Waiting for Nikon and the Z8: I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering...

b top gun

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering what that Z8 will be directed at...wildlife, birds in flight, street photography, landscapes and seascapes?

One of the alleged merits of going mirrorless...size and weight reduction; what happened to that advantage when the Z9 appeared? For those who push the more compact size and weight of mirrorless bodies; what is the gain when ya go and add a honking big lens to that smallish body? (Hang a Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 on a Z6 II and the FTZ adapter, where is the center of balance?) Back in the day I used to shoot competitive rifle and I learned a few things from that; first, size and weight properly distributed added to the stability of the shooting platform, second, I learned to control my breathing and still apply those principles today when taking a photograph off hand; I get into a rhythm and execute the shot. When available, I will use any handy rest for my arms; regardless, my breathing rhythm still has to be under control. And I put this out there, even with VR lenses and IBIS in a mirrorless, ya still have to control your breathing to get the shot. Ya just don't jam the shutter release and expect technology to make up for poor technique.

Back to the Z8, back in the day I had a Nikon D300, I had lots of fun with that body; finally got antsy waiting for Nikon to bring out its replacement; waited so long that I grew impatient and grabbed the D7100 when I got the finances. In fact I had two D7100s when I went on my first Nikon holiday, a trip to Oregon and Crater Lake. Had a Nikkor 18-200 DX VR on the primary D7100. That combo made multiple trips to the Pac NW and two to AZ. Got the itch and began to look into upgrading to full frame and a D810, almost pulled the trigger. Had a heart to heart with my old photography mentor who put it this way, "If you go full frame, forget about the D810, get the extra cash together somehow and order the newly announced D850." Sold one of the D7100s, got a cash advance from my CFO at home and have enjoyed the D850 since.

I am so used to the feel of that camera with 24-70 f/2.8 lens on it, it is my "go to" combo. What I like, I can do some pretty good cropping and still have more than enough data to print a 20" x 30" with no loss of detail. Was out West last November, my birthday treat to myself. Had the D850, had a D780 with 70-200 f/2.8, had the D7100 body to back up either and a Samsung S22+ in my jacket pocket...and had fun. I asked myself, "What would a mirrorless have done that what I had could not have handled???" At one point I was face to face with a group of fourteen desert bighorn sheep grazing right at me; they got within 75 feet before someone way behind started making noise, eventually the sheep drifted off. I was able to crop one of the better images of that group, two of them less than fifty feet away; with all the cropping I still have plenty left for a nice crisp enlargement if I choose. Gotta love the size of the NEF files out of the D850 when I want to go large...20" x 30" minimum.

A side note on that trip, how sad to see both Lake Mead and Lake Powell as a result of the extended drought out West. Glad I did that trip when I did and with the equipment I had available.

One of the best grabs of the entire trip was taken with the Samsung S22+, sunset at the Grand Canyon.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

NikonRumors recently posted the following:

"Nikon Japan announced that the Nikon Plaza Tokyo showroom will be temporarily closed because of an event that will take place on March 28, 2023 (Tuesday) from 16:00-18:30."

It's believed that this could be for the Nikon Z8 announcement, which could be a development announcement with a later shipping date...perhaps April or May.

The rumors I have seen expect it to use a Sony 61mp sensor and the same image processor as the Z9 as well as 8k 60p video.

The NikonRumors guy thinks we may see a scenario similar to the Z9 with some units shipping early and then Nikon issuing a statement saying that due to unexpected demand there will be a delay in shipping future units.

Sound familiar?

jcboy3

b top gun wrote:

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering what that Z8 will be directed at...wildlife, birds in flight, street photography, landscapes and seascapes?

