Nikon Z* mirrorless

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Hi all.
I`m thinking about getting a Z8, is it as good as the Z9 ? obviously I know it has a little less of the things that the Z9 has but it`s form facture appeals to me.
I got to actually hold a Z9 on Sunday (1st time for me) but a little too large for me but I do like the idea of the Z8.
I really got GAS. I do various Genre of Photographs as some of you may know although I may keep the Z6ii for Macro as I think it would be a waste getting that low with a Z8.
 
sk66 said:
Got my e-mail telling me mine is still on backorder... and I ordered it on day 1...
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Interesting that E-infinity are showing it as in stock - but at no saving on non-grey price. One-Stop Digital also have stock but are looking for £1965.
 
silure130 said:
Yes I am, not used it much yet thou. Hoping to give it a good try at the weekend.
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How heavy is it compared to a 200-500 or 150-600 sign ????
I assume that the balance will be better as it is an internal zoom, I hate the. length of my siggy when at 600mm.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
How heavy is it compared to a 200-500 or 150-600 sign ????
I assume that the balance will be better as it is an internal zoom, I hate the. length of my siggy when at 600mm.
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No idea I've never held any of those. I only use the Z 400mm 4.5 so it was heavy compared to this at first, but the more I use it the better it feels.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
How heavy is it compared to a 200-500 or 150-600 sign ????
I assume that the balance will be better as it is an internal zoom, I hate the. length of my siggy when at 600mm.
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The weight is about the same as the Sigma 150-600 S; and probably about the minimum weight to balance well with a Z9 on a gimbal head... e.g. the Z 100-400 and 400pf do not balance well...
 
Graham said:
Hi all.
I`m thinking about getting a Z8, is it as good as the Z9 ? obviously I know it has a little less of the things that the Z9 has but it`s form facture appeals to me.
I got to actually hold a Z9 on Sunday (1st time for me) but a little too large for me but I do like the idea of the Z8.
I really got GAS. I do various Genre of Photographs as some of you may know although I may keep the Z6ii for Macro as I think it would be a waste getting that low with a Z8.
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I decided I didnt want the Z9 as I dont do sports or motorsports any more so the battery life wasnt important. But I changed my mind as the Z8 doesnt have GPS built in that I want, so if I want light then I use my Fuji XT5 or XH2. There is something extra in images from FF over APS-C. It isnt something I can define or understand but it just seems that when I shoot with FF camera the images work better for me!
 
jknights said:
I decided I didnt want the Z9 as I dont do sports or motorsports any more so the battery life wasnt important. But I changed my mind as the Z8 doesnt have GPS built in that I want, so if I want light then I use my Fuji XT5 or XH2. There is something extra in images from FF over APS-C. It isnt something I can define or understand but it just seems that when I shoot with FF camera the images work better for me!
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Thanks,
GPS is not important to me as I normally know where I am and where my photos were taken.
 
Graham said:
Hi all.
I`m thinking about getting a Z8, is it as good as the Z9 ? obviously I know it has a little less of the things that the Z9 has but it`s form facture appeals to me.
I got to actually hold a Z9 on Sunday (1st time for me) but a little too large for me but I do like the idea of the Z8.
I really got GAS. I do various Genre of Photographs as some of you may know although I may keep the Z6ii for Macro as I think it would be a waste getting that low with a Z8.
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I owned a Z9 from when they launched ( well as soon as my pre-order came through ) and then as soon as the Z8 came out traded the Z9 for the Z8. Absolutely no regrets at all. You're only missing the grip, dual CFEpress, auto shooting feature, GPS, and some battery life if you go Z8. The lower size and weight is perfect for me, and honestly I think the Z8 just has a slightly better image than the Z9 in honesty. The missing features are a bit niche really, and the Z8 is just as fast.
 
PeteStewardson said:
I owned a Z9 from when they launched ( well as soon as my pre-order came through ) and then as soon as the Z8 came out traded the Z9 for the Z8. Absolutely no regrets at all. You're only missing the grip, dual CFEpress, auto shooting feature, GPS, and some battery life if you go Z8. The lower size and weight is perfect for me, and honestly I think the Z8 just has a slightly better image than the Z9 in honesty. The missing features are a bit niche really, and the Z8 is just as fast.
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Thanks for the reply.
Ordered 30 mins ago so fingers crossed. One CF Express B, Card reader and a L Bracket also.
I`ll be in the French Alps in 2 weeks time so a good practice time.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
anyone shooting a 180-600 yet ???
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Me, although i haven't had much chance to use it yet. Was out this morning early and it is sitting drying off as i type:(. Wind and driving drizzle aren;t ideal conditions. I replaced a sigma 150-600with this. Focus is much quicker and obviously silent. Weight is no different.
 
wilt said:
Just ordered the 180-600mm Z from Nikon UK with 20% off using unidays code. Made it £1439.20
No idea when I'll get it but it was a nice saving, maybe imports will be that price by the time it arrives.
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I need to become a (very mature) student.
 
