There it is, after all the rumors – the z8.
After many rumors and much speculation Nikon finally released the z8. Some thought it would be a high megapixel body, the way the D8xx series was to the pro DSR’s. Others thought it would be a lower megapixel, fast action camera along the lines of Sony’s a9 series. And then there were those who argued it would be a ‘baby z9’, more or less the same as Nikon’s flagship but without the large battery and the integrated grip. I was with the high megapixels camp, and I was wrong as it turned out to be the ‘baby z9’.
Well, maybe I should point out that there was a fourth group, those who said there wouldn’t be a z8 body. Among them was ‘industry sage’ Thom Hogan. He claimed as late as 4 week before the launch to know what’s happening in Tokyo:
“The real background noise in Tokyo right now concerns two other imminent camera bodies, lenses (both announcements and road map), software, and perhaps a new flash, but not the Z8. “
And:
“Of all these things, the only details I’ve learned seems to suggest that a Z6 III might be one of those two bodies, and that the SnapBridge/Nikon Image Space type software might be getting some attention.”
From:
https://www.zsystemuser.com/nikon-z-system-news-and/whats-coming-next.html
Now, with the z8 launched he comes up with more claims, namely that he knew there were three testbeds out there:
“I want to once again write a bit about the three mule/prototypes that circulated during the last 18 months:
61mp existing Sony sensor.
New Nikon sensor. It might have been 67mp (certainly 60mp+).
45mp existing Nikon sensor.”
I would say this is a bit of a contradiction, from going ‘no z8’ to three testbeds, one with ‘existing 45mp sensor’, but of course he remains vague, not mentioning the z8 moniker in connection with the testbeds. He always does this, so he can deny later on – the ‘I never said that’ approach.
For once he admits he was wrong:
“Back on March 15th I posted that I believed that a Z8 was not Nikon’s next camera announcement. I obviously have been proven wrong.”
That’s all right, but then he goes on finding excuses:
“I’m not sure that most of Nikon outside of Tokyo knew exactly what was going to be launched until fairly recently, let alone those who were given gear to try or test and from which a lot of the rumors originally generated.”
Maybe he should talk to Ricci, who has been testing the z8 for two months, or a good month earlier than his ‘no z8’ claim coming direct from Tokyo.
Of course he got something right, too:
“The part I got right in that earlier article was basically the sequence of announcements that were to come.”
The problem here is that this is very…vague. Again. You always gonna be right that way. “Nikon is going to launch a second body later this year, and it’s going to be a sequence of announcement.” Bingo, I said it – and I’m pretty sure I will be right because there still are several lenses on the road map and Nikon usually launches more than one body per year. The difference is that I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in Tokyo, let alone inside Nikon.
From:
https://www.zsystemuser.com/nikon-z-system-news-and/i-was-wrong.html
Now let’s look at the z8, which magically appeared out of nowhere in the eyes of the industry sage “Buzz Buzz” Hogan – while Nikon Rumors reported about it since last autumn, and was quite firm about it being a smaller, 45mp version of the z9 on the 8th of March, a good two months before the launch.
z8 – the little z9
And that’s exactly what it is. A smaller version of the z9, without the big battery. There are several other changes, like the top-left drive mode dial, the secondary card slot being of the SD type, or the missing fn3 button in the front. However, apart from minor changes, it is very much a grown up z9. Same video, same EVF, same burst rates, same sensor. The only real big difference seems to be battery life, of course.
How about that lil’ battery?
Officially the z9 is rated for 700 images per charge when using the EVF. The z8 is rated at 330 images, or roughly half. But since we all know that one usually gets quite a bit more images than those CIPA ratings, the question arises what does this mean in real use?
My z7 has a rating of 330 images per charge, similar to the z8. If I go on a photo walk downtown, with a full battery, I usually get a out 800-900 images before the indicator drops to red. Then I swap the battery. This involves the camera being out of the bag and switched on at all times. LCD off, shooting single images at times, but short bursts quite often. If the cam is not being used at times it goes into sleep mode. Under those conditions it takes about 4hrs until I get the red low battery warning sign. A second battery somewhere in a pouch or pocket is always enough for such an afternoon walk. Now that would take me out to 8hrs, and if that isn’t enough I would need to tuck another battery into my bag. Easy, those batteries are neither big nor heavy.
For some people is seems a big problem having to change batteries. A non-issue again in my opinion. If you can’t find the few seconds it takes to swap a battery then you probably don’t know your game well enough. If you shoot endless video you can use an external power supply. Again, this should not be an issue for anyone who knows what they are doing.
…and the overheating?
Some overheating has been reported. Need extreme long recording times in highest quality video modes? Then use an external battery source and choose the right memory cards. Nikon Ricci shows that certain cards have the camera overheat, certain don’t. Of course there’s always the bigger sibling, the z9, if you do that kind of work a lot. For most it won’t be an issue ever in real use.
What does it do?
Bottom line is the z8 delivers much of what the z9 does in a smaller format at US$1500 less and is currently the best performing mirrorless hybrid body out there at this price level. It’s quite a bit larger than the z6/7 series, but its ergonomics are very good, you get the same excellent AF system as the z9, and the same viewfinder. Despite it’s lower specs compared to some other cameras out there it is fantastic. Bright and natural, great for the composition of images in a fast changing environment. The z8 is a joy to hold, the viewfinder a joy to use, a great image taking tool.
Is it for me, is it for you?
I prefer the smaller size of the z6/7 series so I will wait for a while and see what will happen there. Depending on what an update will bring to the z6/7 series – perhaps in early/mid 2024? – I will decide which way to go. Z8, a bit too large but otherwise perfect, or z6/7III, whatever those might be. No need to rush, I’m not a professional, plus I get the results I want with my z7 first gen, and it hasn’t stopped working just because the z8 was launched.
If you’re coming for a d800/810/850 then the z8 should tick all your boxes if you want to go mirrorless. It does everything that the dSLR did and more. Of course you might stick with your dSLR, if it still does what you want it to do. Nothing wrong there – even if it ‘does more’ that doesn’t mean you ‘need more’. Perhaps you’re perfectly fine with what you have. However, if you waited for the mirrorless, which ticks all the d800/810/850 boxes, then there it is: the z8.
Of course the z8 won’t be Nikon’s last mirrorless body, and of course their teams are already working on the next projects by now. In fact, some of those projects will be in an advanced state as development and testing is a time consuming process. New options could include an advanced Dx body or a retro Fx body. Furthermore, several bodies are in need of an update. In this sense Nikon z70/90 and z6/7 III are all possible, and some of those – or even all – are certainly already in the works. The question is just what the sequence of the releases will be, and with what kind of technology.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the addition of a new body line would be Nikon’s next step, to be released later this year. An upmarket Dx would be more of a priority than a retro Fx body I think, and it would go great with the 180-600mm telephoto lens on the roadmap. The next step would be the update of the z6/7 series, perhaps early/first part next year. However, it’s a just guessing – as everybody does. There’s no-one who has anything concrete, except Nikon themselves. And they won’t tell…
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