One of the alleged merits of going mirrorless...size and weight reduction; what happened to that advantage when the Z9 appeared? For those who push the more compact size and weight of mirrorless bodies; what is the gain when ya go and add a honking big lens to that smallish body? (Hang a Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 on a Z6 II and the FTZ adapter, where is the center of balance?) Back in the day I used to shoot competitive rifle and I learned a few things from that; first, size and weight properly distributed added to the stability of the shooting platform, second, I learned to control my breathing and still apply those principles today when taking a photograph off hand; I get into a rhythm and execute the shot. When available, I will use any handy rest for my arms; regardless, my breathing rhythm still has to be under control. And I put this out there, even with VR lenses and IBIS in a mirrorless, ya still have to control your breathing to get the shot. Ya just don't jam the shutter release and expect technology to make up for poor technique.

Back to the Z8, back in the day I had a Nikon D300, I had lots of fun with that body; finally got antsy waiting for Nikon to bring out its replacement; waited so long that I grew impatient and grabbed the D7100 when I got the finances. In fact I had two D7100s when I went on my first Nikon holiday, a trip to Oregon and Crater Lake. Had a Nikkor 18-200 DX VR on the primary D7100. That combo made multiple trips to the Pac NW and two to AZ. Got the itch and began to look into upgrading to full frame and a D810, almost pulled the trigger. Had a heart to heart with my old photography mentor who put it this way, "If you go full frame, forget about the D810, get the extra cash together somehow and order the newly announced D850." Sold one of the D7100s, got a cash advance from my CFO at home and have enjoyed the D850 since.

I am so used to the feel of that camera with 24-70 f/2.8 lens on it, it is my "go to" combo. What I like, I can do some pretty good cropping and still have more than enough data to print a 20" x 30" with no loss of detail. Was out West last November, my birthday treat to myself. Had the D850, had a D780 with 70-200 f/2.8, had the D7100 body to back up either and a Samsung S22+ in my jacket pocket...and had fun. I asked myself, "What would a mirrorless have done that what I had could not have handled???" At one point I was face to face with a group of fourteen desert bighorn sheep grazing right at me; they got within 75 feet before someone way behind started making noise, eventually the sheep drifted off. I was able to crop one of the better images of that group, two of them less than fifty feet away; with all the cropping I still have plenty left for a nice crisp enlargement if I choose. Gotta love the size of the NEF files out of the D850 when I want to go large...20" x 30" minimum.

A side note on that trip, how sad to see both Lake Mead and Lake Powell as a result of the extended drought out West. Glad I did that trip when I did and with the equipment I had available.

One of the best grabs of the entire trip was taken with the Samsung S22+, sunset at the Grand Canyon.

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announ... (show quote)

Do a spec comparison, and you will see that the Nikon Z7ii is the mirrorless version of the D850. Except for the Consumer vs Pro user interface. So what is a Z8 supposed to do that would warrant a new model name?

Nikon needs to provide a firmware update that takes advantage of the dual processors that they promoted when they released the Z6ii/Z7ii models. Not likely to happen, but that's to be expected. I think the Z6/Z7 update was uncharacteristic.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

flip1948 wrote:

.....The rumors I have seen expect it to use a Sony 61mp sensor and the same image processor as the Z9 as well as 8k 60p video....

According to the most recent and most credible rumours it will have the same sensor as the Z9. They may back off with the video capabilities to avoid cannibalising sales of the Z9, but apart from that, whatever the Z9 is good at, the Z8 will be good at. That will include having pixel shift technology and a hi-res mode.

jcboy3

R.G. wrote:

According to the most recent and most credible rumours it will have the same sensor as the Z9. They may back off with the video capabilities to avoid cannibalising sales of the Z9, but apart from that, whatever the Z9 is good at, the Z8 will be good at. That will include having pixel shift technology and a hi-res mode.

According to the latest in nikonrumors.com, it will be a hybrid camera. So I don't see them dropping video capability; the Z9 is a poor form factor for video and the Z8 should be their top video camera. Perhaps they reduce buffer capacity and fps (but it still needs a pretty high fps for video).

https://nikonrumors.com/2023/03/08/nikon-z8-what-we-think-we-know-so-far.aspx/

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

b top gun wrote:

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering what that Z8 will be directed at...wildlife, birds in flight, street photography, landscapes and seascapes?

