Nikon is arguably the world’s most well-known digicam model, however with the decline of DSLRs it has lagged behind Canon and Sony. In 2022, it released the Z9, a flagship mirrorless digicam 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 last year with the identical sensor and almost 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 all the pieces from sports activities to wildlife to scenic pictures. It is also a strong video digicam, providing 8K RAW inner seize at as much as 60 fps.
The one different mannequin that may actually examine when it comes to velocity, decision and video is the Sony A1, but it surely prices a whopping $2,200 extra. To learn the way 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 possibly can consider the Z8 because the Z9 with the battery grip chopped off. It is nonetheless a chunky digicam at 910 grams (2 kilos), although, in comparison with 737 grams for the Sony A1. That may swimsuit professionals or those that like a bigger digicam physique, however the dimension and weight aren’t ultimate for journey. By the way in which, a $346 battery grip (the MB-N12) with secondary controls is out there for the Z8, successfully reworking it right into a Z9 for a lot much less cash.
The Z8 has a pleasant huge grip and all of the controls you’d anticipate, together with a joystick, D-Pad fashion menu management, swap for digicam/video settings and entrance and rear dials. Nikon customers will benefit from the structure because it’s largely much like previous fashions, however all the pieces is simply totally different sufficient that it could really feel awkward for customers coming from different manufacturers.
In contrast to the A1, the Z8 contains a show on prime that exhibits key settings like shutter, aperture and battery life. Though it takes up house that could possibly be utilized by buttons or dials, it is a useful technique to see all the pieces at a look and I miss it now on fashions that do not have it. When you do need to dive into the menus, they take a little bit of getting used to, however work properly when you’re over the educational curve.
One of many key destructive factors is the shortage of a totally articulating show. As a substitute, the rear 3.2-inch 2.36-million dot display solely tilts up and down and to the left or proper. That is too unhealthy, as a result of the Z8 could possibly be a strong vlogging digicam and a flip-out show is should for that sort of labor (particularly because it makes solo taking pictures simpler).
The three.69 million-dot digital viewfinder is a bit low-res for a digicam on this worth 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 verify focus.
Battery life is on the weak facet at 420 photographs (one to 2 hours of video taking pictures relying on decision), in comparison with 490 photographs for the Canon R5 and 530 for the A1, in keeping with CIPA scores. Once more, although, you possibly can almost double that with the battery grip. Different notable options embody 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 knowledge.
Efficiency
With the quickest high-resolution stacked sensor on the market, the Z8 is unbelievably fast for a 45-megapixel digicam. You possibly can shoot RAW pictures 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 could deal with 40 uncompressed RAW frames earlier than the buffer fills, however can retailer extra compressed photographs when you’ve got a quick CFexpress card.
The hybrid phase-detect autofocus is Nikon’s greatest thus far because of the upgraded picture processor, stacked sensor and big variety of AF monitoring factors. It affords dependable topic monitoring, and the face, eye and animal detection is quick and correct as properly. Actually, the corporate has mentioned it is almost equivalent to the far costlier Z9 as of the most recent firmware.
That mentioned, the Z8’s AF isn’t fairly as reliable as Sony’s A1 when taking pictures on the highest speeds. It sometimes had bother monitoring topics, specifically these shifting towards the digicam, 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 pictures right down to 1 / 4 second or so. That’s superior to the A1, however falls method 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 equivalent in all respects. With 45.7 megapixels on faucet, it delivers sharp pictures 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 photographs are vivid and punchy straight out of the digicam, with the most effective outcomes when it comes to 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 photographs maintain loads of element that may be teased out in Lightroom or ON1, notably within the highlights. Just like the Z9, the Z8 not has an “uncompressed” possibility, however now affords “lossless compression” and two high-efficiency lossy modes. I sometimes used the RAW setting with the best compression, as a result of it is tremendous environment friendly and albeit, I am unable to see any distinction between that and lossless compressed RAW.
The Z8 performs fairly properly 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 change 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 digicam and exceed the A1’s capabilities. You possibly can 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 pictures, video autofocus is quick and dependable, whereas doing a superb job monitoring topics, faces and animals. It could deal with difficult conditions like topics shifting towards the digicam, 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 degree in ProRes mode, making it straightforward to regulate shadows and highlights in put up. When you love taking pictures ProRes footage, make sure you get some high-capacity CFexpress playing cards, as a result of the recordsdata can get large.
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 repeatedly shoot 8K video for that lengthy, nevertheless.
Wrap-up
Nikon’s Z8 is a particularly succesful digicam and exhibits that the corporate ought to provide as a lot velocity and energy as doable 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 the case of video.
Whereas it does out-spec the Sony in numerous areas, the Z8’s autofocus isn’t fairly nearly as good — and that is arguably an important function on any digicam. Shooters who require a mechanical shutter (for flash pictures, and so on.) may also 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 digicam may be 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 digicam plus an excellent lens for a similar sum of money.
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