Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Nikon Z 8 | Professional full-frame mirrorless stills/video hybrid camera

Top positive review

Huge upgrade from Z7

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023

This thing is exceptional. The auto focus speed and accuracy and the image quality. I like the size and how my pinky fits on the grip again. It's silent and the frame rates are so high.

I was curious if the upgrade would make sense especially given the cost. But after a few minutes I was set and sent my Z7 in for trade.

You won't regret it and it's just a fantastic camera.

8 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Great camera in theory but plagued with manufacturing defects and “hot card” warnings in the field.

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2023

I’ve patiently waited for the release of this camera since moving from Nikon’s DSLR to my Z7II mirrorless. The Z9 is just a little too large for my needs, and the Z8’s smaller size and stacked BSI sensor is just what I was looking for to increase focus speed and accuracy. However, the Z8 has been a real disappointment for me since its release. It’s plagued with manufacturing since release in May 2023 with issues that require it to be sent back to Nikon for repairs. I just received a new Z8 (s/n 3012xxx) purchased directly from Amazon on 8 August 2023, and guess what? It needs to be sent to Nikon for repairs. Fortunately, I am able to return it to Amazon without even opening the box, but it's frustrating that this is still occurring on new cameras sold today. Nikon should have recalled all inventory and made corrections to their manufacturing process, instead of selling plagued cameras to consumers that they are required to send in for repair. In theory the z8 is a great camera, in reality it consistently gives a “hot card” warning while shooting with approved memory cards, and requires at least one, maybe two repairs that require disassembly.

20 people found this helpful

56 total ratings, 23 with reviews

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From the United States

TechGuy77

Huge upgrade from Z7

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

J. Lin

It's great at everything

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

This camera does everything, and does everything exceptionally well. While auto focus might be the one area that it's not the absolute best out there (Sony?) for action photography, it is not far behind and certainly much much better than Z6 which I had prior. I also like the electronic only shutter--one less mechanical thing to break/wears out.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Visionz

The perfect Nikon mirrorless

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

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I have been a long time shooter of the Nikon brand. I have been using their cameras since the old Nikon film SLR cameras. With the move to mirrorless, the first two generations left a lot to be desired. My Z5, and Z6 offered a nice experience but you really had to know your camera in order to deal with it’s less than perfect auto focusing issues. Trying to nail focus with those cameras had become an art form that had to be perfected. Then they released the $5500, beast of a camera, Z9. This camera gave us a taste of just how good a nikon with reliable auto focus and premium features could be. The problem with the Z9 was that the larger body and the much more expensive $5500 price tag did not appeal to most of us. I tested the Z9 out after preordering it and was not a fan of the full body size and weight so i cancelled the preorder and decided to wait for something great.

Two and a half years later, they finally gave me what i wanted, the Z8. It had all the features and proven autofocus of the Z9 with a much more attractive price tag and stuffed it in a body that felt more like a D850 than the previous Z6-Z7II bodies. Finally i got a camera that was worthy of the Nikon name. The Z8 feels great in the hand and just looks how a professional camera should.

It’s 45mp sensor gives you a ton of resolution for those that like to crop in or edit with full detail in post. The BSI CMOS sensor is stacked and renders a beautiful full frame image with colors that are synonymous to the Nikon brand. The images that come out of this camera are some of my favorites amongst all camera manufacturers. I shoot with Fujifilm, Sony and Canon, so i have a lot of experience and reference points with these brands.

The shutterless design seemed like a gimmick that i did not think i was going to like when it was announced on the Z9. After doing a couple of shoots, it has really grown on me and now i see a lot of benefit in it. You can adjust the volume level of the artificial shutter sound. This is perfect for events where silence is important and the sound of a full frame shutter slapping could create an annoyance. There is a sensor shield that you can turn on to close when the camera is powered off. That allows you to change lenses in the field without the concerns of dust, dirt and droplets making its way onto your sensor.

The Z8 boasts a good collection of frame rates for photography. Being able to shoot at 20 fps at full resolution and RAW is more than i will ever need. But there is a whopping 120 fps mode as well as 30 fps and 60 fps in JPEG only for those who really want to pinpoint the perfect moment of motion and do not need the flexibility of a RAW file. These frame rates are amazing and will definitely be something for me to play around with in the future.

Unlike the Z9 the Z8 only has one Cfexpress type b card slot instead of the dual cfe slots. Instead it has an SD UHSII card slot as the second slot. For what i shoot, this is more than sufficient and works out well as i have a ton of SD cards just waiting to be used. The Cfexpress type B card has blistering fast writing speeds and is the best media on the market IMO.