One of the alleged merits of going mirrorless...size and weight reduction; what happened to that advantage when the Z9 appeared? For those who push the more compact size and weight of mirrorless bodies; what is the gain when ya go and add a honking big lens to that smallish body? (Hang a Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 on a Z6 II and the FTZ adapter, where is the center of balance?) Back in the day I used to shoot competitive rifle and I learned a few things from that; first, size and weight properly distributed added to the stability of the shooting platform, second, I learned to control my breathing and still apply those principles today when taking a photograph off hand; I get into a rhythm and execute the shot. When available, I will use any handy rest for my arms; regardless, my breathing rhythm still has to be under control. And I put this out there, even with VR lenses and IBIS in a mirrorless, ya still have to control your breathing to get the shot. Ya just don't jam the shutter release and expect technology to make up for poor technique.

Back to the Z8, back in the day I had a Nikon D300, I had lots of fun with that body; finally got antsy waiting for Nikon to bring out its replacement; waited so long that I grew impatient and grabbed the D7100 when I got the finances. In fact I had two D7100s when I went on my first Nikon holiday, a trip to Oregon and Crater Lake. Had a Nikkor 18-200 DX VR on the primary D7100. That combo made multiple trips to the Pac NW and two to AZ. Got the itch and began to look into upgrading to full frame and a D810, almost pulled the trigger. Had a heart to heart with my old photography mentor who put it this way, "If you go full frame, forget about the D810, get the extra cash together somehow and order the newly announced D850." Sold one of the D7100s, got a cash advance from my CFO at home and have enjoyed the D850 since.

I am so used to the feel of that camera with 24-70 f/2.8 lens on it, it is my "go to" combo. What I like, I can do some pretty good cropping and still have more than enough data to print a 20" x 30" with no loss of detail. Was out West last November, my birthday treat to myself. Had the D850, had a D780 with 70-200 f/2.8, had the D7100 body to back up either and a Samsung S22+ in my jacket pocket...and had fun. I asked myself, "What would a mirrorless have done that what I had could not have handled???" At one point I was face to face with a group of fourteen desert bighorn sheep grazing right at me; they got within 75 feet before someone way behind started making noise, eventually the sheep drifted off. I was able to crop one of the better images of that group, two of them less than fifty feet away; with all the cropping I still have plenty left for a nice crisp enlargement if I choose. Gotta love the size of the NEF files out of the D850 when I want to go large...20" x 30" minimum.

A side note on that trip, how sad to see both Lake Mead and Lake Powell as a result of the extended drought out West. Glad I did that trip when I did and with the equipment I had available.

One of the best grabs of the entire trip was taken with the Samsung S22+, sunset at the Grand Canyon.

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announ... (show quote)

Just get a Sony a7RV now as the Z8 will be the same thing just rebranded.

b top gun

So I wait it out. I got the D780 for its alleged video capability, so far I have not really put it through its paces, like in camera time lapses which I have done with the D850.

therwol Loc: USA

b top gun wrote:

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering what that Z8 will be directed at...wildlife, birds in flight, street photography, landscapes and seascapes?

One of the alleged merits of going mirrorless...size and weight reduction; what happened to that advantage when the Z9 appeared? For those who push the more compact size and weight of mirrorless bodies; what is the gain when ya go and add a honking big lens to that smallish body? (Hang a Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 on a Z6 II and the FTZ adapter, where is the center of balance?) Back in the day I used to shoot competitive rifle and I learned a few things from that; first, size and weight properly distributed added to the stability of the shooting platform, second, I learned to control my breathing and still apply those principles today when taking a photograph off hand; I get into a rhythm and execute the shot. When available, I will use any handy rest for my arms; regardless, my breathing rhythm still has to be under control. And I put this out there, even with VR lenses and IBIS in a mirrorless, ya still have to control your breathing to get the shot. Ya just don't jam the shutter release and expect technology to make up for poor technique.

