Nikon Z8 The Unfiltered Truth! Overheating? Autofocus Struggles? Full In The Field Review!
2 weeks of photographing every day & 35 000 images later. Let's take a look what the Nikon Z8 can & can't do! What about battery life, overheating & the autofocus?
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 The Z8 is here!
0:57 Body & Battery Life
2:31 Overheating
3:09 Amazing Video
4:31 No Shake! & High ISO
6:19 For Best Results...
8:04 Action Challenge & Struggles!
11:15 Late Surprise!
12:41 Buffer & Pre Release Capture
14:06 The Autofocus
16:50 Image Quality
18:47 Final Thoughts
One of the best reviews. What I like is that Jan looks for solutions rather than just complain. A true wildlife photographer
I’ll do my best, thank you!
I agree with you. His and Stever Perry's, are my fave reviews. Always fair on the spot.
Agree. He is positive and constructive and gives tons of great tips to work around any camera quirks and limitations. All flag-ship cameras (from Sony, Canon, Nikon) have significant limitations in some areas.
@@neovirtuality and also great photos.
Just bought z8 yesterday with 24-70 , f2.8 and 100-400 Nikkor lenses. There are lot of features to learn on camera to handle it properly. Your video was really helpful.
In so much noise on YT, and internet in general, this channel stands out, so honest and professional. Thanks for an excellent review!
Thank you 😊
Yes agree. No over the top claims just clear information and balanced comment. Nikon presents a total package consisting of lens, bodies, great files, Stabilisation and firmware updates. They need to hire some of the software guys from Canon to work in the Autofocus algorithms.
Such an awesome video! This is as professional as it gets! You highlighted everything good and bad about the Z8 and also showed us how to overcome some quirks. And finally, those photos! Stunning! Each one of them can easily be in the top 10 for Jan! Outstanding!!
Thanks so much & glad you enjoyed it!
Jan is a total professional. Such a detailed assessment with superb images and extraordinary subjects.
It's one thing I really like about your stuff, instead of obsessing over some on-paper contrived scenarios, you provide practical tips, like using the smaller AF area in some cases. Beautiful photos. Being able to capture birds in flight with such reliability this was unthinkable 5-10 years ago.
I 100% agree. This is complaining at a very high level. Trying this stuff with Most DsLRs would be almost impossible!
Perfect Review 🙏🏽 Already own the Nikon Z8 & 400mm f4.5, switching from Sony A7iv & 200-600mm. Couldn't be more happier. The balance of body & lens, blackout free viewfinder, birds & mammal detection in same mode, 20fps, Image stabilisation far better than Sony specially for photos, 4k120p, easy switching between photo & video not worrying about switching to S&Q mode by mistake, build quality and at that price even beats the Sony A1 hands down let alone the A7R5. The Canon R5 is good but RF lenses are costly specially the 100-500 at 7.1 for Mammals (the background separation is much less than f4.5). The blackout free viewfinder with live view is really sweet. I will add a 70-200mm & 1.4Tc later which will complete the kit.
Thanks for sharing!
Jeet what is stabilisation and focussing like with an adapted Sony 200-600mm
@@markwalker8374 i have no idea but it would be worse than native from the videos of Z9 and 200-600 on youtube. the stabilization on Nikon and Canon lenses are superior to that of Sony. Even the Nikon 200-500mm & Nikon D850 had better stabilization than Sony A7iv & 200-600mm.
I'm thinking of the same exact set up... Z8, z 400mm f/4.5, z 70-200, TC 1.4
@@chrisd3780 It's what I have, and it's superb. @veni.vidi.vigo for the pics I took today of birds and wildlife
Steve Perry points out that subject detection needs to have the subject close to in focus to work well. Pre-focus / manual focus to get give the subject detection a head start.
Great video, thank you. Love my Z8 and Z9. The 100-400 with the 2x works very well. Lots of good tools.
