Nikon Z* mirrorless

Anyone else puzzled by the fact that the Z8 rumours are settling on it being a reduced size Z9?
OK, so I recognise that speculating on rumoured specs isn't exactly the most sensible thing but I'm feeling playful this morning....
I currently have my foot in both Nikon camps with a D850 and a Z9. I've been interested in the rumoured Z8 as an obvious replacement for my trusty D850, followed by a gradual replacement of some of my F mount lenses.
If the Z8 is truly going to be just a reduced Z9 I can't understand why you'd buy it. The smaller body will not take the Z9 battery so battery life will be severely compromised.
Unless it is substantially cheaper than a Z9 why not just buy a Z9 from Panamoz at likely the same price?
Clearly pure speculation on my part.

I'm hoping that Nikon hs pulled a blinder and the Z8 has a new sensor optimised for slower work (i.e. portraits, landscapes, etc).
 
Chris_911 said:
Anyone else puzzled by the fact that the Z8 rumours are settling on it being a reduced size Z9?
OK, so I recognise that speculating on rumoured specs isn't exactly the most sensible thing but I'm feeling playful this morning....
I currently have my foot in both Nikon camps with a D850 and a Z9. I've been interested in the rumoured Z8 as an obvious replacement for my trusty D850, followed by a gradual replacement of some of my F mount lenses.
If the Z8 is truly going to be just a reduced Z9 I can't understand why you'd buy it. The smaller body will not take the Z9 battery so battery life will be severely compromised.
Unless it is substantially cheaper than a Z9 why not just buy a Z9 from Panamoz at likely the same price?
Clearly pure speculation on my part.

I'm hoping that Nikon hs pulled a blinder and the Z8 has a new sensor optimised for slower work (i.e. portraits, landscapes, etc).
Click to expand...

Very. If it's just another 45mp body, most will just keep their Z7ii's and D850s.

The Z9, from a grey, importer, looks like the one and more and more, I think the Z9 is the spiritual successor to the D850
 
Last edited:
Peter123 said:
Because many people feel the Z9 is just too big for them to handle.
Click to expand...

That would be the only reason I would consider a Z8. Having said that, I'm more than happy with the Z7ii for what I mainly use it for, ie things that don't move particularly fast!

My only real gripe with Nikon is their reticence to consider a Z mount 70-200 f4.
 
Chris_911 said:
Anyone else puzzled by the fact that the Z8 rumours are settling on it being a reduced size Z9?
OK, so I recognise that speculating on rumoured specs isn't exactly the most sensible thing but I'm feeling playful this morning....
I currently have my foot in both Nikon camps with a D850 and a Z9. I've been interested in the rumoured Z8 as an obvious replacement for my trusty D850, followed by a gradual replacement of some of my F mount lenses.
If the Z8 is truly going to be just a reduced Z9 I can't understand why you'd buy it. The smaller body will not take the Z9 battery so battery life will be severely compromised.
Unless it is substantially cheaper than a Z9 why not just buy a Z9 from Panamoz at likely the same price?
Clearly pure speculation on my part.

I'm hoping that Nikon hs pulled a blinder and the Z8 has a new sensor optimised for slower work (i.e. portraits, landscapes, etc).
Click to expand...

As an original z6 owner, I’ll be keeping an eye on on where the grey prices settle for the z8.

I love the size of my z6, and for most of what I shoot (friends/family, travel etc) I wouldn’t want anything much bigger. But I only have one camera, so also use it for wildlife etc, and can acknowledge that the AF is much better on newer bodies (but I’m never going to take a z9 around on a city break, or hiking)

Possibly something like a z7II will be a better move for me, but if the z8 doesn’t feel too much bigger, it’ll be a consideration!
 
I want the Z9 but smaller, so it'll be perfect for me if rumours are correct.
I've a Z7II and for me that photographs everything, it isn't a D850 replacement. I want it all, speed/megapixels/fast focus/large buffer/great view finder/multi tilt screen/lit buttons etc
What I don't understand is the delay in getting it to market if the rumours are true it's just a Z9 with just the grip chopped off, obviously Nikon was trying to get everyone to go higher spec/price/range than they would have, if there had been other alternatives. Possibly as they'll be doing with the Z8, folk that would have went Z7III or maybe even Z6III will now go Z8.
Now the price might be the sway factor, as the Z9 grey is very tempting.
Time will tell and we've not much longer to wait.
 
Last edited:
For me the 'mini Z9' is what I'm after as the Z9 is proving to be too heavy for me to really enjoy using it. I can accept the reduced battery life as the quoted numbers from CIPA are never close to reality so it's not a worry. The problem I have is now being trapped with a Z9 and the amount I'm going to lose on it switching over as the best offer I've had so far for my Z9 has been a cash sale to a dealer. It is what it is though
 
Well I'm 70 and the Z9 is just too big.
My interests are Landscape, Wildlife and Airshows. I think they had me in mind when they wrote the (leaked) publicity.
I'll be getting one a.s.a.p.
 