Back to the Z8, back in the day I had a Nikon D300, I had lots of fun with that body; finally got antsy waiting for Nikon to bring out its replacement; waited so long that I grew impatient and grabbed the D7100 when I got the finances. In fact I had two D7100s when I went on my first Nikon holiday, a trip to Oregon and Crater Lake. Had a Nikkor 18-200 DX VR on the primary D7100. That combo made multiple trips to the Pac NW and two to AZ. Got the itch and began to look into upgrading to full frame and a D810, almost pulled the trigger. Had a heart to heart with my old photography mentor who put it this way, "If you go full frame, forget about the D810, get the extra cash together somehow and order the newly announced D850." Sold one of the D7100s, got a cash advance from my CFO at home and have enjoyed the D850 since.

I am so used to the feel of that camera with 24-70 f/2.8 lens on it, it is my "go to" combo. What I like, I can do some pretty good cropping and still have more than enough data to print a 20" x 30" with no loss of detail. Was out West last November, my birthday treat to myself. Had the D850, had a D780 with 70-200 f/2.8, had the D7100 body to back up either and a Samsung S22+ in my jacket pocket...and had fun. I asked myself, "What would a mirrorless have done that what I had could not have handled???" At one point I was face to face with a group of fourteen desert bighorn sheep grazing right at me; they got within 75 feet before someone way behind started making noise, eventually the sheep drifted off. I was able to crop one of the better images of that group, two of them less than fifty feet away; with all the cropping I still have plenty left for a nice crisp enlargement if I choose. Gotta love the size of the NEF files out of the D850 when I want to go large...20" x 30" minimum.

A side note on that trip, how sad to see both Lake Mead and Lake Powell as a result of the extended drought out West. Glad I did that trip when I did and with the equipment I had available.

One of the best grabs of the entire trip was taken with the Samsung S22+, sunset at the Grand Canyon.

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announ... (show quote)

The D850 is a fine camera with IQ equal to their best mirrorless cameras. If it serves your needs well, then there is no need to "upgrade" to a Z8 or anything else.

Just off of the top of my head, I can think of a few reasons why someone would prefer any mirrorless camera over the D850. 1. Noise. The D850 is a noisy camera. (The D810 was much quieter.) This can be a disadvantage when you don't want to spook wildlife or when you're taking pictures in a quiet place like an auditorium or a church. The silent mode of the D850 relies on using the Live View mode, and focus tracking of anything moving is pretty dismal. The camera hunts when the subject changes distance from the camera. 2. Video. Again, video with the D850 relies on the Live View mode. The camera will hunt visibly when subjects move around. I know this from personal experience. The best video with this camera can be taken with fixed, manual focus. 3. If you stick with Nikon and buy a Z camera, you can use the native Z lenses, most of which are reported to be superior to their F mount equivalents.

But if your needs are already met with your current camera, don't waste time dreaming of upgrading. By the way, the D780 does NOT suffer from focus hunting in the Live View mode due to the hybrid sensor, making video far better when you're using autofocus. The main drawback versus a mirrorless camera is that you don't have a viewfinder to use when you take video.

ELNikkor

therwol wrote:

The D850 is a fine camera with IQ equal to their b... (show quote)

4. IBIS

Walkabout08

I’m also awaiting the Z8 with the hope and expectation of Z9 equivalent AF in a Z7 size and weight format. The Z9 is too large for me.

Bill_de Loc: US

Architect1776 wrote:

Just get a Sony a7RV now as the Z8 will be the same thing just rebranded.

Yeah, but Nikon lenses will fit better on the Z8.

---

ELNikkor

Right

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

b top gun wrote:

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announce the specs for their rumored Z8; rumored to be the mirrorless version of their D850??? Am wondering what that Z8 will be directed at...wildlife, birds in flight, street photography, landscapes and seascapes?

