Coming May 25th, to a Mike’s Camera near you: the long-awaited Nikon Z 8! Finally, a true mirrorless successor to the Nikon D850. Packing in a surprising amount of the flagship-level tech featured in the Nikon Z 9, the Z 8 is 30% smaller than that camera (thanks largely to the single-grip configuration) and 15% smaller than its DSLR ancestor. Yow!
Don’t miss our exclusive, in-person launch events May 18th and 22nd. It won’t cost anything to join us (unless you fall in love with the Z 8, or course!) but you will need to register at the links below. Direct representatives from Nikon will be presenting an in-depth look into this technological marvel, including the opportunity to try the Z 8 out for yourself, plus Nikon Ambassadors will be sharing their firsthand impressions as creators. We’ll have giveaways and special pre-order bonus offers.
NB: these events are not in Mike’s Camera stores. Take note of the location on the registration page.
The Nikon Z 8 will be available on its own or in a kit with the NIKKOR Z 24–120mm f/4 S lens. You can pre-order yours at the launch events, at the link below, or at a Mike’s Camera near you. Read on for all the exciting details, including sample images and detailed images of the camera itself!
A weather-sealed, eco-friendly Seerebo carbon fiber/magnesium alloy skeleton houses a 45.7 MP stacked CMOS sensor, driven by Nikon’s most advanced image processing engine. Nikon’s legendary lenses bring the light in. A zero-blackout Real-Live Viewfinder and 4-axis tilting touchscreen let you monitor what’s happening. Dual card slots compatible with SDXC UHS-II, CFexpress (type B), and XQD memory cards let you save the frozen moments. But what does the Z 8 offer in between?
Flagship features for fantastic photography
Like the Z 9, the Nikon Z 8 uses a silent, vibration-free, all-electronic shutter exclusively. Their mechanism claims to have the least rolling shutter distortion of any in the world, and it’s ready to take the wheel! It’s an impressive shutter, too: peak burst rate is 120 fps (or 20 fps at full-quality RAW+JPG). A built-in shield protects the sensor from dust or damage during lens changes.
The autofocus system on the Z 8 is Nikon’s most advanced to date. Developed with deep-learning tools, subject tracking can be trained on nine different types of subjects (people, cats, birds, dogs, airplanes, motorcycles, vehicles, bicycles, and trains) and Eye AF can catch human eyes even when they’re hidden behind hair, glasses, or goggles. Even the most erratic subjects are no match for this powerful AF. Neither does the dark escape defeat: Nikon’s tests confirm AF performance in light as low as -6.5 EV, expandable to a whopping -9.0 EV in “Starlight Mode.”
Speaking of the dark: Nikon has added gentle illumination behind key buttons and a night mode for the menu (shifting the display to only warm-red tones, to protect your night vision) to help make night shots as effortless as possible. Likewise reducing effort, Nikon has retooled its auto white balance processing to further improve skin-tone rendering as well as expanded the ease and customizability of manual white balance.
A little helping hand for instantly-incredible results
Everyone from beginner to pro can profit from the time-saving power of in-camera creative processing. Nikon has included a wide range, to wit:
- Pre-Release Capture offers a second chance when you’re a hair off in timing
- Skin softening
- Portrait color balancing mode
- Creative Picture Controls
You’ll also find powerful tools for more esoteric types of imaging.
- Motion Blend
- Interval Shoting
- 900-sec. Long Exposure
- Focus Shift
- Multiple Exposure Mode
Videography verve
One of the most obvious reasons one might choose the Z 8 over the Z 9 is its significant reduction in size, and one of the most obvious ways that might benefit someone is on-location videography: you’d have increased agility, better gimbal compatibility, less setup time, among other benefits. Knowing this, Nikon spared little when outfitting this “flighship light.”
Max video resolution is 8K 60p, with 4K capability at up to 120 fps! File types are highly customizable, with 12-bit 4K ProRes RAW HQ, 10-bit ProRes 422 HQ, 12-bit 8K N-RAW, and more recordable internally. FHD proxy files streamline functionality on a rig. There are time limits (e.g. 90 minutes for 8K 30p video, 125 minutes for 4K 60p), but that’s the trade-off for such a compact tool.
24 bit linear PCM audio can be recorded internally, with XLR compatibility available via an adapter. (A wired LAN connection for live video transmission is also available via adapter; WiFi and Bluetooth are, of course, built in).
Time to step up
We’ve heard rumors about this one for quite a while, and now the Z 8 is so close it’s almost palpable. Excited? Be sure to join us at one of our exclusive launch events to be one of the first to touch and try it out! Then pre-order there, at one of our brick and mortar locations, or at this link to ensure you can also be one of the first to own one yourself.
Sample gallery
Product images
