Nikon Z8 vs Z6III: The Ultimate Camera Showdown for Photography & Video Users!

[@Arthur_My_Dear]

Just discovered your channel and have to say I really like your presentation. It’d be good to see some more of your own work in them

[@HamerReviews]

Welcome and thank you (please subscribe if you haven’t as it really helps me out) 🙂. For reviews I often shoot similar subjects so I sometimes find the images get too repetitive. And the other side of the photos I take is commercial stuff which although I could put into my reviews I tend not to do so. It’s a fair point about variety though, something to think about. In the not too distant future I hope to have an accompanying website with written reviews too, and I hope I can provide a couple of RAW sample images for people to pixel peep over. Christopher

[@kiwii008]

Super helpful comparison, thank you for the video!

[@HamerReviews]

So glad to hear you found it useful

[@zoolook666]

Very good review. I am surprised you didn't mentioned the Z8's 10-pin connector as that is a big deal if you have special equipment like StackShot or alike (but those who have this, might be pretty aware about the missing 10-pin on Z6III)

[@HamerReviews]

Certainly a fair point, I only every think of it as a connection for the MC-30 but as you say there’s a lot of specialist equipment that uses it! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂

[@nicksladden]

For photography (not video) what would you go for as an upgrade from a Z5? Would your opinion be the same?

[@HamerReviews]

Absolutely, the Z8 is a dream - but what do you mostly photograph?

[@nicksladden]

@@HamerReviewsTravel, landscape, people, cities

[@HamerReviews]

@@nicksladden I think you’ll appreciate the additional resolution, however you might even find a Z7II could meet your needs if you don’t need the vastly improved AF 🙂

[@aytw661]

I want to upgrade from the z7 as i now started doing low light portrait instead of landscape. would you say the z6III is a big enough upgrade? for 1k extra to trade in for a used one.

[@HamerReviews]

It’ll be a big upgrade for sure, if you aren’t doing video and you want much better AF for your portraits it could be helpful. If you’re focusing manually I’m not sure how much will be in it

[@kennygeorgeonline]

@@aytw661 Why did you chose the Z7 instead of the Z6 in the first place? Did you want / need 45MP? If you chose the Z7 instead the Z6, perhaps you should stay with the higher MP? Get the Z8!

[@ThePistonPit]

For car photography, street photography and general family photos, which one would you suggest? Z8 or z6iii?

[@HamerReviews]

@@ThePistonPit argh, if you hadn’t of said street I’d have said Z8 but as you said street i’d say Z6III purely due to the smaller size which makes it more agile and a little less obtrusive

[@ThePistonPit]

Haha. Thanks for the reply, appreciate it.. I’m leaning towards the z8… what lens would u recommend?

[@HamerReviews]

@@ThePistonPit for the Z8? 24-120 F4 is a great place to start and covers a nice range. I don’t own one but I’ve always been VERY tempted. The 24-70 F4 S is pretty cheap used and very underrated though the 24-70 2.8 S is my most used lens. It balances well on the Z8 and is tack sharp. However most of the Z photographers I know swear by the 24-120 and when I have used it I’ve always been very impressed.

[@HamerReviews]

@@ThePistonPit oh and if you need primes, I LOVE the new 1.4 Z mount primes from Nikon. Great value and you don’t give up much vs the 1.8 S primes.

[@ThePistonPit]

@@HamerReviewsthanks very much

[@frickseerose6146]

I often use silent shutter/electronic shutter and wanted to know of you can tell me if there is a diffrence in Banding between the z6iii vs the z6 original?

[@unknown_user_235]

I cannot emphasize enough how accurate this video is with my case. I am mainly bird photographer. I bought z6iii and returned later. I really like cropping and show their eyes etc. But sometimes I also think maybe my understanding of bird photography is not healthy because of obsession with details. I want to buy z8 but my main consideration is first justifying the price (I don’t know how people find z8 at 3000euros but I always see z8 is around 3800euros in germany). Second I am not sure how good z8 is in video. Video and photo have same weight for me. Z6iii footages are so good but I am not sure if z8 is that good considering it is high mp camera. Do you know how z8 rasterize in video? Line skipping or oversampling? Btw, I don’t need 8k. 6k 60fps or 4k 120fps is more than enough for me.

[@andersistbesser]

@@unknown_user_235 die z8 ist fantastisch in video. Der einzige Nachteil gegenüber der noch teureren t9 ist das sie leichter überhitzt. Die z6 steckt die z8 jedoch in allen Bereichen in die tasche

[@HamerReviews]

The Z8 does oversampled 4K so it’s absolutely fantastic

[@unknown_user_235]

@@HamerReviews so I got it as I cannot go worse in video side with z8. Thanks a lot for comment. I hope to see z8 below 3500 but even the 2nd hand market is not so active.