One of the alleged merits of going mirrorless...size and weight reduction; what happened to that advantage when the Z9 appeared? For those who push the more compact size and weight of mirrorless bodies; what is the gain when ya go and add a honking big lens to that smallish body? (Hang a Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 on a Z6 II and the FTZ adapter, where is the center of balance?) Back in the day I used to shoot competitive rifle and I learned a few things from that; first, size and weight properly distributed added to the stability of the shooting platform, second, I learned to control my breathing and still apply those principles today when taking a photograph off hand; I get into a rhythm and execute the shot. When available, I will use any handy rest for my arms; regardless, my breathing rhythm still has to be under control. And I put this out there, even with VR lenses and IBIS in a mirrorless, ya still have to control your breathing to get the shot. Ya just don't jam the shutter release and expect technology to make up for poor technique.

Back to the Z8, back in the day I had a Nikon D300, I had lots of fun with that body; finally got antsy waiting for Nikon to bring out its replacement; waited so long that I grew impatient and grabbed the D7100 when I got the finances. In fact I had two D7100s when I went on my first Nikon holiday, a trip to Oregon and Crater Lake. Had a Nikkor 18-200 DX VR on the primary D7100. That combo made multiple trips to the Pac NW and two to AZ. Got the itch and began to look into upgrading to full frame and a D810, almost pulled the trigger. Had a heart to heart with my old photography mentor who put it this way, "If you go full frame, forget about the D810, get the extra cash together somehow and order the newly announced D850." Sold one of the D7100s, got a cash advance from my CFO at home and have enjoyed the D850 since.

I am so used to the feel of that camera with 24-70 f/2.8 lens on it, it is my "go to" combo. What I like, I can do some pretty good cropping and still have more than enough data to print a 20" x 30" with no loss of detail. Was out West last November, my birthday treat to myself. Had the D850, had a D780 with 70-200 f/2.8, had the D7100 body to back up either and a Samsung S22+ in my jacket pocket...and had fun. I asked myself, "What would a mirrorless have done that what I had could not have handled???" At one point I was face to face with a group of fourteen desert bighorn sheep grazing right at me; they got within 75 feet before someone way behind started making noise, eventually the sheep drifted off. I was able to crop one of the better images of that group, two of them less than fifty feet away; with all the cropping I still have plenty left for a nice crisp enlargement if I choose. Gotta love the size of the NEF files out of the D850 when I want to go large...20" x 30" minimum.

A side note on that trip, how sad to see both Lake Mead and Lake Powell as a result of the extended drought out West. Glad I did that trip when I did and with the equipment I had available.

One of the best grabs of the entire trip was taken with the Samsung S22+, sunset at the Grand Canyon.

I have been waiting for Nikon to officially announ... (show quote)

You may have a long wait.
Nikon Rumors have been predicting a 200-600 zoom for 4 years. Nikon announced it will produce a 200-600 zoom in 2020, 2021, 2022, and now hints at 2023.
I never WAIT for a camera or lens, I did not wait for Nikon to produce a 200-600, instead I bought a Sony 200-600 and have now used it for 3 long years. If I had been WAITING for Nikon I would have missed out on thousands on beautiful images I have taken with my Sony 200-600.
And, if you think you can take BETTER images with a Z8 you are only fooling yourself. Use what you currently have and never WAIT for anyone or anything.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Bill_de wrote:

Yeah, but Nikon lenses will fit better on the Z8.

---

Get an adapter seeing as one is needed anyway for all the F lenses regardless of Sony or Nikon body.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I'm the owner of a pair of Z6s along with a pair of Z9s and am an active sports guy, but also do news stories. I use the Z9 for sports and the Z6 for most of the rest where appropriate. There is a large difference in operating a Z6 and a Z9 and I am HOPING that the Z8 will have the interface of the Z9 without all the bells and whistles or the lightening fast fps which is usually only needed for sports. That, along with a reasonable price, and I will become an owner replacing one, or both, of my Z6s. Those who tell you with certainty what features the Z8 will have are only conjecturing, as no one except a few Nikon employees will know until it is announced. Best of luck to all!