But Nikon can’t sustain that business model long term so I’m curious as to what their product line will look like going forward. But for now (and for years to come) the z8 is a fantastic camera.

[@thomasphillips5850]

Great video looking forward to the comparison video thanks for the honesty.

[@MrRaychard123]

Not really a Z8 question but generally how’s Nikon rubber durability? Since back in dslr days most of not all my Nikon has problem with its rubber peals off

[@tayebamghar07]

nikon fixed that problem

[@janpetterkristiansen5725]

I disagree when it comes to the battery… I have a few Z6II and 7… I am happy with the Z9 battery, but it obviously would not fit in the Z8.. So to have two different batteries is great instead of yet another one. Some nag about battery capacity, not a problem for me at all, I have a few.

[@thisisbenji90]

Meanwhile I’m over here thinking that idk if 45 mp is even worth it over 24 mp. I can barely tell the difference between the two.

[@ThatNorma]

The 45mp are usefull if you crop and depending on your screen the difference is noticable yes. 45 just allows for extreme cropping and also large sized prints

[@francoishoule3647]

More dynamic range would be better than more pixels… 45 mpix is more than enough…

[@johncooper9746]

There just isnt much difference from 45 to 61 mpx. 80mpx or bust.

[@summitbid]

I disagree. While I’m just fine with 40-45 range for my work, I used the a7rv and the z8 simultaneously for a few months this summer and I did feel the megapixel difference. Enough that I’m looking forward to a Nikon body with 61. I worry that a full frame sensor with 80mp will have such a high pixel density that it will struggle with diffraction and in low light.

[@GG-zv9ku]

45mp is more that people will ever need. 61 is definitely a waste of mega pixels.

[@chanjeff4406]

Hi there. I would like to know how long a battery on the Z8 if it is on a time lapse sequence. Does portable battery charger help extend the length of the time lapse sequence? I would like to shoot some night to dawn time lapse but not sure if Z8 is up to the task because of the battery life. Thanks!

[@hyau512]

Hi, there’s a dedicated USB-C power delivery port so attaching an external battery pack or charger is a published feature.

[@Old-School-Liberal]

If you want more MP for landscapes get a Medium Format camera

[@EdwardMartinsPhotography]

Are the raws still cropped if you use an other than 2:3 aspect ratio? Is the battery door spring loaded? Can you set a manual focus distance with any certainty or do you still get a flower and an infinity symbol? Is it a completely different button press just to see an uncluttered LCD for composition? Are the user custom modes usable at all? And in video as well? Those are my big Nikon usability issues. Not big things in and of themselves but add them all up and I think I'm going for the GFX 100S II next month. I'd rather have a FF, but Sony's colors suck and Canon is charging too much for what they're offering. There's a lot of things I like about the Nikons, but some things about them just make me scratch my head for professional grade gear. Very disappointing to hear the camera is basically plastic and doesn't feel as good as even the Z7II. I think they laid off all the senior guys and the replacements just don't get it. I'll see what Fuji pulls out of their hat on September 12th and decide from there.

[@EdwardMartinsPhotography]

@BoJar6170 omg...In what way?

[@ThatNorma]

dammm those complaints are absolute nonsense. If theres a brand that builds a camera aimed for professionals thats Nikon. A quick google search will show you a poll from 2022 made with a large sample of professional photographers and most of them still use Nikon for their professional work. Also what are you on about? The z8 body feels a lot more professional than the z7ii, plastic is the future for all these brands and they are not backing down. People forget you can have top quality plastic builds, we want to save weight and cost therefore it makes total sense to go plastic. Regarding features, the z8 has a lot more than any of the Fuji you mentioned, except the GFX100S II being a medium format with more resolution. Plenty of custom modes, 2 clicks and you have a full unclettered LCD for composition. Literally your complaints arent even real , it seems you need to try the camera before you make those kind of statements

[@EdwardMartinsPhotography]

@BoJar6170 The new GFX 100 II will have very usable video modes and I find the custom modes in the XH2 to be extremely usable for switching instantly between stills and video with every setting I want changed, changed. I am sure the GFX 100 II will have the same functionality as the XH2, maybe more and so for what I do, it would be a very easy camera to live with. The Z7II I had for a few months had almost unusable custom settings. They only stored about half of the setting I needed to change, and so I had to menu dive every time I switched from stills to video. As I understand it, the Z8 uses the Nikon menu bank system which is different from the Z7II so it's probably better. Hey if Nikon's working for you, great. It didn't work for me.

[@EdwardMartinsPhotography]

@@ThatNorma How do you know what I've used? Making assumptions about people's experiences is the real nonsense...

