Nikon Z8
|
| Battery type | can power Z8 | optimal for Z8 | can recharge in Z8 |
can recharge in MH-25a charger |
can recharge from built-in USB interface |
| EN-EL15 | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| EN-EL15a | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| EN-EL15b | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| EN-EL15c | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Some EN-EL15c clones | probably | not recommended | unknown | ✔ |
A battery always needs to be in the Z8 for operating the latter, even when powering the camera via USB, and even if the battery in the camera is discharged.
Lens controls
Focus ring
In Nikkor Z lenses, the focus ring operates a digitizer, and the camera translates the digitizer signal into a command to move the focus motor(s) of the lens. Therefore, the lens cannot focus unless it is mounted on a camera, and the camera is powered on. It is possible to reconfigure the direction in which the focus ring rotates to move the focus closer. In this way, if you are using also other camera brands, or lenses with mechanical focus, you can reconfigure the focus direction of the Z8 to match these lenses.
By default, the Z8 focus direction is the same as in Nikkor lenses with mechanical focus rings, i.e. focuses closer when the focus rings turns counter-clockwise as seen from behind the camera.
The setting is in Custom Menu > Controls > f8: Reverse Ring for Focus.
In several Nikkor Z lenses, the sensitivity of the focus-by-wire ring changes with the speed at which it is turned. This is especially true of long telephoto lenses. Turning it quickly performs a larger focus adjustment. Turning it slowly allows a finer adjustment. This is one of the reasons why these lenses have no focus scale on the lens barrel. Also, Nikkor Z lenses have no focus-ring clutch to switch between AF and MF (instead, they usually have an AF/MF slider near the lens mount).
A dedicated focus ring is missing in several Z lenses, both FX and DX, that do not belong in the S line, e.g. the Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR and 28-75mm f/2.8. These lenses have a broad function ring (see below), which automatically switches to a focus-ring function when the AF/MF slider is set to MF. The Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lacks an AF/MF slider, and MF must be set on the camera before the function ring can be used for manual focus.
Zoom ring
With the exception of power-zoom lenses, the zoom ring is mechanical in action, and naturally its direction cannot be reconfigured. In most Nikkor Z zoom lenses, the zoom throw is quite short (e.g., less than 90° in the 24-120 mm f/4 S).
L-Fn button
Several Nikkor Z lenses have one, or more, L-Fn momentary buttons, easily identified by their round shape and relatively large size. When multiple L-Fn buttons are present on a lens, as typical on long telephoto lenses, they usually all have the same function. Multiple L-Fn buttons are provided on these lenses because the barrel of large and heavy lenses is typically supported on the palm of the left hand, and a single button would be out of reach of the left hand when the camera is held in portrait orientation. However, at present four Nikkor Z lenses have independently configurable L-Fn and L-Fn2 buttons.
The L-Fn function can be reconfigured in the Custom menu, but for all L-Fn buttons simultaneously, and only for the lens currently mounted on this camera. In other words, this is a lens-level setting, not camera-level. This means that you must set the L-Fn function with each lens equipped with this button mounted in turn on the camera, if you want to use this button for other than its default function. I think I would find it confusing to set a different custom function of L-Fn on each lens, but if you want to do this, Nikon does not stand in your way.
By default, on the Z8 the function of the L-Fn button is AE-L (i.e. when the camera is in one of the automatic exposure modes, it locks shutter speed, aperture, and ISO).
I chose to set the L-Fn button to Cycle AF area mode, because with a heavy lens I would be forced to fumble with my left hand to find and keep pressed the Focus mode button while simultaneously rotating the main and secondary dials with my right thumb and index. I guess you can imagine how comfortable it is to hand-hold the Z8 and 150-600 with the remaining three fingers of my right hand.
