Nikon Z8 Review: Ultimate Hybrid Camera
As long as I’ve been a photographer, I’ve been in search of the “best” camera. Most photographers have been there — a camera that does it all. So, in this Nikon Z8 review, I’ll show you why I think it’s the ultimate hybrid camera.
Also, a huge thank you to Nikon for loaning me a Nikon Z8, a Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S and Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S to review! As always, you’ll be getting my unbiased thoughts on any gear I review. But, I like to be 100% transparent upfront! So, let’s dig right into this hands-on Nikon Z8 review!
Nikon Z8 Photography Specs:
When it comes to photography, the Nikon Z8 boasts some pretty powerful specs. Anyone can copy and paste a camera’s tech specs from the internet. However, it’s really the hands-on performance of the camera that I truly care about. Let’s skim over what I think is most important, then dive right into photoshoot examples from the Nikon Z8.
- 45.7 MP Stacked CMOS Sensor
- EXPEED 7 Processor
- Price: $3499
- 20 FPS (RAW + JPEG)
- 30 FPS (JPEG)
- 493-Point Phase-Detection AF
- Fully electronic shutter: 1/32,000
- 6 Stops of In-Body VR
While the photography spec of the Nikon Z8 are wild, what I really care about are the actual photographs! Speaking of wild, I was lucky enough to capture a moose in the Colorado Rocky Mountains while I had the Z8! He’s pretty cute, right? Alright, let’s take a look at some of the portrait photoshoots I did with the Z8.
Z8 Portraits
As you may already know, I love portraits! I was able to coordinate three portrait photoshoots while I had the Nikon Z8. For starters, capturing 45 MP portraits is fantastic. While I prefer to get the composition 99% right in-camera, there is plenty of room to crop and re-compose your shots.
Z8 Portrait Pro Tip: With great power comes great responsibility. (Thanks Uncle Ben!) When you’re capturing super high resolution photos like 45MP, you can see every fine detail in the final photo. This means camera shake is even more pronounced than say on a 24MP photo. Luckily the Z8 has in-body vibration reduction to help out, but remember to keep your shots steady for the sharpest photographs!
Also, a special thanks to to Ana, Taylor and Tirzah for being great models and helping me create these portraits with the Z8!
Nikon Z8 Video Samples
The video coming out of the Nikon Z8 is just stellar. I have a few video samples in the review video above, so I’ll just do a quick overview of the Z8’s video specs that I find most important. However, if you’d still like to see all the available codecs and frame rates, you can check out Nikon’s Z8 tech spec page. The Z8’s ability to capture 8K footage up to 60 fps and 4K120, internally, is key. No more external recording devices needed!
Nikon Z8 Video Tech Specs
- Internal 8K/60fps
- 4K/120
- 12-bit RAW recording
- 12-bit ProRes RAW HQ
- 10-bit ProRes 422 HQ
- N-Log Recording
Access to 12-bit RAW recording is a game changer if you plan on color correcting and color grading your footage. Remember, with these resolutions and bit rates comes BIG file sizes. Don’t forget to stock up on fast CFexpress Cards (Type-B) before shooting video; I’d recommend 256GB minimum. Lastly, let’s talk a little about Nikon’s LOG profile, N-Log.
N-Log LUT
Nikon’s proprietary LOG profile is N-Log. To get the most dynamic range out of your Z8 footage, I highly recommend utilizing the N-Log profile, then converting to rec. 709 as in your video editing software. To do this you’ll need an N-Log to 709 LUT.
Luckily, I spent a lot of time studying the Z8’s NLog profile and created some conversion LUTs to get your footage back to rec. 709. You can find them in my official shop below:
Nikon Z8 N-Log to 709 LUT
New Z8 Body Features
The Z8 has given us a few new features, two of my favorites being, the illuminated buttons and the sensor shield! Both of these features feel like must-haves in any camera. But seriously, how have we come this far without sensor shields on all mirrorless camera bodies? I digress…
- Illuminated Buttons
- Weather Sealed
- Magnesium Alloy & Carbon Fiber Chasis
- Sensor shield!
- Night display mode
- 2 USB-C ports: 1 Power, 1 file transfer
- Full size HDMI Out
- 2 Card slots, CF Express/XQD & SD
Nikon Z8 Review: Final Thoughts
So, is the Nikon Z8 the ultimate hybrid camera body? Absolutely! The Z8 follows as a successor to the D850 (45MP), which was a powerful flagship Nikon DSLR. And, it includes a lot of the Z9’s power, but in a 30% smaller camera body. The Nikon Z8 is truly a powerhouse in a compact package.
It’s worth noting that Canon just dropped the specs of its EOS R5 Mark II mid-July of 2024. The cost $4299 (USD), even with similar specs., that’s well above that of the Nikon Z8.
If you’re interested in buying your own Z8 mirrorless camera body and you found this Nikon Z8 Review helpful, please use my affiliate link below. It gives me a small commission at zero cost to you, and helps me continue to review camera gear — also free to you!
Buy the Nikon Z8 Camera!
Until next time, get out and go shoot! And, remember to sign up for my photography newsletter!
Nikon Z8 Firmware 2.0
A final note: while I had the Z8, Nikon released its Firmware 2.0 update for the camera. This is already quite a long review, so I’ll be making a dedicated post for this update and its features for the Z8. The new firmware gives us some amazing capabilities like high resolution 180 MP pixel-shift photos! 2.0 also includes auto-capture and updated some of the Z8’s already amazing AF capabilities.