[@infospinpix5152]

Hi there I have a question, I’m doing a major upgrade going from DSLR to Mirrorless. I shoot Interior’s / Realestate & Architecture, I’m looking at the Z6iii & the Z8 is a little out of budget Anyone else using the Z6iii successfully? Thanks in advance Con

[@koenpijpersphotography]

I am leaning towards adding a Z6iii in the future, but now still ok with my Z6

[@HamerReviews]

@@koenpijpersphotography that’ll be a great upgrade. The Z6 is still a lovely camera if you can wait there will probably be great deals on the Z6III in the future

[@ShinyTechThings]

Nikon has been getting really really good in the last few releases. Will I regret selling all of my old Nikon gear years ago? Hard to say but exciting to see them creating some great cameras again!

[@HamerReviews]

I don’t think you should regret moving from it, to get the most from Z, Z glass makes a huge difference! By the way, great to see your channel doing so well buddy

[@nevvanclarke9225]

@@ShinyTechThings we did sports photography with film cameras back in the day

[@Mersuharrastaja]

I buy Z8 also half year ago. Now I thinking to buy Z6 to my second camera. Not sure yet, do I buy new Z6 III or used Z6 II from someone who wants upgrade II ---> III.

[@HamerReviews]

Z6II is fine but the AF is nowhere near as good as the Z6III, if you do any video go for the Z6III, if you do photography and don’t need the Z6II for nature or sports then it should be quite sufficient 🙂

[@Mersuharrastaja]

@@HamerReviews I do video, but I can do that with my Z8.

[@Miroslaw-rs8ip]

Thanks for the review! What’s your perspective on the Z7 II compared to the Z8?

[@markturriff994]

I had a hot card warning on my Z8 shooting stills - but I was in Botswana during the African summer which was very hot 🔥 - opened the camera battery door for a minute or so and all was good

[@HamerReviews]

@@markturriff994 see I knew someone would have experienced it 😁 but as you say an extreme use case

[@markturriff994]

@ Very! When I left a week ago it was 43 degrees!

[@jpdj2715]

There's a possibility that the card is the root of the problem - some heat more than others. Nikon publish a list of approved cards. Then you may want to verify the card's sustained write speed. I would expect cards with a very high sustained speed to overheat less likely. The speed on the label is for random I/O, not sustained. All writes go into the card's very fast cache and from there the card's processor moves data into the media memory. The quality of the memory cells determines first how many times they can be rewritten (specified by TBW or P/E cycles) and I would expect overheating to happen more likely with cheaper cells. Also the card's processor and its layout internally make a difference. Another thing is that some card brands specify higher speeds with larger capacity cards in the same series. This suggests that a high capacity card works on the basis of some sort of RAID 0 principle (striping data between two or more memory stores). With such card series I'd expect less heating problems in the higher capacity cards. In conclusion, when you took the data oof the card, did you reformat them? If you have extremely robust cards (with high quality memory cells - my cards allow for 30,000 program/erase cycles) then you might want to try to completely format the card. Quick (re)format wipes the file allocation table, but not the actual files. The processor's wear levelling approach will determine where the data are stored, but it may approach a rewrite of a non-erased cell or block differently than a write to an actually erased cell. If the card's firmware does so, then there likely is more I/O involved with the write in the case of the quick format.

[@HamerReviews]

@@jpdj2715 in my case I have a plethora of cards, some approved some not. But I did have a hot card warning whilst doing video on a Delkin Black, which is one of the top performers - but I really do see it as a none issue unless the camera stops recording. Thanks for your breakdown though, I was aware of some of it but not all, so good to learn something new 🙂

[@jpdj2715]

@HamerReviews I use Delkin G4 Green 1TB - not certified by Nikon but excellent performers. Gen 4 PCIe can handle higher speeds - forgot to add that in the breakdown

[@castieldiallo2945]

I briefly went back and forth between the z6iii and the Z8. Then I realized that I would be happier with the handling, size and resolution of the z8 longterm.

[@HamerReviews]

Totally understand the logic, I agree, the Z8‘s capabilities will definitely make for a more interesting long term camera

[@castieldiallo2945]

@HamerReviews indeed it will my good man.

[@geakarr]

I choose z8 over z6iii, reason being blackout free shooting which is big thing for my style of shooting.

[@HamerReviews]

That’s certainly a really nice benefit 🙂

[@emptyskullify]

I think you just made the best conclusion: Initial logic would make the z6iii the more attractive option. But given the reliability and sheer SPEED of the Z8's performance both in AF, shutter, and handling, it's a far far superior camera...

[@HamerReviews]

@@emptyskullify thanks for the comment 🙂 - honestly I wouldn’t have worked it out if I hadn’t bought the Z8, the Z6III is great, and if I just had that I’d think it was a nice jump over the Z6II… not the leap the Z8 is. I will say one thing, the Z50II is quickly becoming one of my favourite cameras. It’s so much of a Z6III without IBIS or full on video codecs it’s a great camera for LOTS of people

[@Vemovemo1]

Nice one!