When setting the L-Fn button to Cycle AF area mode, you will be asked to configure the list of different AF areas that the L-Fn button will cycle among. There are 11 AF areas on this list, and cycling through all of them takes quite some time. You will probably decide to choose only a subset of frequently-used areas to cycle among with this button. Also this setting is lens-level, so in principle you could use a different set of AF areas for different lenses. This can make sense, for example, in my case. With the 24-120 there are only three or four AF areas that I am likely to use, and it is not too difficult to use the Focus mode button to choose one of the less frequently used AF areas. With the 180-600, which I use mostly hand-held for wildlife in a variety of natural settings, using the Focus mode button is out of the question, and I need to be able to choose among seven or eight AF areas with L-Fn.
Control ring
The Control ring, when present, is differently sculptured that the focus and zoom rings, and occupies the position where the aperture ring is found on legacy lenses. Also this ring is electronic. By default, in A and M modes, the Control ring sets the lens aperture. By default this ring is very sensitive, and the aperture value changes with a minimal amount of rotation.
The Control ring function can be configured in Custom Menu > f Controls > f2: Custom Controls (Shooting) > Lens control ring. Possible functions are:
- aperture
- exposure compensation
- ISO
I prefer to leave the Control Ring on its default function, because this is what the aperture ring of legacy lenses does.
The sensitivity of the control ring can also be adjusted, in Custom Menu > f: Controls > f2: Custom Controls (Shooting) > Control ring response.
As mentioned above, a few Nikkor Z lenses have a broad control ring that switches to the function of a focus ring when the lens is set to MF.
The physical aperture ring was eliminated from Nikkor SLR/DSLR lenses at the turn of the century, with the introduction of Nikkor G lenses. This allowed automatic control of the aperture by the camera in S and P modes. Manual control of the aperture was also possible via the camera. Almost two decades later, a physical aperture ring came back in Nikkor Z lenses, in the form of the control ring.
A-M slider
The A-M slider sets the lens in autofocus or manual focus, respectively.
Other sliders can be present on Nikkor lenses, for example:
- M/A-M slider: the M/A mode allows to switch from autofocus to manual focus by turning the focus ring.
- A/M-M slider: the A/M mode is similar to the M/A mode, but less sensitive in switching from AF to MF. It tends to ignore very brief or small movements of the focus ring.
Telephoto lenses and macro lenses often have focus limiter sliders that restrict the focus range of the lens in both AF and MF. This can be useful to avoid or reduce the "hunting" time waisted while the lens attempts to autofocus by racking all the way between infinity and the closest focus distance.
DISP button
Some S lenses have a small LCD display, called Info panel by Nikon, that can show some of the lens operating parameters. This display is normally off, but can be turned on and illuminated for a brief time by pressing the DISP button on the lens. The type of data displayed depends on the lens, and by pressing the DISP button multiple times, the Info panel cycles among different modes (e.g., in the 105 mm f/2.8 S Macro, three modes: focus distance and DOF, reproduction ratio, and aperture).
There is another DISP button on the back of the Z8, but that is not what we are talking about here.
Essential accessories
I use each of my cameras for the same, or comparable, types of photography. Whenever I purchase a new camera, I need a new set of accessories and add-ons, typically of third-party brands. None of these accessories comes for free with the camera, and most of them have no Nikon-branded alternatives.
L-bracket
I find an L-shaped Arca-compatible bracket, or at least an Arca-compatible plate attached at the bottom of the camera, essential for attaching the camera to photomacrography stands, tripod heads, monopod heads and gimbals. For this use, it is essential that the bracket or plate fits the specific camera model like a glove to prevent twisting of the plate about the bolt attaching it to the camera. The Nikon designers have helped achieve this goal by providing a socket for a generously-sized anti-twist pin at the bottom of the Z8.
Common problems of L-brackets are that the vertical portion of the bracket restricts access to the connectors on the left side of the camera, and/or prevents the articulated LCD screen of the camera from fully opening sideways. The Z8 and z9 avoid the latter problem by using a different screen articulation than other cameras, as discussed above. The rubber doors to the connectors, however, remain difficult to reach through the opening of the bracket. Once opened, these doors easily pivot around their attachment to the body, unlike the doors of other cameras that remain twisted once forced to stay open by plugging cables into the camera, and in the end become permanently deformed. In the Z8, it helps to mount the vertical arm of the bracket a few mm away from the camera body, to provide room for the open doors between bracket and body (see above figures).
