Yes, I was silent about the Z8 3.0 firmware update when it shipped.
Part of that was due to not having early access, part was that by the time it dropped, I was headed into the Okavango wilds with no Internet access, and part because I also knew that Nikon was going to re-release it fix it. Today the 3.01 update dropped, and it's now "safe" to upload.
The original 3.00 version had serious issues with third party lenses, with reports of various 7Artisans, Meike, Sirui, Tamron, and Viltrox lenses having minor issues to complete disfunction. Nikon's change list for 3.01 just says "fixed an issue that prevented the camera from operating properly with some lenses." Initial examination says this is true for two lenses I know had issues with 3.00.
Since 3.00 (and now 3.01) was a major update, I'll reserve further commentary on it until I've done all my testing and documentation for a Complete Guide update, which will take a bit for me to get to given all the other things on my plate this summer. I wish I had the firmware prior to my Okavango trip because it would have been a perfect testing case for quite a few of the new features, but since I didn't, I now need to schedule some serious testing time here in the states.
I'll once again state this: of the 29 or so new features/changes in the Z8 firmware, at least six are things I will seriously miss not having on the Z9. If you didn't read my Z9 Dissonance article, you should. Nikon now has significant feature/function backfill needed on the Z9.
