Thom Hogan

Earlier this week I wrote that the Complete Guide to the Nikon Z8 was coming soon. Well guess what? Soon is already here. Even though a couple of the supplemental files I supply aren’t ready yet, I decided that so many were asking for the book, that I’d release it at the same time the camera ships! If that describes you, click here to order.

The final page count, if you’re interested, is 1290. And yes, I slogged through every one of those, which is why a couple of reviews didn’t get posted, including my Z8 review (I usually don’t publish my book until I’ve completed my review). With a short rest over Memorial Day, I’ll get back to working on that ;~).

I’d like to thank Nikon publicly for making a final version of the Z8 mine to play with for the last few weeks. I’ve already reported a couple of oddities in the firmware to them; if things go like with the Z9, those will get over to Japan and be addressed in firmware updates.

Mark Comon of Paul’s Photo called me to talk about this, but I had already noticed it myself: Nikon isn’t exactly making a compelling case with its marketing of the Z8. There’s a heavy reliance upon technical jargon and specifications, but very little emphasis on user benefit. Mark’s comments to me came after his first try-and-buy event at the store, where he found he was answering a number of the same questions from “unenlightened” (by marketing messages) users.

Back in my Silicon Valley days we had a marketing shorthand:

• Feature : Benefit

Sometimes we reversed that:

• Benefit : Caused by Feature

But it goes deeper than this. 

A few years ago I began talking about the “best all-around camera.” My reason for this was simple: most of you are only going to buy/own one camera, and it has to be ready for anything you might need your camera for. 

In the digital era, Nikon has made a long sequence of what most anyone would consider excellent all-around cameras: D100, D300, D700, D500, D850. And now the Z8 (and arguably, Z9). 

Nikon’s marketing issue boils down to this:

• D850 owners: are there convincing arguments that a move to the Z8 is compelling?
• Z7/Z7 II owners: are the reasons to move to bigger/heavier in a Z8 compelling?
• D500 owners: can you convince DX users to move to a more expensive FX camera that is also a better DX camera?

A common complaint I get from that group of users is “the Z8 doesn’t solve a problem for me.” First, I’m not sure that’s true—users don’t always recognize their “problems” until they’re solved ;~)—but also that would tend to indicate to me that they didn’t need a best all-around camera in the first place, that their camera use is fairly specific (and satisfied by what they have). 

But the most common comment I’ve been getting is "$4,000.00 plus the other costs that would come with converting is just not in this retiree’s budget right now. I will just slug along for a while trying to make good photographs with the best DSLR Nikon (or anybody else) ever made until I can save up enough to buy a Z8.” Basically, the push back I keep getting is simple: "Nikon already sold me a very good camera; the cost of getting the latest one is too high for what I perceive to be the benefits.” 

My response to most of those talking to me about this is simple: are you starting to grow out of your old camera (e.g. D850)? If so, you should consider a Z8. If not, then continue growing into your D850. 

Bonus: I decided to go back and look at my D850 review to see what I complained about:

1. The double-sampled Medium and Small NEF sizes to save file space. The Z8’s High Efficiency raw formats do a better job of saving space, and have far fewer compromises.
2. To get to 9 fps you had to spend US$900 extra. That cost has come down since then, but you spend a lot of money to get 2 extra fps. The Z8 gives you 11 more fps without having to buy anything other than the camera.
3. The lack of dual XQD slots. The Z8 has the same problem, but at least it can make full use of fast CFe cards in the first slot. Even a CFe card in the D850 is buffer limiting and slow compared to in the Z8.
4. Focus stack feature. The Z8 has the same issues.
5. The lack of a true 8K Time-lapse. Yes, you could use interval instead, but the Z8 completely fixes this issue.
6. The poor focus/crop highlighting, lack of grids. The Z8 pretty much gives me all the fixes I was complaining about, including rule of thirds grids (among more choices) for a change.
7. SnapBridge connectivity. It improved on the D850 since I wrote my review, and it’s also good on the Z8. But the Z8 goes further with a much more flexible connectivity capability.
8. Not great bit rates for video. The Z8 fixes all that, gives us much better/friendlier compression choices, raw video, and of course, as much as 8K/60P, which is state of the art.
9. No pop up flash. The Z8 doesn’t have one, either.
10. Viewfinder blackout time. Yeah, the Z8 doesn’t have any. The D850’s is significant, and that impacts tracking focus. 
11. Not state-of-the-art buffer. The Z8 can go to infinity at 9 fps ;~). 