SFTPhotography said:
Sounds like Nikon have listened and answered your calls, a mini Z9 it is.

Those who want a D850, can still buy a D850 afterall.
Click to expand...
What I'm waiting for is to see what the weight actually is. The rumours keep saying <1kg. Well it'd better be. Having loaned the R5 and some lenses I'm in two camps right now. If the Z8 matches the weight then stick with the Z system as I like the light weight 400/4.5. On the other hand, if the Z8 is heavier, and bearing in mind the R5 AF was still far better than my Z9 for everything I shot with it, then I may just sell up and switch. I still have the nagging thought of moving to fuji but the Canon and Nikon AF is still ahead for some cases that matter to me so that's a harder situation now I've retried the canon kit.
 
SFTPhotography said:
Sounds like Nikon have listened and answered your calls, a mini Z9 it is.

Those who want a D850, can still buy a D850 afterall.
Click to expand...
According to the rumour mill it is. However, we’re still trading on rumours and I guess it may well be different to the rumours.

There’s a part of me would still quite fancy a D850. Totally irrelevant purchase for me, but I would like one just once :ROFLMAO:
 
wibbly said:
Too big, too heavy. Invested in Z series otherwise if I thought I could do it I would.
Click to expand...

Looks like Z9 or new Z8 for new. The Z glass is an improvement so it will work well for you. I wish there was a spacer to adapt Z lenses to F bodies, of course optical physics would mean their field of view would be altered, and 24mm wouldn't be a true 24mm, more like a 28mm to 30mm field of view but still, it would be nice.
 
Last edited:
SFTPhotography said:
Looks like Z9 or new Z8 for new. The Z glass is an improvement so it will work well for you. I wish there was a spacer to adapt Z lenses to F bodies, of course optical physics would mean their field of view would be altered, and 24mm wouldn't be a true 24mm, more like a 28mm to 30mm field of view but still, it would be nice.
Click to expand...
Adapting Z lenses to f-mount is physically impossible. The image projection distance from lens to sensor is far less on Z lenses. As it's more on F-mount lenses you can simply move the lens forward with a FTZ adapter. You'd need to bury the Z-mount lens into the F-mount camera to create the same distance to sensor. This is why the Z-mount can adapt other cameras lenses, as they just need moved forward to correct the lens to sensor distance.
 
Last edited:
wilt said:
Adapting Z lenses to f-mount is physically impossible. The image projection distance from lens to sensor is far less on Z lenses. As it's more on F-mount lenses you can simply move the lens forward with a FTZ adapter. You'd need to bury the Z-mount lens into the F-mount camera to create the same distance to sensor.
Click to expand...

What woud be projected hypothetically if you could, a blurry OOF mess, or a crop of the image circle with dreadful vingetting?
 
It's not physically impossible to adapt Z to F mount, but you would need optics in it to refocus the image from the Z lens so you would likely end up losing all the benefits of the better optics in the Z lenses, and likely a step backwards over the old F lenses. It just doesn't make sense to even try it, although maybe one day someone like Meike will try.
 
PeteStewardson said:
It's not physically impossible to adapt Z to F mount, but you would need optics in it to refocus the image from the Z lens so you would likely end up losing all the benefits of the better optics in the Z lenses, and likely a step backwards over the old F lenses. It just doesn't make sense to even try it, although maybe one day someone like Meike will try.
Click to expand...

The other issue is the by wire focus mechanisms of Z glass, you'll need software to communicate with the Z lens from the F body.
 
SFTPhotography said:
The other issue is the by wire focus mechanisms of Z glass, you'll need software to communicate with the Z lens from the F body.
Click to expand...
I guess that would depend on the protocol differences between body and lenses with Z mount, and we don't know that info. You would certainly lose manual focus though.
 
Nikon Rumours is saying the Z8 will weigh 960gms. If true, that's heavier than I was expecting.
R5 weighs 738gms.
 
Any Z users tried the Tamron 70-300 Z lens?

Looks a reasonable option.
 
Chris_911 said:
Anyone else puzzled by the fact that the Z8 rumours are settling on it being a reduced size Z9?
OK, so I recognise that speculating on rumoured specs isn't exactly the most sensible thing but I'm feeling playful this morning....
I currently have my foot in both Nikon camps with a D850 and a Z9. I've been interested in the rumoured Z8 as an obvious replacement for my trusty D850, followed by a gradual replacement of some of my F mount lenses.
If the Z8 is truly going to be just a reduced Z9 I can't understand why you'd buy it. The smaller body will not take the Z9 battery so battery life will be severely compromised.
Unless it is substantially cheaper than a Z9 why not just buy a Z9 from Panamoz at likely the same price?
Clearly pure speculation on my part.