So my nephew is at University - can i get a code through him ?
 
wibbly said:
£2299 here in the UK, $1999 in the USA. Not quite sure why there’s such a huge differential in cost, but that’s quite the difference.
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Don’t forget that in the good ol’ US of A sales tax is added at the point of purchase as it varies state to state. So you can add anywhere between 10-20%.

Still more expensive over here though.
 
seadog99 said:
Don’t forget that in the good ol’ US of A sales tax is added at the point of purchase as it varies state to state. So you can add anywhere between 10-20%.

Still more expensive over here though.
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Highest sales tax in the US is 10.25% versus 20% for us. Overall point does explain some of the difference.
 
Well I must have been eating too many beans as the GAS got the better of me :D

Honestly this looks from what I can see to be exactly what I was after. It will pair perfectly with the 28/2.8SE that I love using as a carry around.
 
I got my Z8 yesterday (yes a day early) took it out this morning, I think I had it on RAW + HEIF but not sure, I can view the files but they won`t show as files in Luminar, it just shows them as a corrupted file, I tried Adobe DNG converter but when I go into the folder to convert them there is nothing there.
I`m stumped.
PS These photos don`t matter but the ones in a weeks time will.
Ideas ?
 
wibbly said:
New Zf now released.

Nikon Z f Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera | Nikon

Make it iconic with the Nikon Z f full-frame mirrorless camera. Classic SLR camera design meets advanced Z series performance for unique stills and video.
www.nikon.co.uk

£2299 here in the UK, $1999 in the USA. Not quite sure why there’s such a huge differential in cost, but that’s quite the difference.
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This will sell an absolute boatload.
 
Graham said:
I got my Z8 yesterday (yes a day early) took it out this morning, I think I had it on RAW + HEIF but not sure, I can view the files but they won`t show as files in Luminar, it just shows them as a corrupted file, I tried Adobe DNG converter but when I go into the folder to convert them there is nothing there.
I`m stumped.
PS These photos don`t matter but the ones in a weeks time will.
Ideas ?
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When you look in your file explorer, what do the files show as? I've been testing with Z8 files and I've been able to run them through the Adobe DNG converter without issue (.NEF files) so that should work.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
When you look in your file explorer, what do the files show as? I've been testing with Z8 files and I've been able to run them through the Adobe DNG converter without issue (.NEF files) so that should work.
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Thanks for your reply.
I just looked and the files are NEF so I got no idea what`s going on here, I had it set to High efficiency * before.
I have changed the file format (RAW Recording) to Lossless compression and loaded the file into Luminar and it loads ok and is PPable.
Still got no idea why I can`t load the 1st files to Adobe DNG Converter though but I just tried again and still no files show, not even the one that I can work with in Luminar.
 
The Zf looks very nice. A far better attempt at a 'retro' design than the Df. That was a bloated, unnecessarily heavy beast that reminded me of the New Mini or Beetle vs the originals. This at least isn't too much bigger than an FM2 (A Zfc is closer but DX of course), and has very similar controls. All Nikon need to do now is produce one in silver.

1508103224.jpg

Will I be buying one? Not at the moment. I don't need a new camera. A relatively low pixel count suggests very good low light capability though, which is more important to me than megapixels. Would I buy one if I did need a new camera? Hmm. The Z8 is more appealing to me tbh. But then that is a good bit larger than my Z6. I like a small, lightweight set for travelling, so the Z6 is preferable here too. Had the Zf been out when I bought my Z6, I may well have gone for it though. But for now, it's filed under 'would be nice to have but probably won't get one'. It's just not different enough to my Z6 for me to want it. If it were 35Mp or so, with similar low light capabilty, then that would change things a bit. A new camera has to offer something that will help me take better pictures, and the Zf doesn't, in my view. I did have to laugh at some comments about the Zf being a 'photographers' camera'. What are other cameras then?? A bit of style over. Had Nikon perhaps stripped out the video capability (like they did with the Df), and made it just a bit smaller, lighter and cheaper, then it would be a real winner imo. Ah well.
 
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wilt said:
Z-f has some nice features. Pixel shift, touch screen focus point movement, 8 stop ibis. I could see myself getting a used one, sometime in the future.
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Yes, I like the features and would grab something in a Z6 style body.
Retro dials not for me personally.