Let’s step through some of the questions that came up in my presentation, and in both the comments of that presentation as well as on various fora recently.

The MB-N12 “Fiasco”
I put that last word in parentheses because it overemphasizes points that people are trying to make. However, that, said, the primary gripe I see that’s justified is that the MB-N12 is essentially the MB-N11 with some small adjustments that result in something that just doesn’t quite look right. “You could have designed the Z8 bottom to the MB-N11 shape/sizing.” Or "you could have designed the MB-N12 to the Z8 better."

Yes, I believe Nikon is their own worst enemy here. We’ve had this endless stream of grips—and other accessories, for that matter—that really seems unnecessary. Given that the accessories are always lagging the camera intro and often in short supply, Nikon simply isn’t looking at the problem the correct way. I fail to see how their current design scenario for grips is benefiting Nikon. It certainly isn’t benefiting customers. 

That said, the other complaint about the MB-N12 is that it won’t hold an EN-EL18 battery. Personally, I’m over that scenario, where the grips need to support multiple battery types. That means I also have to travel with multiple chargers (though I suppose USB Power Delivery might solve that issue, but not really at Nikon’s max 15W cable negotiation). A single EN-EL18 is 27Wh, the EN-EL15 is 14Wh. In essence, two EN-EL15s, which is what the MB-N12 holds, is near the equivalent of one EN-EL18. There was no way that the MB-N12 was going to hold two EN-EL18’s, so basically you’re getting the same Wh ability with the way Nikon has designed the grip. 

I suppose a Z9 user with a Z8 as a backup might want EN-EL18 conformity. But that would only occur with a grip on the Z8, where the Z8 becomes bigger than the Z9, so why not just a second Z9?

As many of you know, I’m not a fan of the add-on grips in the first place, as they introduce a point of failure that is real in practice. Moreover, given the existence of the Z9, there’s a better solution if you’re always using a vertical grip, and it doesn’t have a point of failure in it. 

I’ve written before that Nikon is clueless these days about the “system” part of “systems camera.” Not that they’re alone in that. The problem is that we have too many engineers that aren’t photographers designing cameras and particularly accessories now, and they see the “problems” from a different viewpoint than a user. Still, I don’t see how any engineer would see the MB-N12 as a “solution” to a real problem, let alone having a different grip for every body. 

Want a grip? Buy a Z9. Don’t want a grip? Buy a Z8. There’s not much of a use case in between.

8K For How Long?

That’s a good question (what’s the time limit for recording 8K video in the camera?). Nikon’s own material says 90 minutes for 8K/30P internally, but there’s a footnote: using an external battery. 

Heat is the culprit. Running the camera at full blast will start to heat up any internal EN-EL15C battery, and at some point, that internal buildup will trigger a heat warning. Getting a solid handle on the numbers for that is going to be fraught with problems, because ambient temperature will be a strong variable, too. 

I’m not a “long take” kind of videographer. I’ll bet my average recorded clip length is less than a minute. That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes position a camera that’s doing a “long capture” of the action, it’s just not something I rely on, and I’m not doing it in 8K in the first place. So I’m probably not the one to ask about maxing out the video record time on a camera like the Z8. Still, I’ll do some investigations that should help give you a better general idea of what to expect.

With a “cool” card, I seem to be able to max out the 90 minutes of recording in my office temp (71°F). But as I noted, this needs more data to be useful. Working on it.

