Nikon Z8 first impressions

[Andrew Reid]

🤯

So some early doors impressions of the Nikon...

It's been out a while so I won't get into the specs again.

The overwhelming impression is that Nikon are mad bastards.

It's as if they have taken the Z9 and gone... right let's make this better and reduce price by a lot.

Everything about it I prefer to the Z9. The price, the size, the newer features and firmware updates since launch which I am discovering for first time since I sold my Z9 a couple of years back.

Size wise, it's barely larger than my EOS R5. Weight is impressive given the slightly oversized body vs the Sony cameras.

It feels chonky but light at same time which is a nice feeling.

I am reminded how well the Nikon Z mount filter stack works at fast apertures.

The manual glass I have like the Voigtlander 40mm F1.2 VM is like a different lens on the Z8 compared to the EOS R5 and Sony a7 IV.

The glowing edges are gone at F1.2 and less fringing too.

F1.2 looks almost as good as F2!

I have gone deep into the menus and decided that there's absolutely nothing missing. The different levels of compression for both RAW stills AND RAW video is refreshing especially coming from Panasonic where's there's only ProRes RAW with very large file sizes or uncompressed Cinema DNG on the Sigma Fp-L. Nikon with the RED patent clearly will lead the RAW video codec race for perhaps the next 10 years or more.

I want to do a comparison in 4K (where you can toggle between pixel binning / oversampling!) between the higher bitrate N-RAW and 700Mbit/s smaller file size N-RAW. Of course ProRes RAW is also in there.

No mechanical shutter doesn't seem to be a problem so far and you can make it do a cute beep when taking a shot instead of a tacky fake shutter sound.

Rather a quiet or optionally silent stills camera than one with a loud average shutter clack... although I will one day miss the 'feel' of a quiet mechanical shutter with a satisfying heft. X-H1, Leica SL2, GFX 100, to name a few.

There are still a few mechanical sounds coming from the Z8. And one of them is actually quite annoying... It parks / locks the IBIS mechanism to save power / protect the camera every time you enter the main menu. It parks it with quite a loud clank and unlocks with a similar clank when it activates again. Wish there was a way to turn that off without disabling VR. The only other mechanical part is the sensor protection curtain which comes down at power-off, but you can choose whether to have that off or not.

The EVF is enormous. In optical terms the best I've ever used. In resolution terms, perhaps not the absolute most detailed but right up there. Can you use it for manual focus at F1.2 without peaking? Absolutely. There's not this feeling you are looking through a tunnel. It's smooth, high contrast, a big FOV flat with no distortion.

The rolling shutter appears to be a complete non-issue and there's no crop whatsoever in 4K/120p. Not tried the 8K/60 yet. I have a few 512GB CFexpress cards to test. Got a feeling I might need to go bigger.

I am glad I resisted the tempting Nikon Zf.

Only thing I am unsure about is whether the Z8 shares the same level of locked-down IBIS performance in video mode as the Zf, as that was quite incredible.

Also tested the Nikon 28-200mm travel zoom which has been reduced recently to around 650 euros.

I am surprised how small it is and how light. Sure, it's slow at f4-6.3 but it seems pretty sharp and nifty as a shot getter.

The 28-75mm F2.8 Nikon Z is also incredibly small and light for a bright zoom.

Not tried the Sigma ART E-mount range yet via the Megadap adapter but those are next up.

[Andrew Reid]

Ah, if you toggle Silent Mode it doesn't keep parking and unparking the IBIS when entering and exiting the menus. Much nicer.

It does still do so when cycling the power.

[Emanuel]

I can't wait to know your findings on 8K60p... and that overheating plague. Some people hint it's all about the cards, so I hope you will find what works best :- )

[Andrew Reid]

Yeah I have heard it doesn't like the hand grenade cards.

Which is understandable.

Personal opinion:

8K is a cinema thing and 60p is video/TV.

So not too bothered about the 8K/60p.

8K/24p I will definitely be using.

[ND64]

Try 40mm f/2. Incredible price performance.

Apparently in new firmware you can have separate banks for still and video. Also digital zoom is now available in DX too.

 

[MrSMW]

I have the 40mm f2 on my Zf and it’s a perfect match.

Toyed with all kinds of options but nothing so far beats it for me.

But re. the Z8, it was a VERY close call for me choosing the A7RV over it and what won it for Sony was:

Cheaper ‘like new’ used

Smaller & lighter

Bigger sensor

Mech shutter

Best rear LCD on any camera

Native relatively compact Tamron lenses…because there is some distortion adapted with the Megadap.

But I do like the chunk and the build of the Z8 and am so glad I did not buy your Z9 in the end Andrew because I think the size & weight would have become an issue quite quickly. And I work out 🦾

Not a lot between the Z8, S1Rii, R5ii or A7RV and I’d be happy with any of them…except RF glass is still somewhat limited and pricey so the least fave option.

