Nikon Z8: Like Riding A Bicycle

This was originally published on my Substack on AUG 26, 2023 with the title “Like Riding A Bicycle"

When I started shooting professionally back 2015, my late father helped me get my first professional camera. When deciding between options available at the time, I ended up deciding on a Nikon D7100, a cropped sensor body that was able to get me excellent still shots. It was perfect for the portrait focused work I was starting to get into at the time. After a few years, I left Nikon behind for Sony since it was more capable in autofocus for both still AND video. I hadn’t been too interested in what they were releasing at first; soon I saw lenses that I wish I had on the system I had switched to, firmware updates on recently released hardware, and finally, the flagship Nikon Z 9 and then this year’s Z 8. I got the chance to play with the Z 8 a few weeks ago and take a few photos with models. I’ve got some thoughts on it.

Most of the work I do involves taking portraits of people and this combo felt so great to hold in my hands. The body was big enough to grip firmly without feeling overly bulky. The best part of mirrorless weight and DSLR ruggedness in one body. Put together with the 85mm f/1.2 and it felt so balanced in the hand for one handed shooting in a pinch that I wouldn’t worry that most shots would be blurry. If I had one complaint, it would be that the anchors for the camera straps are still that older type that dangles on the sides instead of the newer type that are less noisy.

Shooting with the 58mm f/0.95 NOCT, an $8,000 manual focus lens, was a surreal moment. While this lens is great for astrophotography, using it in a studio setting like this was outstanding. The Z 8 has a focus peaking feature, allowing me to know when the model’s eye was in focus. Color, contrast, and bokeh all create an out of the ordinary image. If I was purely a studio portrait photographer, this lens might be something I would keep around just because the look is so unique.

“If I wasn’t as deep into the Sony ecosystem as I am, the Nikon Z 8 might be the camera body to make me switch systems.”

One of the last lenses I tried out that I wouldn’t normally have access to is the NIKKOR 400mm f/4.5, a lens that was both compact for being a super-telephoto prime and lightweight. I took a few portraits from the other side of the studio with this lens and was stunned with how sharp it was at such a distance. I’ve seen talented Nikon photographers use this lens before for concert work and I now understand why. If this was my main system, this would be in my kit.

“A camera is tool that creates images and the Z 8 is one of the finest I’ve used.”

If I wasn’t as deep into the Sony ecosystem as I am, the Nikon Z 8 might be the camera body to make me switch systems. It does everything I could ask for well - great, tactile body with amazing power under the hood, amazing image quality that serves for a great starting point for editing and lenses that are outside the typically expected. A camera is tool that creates images and the Z 8 is one of the finest I’ve used.