The fact that the Z8 had already been available for a couple of years when I purchased mine did help me to immediately find the accessories I need. After looking at online ads for about ten different brackets for the Z8, I settled on the one made by SmallRig (above figures). It fits well, feels very solid and a good match for the bulky Z8, and its vertical arm can be extended sideways by 24 mm after unlocking a bolt with a small screwdriver magnetically attached at the bottom of the plate.
At the bottom of the plate are a steel pin for attaching a strap (long enough to attach both ends of a strap), the screwdriver in its magnetic slot, three 1/4-20 sockets, one 3/8-16 socket, one quick-release socket, the camera bolt, the vertical arm release bolt, and a machined groove that starts at the 3/8-16 socket and ends on the left side of the plate. Its shape suggests that it might have a function, albeit not one that I recognize. The bracket came with a hex key for detaching the vertical arm, but there is no slot for storing it at the bottom of the plate or on the vertical arm.
Near the top of the vertical arm are two 1/4-20" sockets which could be used to attach a cable strain relief. This is a much sturdier solution than the flimsy-looking cable strain relief that usually comes with the Z8. I briefly looked at suitable accessories in the SmallRig catalog but did not find anything specific to mount in these sockets and hold two USB cables.
Although satisfactory in most respects, this bracket has two weaknesses. If the vertical arm is collapsed against the left side of the camera, it hides the charging LED of the camera and forces the strap eyelet to point upwards. Leaving a space of 4-5 mm between arm and camera body, like in the above figures, makes the LED more visible. In addition, if a strap is attached to the steel pin at the bottom of the bracket plate, the strap can get in the way of opening the battery door and changing the battery.
A third weakness of the SmallRig bracket is only apparent when the Nikon EP-5B is in use. This is a "dummy" camera battery equipped with a cable that must exit the camera through a rubber fold-out door in correspondence to the location of the pivoting part of the bracket. The cable is then connected to an external power supply. With the EP-5B in place, this part of the bracket pinches the battery cable and may damage it. If you intend to use an EP-5B, you should probably choose a different bracket.
The vertical arm has an indented profile in correspondence of the Focus mode button, and allows the latter to be operated.
Some of the other brackets do not have a complete perimeter around the base the grip, to avoid blocking the opening of the door of the battery compartment. The base of these brackets does not offer a purchase for the little finger of the right hand, which would be highly desirable. One could argue that the grip of the Z8 is more than tall enough for gripping it with all fingers of a relatively large hand, but still I would not want to lose my grip because my little finger suddenly finds a void where it expects something solid to wrap around. The SmallRig bracket solves this problem with a pivoting "lid" that supports the little finger when closed against the base of the bracket, and moves to the left to provide room for the full opening of the battery compartment. This moving part is friction-loaded and closes with a positive "click".
As always, a few more-or-less faithful no-brand copies of the SmallRig bracket for the Z8 have already made their way onto eBay and Amazon. Not even Chinese brands are safe from Chinese copycats.
Camera strap
In my cameras, I usually attach the camera strap to the left eyelet of the camera and to a ring at the right end of the camera bracket. In most of my cameras, the rightmost part of the top camera casing is crowded with controls. If I attach the camera strap at the eyelet placed here, it does not take much for the end of the camera strap to bunch up or fold, and block my access to some of these controls. In my Olympus E-M1 II, in addition to attaching the strap to the bracket plate, I had to remove the right strap eyelet for the same reason.
This is not true of the Z8, which has no controls in proximity of the right eyelet. For this reason, in the Z8 I am using both eyelets to attach the camera strap. This makes it easy to remove the L bracket without detaching the strap from the camera.