A pair of Z8’s with adapted Sigma f2 primes could be a very nice option though…

[Davide DB]

5 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Yeah I have heard it doesn't like the hand grenade cards.

Which is understandable.

Personal opinion:

8K is a cinema thing and 60p is video/TV.

So not too bothered about the 8K/60p.

8K/24p I will definitely be using.

Whan you can, would you mind to share a couple of raw clips shot by you so I can see how they its on my workflow?

[Django]

I’m curious how you find the grading workflow and latitude, especially compared to R5 log & RAW. I had trouble getting the log exposure right..

Check out the new RED luts, especially the technical one. 
 

By the way, latest Z9 update brings some cool stuff including shutter angle options. That should trickle down to Z8 pretty soon imo.
 

[Andrew Reid]

2 hours ago, Davide DB said:

Whan you can, would you mind to share a couple of raw clips shot by you so I can see how they its on my workflow?

This is the plan.

I have shot some various formats today around the Tiergarten in Berlin... Most cinematic duck shot ever.

Will upload later to a Google drive folder.

I am very happy with it so far. There are a few quirks, nothing major. Finding myself nailing manual focus on the Voigtlander 40mm at F1.2. So the slightly lower-resolution EVF vs Z9 might actually help, as it has a bit of aliasing on the focus plane.

The main LCD is sharp as tack. Mega detailed and bright.

Small thing but you can't assign movie recording to the movie recording button.

Better explain further...

In stills mode the movie recording button acts as a func. button, none of the functions are to start/stop movie recordings in stills mode.

So it's a good job it has that quick to reach stills/movie lever isn't it?

Size is fine. Weight is barely any different to the Sony a1.

I actually prefer the ergonomics especially in cold weather with gloves.

Incidentally the a1 itself popped up later in the day on same shelf I picked Z8 from yesterday.

For a good price too.

It's a bit smaller, but it feels just that little bit more dated compared to the Z8 with just a little bit less charm. Still a damn good choice for under $4000 though.

[Andrew Reid]

I asked Foto Meyer if they had any S1R II as well.

Apparently they sold out within days, but it's not clear whether this initial shipment was 3 units or 300.

So will have to wait a bit longer to try one.

By the way I did notice again how soft the Leica M mount lenses inc. Voigtlander were on the Sony at fast apertures vs the Nikon Z8.

[Andrew Reid]

4 hours ago, MrSMW said:

I have the 40mm f2 on my Zf and it’s a perfect match.

Toyed with all kinds of options but nothing so far beats it for me.

But re. the Z8, it was a VERY close call for me choosing the A7RV over it and what won it for Sony was:

Cheaper ‘like new’ used

Smaller & lighter

Bigger sensor

Mech shutter

Best rear LCD on any camera

Native relatively compact Tamron lenses…because there is some distortion adapted with the Megadap.

But I do like the chunk and the build of the Z8 and am so glad I did not buy your Z9 in the end Andrew because I think the size & weight would have become an issue quite quickly. And I work out 🦾

Not a lot between the Z8, S1Rii, R5ii or A7RV and I’d be happy with any of them…except RF glass is still somewhat limited and pricey so the least fave option.

A pair of Z8’s with adapted Sigma f2 primes could be a very nice option though…

The 40mm F2 is on my list, it's dead cheap.

Tamron not so much as the Nikon 28-75mm f2.8 exists

Does it not transfer the E-mount geometry metadata via the adapter? I thought it did. Will have to try that.

A7R V is about the same price as Z8 used at the mo.

It's more of a stills camera in my view. Whereas Z8 is a hybrid, with lots of speeeeed.

If the a7r V just had a faster sensor it would tick a lot of boxes and beat the a1.

But then it would beat the a1 and Sony would not allow that.

So the a7r series might forever remain quite slow, and I dare say they will increase the pixel count again with the next one... 100mp anyone?

Certainly a place for that but it doesn't make for speeeeeeeeeed.

[ND64]

A comparison between Resolve and redcinex in handling of nraw would be great. Resolve has blue channel clipping issue, tho there are some half solutions for that, and redcinex support is still beta and has a bug as shows color noise in clipped highlights. 

[Andrew Reid]

Looks good

https://digitalproduction.com/2025/02/10/redcine-x-beta-embraces-nikon-n-raw/

[Andrew Reid]

8 hours ago, ND64 said:

Try 40mm f/2. Incredible price performance.

Apparently in new firmware you can have separate banks for still and video. Also digital zoom is now available in DX too.

Since I had the Z9, Nikon seems to have been on a firmware update rampage.

This is just for the Z8...

■ Still Photography

• Added [Pixel shift shooting] to the photo shooting menu.

• Added new picture controls.

• Added [Birds] to [AF subject detection options] in the photo shooting menu.