Update: Ricci and Matt Irwin have documented tests online at this point. It’s a reasonable conclusion that at office temps (70°F, 20°C) and card with good thermal characteristics you’re going to fill the card using 8K/60P before the camera shuts down. Remember, Nikon is calling this a hybrid camera, not a video camera. By that you should assume that it’s not the primary camera recording immensely long takes at resolutions higher than those used currently in public distribution. I think the eventual conclusion from any top-end videographer won’t be a lot different than they are dealing with cameras like the RED ones: you have to pay attention to possible overheating if you’re going to run them constantly, particularly in hot outdoor environs. But for shorter, intermittent takes, I don’t currently see an issue. 

Where in the GPS Am I? 

There’s no GPS system built into the Z8 like there is on the Z9. That means no in-camera logging, but it also means that location accuracy is compromised, too. Using SnapBridge on its fastest setting means that you get location updates every 15 seconds or so. Even at my walking pace these days I can move a lot in that amount of time, meaning that the actual location recorded in the frame isn’t at all accurate.

Now, I’m not a big fan of GPS. I use the Z9 logging feature in Africa because it helps me understand my movement through the terrain as I look for animals. It helps me understand where they were and weren’t, and where I might go next. But deadly accurate position? No, I don’t need that, nor do I want to publish images that might reveal the exact position I took a photo at. 

However, you kept asking me questions about GPS, so here goes: connect a GPS to the 10-pin port (I used the low-cost Micnova, available on Amazon), and the SETUP menu suddenly has a Location data section. Here’s the proof:

So the answer you’re looking for is: yes, you can use an external GPS with the Z8. You can even set the camera clock from the external GPS satellite info. 

Also, make sure you read my FAQ about the Z8.

It’s just been a day since the Z8 appeared, and already the information is getting a slime on it that needs removing. Let’s see what I can do to correct the spontaneous myths:

• Weather resistance not as good as the Z9 — Nikon certainly didn’t say that (they said the opposite), so where’s this notion coming from? Indeed, Nikon showed lots of photos, videos, and examples where the Z8 was being used in the rain and snow. I’ve torn apart a Z6 and Z7 at this point. I’m not going to tear apart the Z8 Nikon is loaning me, but I’ll get around to tearing a Z8 down eventually (or someone will beat me to it). The Z6/Z7 models are remarkably weather resistant, but they use a lot of crafty seam overlap to do that. The Z8 uses real weather seals. Here are the ones on the back of the camera:
  
  That said, on any camera, no matter how weather-sealed, you need to protect against water ingress through any of the connections, particularly the card slots, as they are soldered directly to the digital board. Still, my initial judgement is that the Z8 seems just as well protected against weather as the Z9. 
• OMG, the chassis isn’t all metal, the camera will break — Nikon uses a combination of materials in the body design of the Z8, much as they have with pretty much all the non flagship cameras in the recent past. On a Z8, magnesium alloy is used in the front body to help align the lens mount and image sensor, which bolt to it. The rest of the body is a carbon-fiber infused material, I believe it’s a form of Teijin’s Sereebo material, which is extremely lightweight without sacrificing any strength or durability. Unlike metal, this material sustains impacts better—up to its breaking strength—as it has no memory. I should also point out that one Nikon camera that did use a magnesium alloy frame, the D800, was notorious for some frames breaking, which allowed for a misalignment of the focus sensor module and essentially totaled a camera when that happened. Metal by itself is not a panacea. 
• The battery won’t last long enough — An echo of the complaint that happened when the Z6 and Z7 were originally introduced. And then people went out and used them and discovered that CIPA numbers don’t translate into real world experience. CIPA testing these days really tests how long the camera can stay active (Z8 ~2.8 hours without Prioritize viewfinder active). Few of you have photography sessions that last longer than that. It’s too early to tell for sure, but I’m expecting 500+ actual images on a charge, and probably closer to 1000 than 500. True, at 20 fps you can create 1000 images in 50 seconds. But the Z8 will keep photographing at that point. I’ve tried that torture test already, and the results from a full charge were that the battery showed 100% after 1200 images ;~). Yesterday I took over 1300 photos during a walk about photo session at the Little Lehigh River with a Z8, and the battery was still at 35% when I finished up. Obviously, images per charge is going to be above 330 for most of you. You’re better off considering duration of charge (again, max 2.8 hours; it may be less than that with some features active, and it’s obviously less when recording video).
• It’s not a landscape camera — Again, not what Nikon said. I’d phrase it differently: the Z8 is an all-around camera, which would include travel and landscape. Start with the excellent weather sealing ;~). Add a tilting display for down low verticals. Better gridline choices. More customization (you could have a bank for landscape, one for sports, one for flash, and still have one left over). Heck, use voice memo to annotate your image before you forget why you took it. That’s perhaps not enough to justify the cost of a Z8 over a Z7 II if all you do is landscape photography, but then try getting the Z7 II to capture 20 fps of the rare animal you found while traipsing through the woods ;~). 
• Too many 45mp cameras — Give users no choice, and they ask for choice. Give users choice, and they ask for less choice. Personally, I think choice is good, particularly since Japan seems to think that 40/45mp is the new 24mp. You can buy in low, you can buy in the middle, you can buy in high. The Z7 II, Z8, and Z9 are different cameras that appeal to different use cases. They also are 1.4x apart in price, so you can indeed get same image quality for less money, or more capability for more money. 