[@HamerReviews]

Thanks! Glad you liked the video 🙂

[@johnyoung1606]

Always Great :) :) :)

[@myfakeguuglaccount8307]

I said "Why choose?" 😁

[@HamerReviews]

That is of course also an excellent option

[@timgimbert3073]

I just wish they didn't cripple the controls of the Z6iii compared to the Z8. Give us "Recall Shooting Functions" and "Cycle AF-area mode". You can't configure the controls the same on the Z8 and Z6iii because of this so, for me, the cameras are not part of the same system as they are completely different.

[@HamerReviews]

I mean that does feel a bit harsh, Nikon has always reserved their pro level button layout for their flagship cameras. So it’s no surprise to see a difference but I do agree that the arbitrary limitation on custom functions is a bit silly.

[@timgimbert3073]

@HamerReviews the button layouts are almost the same especially the F1 and F2 buttons. On the Z8 I have the F1 button configured with Recall Shooting Functions set to 3d Tracking with Subject Detection turned off. This is a great setting and used a lot. The F2 button I have configured to Cycle AF-area set to Auto Area AF and 3d Tracking both with Subject Detection turned on. These let me have the controls I want and need for events, concerts, and some sports. I can change them on the fly without taking the camera from my eye. I press a button and the setting I apply is in effect until I press the button again. On the Z6iii if I set a function button to a specific focus setting I have to hold the button to keep it active. I have been a back button focuser for decades so my muscles do this without thinking so to use a function button, focus, and shoot I have to use 3 fingers which doesn't always work properly. The Z6 and Z6ii were my work cameras for years and you could set a function button for Subject Tracking and you pressed the button and the setting was in effect until you pressed the button again. This was how you could take control if the less than stellar Nikon focus couldn't find what you wanted. I am not harsh. I want the Z6iii to work the same as the other Z series cameras work for photography. It is all well and good to have great video capabilities, and I realise that drives development, but it has to do photography as well. The features I need are in other Expeed 7 cameras so the programming is already written. Sorry for the rant but.....harsh?

[@HamerReviews]

@@timgimbert3073 I mean don’t take it personably - was just my take. I guess from Nikon‘s point of view they want more differentiation. But I agree that arbitrary limitations are silly.

[@MB-dq2gz]

I would have definitely purchased a Z6iii if it didn't come out after the Z8 in fact I usually upgraded to the younger brother of the top shelf full frame Nikon content with 24mp for what I do. I had the Z6 and skipped z6ii and was eager for the next camera and the z8 was close enough first time I purchased what is close to a Nikon flagship then the ZF came out and was too pretty to pass up so the z6iii was destined not to be 😅

[@HamerReviews]

I totally get that, as I said in the video, today I’d have gone Z6III but the price difference pushed me to the Z8 and I’m glad it did. I’m currently loving the Z50II though so I think a Z6III may not happen after all

[@MB-dq2gz]

@HamerReviews I want to buy a z50ii, but when I purchased the z50 the Zfc released and I was grinding my teeth. I want to see if they do a Zfc II first I will give Nikon a year to see what they do.

[@HamerReviews]

@@MB-dq2gz I get what you’re saying; but honestly the Z50II is a Z6III without IBIS and a smaller sensor. Absolutely bonkers I love it. If you do video, having H.265 Nlog is great and the AF (including bird mode!?! Is great)

[@MB-dq2gz]

@@HamerReviews Oh I have been eyeing it deeply and it is exceptional buy for what it is my Z50 is the camera I have with me all the time keep it in my car with the kit lenses and compact Nikon primes. I am very tempted, but I will wait on principle this time. The last thing I need to see is a Zfc II with ibis or a new sensor to grind my teeth to. Just a Zfc II with the same feature set I would be salty over I very much prefer the vintage design I like the hipster vibe. I don't mind that it does not have ibis a gimbal or tripod corrects that for video which most that are doing serious video work would use anyway.

[@RejeRush]

This is exactly what happened to me. Had the z6ii and was waiting for the iii but the z8 came out first so I bought 2 lol. Now I can’t go back but bought the z6iii as a 3rd back up cam since I do weddings. The z8 and z6iii are a great combo!

[@brusselssprout1]

Thanks for the effort, but yet again, as with 90% of such reviews, the low light performance comparison bit is confused and the on-screen example fails to prove the point. To compare high ISO noise between both cameras you need to either magnify the Z6III's image to the same size on screen as the Z8's (and that will both magnify noise and decrease detail sharpness) or decrease the on screen size of the Z8 image to the same size as the Z6III's (and that will decrease noise visibility on the Z8's image in the same proportion). In other words, in extreme low light, you might want to limit max print size of a Z8 file to be the same as the max print size of a Z6III file, if you really want to limit the visibility of noise. I do not know with absolute certainty how both cameras really compare in very low light when using that method, but my educated assumption as they would perform equally. i'd like to verify that belief and it would be great if reviewers understood why that method is the only effective way to deal the question. Work is the same. For the rest, I chose the Z8 because of all the other reasons, including customised banks and extra resolution, and feeling safe enough for low light missions.