• The maximum shooting display zoom ratio is now 400%.

• Added [Auto capture] to the photo shooting menu. Users can select capture criteria from [Motion] (the direction the subject is moving), [Distance] (how far the subject is from the camera), and [Subject detection] (whether or not a subject of a given type is detected).

• The length of time the camera will continue to buffer frames before cancelling shooting during the Pre-Release Capture phase of high-speed frame capture + has been increased from 30 to 300 seconds.

• Added [Large] to the size options available for [Secondary slot function] > [JPEG primary - JPEG secondary] in the photo shooting menu.

• Added new bracketing increments for use during auto bracketing with [AE & flash bracketing], [AE bracketing], or [Flash bracketing] selected for [Auto bracketing set]. This change also applies to [Interval timer shooting] > [Options] > [AE bracketing] > [Increment].

■ Video Recording

• Added new picture controls.

• Added [Birds] to [AF subject detection options] in the video recording menu.

• The maximum shooting display zoom ratio is now 400%.

• Added [Auto capture] to the video recording menu. Users can select capture criteria from [Motion] (the direction the subject is moving), [Distance] (how far the subject is from the camera), and [Subject detection] (whether or not a subject of a given type is detected).

• Added low ISO sensitivity options to [ISO sensitivity settings] > [ISO sensitivity (mode M)] for use during N-Log video recording.

• Changed the range of speeds available for Hi-Res Zoom.

• The color of the in-focus AF-area brackets shown on the shooting display when Hi-Res Zoom is enabled has been changed.

• Hi-Res Zoom operations can now be performed using the sub-selector.

• Added slow-motion video recording.

■ Playback

• Added [Playback speed] in the video playback “i” menu.

• Added [Auto image rotation] in the playback menu.

• Added [Auto series playback options] to [Series playback] in the playback menu.

• Made changes to the [Select for upload to computer] and [Select for upload (FTP)] items in the playback “i” menu and added [Select for priority upload to computer] and [Select for priority upload (FTP)].

■ Controls

• Added [Half-press to cancel zoom (MF)] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in positions d18 and g17.

• Added [Focus point border width] to a11 [Focus point display] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].

• Changes have been made to how a full format is performed with [Format memory card] in the [SETUP MENU].

• White balance and exposure compensation can now be adjusted while recalling the shooting function settings.

• Added support for the power zoom feature on power zoom lenses.

• Added an [Exposure delay mode] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position d6.

• Added to the custom controls and roles assignable via the following items in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU]. New reset options have also been added.

- f2[Custom controls (shooting)]

- f3[Custom controls (playback)]

- g2[Custom controls]

   Choose [Prefer focus point] or [Prefer focus point (face priority)] for f3 [Custom controls (playback)] > [Main command dial] or [Sub-command dial] > [Frame advance zoom position].
The settings for f3 [Custom controls (playback)] > [Main command dial] or [Sub-command dial] > [Frame advance] can now be applied during playback zoom.

• Made updates to [Non-CPU lens data] in the [SETUP MENU].

• Increased the character limit from 3 to 256 for “Category” entries in IPTC presets.

• Restructured the [Camera sounds] item in the [SETUP MENU] with the addition of new options, including new sounds and volume level adjustment for the electronic shutter.

■ Displays

• Added focus-distance information to the focus distance indicator displayed during manual focus.

• The option selected for [Viewfinder display size] (formerly [Finder display size (photo Lv)]) in the [SETUP MENU] now also applies in video and playback modes.

■ Network (Also NX Field)

• A warning now appears when the connection to an ATOMOS AirGlu BT accessory is unstable or disrupted.

• ATOMOS AirGlu BT accessories and MC-N10 remote grips can now be used together.

• Made changes and additions to the [Connect to FTP server] item in the [NETWORK MENU].

• Changed the procedure used when configuring the camera for synchronized release, increasing to twenty the number of groups that can be created, while the number of cameras in each group that can be controlled from the master camera has been increased to sixteen.

• Added [Overwrite copyright info] under [Connect to other cameras] in the [NETWORK MENU].

■ App-Related Changes

With NX MobileAir:

• the camera live view display for photo mode now shows NX MobileAir status, and

• camera settings saved to a memory card using [Save/load menu settings] can now be downloaded to the smart device or copied from the smart device to the camera memory card using NX MobileAir.

■ Other Changes

• The time the shooting display goes dark after shutter is released when [ON] is selected for [Photo flicker reduction] in the [PHOTO SHOOTING MENU] has become shorter.

• Improved the accuracy of [3D-tracking] for small, fast-moving subjects when [Auto], [People], [Animal], or [Vehicle] is chosen for [AF subject detection options] and no subject of the selected type is detected.

• Improved focus lock-on with flicker detection in low-speed continuous release mode.

