Nikon is arguably the world’s most well-known digital camera model, however with the decline of DSLRs it has lagged behind Canon and Sony. In 2022, it launched the Z9, a flagship mirrorless digital camera that would lastly maintain its personal towards rivals, however the $5,500 price ticket put it out of attain for many. To attraction to a wider viewers, Nikon unveiled the Z8 final yr with the identical sensor and practically the identical specs because the Z9 for $1,700 much less.
With a 45-megapixel stacked sensor and the most recent Expeed 7 picture processor, the Z8 can do every thing from sports activities to wildlife to scenic images. It is also a robust video digital camera, providing 8K RAW inner seize at as much as 60 fps.
The one different mannequin that may actually examine by way of velocity, decision and video is the Sony A1, but it surely prices a whopping $2,200 extra. To learn how the Z8 stacks up towards that mannequin and others, I rented a Z8 and shot with it round Vancouver, Canada with my photographer cousin.
Physique and dealing with
Design-wise, you’ll be able to consider the Z8 because the Z9 with the battery grip chopped off. It is nonetheless a chunky digital camera at 910 grams (2 kilos), although, in comparison with 737 grams for the Sony A1. That may go well with professionals or those that like a bigger digital camera physique, however the dimension and weight aren’t excellent for journey. By the way in which, a $346 battery grip (the MB-N12) with secondary controls is accessible for the Z8, successfully remodeling it right into a Z9 for much much less cash.
The Z8 has a pleasant huge grip and all of the controls you’d count on, together with a joystick, D-Pad fashion menu management, change for digital camera/video settings and entrance and rear dials. Nikon customers will benefit from the format because it’s largely just like previous fashions, however every thing is simply totally different sufficient that it could really feel awkward for customers coming from different manufacturers.
In contrast to the A1, the Z8 encompasses a show on prime that reveals key settings like shutter, aperture and battery life. Though it takes up house that may very well be utilized by buttons or dials, it is a useful option to see every thing at a look and I miss it now on fashions that do not have it. When you do should dive into the menus, they take a little bit of getting used to, however work nicely when you’re over the educational curve.
One of many key unfavourable factors is the shortage of a completely articulating show. As a substitute, the rear 3.2-inch 2.36-million dot display screen solely tilts up and down and to the left or proper. That is too dangerous, as a result of the Z8 may very well be a robust vlogging digital camera and a flip-out show is should for that sort of labor (particularly because it makes solo capturing simpler).
The three.69 million-dot digital viewfinder is a bit low-res for a digital camera on this value vary, particularly in comparison with the 9.4 million-dot show on the Sony A1. Even Canon’s cheaper R5 has a 5.76 million dot show that makes it considerably simpler to test focus.
Battery life is on the weak facet at 420 photographs (one to 2 hours of video capturing relying on decision), in comparison with 490 photographs for the Canon R5 and 530 for the A1, in accordance with CIPA rankings. Once more, although, you’ll be able to practically double that with the battery grip. Different notable options embrace UHS-II and CFexpress B reminiscence card slots, a full-sized HDMI port for exterior seize, in addition to two separate USB-C ports for energy supply and information.
Efficiency
With the quickest high-resolution stacked sensor on the market, the Z8 is unbelievably fast for a 45-megapixel digital camera. You may shoot RAW photographs at 20 fps, a bit slower than the A1’s 30 fps RAW functionality, however the Z8 can shoot 30 fps in JPEG mode. It might probably deal with 40 uncompressed RAW frames earlier than the buffer fills, however can retailer extra compressed pictures in case you have a quick CFexpress card.
The hybrid phase-detect autofocus is Nikon’s finest to this point because of the upgraded picture processor, stacked sensor and large variety of AF monitoring factors. It affords dependable topic monitoring, and the face, eye and animal detection is quick and correct as nicely. In reality, the corporate has mentioned it is practically an identical to the far dearer Z9 as of the most recent firmware.
That mentioned, the Z8’s AF isn’t fairly as reliable as Sony’s A1 when capturing on the highest speeds. It often had hassle monitoring topics, particularly these transferring towards the digital camera, leading to some out-of-focus photographs. The Z8 (and Z9) is kind of delicate to setup, so it is best to fine-tune the AF settings till it really works the way in which you need.
