I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the new Z8. Is it the right camera? How does it compare to the Z9? Should I buy one?
There is a ton of online content out there on the specs of the Z8. But to sum up, the Z8 is a smaller, lighter version of the Z9 with just a few differences. First, the Z8 takes SD cards, so if you have a bunch of those lying around, you’re in luck. Second, the Z8 takes a En-EL15 battery similar to the D850, Z7..etc. So battery life will be shorter, but you probably already have a bunch of these batteries lying around too. The Z8 has two FN buttons close together on the front, so one less button and harder to distinguish than the three FN buttons on the Z9. Most importantly, the Z8 is one pound lighter than the Z9, and smaller than a D850, but slightly bigger than a Z7II. This is the main reason many folks are interested in getting a Z8. All the amazing autofocus and performance of the Z9 is in the Z8.
Should you get one? I think this is the camera many folks have been waiting for, and I expect this will be a huge success for Nikon. We bought one to compliment our Z7s. When we do travel trips to Europe, we don’t need a Z9, and lighter is better. We’ll use our Z9s for wildlife, landscape, heavy duty shooting… and when we want to go light we will use our smaller Z8/7 bodies. But if you want one body that does it all without the weight and size of the Z9, the Z8 is the camera you have been waiting for!