The Z8 comes with a thin Nikon black-and-yellow strap in a single piece. I prefer to use an OP/Tech strap instead, with a padded central section attached by plastic clips to shorter sections of thin strap at either side. This makes it easy for me, for example, to remove the padded portion and clip the two thin sections together in a short, handle-like strap (e.g. when the camera sits on a tripod or in the lab), or replace the padded portion with a less-padded one, (e.g. when I am using a long telephoto lens already equipped with its own heavily padded neck strap, or when my backpack is already full and a thick padded strap would steal the space I need for something else I want to carry).
Another reason for replacing the Nikon strap with a nondescript black or camouflage strap is that the Nikon strap is recognizable from a long distance away, and I prefer to avoid unwanted attention. I have used OP/Tech straps for a long time, adding and replacing OP/Tech parts over the years.
Wired remote shutter control
The Z8 and Z9 have a rubber-covered lump on the camera front, near its top left corner (as seen from behind the camera). Pulling out this rubber cover reveals a 10-pin round proprietary connector, used also on professional and some semi-pro Nikon DSLRs. The plug is first rotated to align a dot with a white dot on the socket, then inserted into the socket, and finally a metal sleeve around the plug is turned clockwise to screw it into the socket and lock the plug in place. Unscrew the sleeve before pulling out the plug.
A Nikon wired shutter control only needs three contacts (half-press, full-press, and ground). The reason for the 10 pins of the round connector is that this connector alternatively accepts an external radio-controlled remote.
Some of the "lower" Nikon Z mirrorless and several Nikon DSLR use a smaller proprietary connector, similar to a mini USB but not compatible with the latter. Other Z models have no connector for a wired remote, others yet use a standard 2.5 mm stereo plug.
The (legacy) Nikon MC-30 and (current, but virtually identical) MC-30A wired remotes fit the Z8 and are comfortable to use, but are rather large and way overpriced. A third-party radio-controlled remote of reasonably good quality is much cheaper than the MC-30A, for example. However, I do find the MC-30 shown above much more comfortable to hold and use than any of the third-party remotes. The ergonomy of this original remote, in particular they way it is held in one's hand, is completely different from the third party ones. It has a locking slider on one side, where it is virtually impossible to engage accidentally.
Third-party wired remotes for all types of Nikon connectors, and for many other camera brands, are cheap and far more commonly used than the original Nikon MC-30A. However, some of the wired remotes made in China are way too cheaply made (above figure, on the left). In this example, the trigger button often catches against the plastic casing when pressed, and it is easy to inadvertently lock the button in the closed position when pressing it. The example on the right is far better, and costs about the same. Also this model, however, can be accidentally locked.
Lens adapters
With the Nikon FTZ or FTZ II adapter, the Z8 can provide AF with Nikkor AF-S and AF-P lenses. Nikkor G lenses on the FTZ or FTZ II cannot AF, but their aperture is controlled by the camera. Other Nikkor lenses, as well as third party lenses in Nikon F mounts with mechanical couplings, work in manual mode with the FTZ or FTZ II. Therefore, it would make better sense to use these lenses on a third party adapter devoid of electronics, which is much cheaper. I have no direct experience with third-party lenses equipped with electronic AF and aperture couplings, and cannot confirm whether their AF works on the FTZ / FTZ II.
As an example, the above figure shows the Z8 with FTZ II and CoastalOpt 60 mm f/4 Apo Macro. This lens has manual focus but electronically controlled aperture, and with the FTZ or FTZ II can meter with aperture fully open and expose in A, S, P and M modes. One has to remember to turn the aperture ring all the way to f/45 to enable the automatic aperture. Most Nikon AF-S and AF-P lenses have in fact a locking mechanism to prevent the aperture ring from being accidentally moved from its maximum aperture. At other aperture settings, the CoastalOpt 60 mm works only in A and M modes. This lens also communicates it focal length to the camera via the adapter, which allows sensor-based image stabilization to work without manually configuring the lens focal length in the camera.
The safest way to use an FTZ/FTZ II is probably to attach it to the lens first, then to switch off the
camera and attach the FTZ/FTZ II to the camera, and finally to turn on the camera.
