New Nikon Camera coming…Z8?

[Emanuel]

Still on overheating issues, looks like they recommend an external battery for long period recordings:

I wonder on that performance versus R5C though...

[Emanuel]

On 4/28/2023 at 9:14 AM, hyalinejim said:

In this situation what do you do for shutter speed? Or is the video likely to be 50p so 1/100 which would be ok for stills? I've found 1/50 needs a static subject to extract decent stills.

I guess you've added the answer into your own post ; ) For some reason 8K50/60p either on R5C or now with Nikon's is something to not ignore : ) You cannot call it a hybrid unless you have finally a hybrid, isn't it? ;- )

[Emanuel]

Interesting full article from those usual guys... with endless customary technical stuff about the new coming kid on the block:

https://www.newsshooter.com/2023/05/10/nikon-z8-announced/

[Emanuel]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, Django said:

Maybe you can, the Z8 has two USB-C ports..

Looks like according to the info from the link above-posted, you cannot if the 2nd one is restricted only to provide power.

[Emanuel]

More overheating tests (this time versus Z9).

[Emanuel]

I've actually been wondering on how much we can workaround and circumvent the overheating hassle with something like this:

https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-CS-305-CFexpress-Type-B-to-SSD-Convertor-Card-Reader-Adapter-XQD-CFE-CFX-Replacer-Substitute-Nikon-Z6-Z7-D5-D6-D850-D500-PANASONIC-DC-S1-S1R-Canon-EOS-1DX-MarkIII-R5-C500-MarkII-p779221.html

Let alone set it with a more convenient temperature cutout from (auto) standard to high:

source

[Django]

Gerald just posted a thorough Z8 review with a lot of overheat results among other things.

He reveals some mega aggressive NR and very strange artefacts using the h265 codec in 4K.

Apparently there is a new V2 LUT for N-log with a smoother curve.

This camera does tick many boxes for me and there is something about the IQ I find lovely.

But its true that considering you can now find Z9's for maybe 300€ more, that take care of the battery life and overheat issues.. I don't see much of a reason to go for the Z8 if I was going down that path!

[BTM_Pix]

4 hours ago, Emanuel said:

I've actually been wondering on how much we can workaround and circumvent the overheating hassle with something like this:

https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-CS-305-CFexpress-Type-B-to-SSD-Convertor-Card-Reader-Adapter-XQD-CFE-CFX-Replacer-Substitute-Nikon-Z6-Z7-D5-D6-D850-D500-PANASONIC-DC-S1-S1R-Canon-EOS-1DX-MarkIII-R5-C500-MarkII-p779221.html

As a lot of it seems to be related to the heat in the card then it could well mitigate it but it would need confirming.

On a more general note though, that kit does offer a good option when shooting a lot of content as the cost of say a 1TB drive to go with it is at least half the price of the equivalent CF card.

1 hour ago, Django said:

But its true that considering you can now find Z9's for maybe 300€ more, that take care of the battery life and overheat issues.. I don't see much of a reason to go for the Z8 if I was going down that path!

I've just done the sums and a brand new Z9 will cost me around £400 more than a Z8 with the grip and two additional batteries.

For a used Z9 it will probably be almost even.

I like the modularity aspect of going the Z8 route, particularly as I can defer the grip until later to see to what extent these issues affect me in actual use, but I'm still leaning towards the Z9 at the moment.

Its just under three weeks now until I'm in a shop and having to make the actual decision though so thats enough time to change my mind at least another five or six times !

[Django]

55 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

I've just done the sums and a brand new Z9 will cost me around £400 more than a Z8 with the grip and two additional batteries.

For a used Z9 it will probably be almost even.

I like the modularity aspect of going the Z8 route, particularly as I can defer the grip until later to see to what extent these issues affect me in actual use, but I'm still leaning towards the Z9 at the moment.

Its just under three weeks now until I'm in a shop and having to make the actual decision though so thats enough time to change my mind at least another five or six times !