The Z8 has all the video specs of the Z9 but at a compromise. The smaller body does not handle heat as well and therefore will not give you the same record times as the Z9. The battery of the Z8 will also play a factor in these record times. 4K frames range from 24fps all the way to 120fps for amazing slow motion video. The Z8 also adopts the Z9’s ability to record in 8K. This future proofs your camera. I have recorded in 8K a handful of times just so that i could have the flexibility to zoom in and out of a shot and still be able to maintain a 4K image quality. Then i can render the entire file at 4K.

Nikon made a bold statement when they created the Z8. They are no longer holding back when it comes to the features and performance of their newer released cameras. It’s a great time to be a Nikon shooter.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

AbeK

Very impressive

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

I’ve owned over a dozen Nikon bodies over the past 30 years, and the Z8 is unquestionably the best. Although a tad larger and heavier than my Z6 & Z7, the improvements in overall speed, customization and autofocus far outweigh the additional size (I didn’t feel that way about the Z9, however, which is why I waited for the Z8).

My only complaint (and it’s a big one!) is that the body, just a month after its release, has been recalled due to a lens mounting issue. It’s really inexcusable since the Z9 had the same issue and was corrected. How then, could they reintroduce the same issue on the Z8?!? So, just as I’ve started to really love this camera, I now have to send it back to Nikon for a who-knows-how-long period to get it repaired. Good grief.

30 people found this helpful

Helpful

Skexzies

Shockingly smaller compared to old D850

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2024

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

I love the overall function of the Camera. That said, what I noticed first is the miniature size of it. The Z8 doesn't fit my big paws as well as the older D850 did. Also, Nikon detuned some of the buttons that the older D850 provided...diminishing the functionality a tad on the Z8. Like buying a car with a touchpad...v.s having dedicated buttons. Meh...I prefer the buttons. Functionally, items like Autofocus, Image Stabilization, etc are lightyears ahead. So is the glass, which provides amazing improvement for almost every focal length (even being built in China). So if you are sitting on the DSLR sidelines, don't. Switch over to the mirrorless Z line.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Andy F.K. Van Pachtenbeke

Might be the best Nikon ever made

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

I went from a Nikon Z6ii to this Z8. The Z6ii is an excellent camera, but the Z8 is absolutely extraordinary. It's like going from a Porsche to a Formula 1 car.
The autofocus is lightning fast, image quality is excellent, nothing negative to remark so far.

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

Focus tracking that rivals my older Nikon DSLR

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

Amazon reduced the initial delivery time by over a week and then delivered a day earlier.

This camera is a Z7ii with D850 focus tracking and body shape/size. It tracks eyes on people, pets, birds, walrus and polar bears. Incredible frame rate too. It is a natural progression from th D8xx series to mirrorless - most of the controls are even in the same place. Be prepared to spend an after learning the setup menus - you can customize everything on this camera except the color of the body.

I did notice that some 3rd party batteries that I have for the Z7ii won’t work with the Z8.

One odd setting that drove me a bit crazy: If “tone mode” is changed to HLG from SDR the minimum ISO that can be set is 400. This comment may save someone from pulling their hair out. I found nothing online in troubleshooting, but I finally remembered a throw away comment from a YouTube video that got this corrected.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

MICHAEL L. KENT

Overnight, delivery and customer service by Green World Camera

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

The Nikon Z8 camera stands alone as a phenomenal,technologically advanced, mirrorless camera. I ordered it after researching its capabilities. My review is primarily for Green World Camera. I received the camera properly packaged via FedEx the next day and free of delivery charge. I also was impressed by the helpful customer service. I hope to see more of Green World Camera, fulfilling Amazon orders.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kenobi Kinch

Great Camera

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

A fantastic piece of technology granted you have the lenses to match.
I started out with the 5100 from Nikon, an incredibly durable DSLR from my mom that came out about 12 years ago with lenses to match. I upgraded to the Z8 and bought the adapter hoping it would work out. While it did for a bit, the technology difference was noticeable in picture quality and performance, especially in auto tracking.

If you have the lenses to match this beast, I highly recommend this camera.
If not, I would invest in quality lenses first and shoot on a cheaper body until you are able to upgrade to this camera.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Arnoldo Franco

It’s autofocus system is beautiful

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2023

Set: Body OnlyVerified Purchase

I’m a professional photographer, I mainly work at events, like weddings, quinceañeras, sweet 16… and even though I already had the Nikon Z9 and the z6 I knew I needed a more compact body full of capabilities, this has a lot to offer, I’m really happy with this camera, you could check some of my images on instagram at SEMS ENTERTAINMENT any questions feel free to ask.

2 people found this helpful

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