Excellent real world review and hopefully Nikon can fix some of those auto focus bugs with firmware updates. In saying that, you managed some work-arounds. An astonishing piece of hardware that will only get better over time. Cheers mate and keep the great vlogs rolling in👍
This was the best camera review I have ever watched. Jan is very easy to listen to and to understand as he hits all the most important aspects of evaluating a camera and helping me to make a decision. Thank you, Jan! I have subscribed!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video. I picked up my Z8 May 25th, working great with my Z9. Both have a place and “ best” use. In the field nice to have telephoto on one wide on the other. Or longer hike just the Z8. Just used both on a job, combo worked very well. Not worried on overheating, no plans to be doing any thing where it could be an issue. Focus takes time to learn what works best.
I have the Z9 and have used the wide L autofocus box along with 3D tracking, but the slimmer/smaller custom box doing a better job against busier background is pretty huge! Thanks for the excellent info!
Wow! Amazing review and a wonderful demonstration of problem solving with working out how to use a camera and get the best out of it! Thank you, sir!
Thank you!
Thank you for an excellent review, Jan. Especially appreciate that you do show, not only the wonders of a system, but also the difficulties you experience and ( if the work ) some of your work arounds. I do hope that Nikon pay attention to the issues you clearly identified and that they try to address those in firmware to the extent possible.
Thank you 😊
Great review and very user perpective ! Thanks alot Jan. In general the problem (and your tweak) with the AF sounds quite similar with my sony where everytime I had problem acquiring focus or losing focus coz of busy background, I use smaller focusing area and aim a bit better. This always work !
This is an excellent review, as always. Thanks for sharing your field experience and thoughts. I got my Z8 on Friday and am very happy with it.
Awesome, thank you
I own one, and the camera's size is perfect! I also own the Z6ii and Z7ii. I skipped the Z9 because of the size and weight. I have plenty of 15c batteries and I don't mind carrying them. The dedicated PD delivery is a game changer for powering the camera for long-duration shooting.
Nice, thanks for sharing!
How do you find it in comparison to the Z6/7II?
@@georgewelch2366 versatile. It’s my main camera now. AF tracking is very good. Changing lenses with the sensor shield is less worrisome regarding dust.
Always enjoy your video. Nice work and unbiased opinions based on your own experiences! Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Excellent content and presentation. Thanks for taking the time and effort to provide this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review. I haven't used the Z8, but for mirrorless in general, I use the lens function buttons to pre set focus to about 5m away. If the camera grabs the background I tap the function button to pull it back and hopefully it grabs the bird when it focus again.
Thanks for the info and those beautiful images. Very nice. Am relatively new to this level of photography and been hitting the YT vids a lot. Yours was quite helpful. Also appreciate that you motivate me to 'keep at it', even when trying to overcome the difficulties of learning a new camera. Excellent! I recently purchased a Z8 and a Z6ii with 24-120, 24-200, and 50-250 lens to start out. Mostly been doing astrophotography for the past year. I'm in the rural upstate NY, Finger Lakes area so many, many resources here for wildlife (and whitewater kayaking). But wanted an MIL to get images of DSO, planetary, and solar. And maybe that illusive UAP??!! Thanks again and I did sub!
Amazing review Jan, Loved it ❤
Thank you!
Great video. You really understand the Nikon Z8-9 autofocus better than I do. It is really more like semi-automatic than full automatic as you suggested in your video. Skill counts, as you show. Also persistence and knowing where to go. Thanks for this video.
It has its moments both ways. It works very well overall, but at times one wishes it would be a bit more “proactive” in finding the subject and sticking with it. The full automatic mode similar to how Canon works is not as reliable as the other modes but has already improved a lot over the years
Great review, I have both the Z9 and Z8 and love them. You’re right about picking the right AF settings depending on the situation. Luckily you can program a lot of the buttons with different AF mode. BTW Wildlife photographer Steve Perry also points this out in his ebook explaining which mode is best for certain situations and when to use subject tracking and when you might want to turn it off quickly with the recall settings programmed on a button
Thanks for sharing!
How to program buttons?