Normally Nikon will do a retro version of something already out there.
They seem to have gone the other way round with this.
 
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Skypilot said:
I'm not so sure.
I think there will be plenty like me wanting those internals but in a Z 6/7 style camera.
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I doubt you will much want the downgraded evf, as if original ones weren't outdated enough
 
Skypilot said:
Yes, I like the features and would grab something in a Z6 style body.
Retro dials not for me personally.

Normally Nikon will do a retro version of something already out there.
They seem to have gone the other way round with this.
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Yes, it does have some improvements over the Z6II/Z7II, so maybe this is what the Z6III is going to be like spec wise also.
Although a slight bump in resolution to maybe 30mp on the Z6III would be nice, if it didn't hurt it's low light performance.
 
I'm waiting impatiently for either a 36mp Z6III or a Z7III, with the articulating/hinged LCD of the Z8/Z9 and improved subject tracking.
 
I admit it appeals to me, but in no rational way. I just like it and therefore would like to own and use one.
Great to use when I want to travel 'light' with one lens.


Oh, no, wait.... that's why I bought an Olympus system.
Oh well, can never how too many cameras (not that I can afford the entry price currently)
 
When I saw the initial specs, I was pretty underwhelmed. No sensor shield, no improved EVF or sensor from my nearly 5 year old Z6. No CF card slot even. There are one or two quite interesting AF-related features and actually I like the idea of an instant Black and White preview. Still, I guess for the price, it's an attractive option for those who have not yet moved over to FF mirrorless. I just don't see the point in upgrading for what is little more than a pretty face and improved tracking (which I don't do much of anyway). For the pretty face, I have the Df (although i know some find that ugly...)
 
lunar22 said:
When I saw the initial specs, I was pretty underwhelmed. No sensor shield, no improved EVF or sensor from my nearly 5 year old Z6. No CF card slot even. There are one or two quite interesting AF-related features and actually I like the idea of an instant Black and White preview. Still, I guess for the price, it's an attractive option for those who have not yet moved over to FF mirrorless. I just don't see the point in upgrading for what is little more than a pretty face and improved tracking (which I don't do much of anyway). For the pretty face, I have the Df (although i know some find that ugly...)
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Yes; if I were coming into ML for the first time, then the Zf would be very attractive. Personally, I'd have liked the sensor shield as you say, plus the bump up to 30+MP as Wilt suggests. Strip the video features, make it a bit more robust, more of a 'photojournalist' type tool. As it is, it's got the same (albeit evolved and improved) sensor as on a 10+ year old camera, and little else that will make any real world differences. Faster AF/better AF tracking is good, but probably won't be appreciated by most people using it. But then; perhaps it's actually more of a 'Z6iii', rather than a completely new camera.
 
lunar22 said:
When I saw the initial specs, I was pretty underwhelmed. No sensor shield, no improved EVF or sensor from my nearly 5 year old Z6. No CF card slot even. There are one or two quite interesting AF-related features and actually I like the idea of an instant Black and White preview. Still, I guess for the price, it's an attractive option for those who have not yet moved over to FF mirrorless. I just don't see the point in upgrading for what is little more than a pretty face and improved tracking (which I don't do much of anyway). For the pretty face, I have the Df (although i know some find that ugly...)
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Yes; if I were coming into ML for the first time, then the Zf would be very attractive. Personally, I'd have liked the sensor shield as you say, plus the bump up to 30+MP as Wilt suggests. Strip the video features, make it a bit more robust, more of a 'photojournalist' type tool. As it is, it's got the same (albeit evolved and improved) sensor as on a 10+ year old camera, and little else that will make any real world differences. Faster AF/better AF tracking is good, but probably won't be appreciated by most people using it. But then; perhaps it's actually more of a 'Z6iii', rather than a completely new camera.
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I would be interested if anyone has one and has used the 8-32 pic combined in camera option...
 
Zf was never on my radar - had been considering upgrading my Z7 to a Z8, but felt like I was possibly going backwards in terms of size and weight towards DSLR territory again.

But given I am a lazy git and almost always shoot handheld, even when any sensible person would be using a tripod, 8 stops VR really is appealing! Think I need to try to get my hands on both to try them. and just wish I was a bit closer to somewhere I could get my hands on both to try them!

Also want to check out the Tamron 35-150 for my full spectrum Z5. The types of lenses that worked well in infrared on my D7100 don't work well on my Z5 and I'm struggling to get a quality / flexibility / infrared usability combo that I like for both bodies.
 
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