Nikon Z8 Review: Smaller. Cheaper. Still Excellent.

Review of the Nikon Z8. Discussing dynamic range, N-Raw, rolling shutter, color, noise, and build quality.

Review of the Nikon Z8. Discussing dynamic range, N-Raw, rolling shutter, color, noise, and build quality.

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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Intro & Disclosure
1:06 - Build & Ergonomics
2:32 - Overheating & Battery
6:21 - Rolling Shutter
8:25 - Dynamic Range
11:39 - N-RAW
12:14 - Color & LUTs
13:03 - Hi-Res Zoom
13:34 - Focusing
14:16 - Photography
14:34 - Final Thoughts

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Gear Used to Make This Video:
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Music:
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#nikon #z9 #camerareview

[dr.dreiroca]

I'm GERALD UNDONE, and every move you make, every step you take, I'll be watching you

[jm]

LOL, I'm not a video guy so I have no idea why I was watching this, except I find you entertaining. So after about 13 minutes, I'm trying to come up with a smart ass way to ask if it even takes photos. Your timing was perfect! Yes, it does take pictures. Thanks for throwing us stills guys a bone.😉

[tobiasvisuals]

Mate, i gotta say. HUUUUGE THANK YOU! You are the only Youtuber I know that ALWAYS answers all the questions floating around in my mind. Watching your videos is like yoga for my mind and takes all my German quality anxiety away because I know all my questions will be answered :D. Thank you for all the work you put in instead of just talking about the obvious. 150/100

[shaddring]

Since the Z9 came out I said I loved it but not great for hikes and lots of running around. It was massive and I never liked vertical grips to begin with. Finally I get what I want, quality of the Z9 but better for carrying around day to day. And the video time limits don't bother me at all. Get some high quality clips and B-roll along with top notch Nikon raw files for photo editing. Preorder is in. I am done!

[brycefunk]

Thanks for the review Gerald! Was interested in a dynamic range test, was glad when your review showed up! Some of these hybrid video cameras have an insane amount of options for CoDecs, frame sizes, oversampled/line skipped, etc. it's hard to keep all their features and benefits committed to memory!

[alvoelkle]

Always appreciate your unbiased and technical assessments

[.N.A.M]

Really excited for this camera! Hopefully we get updates to the Z7II, Z6II, and/or Z5 later this year.

[FabledFew]

Yet again the best video about this camera comes from Gerald. Well done! That NR issue in h.265 is very odd, though. 1) Is there anyway to turn it off? 2) this wasn’t an issue in the Z9?

[doogieham]

Hi Gerald. As a stills guy, I really appreciate that you mentioned near the end of the video about the screen information flipping to correspond to the vertical mode. After having this feature on my Fuji, I find it really awkward to use a camera now where this doesn’t happen automatically.

[mazzith]

There are a few things to consider when buying a Z8 if you are using a Z7ii. First off subject tracking is not available for stills anymore. I had my FN1 button near the lens mount set to subject tracking to swap from auto focus all points to a smaller box for picking exactly what I want focused on. It was simple, one button and done. That is no more on the Z8. They did introduce 3D tracking, which is a better focus mode BUT if you assign 3D tracking to the FN1 button you can not press it to swap in and out of the modes. You have to CONTINUOUSLY HOLD IT DOWN to stay in 3D tracking mode. Your other option is to use the new focus button on the button left side of the camera and use the sub-command wheel to swap modes. Instead of 1 button swap, not its a 2 finger adjustment.

A big reason I wanted the Z8 for weddings was pre-release capture. But if you are like me and write raw to CF Express cards, and jpeg to SD as a backup, your pre-capture release are written to the SD card only, meaning you have to wade through all the files a second time to check for those pre-capture release files. This is so much of a pain in the ass I will likely not use the amazing feature.

You need to modify A LOT of the camera's settings. I had to change about 25 different items when setting it up to fix things like not having a histogram in your eyelet or monitor.

Also make sure you go into your custom controls and turn off the 'Lens control ring' in F3 or you will accidently change your aperture by accident when holding your lens.

[HaggenKennedy]

Wow, this is my first time here, and I'm very impressed. Your setup is amazing, great background and colors, great lighting, it all looks so professional. Great sound, too. I don't do video, I'm a landscape photographer, but I pre-ordered the Z8 and have been watching videos about its capabilities. Thought I'd learn more about its video features too, so that's how I got here. Thumbs up, man. Exceptional work you've put into this. Not only (very) aesthetically pleasing, but such in-depth information as well. All-around a very deserving 'like.' 👍🏻

[Featherlightstudio]

Thanks for the detailed review Gerald, always helpful. Seems like there is a growing user base wanting to use Nikon as a legitimate video/cinema tool and this is a great resource.

[Eduardo.conteudos]

The camera is absolutely great, almost perfect!!! the unique problem is dont have a pro input of audio or adapter.

[PrimalShutter]

As someone who prefers shoots MF with adapted glass and is disgusted by non linear focus by wire, seeing customization in that area sounds like a godsend

[PeterGregg]

The optional battery grip adds a neat feature - you can HOT swap those "smaller batteries" basically giving a potentially longer field running time. I like it :) 👍👍👍

[DaniAlexandria]

I have never clicked so fast on a video in my life! been waiting on your perspective on this camera

[MarkLewis-lf]

I had a professor in college who you remind me of. He taught a course in the history of the middle east & was one of the top 3 experts in the world on ancient near eastern Semitic languages...one of only a tiny handful of people in the world who could translate Egyptian hieroglyphs, Sumerian & Akkadian. He talked at a pace like you do, & from the time he started till he finished his lecture, you wrote as fast as you possibly could or you used a tape recorder..the downside being that you had to then take notes off that & invest a 2nd hour outside of class just for that. I averaged 150 pages of handwritten notes for a test & even condensed to basic phrases I'd have nearly 100 pages. I worked my ass off for a B in that class.

I listen to you because you're an information fire hose. In all honesty, I have to run every full video back half a dozen times & roll back individual clips more than that just to conceptualize all this information. Full disclosure...I learned to shoot in the analogue era so this is a steep learning curve.

What kind of coursework do you offer...if you do?

[DJLazinator]

You are the gold standard of video-application reviews! <3

[randydean]

My dude!!! By far the most informative video I've seen on this camera. 👏

[johnclay]

Very informative Z8 review look forward to its potential.