Normafries Loc: San Jose CA

I have been wanting to move to mirrorless. I need to be able to photograph animals in low light, so also considering getting Nikkor 70-200 2.8. I have been using Canon 7D Mark II for years, with L lenses, and to me, it has been OK but not great. But I have zero experience with Nikon of any sort. A bit concerned about weight, too, as that lens weighs quite a bit.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Especially those of you that actually own a Nikon Z8....

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

I will follow your topic. I do pet photography and landscape with pets included most of the time. I shoot with a Nikon D750 and interested in the Nikon Z8 but concerned about weight too. Being a petite lady can be a bit of a hindrance!

ricardo00

I have owned a Nikon Z8 since they came out. But I have been a long time Nikon shooter. Not sure what attracts you to the Z8, but it is quite a step up from the Canon 7D Mark II, full frame, mirrorless etc. If you are concerned about weight, you might consider the 70-180mm f/2.8. It is quite a bit lighter than the 70-200mm f/2.8 (and cheaper), though missing the VR (but of course the camera has image stabilization).
You might try to borrow one and/or rent the set up to see if you like it before buying one? Without knowing the kind of photography you do, it is hard to say whether you need the Nikon Z8 (or a similar Canon one). Personally, I am having a lot of fun with the Z8.
Also, the problem with 70-200mm lenses that most of the time animals aren't that close? So a 300mm or 400mm would be better. Of course, a f/2.8 300mm or 400mm is even heavier. The nice thing about Nikon are the PF lenses. The 300mm f/4 PF lens is amazingly light. The 400mm f/4.5 (not a PF lens) is also super light but not quite as good as a f/4. So lots of choices, you will have to balance cost, weight of the lens, focal length and f stop.
Some of my pics with the Z8 are in my Z8 flickr album if interested:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72177720308699137

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Why not get the R5 MII when it comes out in a couple of months. It will seamlessly use all your lenses saving tons of money. They will also work better than they do now and have the latest control ring feature.
The camera will be a generation better than the Z8 and even the current already has superior AF to the Z8 and Z9 per reputable reports by independent reviewers.
PS, Canon has a 70-200mm f2.8 lens as well and it is a fraction of the size and weight of the Nikon. Isn't that the purpose of going mirrorless, smaller, lighter and better.
Read and listen to independent reviews like from Jared Polin.

Burkley Loc: Park City

I love my Z8. The Z8 has enough in common with my Nikon heritage that buying it made a lot of sense. Familiarity with controls, terminology and most features as well as owning compatible lenses made the decision to buy it a good one. If I already owned Canon I would seriously look at staying with Canon. Many UHH members have strong brand loyalty and even stronger opinions. For most skilled photography enthusiasts, I am of the opinion that all of the upper tier mirrorless cameras will take excellent photos, irregardless of brand. The same is true of lenses. I would get to a camera store and take a good look at the Canon mirrorless line and look for near future Canon releases before buying a Z8. If you still decide to buy a Z8, you will get a great camera.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

I own both the Z8 and the Z 70-200mm a superb kit. It's not light but that depends upon how long you carry it, how and where doing what.

If you already have some Canon lenses what advantage do you see in changing brand.

1grumpybear

Been using Nikon since the D1. Own the Z8, Z9 and the 70-200 2.8 S lens. The major difference for me is the battery life even with the MB-N12 battery pack. I get around 400 shots on the Z8 and over 2800 on the Z9 with a single battery charge. Why do I own both the Z8 and the Z9 is because the Z8 is lighter and has a smaller footprint. Getting old and on occasion not being able to use a tripod, out comes the Z8. Shoot a lot of High School sports and lighting is poor but I see very little difference between the Z8 and the Z9 and with post processing I am happy with the results. I haven't done a comparison shot between the two cameras.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The Z8 is a great camera, as all the reviews will tell you. I suggest you also take a look at the new ZF, which has gotten rave reviews. I have no complaints about my Z8, but I wouldn't mind a pop-up flash. I guess they have gone the way of buggy whips. If the ZF came with a silver/black body, I'd buy one.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Why would you give up on Canon for the likes of Nikon? You clearly have been reading all the wrong posts on UHH, sadly a Nikon-heavy community. The 45MP resolution of the Z8 is just a catch-up effort by Nikon to the older and industry-defining EOS R5. We're also due for a vII of the R5 model.

You'd be best served by actually handling and shooting some of the candidate models, especially when talking about a jump to mirrorless, a complete change of brands, and $3000+ coming out of your pocket. Consider LensRentals.com for a long weekend or week of dedicated shooting.

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

The 70-200 is fast but not ideal for wildlife photography. I shot in poor light with the Nikon 200-500 5.6 for years without issue.
I strongly suggest the Nikon 180-600. At 6.3 it is only a 1/3 stop slower than the 200-500. With today's camera's higher iso's are not an issue. The 180-600 is a much better choice. IMHO

Rick from NY Loc: Sarasota FL

The Z8 with a Z70-200/2.8 is superb. I thought my D850 and the F mount 70-200/2.8 could never be topped for sharpness, but I was wrong. And the improved AF (especially the eye tracking) is scary good.

Be advised - this is NOT a lightweight rig. Almost as big and heavy as regular DSLR predecessor. And the battery life is substantially less than in the D850.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Exactly! Just because you've been stuck with a certain brand for a few years, that doesn't mean you should buy the best camera that is currently available. You should learn how to settle for "pretty good." Some people don't deserve the best.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Success is the dream you dream while shopping for your new Canon.

Bill_de Loc: US

If you haven't already done this, you should post this in the Photo Gallery. Great shot.

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jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Be aware that you will likely get recommendations for the "best" available equipment currently, or soon to be, available. But you should consider:

High quality mirrorless cameras are not significantly lighter than equivalent format DSLRs; lenses for mirrorless cameras are not significantly lighter than lenses for equivalent format DSLR lenses. If you want lighter gear, you should consider crop sensor cameras such as Fuji, OM Systems, and Lumix. Another way to save weight is to buy non-pro lenses. Crop sensor lenses also have narrower fields of view for the same aperture (A 12-100mm OM System lens has the equivalent field of view of of a full frame 24-200mm lens). Crop sensor cameras and lenses will be less expensive. Most of the full frame flageship cameras such as the Nikon Z8, Canon R7, and Sony A1 will not provide significantly better image quality. You can find professional photographers that use crop sensor cameras, full frame cameras, or medium frame cameras. However, many tests show that most people cannot identify which camera (full frame or crop sensor) produced which large prints of the same subject; even on close inspection; even without the application of AI noise reduction and image size scaling--which make sensor size essentially irrelevant.

I'm not disparaging full frame and medium frame gear, I just think they aren't necessary for non-professional and most professional photographers. And it has cost me many tens of thousands of dollars to prove this to myself.