Announcement of the New Nikon Z8 Camera

Nikon Z8 Camera Review

The rumors and speculation in the photographic community about the announcement of a new high-resolution Nikon full frame camera was a busy topic off late (actually started about a year ago !)

With both the Sony A7RV (announced October 2022) and Canon R5 (announced July 2020) already launched and available in the professional high-resolution market, Nikon enthusiasts kept wondering when their brand will enter this popular and demanding sector of the mirrorless market. Nikon die-hard supporters were becoming restless, with many users moving brands.

Today, Nikon finally put itself in the professional mirrorless camera race with the announcement of the much anticipated Z8. From a Nikon perspective it appears to be the successor for the hugely popular Nikon D 850 DSLR camera, which is widely considered to be one of the best DSLR cameras ever produced – time will tell, but this is certainly an exciting prospect.

The specs of the new Nikon Z8 is widely available on the web and I will not bore you with all the details. I am drawn to the 45.7 mp stacked sensor and 20pfs RAW with a buffer of 1000 shots, AI driven autofocus and an impressive dynamic range. The specs will also have the videographers in awe.

The Nikon Z8 is the Nikon Z9 in a 30% smaller and cheaper body, with a few differences such as the type of memory card slots, ports and battery capacity, but the core of the cameras are essentially the same. Having shot with the Z9 for 18 months now, the limited battery capacity of the Z8 appears to be a concern, but technology will probably catch up to capacity.

Why I will consider the Nikon Z8 – currently my 2nd body is the Nikon Z7ii, which is a great camera but does not have the autofocus ability of the Nikon Z9, nor the external button/control layout, which I find frustrating out in the field when shooting action. If the Z8 is indeed the “new” D850, with the Z9 specs, it is certainly a prospect to consider!

Happy Shooting!