[@ThatNorma]

@@EdwardMartinsPhotography you literally are the one making assumptions. You mentioned a plastic body while the z8 is using magnesium alloy and carbon fiber. It becomes hard to believe you even tried the camera when you are complaining about stuff that is not true.the back of the camera is plastic, the inside is magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, the front plate is metal.its good to be informed about the subject before claiming something

[@Mr09260]

I just got 4327 images and my Battery showed 31% left = Good enough for me

[@summitbid]

That’s great 👍

[@mick7100]

are you a landscape photographer?lol

[@summitbid]

Lol

[@davelindey8023]

Haven't finished watching your review but have to pause at this point because I'm somewhat annoyed with your cons. In my opinion your take on build quality is way off base. You state build quality doesn't meet your expectations because Nikon used different materials. I'm a retired materials engineer and spent 45 years of my career in quality. I would ask is the quality of build better or worse than previous models? is it falling apart after normal use? If the camera isn't robust enough and stand up to the rigours of normal daily use, then one could conclude that its worse than other models or brands then of course build quality is worse. What you should state is the Z8 (Zed 8 ... I'm Canadian) "feels" different when handling and in the hand possibly due to a change in the construction materials used. Your opinion gives the wrong impression that the camera isn't built to the usual Nikon robustness standards. Secondly your statement that the fact that the sensor having the same 45 megapixel count is a con gives the impression that image quality is sub standard. Again this leaves those considering a purchase of this camera with the impression that because Nikon didn't develop a camera with more or "61" megapixels, the image quality doesn't cut it. I would ask the question "is there any limitations in the quality of image from this 45 megapixel sensor that doesn't deliver the image quality or limit what I can do with the camera?" If the answer is yes then 45 megapixels isn't enough and I should consider a brand that offers more megapixels or consider a medium format camera at 75 to 100% in cost. This is my first time watching any of your content. I am a Nikon user for 30 years and I'm not a Nikon employee. I always pay for my own gear and If it doesn't meet my needs or expectations I replace it with something that does meet my needs.

[@Old-School-Liberal]

The weakness Nikon has is the lenses. My Leica M10-R has 40mp that camera with Leica lenses is amazing. It out performs anything from Nikon. I also have a Z6 and agree with the cheaper build quality of the camera and lenses.

[@bsc001]

Only Leica APO SL lenses will outperform the Z-series S lenses, tbf. And at ~4x the price, so they should ;) Nikon lenses is a weak point? ROFL.

[@skurt2752]

The build quality on the Z8 is Ok? lol. This dude sounds like a Sony fan boy. The z8 feels premium and durable. Feels far better than any camera Nikon has put out recently.

[@summitbid]

The Z8 is the only major professional camera to come out in recent years that has multiple recalls on it related to the build ( the lens mount not locking and the strap lugs coming out). I have used the z7, z7ii, z9 and the z8 extensively and the quality of the materials used is the worst on the z8. The ergonomics are great on the z8. Its a well designed camera. I think Nikon cut corners on manufacturing so that they could have a large supply on launch and at a reasonable price.

[@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO]

I totally agree with your criticisms about the build quality, I am so disappointed that the Z8 isn't made entirely of Magnesium-Alloy, so I complained to Nikon, their representative replied informing me that the Z8 is just as durable as a Magnesium-Alloy body, and that the decision was to keep it's weight down; considering that the D850 weighs 1KG, so what if a entirely Magnesium-Alloy Z8 would have weighed the same as the D850. This isn't the only terrible decision made by Nikon in the last 11 years, and they have made terrible decisions for the forthcoming ZF; eventually Nikon will go bust.

[@ThatNorma]

I dont know why you are surprised...All brands are switching to plastic as it is the future. Top quality plastic builds can be as durable. Also your complaining about a plastic build towards a brand that is known to have some of the most durable cameras on the market and its quite clear the z8 wont be different. The weight saving reasoning makes total sense

[@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO]

@@ThatNorma The Z9 is more durable than the Z8 because the Z9 is entirely made of Magnesium-Alloy. The Nikon D850 body weight is 1Kg, it's users were happy for it to weigh 1Kg as it is entirely made from Magnesium-Alloy, therefore had the Z8 been made entirely of Magnesium-Alloy it would have weighed exactly as much as the D850. Lastly irrespective of the type of plastic used in modern cameras, they are more likely to crack when accidentally bashed against a solid surface like a wall or dropped when rock climbing, than Magnesium-Alloy. Not all brands are making their professional and semi professional cameras from plastic.

[@ThatNorma]

I still really dont understand what are you complaining about...The z8 has magnesium alloy on its body complemented with a carbon fiber. Its literally the best of both worlds. Its still a very solid and durable body. Id advise you to try one out before making these kind of conclusions@@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO

[@bsc001]

I answered you elsewhere before. Your pov is not based on accurate facts.