@@sodiverseproductions7926 check out my z8 settings video
Hey I'm looking to get either the Z8 or Z9 and not sure which to pick. The most important thing to me is the all of the features like image quality and autofocus performance and things like that. If I'm saving $1400 just by sacrificing some battery life im okay with that. I guess my question for you would be is there any actual difference between the two other than like weight and battery life? thanks
This was so helpful! The autofocus suggestions for birds are excellent. Can't wait to try and really hope they help!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, what a great review! And such beautiful images!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review!!! Very professional and showing all the good abd bad. Also giving solutions!!! I always liked image quality of Nikon so I am planning to get one soon. Keep doing these amazing videos 👍🏼
Thank you! Will keep them coming
Thank you so much for sharing another wonderful video like always Jan, awesome review but my favorite part of the video was those amazing Osprey photos, I love Osprey and I photograph four of them almost every day in a bird sanctuary next to my home. 🐦❤👍🤗
That’s awesome! Thanks
Superb review. Truly impressed by your craft and ability to share nuances of good photography. Awesome photos and videos!
Thanks a ton!
Thanks for the review. Very helpful and informative!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing and very detailed / professional review. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Jan for a great review. Long time Z9 user. Yes AF loses BIF with a busy,but uniform background. Hopefully firmware will correct. The Z9 is heavy, but I am on the fence if this non professional should invest in another expensive body to replace my Z6 as backup. Plus the vertical grip is nice for handheld big glass. Keep up the good work!
This video is truly a masterpiece!! Love your content Jan!
Glad you enjoyed it!
A good honest review about the pros and cons of the Z8, I'm really considering getting this camera in a few months, my best local photographic gear shop, ORMS in Cape Town has been doing great specials on all the best mirrorless brands. I hope the Z8 will be on that promotion list soon😅, great images and video as always Jan.
Nice!
I need to remember to watch your videos with my camera in hand. Always useful tips and agree with the comments section...appreciate solutions more than bashing. Got sooo many great images with my Z7's and Z6's that I got because I tweaked and tested. Appreciate your channel.
Yes finding solutions is always better than complaining 😀 glad You enjoy the videos
Nicely thought out review. Your double back button focus technique is a great idea.
Thank you!
Thanks, this is a really useful review with real time use scenarios. Appreciate it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review Jan. It's good to see you moving around the Goldie. I recognised quite a number of the locations you were at. I'm pleased to see you shooting birds of prey and in flight, which I find more satisfying than perched birds. I regularly shoot Osprey, WBSE and Brahminy Kites just over the QLD/NSW border. Personally, for my style. I have dynamic M featured on the L-Fn2 button on the 100-400mm S lens. I find this helps me acquire my subject in those difficult occasions where there is lots of branch clutter, but my main mode on the Z9 is Wide-L handing off to 3D on the Fn1 button. I guess many of us personalise these cameras to suit our individual needs. I welcome the opportunity to catch up with you on the Goldie and take you down to some of my favourite locations for shooting raptors. Cheers
This was sunny coast, but I’d love to see some more close up eagles 😀
Jan, 15:32 you need to adjust the 3D tracking to stick to a target. Your setup has it to quick switch, you need to alter it to hold a target
Great video! Very helpful, as always. Considering switching from the Sony A1. Love the autofocus, but I struggle with handheld video.Would love your opinion on the autofocus compared to the A1.
For photos probably a bit behind for video miles ahead. Sony ibis is very shaky for video and it doesn’t even have birds tracking
@@jan_wegener Thanks Jan 😊 I think I need to test one myself to see how much behind the Z8 is for photos, because for filming the A1 is pretty annoying. I also don't like having to select eyefocus for either animals or birds...sometimes I forget
@@LindaSmitWildlifeImpressions yes that’s quite annoying. Yes, filming with the A1 isn’t a lot of fun unless it’s on a tripod etc. sort of quickly switching between photo and video or handholding doesn’t work that great
Awesome review mate, best I have seen, those images are just stunning. Cheers, Duade
Thanks mate!
