SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I’ll have to disagree on the similarity to Nikon DSLR’s. Yes, they are similar in that they are cameras and things like setting aperture and CC shutter speed and ISO are pretty much the same. I could also say that my OM-1 is also similar.
The difference is that the Z8 will have a lot of options/features not available on a DSLR and the use of those features is not always intuitive.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

Thanks, Pete. Good advice.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Here's the problem. I am very confident about knowing how to set up a camera. We could probably sit down together and do it together to your camera in about 30 minutes. 45 minutes maximum. The problem is that you would almost certainly hate it when we were finished because it would contain many, many of my personal biases.

Camera setup needs to occur organically. As you see something, or as you learn something, you need to understand it and then deal with it by making appropriate adjustments. There is no satisfactory instant gratification with a camera like the Z8. Even when you get things like you think you want them, they aren't going to be like you want them. That means that you need to know, really know, what your camera can do and how to make it do those things.

Certainly this doesn't have to happen all at once. But it needs to be happening all the time. You need the manual for that, not someone else's idea of the manual.

Vince68 Loc: Wappingers Falls, NY

I second the vote for Steve Perry's Z8/Z9 guide. And when he updates it, which he does when there are new firmware releases, they are free to you.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

Thank you. I have had barious Nikon digital cameras for years, and have always found third party books to be easier to understand and more comprehensive than Nikon's, which read like they were translated from Japanese rather than writtne in English by English speakers.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

Thanks.

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

Also the Perry guide to Nikon autofocus, Mirrorless edition, available from the same location, and priceless. I have both.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

I like his videos and have implemented some of his suggestions on my D7100 and D7500 so this is wheat I will most likely do

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

While I agree that setup is a personal thing, (I recently watched a video for the OM-1, “the 5 settings to change on your OM-1”, I disagreed with 4 of them), I disagree that the user manual is the best way to achieve the right setup. I find in the good 3rd party guides they provide info on why you might want a setting a certain way and also which settings work well together and which don’t.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

That is exactly why I am looking for a good third party book. Many of the suggestions are for ebooks. I am not interested in an ebook. Not withstanding that Steve Perry is probably the most knowledgeable Authority on how to set up and use Nikon digital cameras, I am old fashioned and want a book with a cover paper Pages a table of contents and an index. I want to be able to hold it in my hand and flip pages as I need to. I enjoy using my Kindle for fiction, but for serious reading and reference, I want an old-fashioned book.

Wags Loc: Mequon, WI

I received my Z8 about 2 weeks. (Have been shooting the D500) Just some quick thoughts: Definitely watch Steve Perry’s YouTube videos’s-he has such great information. Another source for setup and general overview is the Youtube channel of Hudson Henry, I found him to be very helpful. Also, I am finding that shooting with the Z8 is certainly similar to my D500 in many ways, but in many ways quite different, especially in the numerous options of focusing. It’s just different from what I’m used to and takes some time to learn how to access the options and then apply them. But, I love the camera. I shoot a lot of indoor sports, and I have found the Z8 to be a great piece of equipment. Oh, and I am reading the entire reference guide.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

Thank you. I definitely intend to watch some of those videos, which I have found to be very helpful in the past with respect to my other cameras. I'm really looking for a book that has real pages and not an ebook. I'm just more comfortable learning that way.

Hemp Imagery

Owned the Z9 for 1+ years. Guess my bull, had teats ! ( but Nikon shooter, for 20+ years )

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...and I <shrug> totally agree with his assessment. I went from my D5 to the Z9 *almost* without a hiccup, mostly because I was very familiar with Nikon's menu system. In fact, all my upgrades since buying my D70s in '06, have been fairly easy because of said familiarity. Sure, there were aspects of each upgrade that needed to be mastered and me, being in the same place as our
OP, never really got into the esoteric nature of Nikon's literature. We all learn differently and I gravitate to trusted sources that have served me well for years...most of them on YouTube. Visual learners in general approach getting a working knowledge of something this way...through *seeing* how it's done, or really good written tracts that lay it out in an understandable manner. This is nothing against those who choose to dig in to the manual, not at all, but only to bring it forward that there are other ways of doing things. The Z9 to me was initially difficult to set up, so I found both Steve Perry and Hudson Henry to be super helpful...but I was out shooting with it hours after unpacking it, because I *could*! I'm now very intuitive operating the camera, but even so, with firmware updates and such, I tend to watch alot of vids...some not so helpful, some with a nugget or two, and some just badass. So, to each his or her own...and shoot 'til you can't do it anymore!

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

If I was the owner of a Z8 my first step in learning the camera would be to download the Nikon guide for it. If a wildlife or action photographer there is no way I will miss Steve Perry's instructions on how to use the Nikon AF.
Rick is right, there are very good books available to learn the Z8 but that means extra money you have to pay. YouTube has plenty of videos from well known photographers talking about the camera. Google also offers lots of information.

In my case I never needed to buy a book to learn a camera I owned. The guide supplied by the manufacturer and my use of videos in YouTube have always been enough but that is me.