Nikon Z7ii vs Z8 - PORTRAIT Shootout!

Time to stop blaming the equipment...

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[willoughby]

Finally someone who can agree with about the z7ii. I’ve had it for a while shooting professionally and I’m so impressed by its focusing accuracy. All I’ve heard is it’s auto focus is unusable on the z7ii and must be putting people off buying it. I shoot weddings and commercial work in some very dark situations and it nails it

[trexuss]

Thank you for your very honest video. I currently have the Z7ii and I'm quite happy with it, especially when paired with the new Z glass. I was thinking of getting the Z8, but I have no complaints with the Z7ii so far...

[jjnapolitano]

I love how critic and transparent You are!
Way to go!
That's the reason why I have years following You in YouTube.

[redauwg]

Came here for the review... Got blown away by your portraiture, , Thank you Matt

[stevevlahos]

Thanks Matt. I’ve been holding out for a new camera. I mostly shoot landscape and people. My only concern is night time photography. I do like the fact that the Z7ii is 45mp vs the Z6ii when shooting landscapes.

[clissonplage]

the black and white series are really superb in portrait
Thanks for sharing and to you both

[michaelherskovitz]

Appreciate the comparison. I just picked up the Z8 and have used my Z7ii quite a bit. Seeing the both being used side by side was helpful to keep in mind that they can both be relied upon for portrait shooting. Keep the great content coming along !

[pharmahassan]

really on time because i want trade my old d750 with new mirrorless and thinking between these two ( z 7ii and z8) thank you i lean toword z7ii

[reneefariasphoto]

I think the secret to AF in the Z7ii is to learn when you need to change AF mode. I do this all the time. My hit rate averages 98%, but I do switch my focus based on my subject/scene. My Z9 is obviously different. I love both systems and these work just fine for me.

[PBStudiosMediaGroup]

Thanks a lot for this. I have been looking to see how far the difference has grown between the Z6/7II and the Z8/9. It seems to me that for portraits with knowledge of your camera and some skills on how to help the Z6/7II find the face. The distance is not as far as some YouTubers make it out to be . Thanks I am still getting a Z8 but i can wait 6 months or so.

[sunny]

for portraits, i would rather shoot with the Z7ii. for wildlife photography, the Z8. The Z7ii is an absolutely capable camera body with outstanding image quality. I would even go as far as just shooting with the Z7! for portrait work, i dont need Z8/Z9 AF system..if you dont shoot wild life or sports, the Z7 and the Z7ii are GREAT camera bodies for the money!

[blubravery]

Definitely was waiting for this video. Been debating for my work getting the z7ii or go ahead and save up for the Z8.

[danivar]

I have the Z9 and the Z6 II and I think there's a significant difference in AF performance. Not saying the Z6 II is bad but it's noticeably worse. For portraits the Z6 II is definitely good enough, but when shooting objects that or further away or in lower light it can really struggle. Of course the Z9 also has problems in some circumstances but I would estimate that the Z9 succeeds around 50-75 % of the times where the Z6 II fails to focus.

[damienphotographe]

thanks for this real life input, note that this applies exactly the same way to a Z6ii in the case you do not crop the hell in your composition and or do giant prints

[franktherabbit]

It's nice to hear someone actually telling it how it is. People are so quick to blame their gear for their shortcomings. Im looking at the Z7ii and I have heard loads of horror storries about the focussing, but Ive also heard the few people out there saying how amazing it is, especially in the comments.

[doogieham]

Hi Matt. Thanks for the comparison and for giving the Z7ii some much needed love. How do find the IBIS compares between the two cameras?

[devsuvara]

Selling a Z9 and replacing it with a Z6iii and Z7ii. The Z9 is great, but for landscape the Z7ii is better, and the Z6iii for video with a flip screen.

[ozarksdigitalcreations]

Great video, it just further helped my decision that I don't need to upgrade to the Z8 right now and instead invest in the new 85 1.2. The Z7II AF has not been an issue at all for me after the firmware upgrade, what was it last April? Hell even my Z5 I use as my backup now was able to lock focus on a Halloween shoot in pitch black woods just lit by a modeling lamp with a 40" softbox creating the image in my profile pic. It doesn't have to by 'Sony fast' to get great shots. So many people want to bash Nikon AF when it's fully capable.

[xinranma]

Thank you for sharing your ideas and of course the real experience of using z7ii! I’m recently thinking to upgrade from a Nikon d610 to this camera but so many people are saying the focus on z7ii is terrible. This video is very valuable for me to have a comparison between z7ii and other Nikon cameras with a better focus ability. Yes it’s not the tier-1 camera regarding the focus but it’s doing a way better job than a dslr so it’s acceptable to me

[marqman]

Thank you, all though this made it more difficult for me. I went from the z6 to the Z8, might seem like over Kill. Kind of having buyers remorse lol. I really wished Nikon announced the z6III instead.