I like that you had an issue to overcome and you adapted instead of just saying in summary it cant focus in auto everything. Craft is craft. love this overview
Thank you! I really wanted those images, so I needed to find a way 😀
@@jan_wegener I absolutely love these images, i can see them printed on my wall tbh, i have just painted our hallway and have 3 slots for frames. Do you sell images?
@@MrModerate_kane yes. You can email me or send me a message on Facebook or Ig
Great video Jan! This will more than likely be my first mirrorless camera.
Nice choice!
I work with cameras in industry to perform in-line inspections on production lines, and shrinking the area box on the Z8 is comparable to reducing the “region of interest” for a search tool on one of those cameras, and creating a smaller region of interest is the easiest way to reduce the processing time of the tool, as you’re asking the camera to evaluate less information (smaller region is less pixels to process). Tony N did a video on the Z9 where he said the autofocus recognition worked noticeably better on that camera in DX mode as well, likely for the same reason.
Thanks for sharing! Makes sense. I didn’t think about the computing power needed to scan that larger area, so that makes a lot of sense and explains why also the subject recognition works better
@@jan_wegener Maybe you could use it more generally (smaller area) and report back, although I am guessing all the Nikon kit has gone back now? Great video regardless Jan
@@Karkawry1970 I’ll get it back soon enough
@@Karkawry1970 the trouble is the smaller the area the more likely you will miss the bird, so it’s not ideal
Could try slightly larger box than the small one you settled on.
Great review when I saw the title I thought it was going to be another Nikon bashing how wrong I was, really enjoyed your attitude to find a solution for the AF issue only just got me Z8 so learning as I go many thanks.
Thank you! KZhead titles are a bit of a game of their own. Have to find something that makes people click. But I don’t engage in senseless trashing of anything. I just like to share how I experienced things and what work around I find for each brand to make it the best possible
Very nice footage and pictures Jan. These high-end Nikons are to expensive for me. I just sold my D750 and Z6 with some F-lenses and bought a Z7 II (used). I will use it with my Sigma 150-600 C. Next to that I am using a OM1 with the 'cheaper' 100-400 zoomlens. That OM1 is very useable for Wildlife (50 fps) and very light to carry. The Z7 II I am gonna use for perched birds and other Wildlife. The OM1 I use for birds in fligth and for video.
Thanks for the info and those beautiful images. Very nice. Am relatively new to this level of photography and been hitting the YT vids a lot. Yours was quite helpful. I recently purchased a Z8 and a Z6ii. Mostly been doing astrophotography for the past year. But wanted an MIL to get images of DSO, planetary, and solar. And maybe that illusive UAP??!! Thanks again and I did sub!
Merci Jan pour la vidéo.
Thanks Jan for your great input and agility to overcome problems and explain how, very professional! I own the Z7+400mm and obviously struggle with autofocus with birds in general, bird recognition is not on the Z7 so really autofocus is the problem. The solution of the most common problem of the Z camera's in general is to acquire autofocus on objects closer than the current focal plane. There is a simple solution to that: turn the focus ring yourself 🙂. Yes really if you know your lens you can very fast acquire inital focus and then let the camera take control. Some people seem to forget that is still a viable solution. Understand that when comparing to the R5 it works easier when the camera is smarter to recognize objects, but makes people forget that there is something like a little manual input, I created a habit of doing this and it helps a lot with the Z7.
Yes manually intervening is a great way to assist my AF and I do that a lot, too. Just a bit harder on a lens like the 600 TC cause the ring is so far back that it’s hard to reach when handholding
Whilst it's an option, it's totally a workaround. No modern AF system should struggle with that issue.
@@jan_wegener there should also be a focus recall button feature I've used on my z6 and 70-200. Hit one button and it pulls focus back to where you set it.
I just feel like once you get into this price range for cameras all issues circle around nitpicks and brand loyalty because ALL of these cameras in the 3000+ price range are more than capable of delivering stellar results.
That sums it up nicely. It starts to depends on what matters the most for you as all brands have some pros and cons
Nice to have such a balanced review, thank you! FYI, I just checked my Z8 battery and it has 53% left after 3471 shots shooting on Sunday (sailboat racing). I use 10-sec standby and rarely shoot video. The number of shots with my Z9 is Many more than that of course. Thanks for the Display button/ 3D tracking tip!
Thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed the video
I just got my Z8 a few days ago and your video is going to save me a lot of missed shots. Thanks so much. JMH -Ciincinnati, OHIO
Awesome!
Thanks for the comprehensive review, I currently shoot with a Z6 but was considering the Z8 as a new primary camera. This review is really helpful in helping me move closer to making that decision.
Great to hear!
Great video. I had the same problem with my Z8 and 800mm PF. The camera would not focus quickly enough on the bird in flight when it suddenly took off. I have changed my focus buttons to the same as yours, thanks for the tips
Hopefully it will help! Only focusing once the bird was in the air got me a lot more keepers than starting from take off
Absolutely an amazing review... Very nicely put together... And there are some great insights... The photography and videography were awesome as always... I already have the Z9... Bought it initially as I wanted the best Nikon camera for autofocus... But it was a tad heavy for me for my portraiture... For wildlife it was fine... Now considering the Z8... Thanks a million for the great information...
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video
Beautiful Osprey pictures Jan. I have the Z9 and just got the Z8 as my second body. Going to try your recommendation regarding focusing. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you! Good luck!
Stunning images and videos as usual ❤
Thank you!
I only watch reviews from skilled photographers who are actually able to capture amazing photos out in the field. This review ABSOLUTELY fits that description.... thank you for this!!
Glad to hear that 😀
This is one of the best reviews of the Z8 (or any camera) you are the only person I have heard make some honest complaints but then offer some solutions. My words are not doing my thoughts justice…superbly insightful review, you found a new fan today!
Thanks so much Brian
Thanks a lot Jan ! Great review
Glad you enjoyed it!
First i want to thank you for not just throwing the Z8 into full Auto Area AF, with all subject tracking turned on, then claiming the AF isn’t good because it can’t find the small fast bird against a closer busy background. You worked through it to understand the system, and your tips here are SO helpful. I’m working through the Z8’s AF / button setup, taking my time - much more to consider here vs my Z6II). Thanks Jan!
I wish that mode would work well, that would make it easier. But we have to work with what gives us the best results, not what we want, so working out the different wide areas seems to give the best results
My favorite part was the leach on your lens near the beginning, very well shot by your video companion!
hehe, yes there were lots of them! My video companion is my tripod, R3 and my phone :D
9:10 work around is why i subscribe, someone adapting to an issue. Love it.
Awesome, thank you
My Z8 was delivered this past Friday and will serve as a companion camera to my Z9. I thought about keeping my Z7ii for hiking and travel, but my measurements show the Z8 to be just 1/2 lb. more than the Z7ii. I shoot mostly movement stills at dog shows where having two cameras with two different lenses makes sense to me. Versus the Z7ii, the combination of the better burst mode, the elimination of delay when starting, and the elimination of blackout when shooting bursts just makes my shooting so much more enjoyable. The one question will be how many stills can I take with one battery when doing longer shows? I ran my Z7ii with the Nikon battery grip so getting the battery grip for the Z8 made sense for my use case. I can do landscapes, travel and hiking without the battery grip on the Z8, and slap it on when I know I'm going to be shooting thousands of frames. So, the Z7ii will probably get sold next week even though it's a wonderful camera.
Wow, what a great video! Thanks so much for this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
A great camera review again. Jan is one of the reviewers I look forward to, he is unbiased and fair. Thanks for putting this together. Question to Jan- if money isn't a constraint, what would you recommend for wildlife photography, birds in particular, Z8 or Z9?
The Z9 is the more rugged and fully professional camera, but I did like the better weight and size of the Z8. So it really comes down to what you think of the size and weight aspect
I ordered my Z8 recently and waiting one it to arrive from B&H. Your video help reinforce my decision to order it as a wedding/portrait photographer. I am running 3 Z7ii bodies, and started to replace them w/ Z8 bodies. I am excited for having a larger body as I had to attach a WEPOTO Z7 grip to give my pinky somewhere to hold onto.