It seems that no matter what a camera maker does, some users will find things to complain about. Frankly, I’m not complaining about the Z8. It appears to be an excellent camera for the price, and is now in the running for my current best all-around camera choice. 

If all you want are the full specifications of the Z8, you can get them by clicking this Z8 link. While I’ll cover some key specifications in this article, I mostly want to try to try to position the new camera in Nikon’s lineup and against the competition.

Nikon today launched the Z8, the fifth model in their lineup of full frame mirrorless cameras. Before we get to the specifics, I want to once again write a bit about the three mule/prototypes that circulated during the last 18 months:

1. 61mp existing Sony sensor.
2. New Nikon sensor. It might have been 67mp (certainly 60mp+).
3. 45mp existing Nikon sensor.

We now know Nikon’s decision was #3, but I think it important to consider why. 

Nikon’s been in a following position for awhile. Essentially, Sony has been first mover in full frame mirrorless for some time. Canon and Nikon were both slow to start their full transition from DSLRs. Sony’s decade of mirrorless iteration has created a wide variety of full frame models: A1, A7 Mark IV, A7C, A7R Mark V, A7S Mark III, A9 Mark II, plus three video-specific cameras (ZV-E1, FX3, and FX30). 

While it won’t have perfect row alignment, let’s put the current full frame mirrorless lineups into a table to illustrate the point we need to get past to understand the Z8 announcement:

*Indicates a completely less-than-perfect fit for the categorization, but rather best current interpretation

In the run-up to the Z8 announcement I saw quite a few different interpretations of where Nikon's new camera might fit into the competitive landscape. Here are the four that kept getting repeated:

• The Z8 competes with the Canon R5
• The Z8 competes with the Sony A1
• The Z8 competes with the Sony A7R Mark V
• The Z8 replaces the Z7 II

If Nikon had used a higher-pixel-count image sensor, then the third bullet would have been correct. But they didn’t. In essence, the Z8 turned out to be basically a Z9 in a body that loses the vertical grip. Where does that fit in the competitive landscape?

In order, I believe the Z8 competes first and foremost with the Z9 (!), and secondarily with the Canon R5. Because the Z8 inherits all the “speed” from the Z9, many will also consider that it is also a new competitor to the Sony A1.  

Is that a useful and relevant product position? We’re about to find out. 

Here’s what I believe: Nikon originally intended the Z8 to be a high-pixel count camera that competed with the Sony A7R Mark V and would give Nikon D8xx users a very clear upgrade path into mirrorless. Probably because of sensor offload speed (can’t drop the mechanical shutter without it) and the appearance of being late to the game with the same sensor, Nikon didn’t really want to use the Sony 61mp sensor. Unfortunately, getting a completely new sensor with Nikon’s desired attributes on fab and in production proved to be impossible in the time frame Nikon wanted, thus they picked #3.