[@HamerReviews]

Afraid I disagree, that’s how I used to do noise comparisons but it’ll always show the lower res camera in worse light. Yes you wouldn’t probably print at max res when taking a high iso image. But equally modifying the image for a side by side comparison doesn’t really show true performance either. Next time I’ll look at adding an additional comparison at the same magnification but dealing with separate res cameras is challenging if you want to show actual noise rather than just what you might see. But you’re absolutely entitled to your opinion - hope you find the info you want.

[@brusselssprout1]

@ thanks for your response, and again thank you for going through the trouble of providing the video, I did watch end to end, and enjoyed it. The "lower res camera is better for low light" fallacy is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. It just annoys me that it keeps being relayed as "common knowledge" or "physics". But there are things that do deserve extra scrutiny, such as how each sensor renders noise ("blotches" vs "grain" for example) and how, in video, bigger pixels might indeed be better (4K is 4K, so 4K through bigger photosites will likely be cleaner and more flexible than 4K through smaller photosites).

[@HamerReviews]

@ ok in that context I now see where you’re coming from - sorry didn’t get that before. In terms of the Z8 it is quite a bit less good than the Z6III at very high ISOs - looking at the blacks on the D300 I hope people can see that. I’m fairly certain this is for the reasons I shared (less light more gain etc). However it’s absolutely not always the case - it’s an interesting point. I’ll keep the language in mind for future videos as you’re absolutely right - it won’t ALWAYS be the case 🙂 (in this case as we are talking same processor, same age of camera (roughly) it felt like a fair comparison.

[@alwinbenjamin]

👑

[@andersistbesser]

Z8 is better than z6 in foto and video but z9 is better than z8 for filmers as it does not overheat as fast as z8 even tough it has the same specs. In the end you get what you pay for.

[@HamerReviews]

You do indeed, mind you, after shooting well over 80 hours of video on the Z8 overheating hasn’t stopped a recording yet 🙂

[@bobvh3505]

Z8 no mechanical shutter=banding with HSS.

[@HamerReviews]

@@bobvh3505 haven’t had any issues with my SB5000’s or LEDs and banding and I’ve done quite a few portrait sessions…

[@bobvh3505]

@@HamerReviews I use the good AD 600. With Z6III no problems in HSS 👍🏻

[@HamerReviews]

@@bobvh3505 hmm I’d check your settings to be honest as honestly haven’t had any issues in HSS with the Z8 - works as well as my Z6II

[@Lucas-vj8rr]

My Nikon has horrible banding during concerts Nikon z8

[@HamerReviews]

Have you switched on anti flicker? LED lights can wreak havoc if you get the shutter speed harmonized with the LED lights - it’s worth experimenting at each venue to get it right

[@nevvanclarke9225]

With only 1 k price difference ...YOU'RE a fool if you buy Z6iii....that's dumb 🤣...

[@Mixer000999]

@@nevvanclarke9225 Really? For me as a hobbyist the price difference is huge and it is not the only thing to consider when choosing a camera. For travel even Z6III is questionable size-wise and Z8 is not suitable at all. People like me need one camera that fits all photography needs: wildlife, travel, sport, family. And IMHO Z6iii fits better than Z8.

[@nevvanclarke9225]

@@Mixer000999 if you're a hobbyist, then I would probably not even look at the tree. I'd probably get a good secondhand used two and save the money and get a good lens.Or Z72

[@HamerReviews]

Not sure I quite agree, the Z7II / Z6II aren’t as strong for wildlife photography and the like. Id actually strongly suggest the Z50II - amazing value and I’ve got a video on it soon. I think the Z6III has its place and now is decent value. But I wouldn’t want to trade it for my Z8 now

[@nevvanclarke9225]

@@HamerReviews I don't we believe we need 25 frames a second dish shoot wildlife used to shoot wildlife. 110 frames a second and to be honest it will make you a better photographer. Also the extra megapixels on the Z72 series will come in handy for cropping, it's learning how the birds move. That's more important than the camera.

[@HamerReviews]

@ not quite sure I agree - I guess I get the best of both worlds on the Z8 but for tracking moving objects the Z8 is phenomenal. I love my Z6II and enjoy using it, but its tracking isn’t anywhere near as good. It’s why I think the Z50II will appeal to many. But I see your point re megapixels - ironically the DX crop gives you the same res as the Z50/Z50II