Great review. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it
Thank you for this very good and honest review. About the AF and the issues in the Osprey shooting: In principle, I do it like you, trying to capture the subject with C1 or wide-L and then switch to 3d tracking. I've been experimenting for some time to see whether the C1 or wide-L is better for capturing the subject and have now come to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, wide-L is noticeably superior to the C1 here. So, I prefer in such situations wide-L.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for the great review and your experience. This was helpful. How many shots were you able to get per battery?
Depending on how quickly I took them Still easily over 1000. What kills the battery more is standby and video etc
@@jan_wegener Thank you! I'm primarily an underwater photographer so i don't have the luxury of changing batteries often. I'm also working in cold environments a lot like the Arctic and Antarctic which can drain batteries faster. I prefer the size of the z8 to z9 though. Thank you again for such a helpful review.
@@BeckyKaganSchott yeah I reckon that would be difficult and much more relaxed with a z9
Very nice review Jan ! Well done!
Thank you!
Amazing review! I love your videos.
Thank you!
Nice review Jan! Actually sometimes I have same issues with Z9´s AF and probably will be fixed with firmware soon, cause AF identifies object but lens does not focus. That issue happen mostly with Z 70-200 2.8 and longer zooms except with AF-I 300 2.8 lens (guess is algorythm stuff). With AF-I focus always search for closer objects and surprisingly, this old lens peforms perfect on Z9. Yes, it weights a ton! Beside that issue, obtained 100% accuracy shooting my pupp coming towards me at 120fps, also recording at 4K 120fps and 8K 60fps N-RAW, Af was perfect! So is just about tme. Had used all systems and ended up with Nikon Z, which brought to my use case much more stability and quality for less money on extreme conditions as hybrid shooter (on sunny, night, or heavy rain journey... press, summer parades in Latin America for many hours a whole month, hiking, sports, portrait, studio, indoor dance competitions, pole dancing, landscape, social, product). Salute there from Uruguay!
Yes I had that too.
Brilliant review well done 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
First class "user" review. When lots of you tubers just do talking head videos, its great to see you doing a full user review. Thank You
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent review, and stunning images. I do have two notes: It appears you have the Stabilization set to NORMAL, which (according to Nikon Documentation) is for shooting static subjects. Setting it to SPORT is for shooting subjects that are moving "rapidly or unpredictably." I'd be really interested to know if this affects focus in any way. Secondly, on the Z9 you can zoom in from most focus modes using the (+) button, then autofocus and shoot. It won't give you a burst, but sometimes you can focus through tiny gaps in foliage and get an otherwise impossible shot.
I don't like the sports mode for video and since you can only change it in the menu it's not very quick to change, so I usually leave it on normal which seems much more stable.
Great review of the Z8. Jan is testing extensively, but without prejudice. Awesome comments and useful tips. With both the Z9 and Z8, Nikon seems to be back. Thank you, Jan!
That's true!
Woooow! I really loved the last and fluffy osprey! : )
Yes, that was nice encounter
Excellent review! Thanks for the honest approach! When I buy my Z8 I will need to adapt my older F Mount lenses for a while! I’d love to see a review on how well that works! Thanks!
I wouldn’t have much concern there. I’ve only shot with the 500 of adapted but that worked very well
Thanks Jan. Very useful video. I have just bought the Z8 as a second body to my Z9. I will be taking it to the bush here in South Africa at the end of the month and am looking forward to putting it through its paces! Thanks again. Regards Andrew
Congrats!
@@jan_wegener thanks! Look out for my video on it late June!
Stunning photographs! Thank you.
Many thanks!
Wow, amazing photo and videography, You have really good birds in your area. Really Beautiful.
Thank you 😊
Superb video. Thank you as Z8 is my 1st Nikon Mirrorless
Congrats!
Appreciate having a review after extensive time with the camera. I have the Z9 and love it, this video gave some ideas on how to use it more effectively for wildlife. The Z8 is enticing, but the Z9 is in my hands now because I grew impatient in waiting for it, perhaps in the future.