The FTZ and FTZ II have 11 electrical contacts on the Z side (the same number as the electrical contacts
in the Z8 lens mounting flange) and eight contacts on the F side (F-mount lenses have a variable number of
contacts, or none). Additionally, the F side mount has two mechanical couplings: an external switch and an
internal sliding actuator.
The switch is activated by a prong attached to the aperture ring of the lens. The prong touches the switch
only when the aperture ring is set at the maximum lens aperture f/ value, and informs the camera that the
lens aperture can be controlled by the camera.
The actuator couples mechanically with a lever on the mount of the lens, which in turn is mechanically
coupled to the lens aperture. A spring in the lens keeps the aperture closed to its maximum value when the
lens is not mounted on a camera or adapter. The actuator in the FTZ/FTZ II is driven by a small motor
under electronic control by the camera, and works against the pressure of the spring in the lens mount to
open the aperture to the value set by the camera.
The features described in the above "gray box" directly impact which F-mount lenses can be used
on the FTZ and FTZ II, and with which degree of compatibility.
Pre-AI lenses in Nikon F mounts (also called non-AI lenses) have a double prong cam on the aperture ring,
used as a mechanical coupling that the camera uses for reading the aperture value. The FTZ and FTZ II have
no mechanical coupling for this prong, and therefore cannot use pre-AI lenses except in manual mode.
There are also a few lenses in F mount that completely lack mechanical and electronic couplings, including
the double prong. These lenses should be physically compatible with the front mount of the
FTZ/FTZ II, but be slow and careful when mounting them for the first time on one of these adapters, and do
not force them if something seems to prevent them from fitting. I cannot completely exclude that some
early or special-purpose F-mount lenses exist, that are physically incompatible with these adapters.
AI and AI-S lenses, in addition to the double prong, have a long ridge on the aperture ring, used for
reading the aperture value. The FTZ and FTZ II lack also this coupling, and therefore can use these lenses
only in manual aperture mode.
The Z8 with FTZ/FTZ II automatically recognizes all the lens types discussed so far as non-CPU lenses.
When using in-camera image stabilization, the lens focal length must be configured in the camera.
Nikon D lenses have a built-in CPU and electric contacts on the lens mount. They inform the camera, via
the FTZ/FTZ II, of the lens focal length. They allow aperture control by the Z8 (via the FTZ/FTZ II), with
a mechanical lever in the lens mount. For this to work, the aperture ring of the lens must be turned to
the highest f/ value. Most Nikon D lenses also have a mechanical latch that locks the aperture ring at
this setting. Nikon D lenses are marked with a D on the lens barrel and in the lens
name.
Nikon G lenses lack a physical aperture ring. The aperture value can only be set by the camera, via the
same mechanical lever used by D lenses. G lenses work just like D lenses when mounted on an FTZ/FTZ II,
except that they cannot be set to manual aperture mode on the lens. Nikon G lenses are marked with a
G on the lens barrel and in the lens name.
Nikon E lenses lack the mechanical lever of D and G lenses, use an internal electromechanic actuator to
change the aperture value, and must be mounted on a camera that can control the aperture electronically.
Also these lenses can have their aperture controlled via an FTZ/FTZ II. Nikon E lenses are marked with an
E on the lens barrel and in the lens name (do not confuse these lenses with the legacy E
series of economy Nikkor lenses for film SLRs).
The discussion of the compatibility of Nikon F lenses on FTZ/FTZ II adapters must also deal with AF. Two
types of AF control are used in Nikon F lenses, a mechanical control and an electronic control.
The mechanical AF control uses a rotating screwdriver-like prong on the camera side, turned by a motor in
the camera, and a matching rotating socket on the lens. The screwdriver prong is spring-loaded and
retracts into the lens mounting flange when pressed. This allows the use of these cameras with lenses that
lack a matching socket. The FTZ/FTZ II have no screwdriver actuator and cannot autofocus with these
lenses. These lenses include the AF and AI-S series.