Which gives us a strong Z9 competitor at a US$1500 discount. 

On other pages I provide the short list of the things that are missing from a Z8 that the Z9 has, and the shorter list of things the Z8 has that the Z9 doesn’t. When you stack those lists up against the full set of specifications, you'll find that the Z8 is indeed basically a Z9 inside a smaller body. While they will disclaim it because it’s not the official marketing message, I’ve heard Nikon executives talking about “mini Z9.” 

So let’s talk about that body. Nikon picked a size that slots in between the Z6/Z7 and the Z9. Many have been referring to it as D850-sized. The D850 is 5.8 x 4.9 x 3.1” and 915g without battery (for some reason, Nikon has been insistent upon using the without battery number for the D850). The Z8 is 5.6 x 4.6 x 3.2” and 910g with battery. So somewhat lighter, ever so slightly narrower and less tall; I’d still effectively call the Z8 D850-sized. The Z9, by comparison, is 5.9 x 5.9 x 3.6” and 1160g without battery.

Is the Z8 the “right” size? That’s an excellent question. One of Nikon’s goals clearly was to provide a mirrorless camera that D850 users could transition to mirrorless with (the press release had the words “true successor to D850” in a sub-head). But those users will get basically the same image sensor (pixel count) and basically the same body size if they do. Thus, the primary things Nikon can say to a D850 user is: faster frame rate, better video, and the new autofocus system. Is that enough to convince D850 owners to give up their DSLR? Personally, I believe it is; but that’s from a “marketing sense” not a pragmatic sense talking to users. I see a lot of resistance among D850 owners not wanting to give their camera up, particularly because they believe the optical viewfinder and battery capacity myths (I’ll have more to say about that in my talk on Friday night).

I’ve written in the past that the D850 was the best all-around camera you could buy. That’s no longer true. Several mirrorless cameras would now take that position. And the Z8 will be right there with them, if not once again the best all-rounder. Indeed, because the Z8 is essentially a speed camera as well as a high pixel count one, it certainly has the attributes to justify that (the Canon R5 and Sony A1 would tend to be my other current candidates). 

Nikon appears to have very high hopes for the Z8. They’d better, since they’re undercutting their own Z9 with this new camera. At a price of US$4000, here in the US that means that you can get a “Z9 equivalent” camera for US$1500 less now. That extra US$1500 is a lot of money just to get a vertical grip, a larger battery, built-in GPS, and a few other things. Thus, I believe that we may see most Z9 sales simply transition to Z8 sales now. The question thus becomes whether or not the supply of Z8’s will satisfy the demand. 

The Z8 will start shipping on May 25th. Thus we’ll discover whether the demand exceeds supply very soon. That tight announce-to-ship timeline is a bit unusual for Nikon. Coupled with the late government registrations (for the communication aspects of the camera), I wonder just how long the Z8 has been being built in Thailand.

One thing that echoes what Nikon has done in the past is the “start at the top and deploy downward” philosophy of the engineering teams. I’m sure that has some Z System users a bit baffled, but it’s been Nikon’s basic modus operandi since forever. It’s been true of the F4, F5, D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5 generations. The lingering question that the Z8 launch raises is “how fast will that Z9 tech tickle down to the rest of the lineup?”

To be specific, the Z9 pioneered a number of things on the tech side:

• Stacked image sensor
• Dual-stream image sensor
• Removal of the mechanical shutter
• EXPEED7 with way faster processing and additional IP in the chip (e.g. IntoPix core, additional GPUs, maybe a neural core?)
• New raw image formats (HE*, HE)
• New video capabilities (N-Raw, HLG, etc.)
• New autofocus system (Subject Detection, et.al.)
• Faster CFe slots

You can expect EXPEED7 in future full frame cameras, for sure. The questions are which of the other tech also makes its way downward, and how fast. 