I'm hoping that Nikon hs pulled a blinder and the Z8 has a new sensor optimised for slower work (i.e. portraits, landscapes, etc).
Click to expand...

The rumoured spec sheet that's come out makes perfect sense to me.

When I had a D850, it was the 'consummate all rounder', great for everything I did at least, from landscapes and macro to people and wildlife, high resolution with the top end focussing from the D5. My Z7 is not this camera.

As someone who wants 'a true Z version of the D850' and with the ongoing march of technology, this makes perfect sense. The Z9 is not for me, too large, too heavy, too expensive but the spec sheet is compelling.

No mechanical shutter, stacked sensor, 20fps, blackout free viewfinder, Z9 levels of auto focus, pro controls / buttons / banks etc. etc. etc. in a D850 sized body sounds perfect. Batteries are not a problem as I already have 6 of them.

Re-using the guts of a Z9 also shares R&D costs etc. etc. and the release announcement tying in with the Nikon vs Red case being dismissed means that it can be released with the ability to record RAW video too making it the 'consummate all rounder' again.

The price point for me will be a few months down the line and grey, so probably just under £3k, about £1k less than a Z9, sounds about right.

The camera with the slower sensor for landscape work (and likely more pixels) will probably be the Z7iii.

It all makes sense to me, a Z7 owner that likes to dabble in wildlife a bit but I can see that if you already have a Z9 that it would be less compelling.
 
wilt said:
....
What I don't understand is the delay in getting it to market if the rumours are true it's just a Z9 with just the grip chopped off.....
Click to expand...

Guessing it's the Nikon vs Red case for RAW video.

The case was dismissed at the same time as the announcement and the teaser has a play button in it suggesting video too, so waiting for the case to be resolved before releasing it makes perfect sense whilst also hopefully giving plenty of time to build up stock levels.
 
Good morning
I have had my Nikon D90 with 35 mm 1.8 prime for about 12 years
I am considering moving up to a Mirrorless Camera
Is the kit below OK ?

Nikon Z6 II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body)
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S Lens
Sony 64GB G Series (400 MB/s)
SanDisk Extreme UHS-I (170MB/s) 64GB
Many thanks for any advice
John
 
That's a good step up from the D90. I had a D90 and loved it.
The 50mm is a fantastic lens and will give you a similar field of view as the 35mm did on the D90.
You might be able to pick up an original FTZ cheaply and be able to use your 35mm on the Z6II, depending on which 35mm lens it is.
You might be able to pick up a cheaper 64GB CFEpress type B memory card cheaper and maybe it's more future proofed.
 
Cordy said:
............. Is the kit below OK ?

Nikon Z6 II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body)
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S Lens
Sony 64GB G Series (400 MB/s)
SanDisk Extreme UHS-I (170MB/s) 64GB
Many thanks for any advice
John
Click to expand...
Looks good to me.
I started with similar but have added the 24-200 as an all rounder lens, and a 14-30 for wide etc.
 
Cordy said:
Good morning
I have had my Nikon D90 with 35 mm 1.8 prime for about 12 years
I am considering moving up to a Mirrorless Camera
Is the kit below OK ?

Nikon Z6 II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body)
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S Lens
Sony 64GB G Series (400 MB/s)
SanDisk Extreme UHS-I (170MB/s) 64GB
Many thanks for any advice
John
Click to expand...
Given you're entering a completely new system - may I ask, what are you hoping to shoot / achieve?

Nothing wrong with the equipment you're looking at, however, prior to committing to it, what do you hope this new kit will achieve?
 
Hi @toohuge

Achieve ?
Just the sort of mix that I do with my D90; I don't do videos.
Just fancy a change that's all.

My first Nikon camera was a NIKON F 35MM FILM CAMERA with 1-8 Prime 50 mm
in the late 1960s. Can't remember how much I paid for that.
It's mainly the cards that I need assurance on -- I don't want to order the wrong type !
 
inkiboo said:
D850 was always a baby flagship. Z8 will almost certainly be no different.
Click to expand...

In a lot of respects it wasn't, it was better!

Off the top of my head
45mp instead of 20mp on the D5
Focus stacking
64 base ISO
8k timelapse
120fps video
and probably more too.

So what could be added to the Z8 that's not in the Z9?

I'd like to see astro tracing and pixel shift tricks from the sensor like the K-1 as an example.

What else would like to see added? Realistically of course!
 
Casablanca, I should add, Casablanca seed Potatoes.

I planted them March 17th (that's the traditional day)

Should harvest mid June
_DSC0004.JPG
_DSC0006 (4).JPG
 
Looks like the first part of announcement day is a price rise on a lot of kit in Japan.

The Z9 is going up by 10%, so I guess that leaves more space for Z8 pricing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top