The electronic AF type uses electrical contacts on the lens mount and an electrical motor in the lens to
perform AF. These lenses do not have the screwdriver socket. Three types of electronic AF are used in
Nikon F lenses:
- AF-I have an internal AF motor, but do not operate in AF mode on an FTZ/FTZ II adapter.
According to
nikonians.org, only AF-I type D do autofocus on FTZ/FTZ II.
- AF-S have a "silent" AF motor and are compatible with AF control by FTZ/FTZ II adapters.
- AF-P use a fast stepper ("pulse") motor and are likewise compatible with AF control through
FTZ/FTZ II adapters.
A thread on
nikonians.org
describes experiences by owners of Nikkor lenses that should AF on an FTZ/FTZ II, but don't. It includes
reports of lenses damaged by mounting on an FTZ/FTZ II.
The FTZ/FTZ II do not cause, by themselves, AF to become slower on compatible AF-capable
F-mount lenses. The actual AF speed depends on the lens, but also on the camera model. Some models of Z
cameras may have a slower AF, while others have actually been found to AF faster with adapted F lenses,
than the same lenses on some F-mount cameras.
There are frequent reports of AF working slower and less reliably when an AF lens of one brand is adapted
to work on a different camera brand via a smart lens adapter. Some performance degradation may be
difficult to avoid when communication protocols must be converted in both directions, and it may not be
feasible to make the AF hardware/firmware of a camera fully compatible with that of a lens of a different
brand. This is not the case with Nikon F lenses on Nikon Z cameras via an FTZ/FTZ II. Nikon designed the Z
system from the ground up to be backwards compatible with their latest F lenses, and "as compatible
as possible" with earlier F lenses (i.e. no AF).
AF may or may not become slower on third-party F to Z smart adapters. The actual level of compatibility of
these adapters with Z cameras and Nikon F lenses is impossible to assess without testing, and it cannot be
excluded that future updates to Nikon firmware will "break" the compatibility of third-party
adapters, especially those that rely on reverse-engineering the Nikon communication protocols without
Nikon's knowledge or permission. As an example, the Z8 v3.0 firmware update "broke" the
compatibility of some Tamron lenses in Z mounts, forcing Nikon to issue a subsequent firmware release to
fix the problem. Tamron had an agreement in place with Nikon for developing and marketing lenses in Nikon
Z mounts. I doubt that Nikon would do the same without such an agreement.
The FTZ and FTZ II have built-in firmware that can be updated in the same way as the firmware of Z cameras
and lenses. To date, a v1.1 update has been issued to the FTZ and FTZ II firmware. It allows Nikon F
lenses to have their firmware updated when mounted on a Z camera via an FTZ/FTZ II.
The FTZ is the original model of adapter, and is equipped with a tripod foot. The FTZ II is more recent, but the internal electronics and electromechanics seem to be identical in the two models. The FTZ II does not have a tripod foot and is a little smaller and lighter. It was introduced mainly because the FTZ can be difficult to mount on the Z9, or on other Z cameras when the latter are attached to an L-shaped bracket or mounted in a video cage. The FTZ II is also easier to use with a hand-held camera and lens.
The Z8 with FTZ II and a heavy lens is very front-heavy when mounted on a tripod. The FTZ is much better in this respect because it moves forward the attachment point of the tripod by a few cm, and is well balanced with lenses of medium weight. This, and the advantage of quickly swapping lenses and leaving an adapter attached to each lens, is why I am using both Nikon adapters.
The FTZ II replaced the FTZ, and the latter is no longer available from Nikon. The only way to get an FTZ these days is on the second-hand market. Quite a few second-hand FTZ are available, and for the moment it is not difficult to get one or two at a price lower than new third-party F to Z adapters equipped with a comparable tripod shoe. I am not aware of any "dumb" F to Z adapters equipped with a well-made tripod shoe.