There’s no mechanical shutter, however the Z8’s sensor is quick sufficient that rolling shutter isn’t a difficulty, even on fast-moving objects like airplane propellers. The 5-axis in-body stabilization reduces shake by six stops, sufficient to get sharp photographs all the way down to 1 / 4 second or so. That’s superior to the A1, however falls means wanting the EOS R5’s 8 stops.
Picture high quality
The Z8 has the identical glorious sensor because the Z9, so after all picture high quality is an identical in all respects. With 45.7 megapixels on faucet, it delivers sharp photographs on par with the 50-megapixel A1 and second solely to Sony’s 60 MP A7R V within the full-frame realm. Dynamic vary can also be excellent, arguably a contact higher than the A1.
JPEG pictures are brilliant and punchy straight out of the digital camera, with one of the best outcomes by way of colours from the Pure Gentle Auto white stability setting. Colours are correct, although skin-tones aren’t fairly as heat as Canon’s R3 or R5.
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In the meantime, the 14-bit RAW pictures maintain loads of element that may be teased out in Lightroom or ON1, notably within the highlights. Just like the Z9, the Z8 now not has an “uncompressed” possibility, however now affords “lossless compression” and two high-efficiency lossy modes. I usually used the RAW setting with the very best compression, as a result of it is tremendous environment friendly and admittedly, I can not see any distinction between that and lossless compressed RAW.
The Z8 performs fairly nicely in low-light, too. Grain is well-controlled as much as about ISO 6400, and photographs are usable at ISO 12800. Past that, noise can turn into distracting. That strains up with Canon’s R5, however Sony’s A1 performs a bit higher in dim lighting.
Video
The Z8’s video specs are fairly mind-blowing for a non-cinema digital camera and exceed the A1’s capabilities. You may shoot RAW video at as much as 8K 60p in Nikon’s 12-bit N-RAW or 8K 30p with 12-bit ProRes RAW HQ internally, to CFexpress playing cards solely, after all. It additionally captures 4K video oversampled from the complete width of the sensor at as much as 60p, and full-width 4K as much as 120p — once more, all in RAW.
It is price noting that Nikon lately bought RED cameras, so it now owns the RED RAW video patent that stymied so many different firms, together with Apple. It will be attention-grabbing to see if Nikon loosens up that enforcement, and if the acquisition impacts the tech in its personal future fashions.
As with photographs, video autofocus is quick and dependable, whereas doing job monitoring topics, faces and animals. It might probably deal with difficult conditions like topics transferring towards the digital camera, although once more, not fairly in addition to the A1.
8K and 4K oversampled video is extraordinarily sharp. Colours are correct, however once more, pores and skin tones aren’t fairly as fairly as on Canon’s newest fashions. Dynamic vary is top-notch, notably within the ISO 400-800 stage in ProRes mode, making it straightforward to regulate shadows and highlights in publish. When you love capturing ProRes footage, remember to get some high-capacity CFexpress playing cards, as a result of the information can get big.
One space the place the Z9 bests the Z8 in video is with thermal efficiency, because the Z9’s bigger physique permits for 125 minutes of 8K 60p recording in comparison with 90 for the Z8 earlier than overheating. There are only a few content material creators that might want to constantly shoot 8K video for that lengthy, nevertheless.
Wrap-up
Nikon’s Z8 is a particularly succesful digital camera and reveals that the corporate ought to supply as a lot velocity and energy as attainable if it needs to catch as much as Canon and Sony. For a lot of hybrid shooters, the Z8 is a greater possibility than Sony’s A1, notably in terms of video.
Whereas it does out-spec the Sony in various areas, the Z8’s autofocus isn’t fairly nearly as good — and that is arguably a very powerful characteristic on any digital camera. Shooters who require a mechanical shutter (for flash images, and so on.) can even have to look elsewhere. One other 8K-capable full-frame mirrorless mannequin is Canon’s R5 that falls wanting each fashions in lots of regards, however is cheaper at $3,200.
A call to purchase this digital camera is perhaps based mostly on what system and lenses you’re already into. Nonetheless, if I used to be ranging from scratch, I’d go for the Z8 over Sony’s A1, as you get the digital camera plus an excellent lens for a similar amount of cash.
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