That's what I'm saying the price is so similar that I'd much rather lean towards a Z9. Yes modularity is one thing, but as you pointed out earlier once you do attach the grip the Z8 becomes bulkier (and uglier) than the Z9:

..and considering the very average battery life, you'd probably have the grip on most of the time anyways.

The Z8 sensor dust cover is nice though. 

[BTM_Pix]

2 hours ago, Django said:

Yes modularity is one thing, but as you pointed out earlier once you do attach the grip the Z8 becomes bulkier (and uglier) than the Z9

Yeah, that really is a weird one how they've managed to do that.

I'm now weighing up my actual uses in terms of when I would need that extra power though and whether the external PD option wouldn't be more appropriate to me anyway.

My thinking is that the times when I would need that extra power would also align with the the uses that would potentially cause heat issues as well so fully externally powering and not having a battery in it might offer some mitigation to that issue too.

For my usage, the times when I would be doing 8K RAW etc on any serious level wouldn't realistically be me casually wandering about wafting the camera about but be in a more controlled situation so external power doesn't bother me and would actually be more beneficial.

Another issue is media costs.

I'm presuming the RAW and ProRes formats are a no-go when using the SD card option of the Z8 but I'm wondering what the maximum capability is format wise when using them?

Absent of dual recording capability to the two CF cards in the Z9 anyway, the CF/SD combo of the Z8 could actually be of more benefit to me in a lot situations.

So, there we go, its not even the end of the afternoon and I've gone from Z8/Grip/2 batteries to Z9 and now back to Z8 only.

Tune in tomorrow to hear another U turn.

[Emanuel]

5 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

As a lot of it seems to be related to the heat in the card then it could well mitigate it but it would need confirming.

On a more general note though, that kit does offer a good option when shooting a lot of content as the cost of say a 1TB drive to go with it is at least half the price of the equivalent CF card.

Indeed : )  Loved that part you're prone to change your mind "another five or six times", I guess I've already made such part so far in this portion of the road yet! LOL : D

6 hours ago, Django said:

Gerald just posted a thorough Z8 review with a lot of overheat results among other things.

Looks promising anyway.

The 2nd part of the other tests above-posted is just going online here:

I'd still look for more tests exploring all the possible combinations though.

Z8 is a completely different beast than the older sister IMO from its intrinsic modular form factor. Apples to oranges :- )

[MrSMW]

5 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

Its just under three weeks now until I'm in a shop and having to make the actual decision though so thats enough time to change my mind at least another five or six times !

I can do that in a day and not just over models, but entire brands 🤪

Z9 AND Z8 would be my preferred option here. A single body would not cut it for my needs and rocking a pair of Z9’s would be too much, but I’d have concerns over a pair of Z8’s.

Maybe old Pannyboy will announce an S2H before you get to that shop and that might be a curve ball huh?!

I don’t think they will or it would probably hurt S5iix sales and other than The Influenzas, I don’t know if anyone has their preorders yet. No notification regarding mine, but then France…

[Django]

I also can't make my mind up in between multiple camera systems for future consideration.

I was kinda set on Sony: FX30 + A7SIII. or even FX30 + ZV-E1. But there are advantages/disadvantages of multiple bodies.

If I went Nikon it would probably be a single Z9.. just because the price is so close to Z8 but then I'd be very tempted by its direct rival: R3. Better AF, more log options, easier RAW files, no odd H265 quirks.. and of course a lens system I'm already invested in. I can't wait to actually test out a Z8 to see for myself what the fuss is about.

[BTM_Pix]

1 hour ago, MrSMW said:

Maybe old Pannyboy will announce an S2H before you get to that shop and that might be a curve ball huh?!

Yeah, I thought that camera may have appeared by now to throw a bit more doubt into things but I'm now having intrusive thoughts about the Sony a1.

This will be me outside the shop.