Z6 and Z7 users right now are in a holding pattern. Dual EXPEED6 (Z6 II, Z7 II) didn’t seem to add all that much, though those second models did clean up a number of small details, and are quite good cameras. The fact that we didn’t get III models at the two-year anniversary seems to indicate that Nikon was waiting for this new tech to get fully fleshed out and established before iterating those models. The fact that the Z8 went mini-Z9 also seems to indicate that a Z7 III would now become the most logical candidate for the higher-pixel-count image sensor that didn’t make the Z8 schedule. Of course, that could also turn into a Z8x, given Nikon’s previous patterns. 

The big question mark, though, is now with the Z6 III. To truly take advantage of all that new tech, I’d guess that a Z6 III needs a new image sensor, too, which makes predicting when it might appear almost impossible. One glitch in producing a new image sensor and the potential launch date rapidly crumbles into fantasy. 

I keep hearing that Nikon is working on two new sensor technologies (which would give them three new image sensors, the last one being a DX derivative of the high-pixel-count FX one). Tell me when those resolve into “available” and I could tell you a lot more about Nikon’s future lineup and when those models will appear. Unfortunately, I keep hearing “sensor delayed,” so we get interim product decisions that might not be what everyone expects (exhibit 1: the Z8).  

As the rumors started to clarify about what the Z8 actually was, I saw a lot of disappointment in the discussions. That disappointment has a tendency to fan boi into “Nikon is no longer competitive” wails, though many of those are from folk who don’t own Nikon gear ;~). 

I don’t buy that. Nikon is clearly competitive in full frame mirrorless:

• The Z5 is peerless as an entry camera, the Canon R8 included when specs and price are considered.
• The Z6 II is the most price competitive entry prosumer camera you’ll find. Highly capable still.
• The Z7 II is a really solid landscape, architecture, travel camera at again a very competitive price.
• The Z8 is now arguably one of the best all-around full frame mirrorless cameras available, also at a competitive price.
• The Z9 still sits as the solid pro camera that’s nearly indestructible (I know, I’ve tried ;~). 

I can see now how a Z5 II will use (mostly) the current Z6 II tech and keep its position defended. And if there isn’t too long a delay, I can see how the Z6 III and Z7 III will defend their positions, as well. No, Nikon has a solid full frame lineup, with an interesting set of price points (see this new camera pricing article).

As many moans as I heard today from grumpy “want it all” folk, I’ll bet that the Z8 will prove to be a popular and widely used camera. 

Support this site by ordering the Z8 from the following advertiser:

A very short list, which may disappear with firmware updates. These are the things that were added to a Z8 from the Z9 design:

• 10-bit HEIF support
• New Tone mode menu item (SDR/HLG, plus Set Picture Control (HLG))
• Portrait impression balance
• Skin softening function (both still and video)
• AF improvements (dedicated Airplane detection, silhouette focus, smaller face detect)
• USB LAN capability (two USB-C ports: one for USB Power Delivery, one for USB data)
• 30% lighter, smaller than Z9
• With HLG video, Z8 has base ISO of 400, the Z9 at 800 (NLOG both are 800)

It’s a somewhat short list, but an important one for some. 

These are the things that were left out of a Z8 from the Z9 design:

• No built-in vertical grip and controls (instead: optional MB-N12 battery grip)
• No built-in GPS and logging (instead: use SnapBridge from your phone)
• No built-in Ethernet (however, dongle can unlock Ethernet connectivity and Network settings)
• No Kensington lock
• No dual CFe slots (instead: one CFe, one SD)
• No lock on the card slot door
• No Fn4 button (Fn3 button moves to the Protect button)
• No extra button row below the Rear LCD
• No CSM #D3 (Limit release mode)
• No PC Sync socket
• No flash button on top button cluster (WB instead)
• No full magnesium frame (instead: partial carbon fiber coupled with magnesium alloy)
• Slightly shorter video recording time (90 minutes on Z8 versus 125 minutes on Z9)