Glad you enjoyed it! Both cameras are pretty much identical. So most tips will apply across the board
amazing video , great skills and excellent captures❤❤ . really useful to use my z8 better.. Have you tried 4k@120? which video editor used for super slowmotion and can you help with a tutorial ?
I don’t like slowmo too much so I only rarely use it. I edit everything in Davinci resolve studio
@@jan_wegener thank you for quick reply and info 😀🙌
Best Z8 Review so far...thanks Man!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it
This is an epic review Jan!
I use the AFF for the focusing. I get better results with my Nikon APSC/DX & Full Frame/FX cameras. I do not own the Z9 and Z8 but I do have the rest of the mirrorless Z cameras. Cheers!
Amazing images, Jan.
Thank you!
Such a great review!
Great review , Makes my purchasing decision easier.
I am an amateur street photography and landscape and am considering a Z8. I have always had Canon for years, then I tried a Nikon Z50 for fun, but it"s limited. thank you for your review.
Nice, you solved that focusing issue against a busy background. Sometimes you have to think outside the box - literally. LOL!!
Thank you!
As always Jan, great review. The Z8 is awesome camera for the professional market. As hobbyist photographer, I can't justify the cost of the Z9 or Z8. So I keep waiting and hoping that Nikon will introduce more affordable cameras for hobbyist photographer. A D500 replacement with IBIS and similar AF to the Z9/Z8 would be awesome.
Yes that would be awesome
Hi Jan. I am a Z9 user and used Nikon since 1988. Your experience with other brands, brings a fresh outlook to your reviews. They are very balanced I believe and truthful. I will not be buying the Z8, although a great camera, because, I like the larger built in grips and build. I have had very little failure with auto focus, but must admit I have had similar issues to the ones you highlighted. I’ve tried your idea and it works. I sometimes use C1 wide minimum size as well. All allocated to buttons. So far, (touch wood)! 100% success. Thank you for an easy solution to a nagging issue. Excellent site and comments, thanks, TonyH
Thank for sharing Tony!
One important (und somewhat unfortunate) property about the Area AF modes is that it's size should be chosen so that a significant part of the area covers the actual subject, not the background. Easier said than done though for birds in flight. And the initial focus works better when you start with focus point in front of the bird instead of on the background which it never tends to abandon. So, I use either Focus recall or a quick zap on the MF ring (which I swapped with the better positioned control ring on the long primes) to quickly pull the focus point closer, then re-aquire focus on the bird.
Yes that’s kind of the problem for action where it’s hard to keep smaller areas on the subject and a larger area helps you significantly
Hi Jan, you made many awesome shots my friend ! Especially the close encounters with the osprey and little black swans 😍 Of course the quality of those close osprey shots is more determined by the distance than the potential quality difference between the Z8 and its competitors, so well done for not spooking it away mate !!! Even when it's so similar to the Z9, its seems for some people paying extra for it might still make sense so people already having the Z9 should be too frustrated the "same" camera can now be bought much cheaper. Looking forward to some shootout comparison with the R5, but it sounds like in some corners the Z8 should the main benchmark for the minimal targets of the R5ii developers 😛
Yes especially when it comes to the annoying rolling shutter and ibis wobbles
@@jan_wegener there's still a little hope the wobbles could be cured via the still expected big fw update which could split IBIS and IS for this reason. That will never cure rolling shutter of course .. but I learned here between the lines that after deleting the images suffering from rolling shutter, I may still have more keepers from the 6400 images my R5 gets from one battery compared to what the Z8 can pull out of one battery ;-)
Very well made review!!
Thanks!
Great video Jan thanks - just curious if you have any views on setting A3 - Focus tracking with Lock on - I have mine set at the defaults 3 and steady but wanted to know if you change them
I played around with it, but to be honest it doesn’t seem to make a huge amount of difference. I used to have it at 5, but I like it best now at 3 and steady like you have
Excellent Video. Consistent with my experience with the Z9. Lovely camera but the autofocus lets you down at some critical times.
Beautiful and very informative video.
Thank you!