[MrSMW]

48 minutes ago, Django said:

I can't wait to actually test out a Z8 to see for myself what the fuss is about.

I was thinking about hopping on a train to Paris to do just that…but then came to the conclusion I’d probably buy one.

Then I’d need to get a Z9 and 3 lenses.

And sell everything I have to fund it and it would still cost me the best part of 10k.

Mid season.

I came to the conclusion it would be utter madness!

Sounds like an R3 would be better for you?!

[Django]

2 hours ago, MrSMW said:

I was thinking about hopping on a train to Paris to do just that…but then came to the conclusion I’d probably buy one.

Then I’d need to get a Z9 and 3 lenses.

And sell everything I have to fund it and it would still cost me the best part of 10k.

Mid season.

I came to the conclusion it would be utter madness!

Sounds like an R3 would be better for you?!

It's tricky, actually Sony is what everyone uses in my media circle. I have an FS7 with some nice E-mount Zeiss glass so one or two Sony bodies would be the logical direction to go. But I find them so boring, so utilitarian. I hate the on-screen display info, hardly any exposure tools, for photography its plain awful compare to CaNikon, terrible ergonomics, no top display or anything. They are small and light though that's a plus, sorta.

CaNikon have the photography DNA with great ergonomics and now very impressive if not better video specs than Sony.

I was a Nikon shooter for many years, still have some vintage Nikkor glass just gathering dust. The new Z lenses look great too with no breathing. And with the latest FW the Z8/Z9 sure has a lot of nice tricks up its sleeve. Like that 2X Hi-Res Zoom which sounds amazing for a prime shooter like myself. WFM. And a whole bunch of recording options from ProRes, RAW, to h265. It's very tempting but I need to see how the camera and files work in real life as it would be quite a big system switch for me too.

So yeah long story short, yes you're right R3 is a more logical choice than Z9 considering my not so extensive but beloved EF-L lenses. But still I wanna try out Z8/Z9, who knows maybe they'll blow me away just like D750 made me switch from Canon 5D almost a decade ago!

[D Verco]

the rear screen is easily one of the best things about the z8. wish every youtuber asking for flip out screens would just fuck off. 

[MrSMW]

1 hour ago, D Verco said:

the rear screen is easily one of the best things about the z8. wish every youtuber asking for flip out screens would just fuck off. 

You and me both. 

It’s my only real gripe with the S5 series and was the deciding factor in me not going back to Fuji XH cameras over the Winter. Had some form of tilt been used, I would have jumped 100%.

The only time I prefer a flip screen is shooting portrait orientation stills because it then aligns with the body.

But the rest of the time; landscape stills and all video, tilted in line with the body!

[Django]

So I'm slowly just realising that I could adapt my EF, E-mount & Leica M glass on a Z system. And obviously F-mount duh. So basically all of the glass I own could be put to use on this one system. That's a huge friggin deal. I'm not yet sure what type of performance I'd get, especially with the EF & E-mount and I hear the FTZ adapter is kinda garbage but yeah that's a big win for Z system as far as I'm concerned..

Oh and yes, tilt screen display is the way!

[MrSMW]

Yes, the Megadap adapter is a genuine game changer IMO, specifically in regard to using Tamron e Mount glass on Nikon.

Specifically, the 20-40mm f2.8 and the 35-150mm f2/2.8.

Hello! The longer lens in the Z9 and it’s smaller buddy on the Z8 and away we go!

OK, I’d switch out the 20-40 to the 28-75 for ceremonies and speeches at weddings, but it’s the only realistic 2 body set up I could contemplate.

100% not this year however! My window to do that expired last week and I’m 100% committed to remaining with L Mount for this year at least.

I’m hoping that old Pannyboy will drop a bombshell with any S1H replacement but even that is not a done deal as there is a very certain spec I would need before there is any further change beyond S5iix as things stand.

6k 60p uncropped internal is basically any future camera for me, or until such time, not happening!