• Made other improvements to the autofocus operation and its reliability.

• Fixed an issue that sometimes resulted in the viewfinder darkening during playback when [Auto] was selected for [Viewfinder brightness].

• It is now easier to obtain the correct exposure from the first shot during interval-timer photography in high-contrast settings or settings dark enough for starlight view.

• The histogram display is no longer available when starlight view is enabled.

• Changed the video low-capacity warning so that it is now displayed in white on a red background when there is less than one minute remaining. The warning is now also displayed when recording is not in progress.

• Users now have more precise control when scrolling through videos during playback using the progress bar.

• When [AF-area mode] is set to [3D-tracking] and the human subject is large relative to the frame and multiple eyes are detected near the tracking focus point, the camera will assign priority for focusing to the eye closer to the point.

• The RGB histogram is now easier to view when [Mode 1] or [Mode 2] is selected for d11 [Warm display colors] in [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].

• Fixed the following issues:

- Photos taken with interval-timer photography could sometimes be underexposed.

- Flash may not sometimes fire during focus shift.

- The focus position unintentionally returned to the position saved using [Save focus position] if standby timer was expired while power was supplied via USB and a WR-R10 was attached.

- Optimal exposure could sometimes not achieved in burst or focus shift shooting.

- Pressing the AF-ON button immediately ended playback when [Playback] was assigned to [AF-ON button] and [Prioritize viewfinder (2)] was selected for monitor mode.

- Shutter release was sometimes disabled when “Bulb” was selected for shutter speed.

- Focus point selection using the multi selector and sub-selector was unavailable if a touch operation was performed using [Position focus point] when [3D-tracking] was selected for AF-area mode.

- Fine-tuning values set in [AF fine-tuning options] in the setup menu did not apply while the subject is detected with [Wide-area AF (S)], [Wide-area AF (L)], [Wide-area AF (C1)], or [Wide-area AF (C2)] selected for [AF-area mode].

- With some lenses, the shutter release was sometimes disabled in burst photography if the lens zoom ring was rotated.

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.00 to 1.01

• Changed the timing of the high-temperature warnings appearing when the camera’s internal temperature increases mainly during video recording.

• Changed the position where the memory card high-temperature warning is displayed in video mode.

• Fixed the following issues:

- The battery would draw down more quickly while the camera was off if [ON] was selected for [Connect to smart device] > [Wi-Fi connection] in the [NETWORK MENU] even if [OFF] was selected for both [Bluetooth connection] and [Upload while off].

- Focus could still be adjusted using the focus ring when [Disable] was selected for a15 [Manual focus ring in AF mode] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] if an option other than [Non-linear] was chosen for f9 [Focus ring rotation range] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].

[mechanicalEYE]

5 hours ago, Django said:

I’m curious how you find the grading workflow and latitude, especially compared to R5 log & RAW. I had trouble getting the log exposure right..

Check out the new RED luts, especially the technical one. 
 

By the way, latest Z9 update brings some cool stuff including shutter angle options. That should trickle down to Z8 pretty soon imo.
 

The Z8, and Z6 III just got firmware updates a week or so ago for shutter angle.

[ND64]

With all the firmware updates its different camera than what it was at release date

[Emanuel]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Yeah I have heard it doesn't like the hand grenade cards.

Which is understandable.

Personal opinion:

8K is a cinema thing and 60p is video/TV.

So not too bothered about the 8K/60p.

8K/24p I will definitely be using.

Yes, in fact. 8K60p for slowmo anyway, it's not 120fps but does the trick. I find AcePro 8K an insane outcome bang for the buck. Yet speechless when stills come from video like shot elsewhere...

[Emanuel]

1 hour ago, ND64 said:

With all the firmware updates its different camera than what it was at release date

Tell us more if you have one, please :- )

[Emanuel]

2 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Looks good

https://digitalproduction.com/2025/02/10/redcine-x-beta-embraces-nikon-n-raw/

I think this association between Nikon and RED is yet to stand corrected how much underrated still is so far ;- )

[Emanuel]

5 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

The 40mm F2 is on my list, it's dead cheap.

Tamron not so much as the Nikon 28-75mm f2.8 exists

Does it not transfer the E-mount geometry metadata via the adapter? I thought it did. Will have to try that.

A7R V is about the same price as Z8 used at the mo.

It's more of a stills camera in my view. Whereas Z8 is a hybrid, with lots of speeeeed.

If the a7r V just had a faster sensor it would tick a lot of boxes and beat the a1.

But then it would beat the a1 and Sony would not allow that.

So the a7r series might forever remain quite slow, and I dare say they will increase the pixel count again with the next one... 100mp anyone?

Certainly a place for that but it doesn't make for speeeeeeeeeed.

Any chance to test the recent Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 coupled with the respective E-mount adapter? Looks like a promising combo if AF works as people report...