I leave an Arca-compatible rail permanently attached to the shoe of the FTZ with a 1/4-20" bolt, and this lets me instantly attach the FTZ to tripod heads, monopods, gimbals and photomacrography stands equipped with compatible clamps. The rail shown in the above picture has two small tabs that keep the rail aligned to the shoe. A shorter rail can be used if necessary to allow the lens shade to be reverse-mounted on the lens.
A relatively thin rail like the one shown above allows mounting the FTZ without problems on the Z8. It looks like it should mount even on a Z8 equipped with add-on second grip, but I have not tested this. I don't know whether it is possible to mount this FTZ with rail on a Z9. In any case, even if it fits, it will certainly interfere with the use of the second grip.
The L bracket attached to my Z8 projects below the bottom of the FTZ rail (red arrow in above figure). This should not limit the placement of the FTZ rain in an Arca-compatible clamp, unless the latter is unusually long.
The above figure shows a way to solidly attach the FTZ plate to a very long rail that, in turn, can be attached to a horizontal or vertical photomacrography stand. The shown setup uses two parallel double-clamps, and is an easy workaround to the problem of the Z8 plate projecting from the bottom of the camera. 400 mm (40 cm) rails are available from multiple third-party brands, for example.
It makes sense to attach the Arca rail to the FTZ in the orientation shown in the above figure. This allows me to slide the rail within the clamp for coarse focus and balance adjustments. However, the L-bracket attached at the bottom of the camera is perpendicular to the plate attached to the FTZ.
To quickly alternate between these Arca attachments with different orientations, I keep an adapter like the one in the above figure near each of my photomacrography stands and tripod heads. It has a short Arca rail and an Arca clamp perpendicular to each other, which eliminates the guesswork and misalignment involved in manually rotating an Arca clamp attached to a fixture by loosening its 1/4-20" bolt.
Many F to Z adapters devoid of electronics and mechanical couplings, of varying mechanical quality, are available from online mail-order stores. With these adapters, lenses can only be used in manual mode, as long as they have a mechanical focus ring and a mechanical aperture ring. Some adapters provide a mechanical ring to stop down the aperture of some lenses that lack a physical focus ring. This only works with lenses that have mechanically, not electronically, controlled apertures, and gives only a qualitative estimate of the aperture value. Neither these adapters nor the lenses display the actual aperture value. Metering with the diaphragm fully open is not possible with these lenses, either. Lenses equipped with a physical aperture ring and a physical focus ring remain the best candidates for use on the Z8 with these adapters devoid of lens couplings.
Like all Nikon professional DSLRs and mirrorless, the Z8 is perfectly happy to work in A mode with legacy lenses that lack a CPU and electrical contacts on the lens mount.
Some of the early Nikon DSLRs refused to meter with non-CPU lenses. I do hope that all Z cameras work with non-CPU lenses (within the unavoidable limitations). The Z8, at any rate, has no such artificial restrictions.
Over the years, Nikon did release a few oddball Nikkor lenses in F mount that cannot be used via FTZ/FTZ
II adapters on Z cameras. The Nikkor IX lenses of the late 20th century are an example. These are rarely
seen APS-C lenses with optical elements that protrude from the rear of the lens mount by several mm. A few
other legacy full-frame F-mount lenses with protruding rear optics may also be problematic or impossible
to adapt to Z cameras. They originally required the mirror of SLR cameras to be manually locked in up
position before mounting the lens.
Some pre-AI lenses possess metal guards and prongs jutting out of the rear of the lens mount that might
interfere with the plastic light baffle located just within the front F mount of FTZ/FTZ II adapters.
The aperture rings of some pre-AI lenses may also interfere with, and potentially damage, the mechanical
switch located outside the front of the F mount of the FTZ/FTZ II (used to sense whether the AI aperture
ring is fully closed).
Electronic flash
The hot shoe of the Z8 carries electrical contacts for communicating with the Nikon TTL electronic flash system. Z cameras use the same TTL speedlights as the Nikon DSLRs.
I don't have any Nikon electronic flash, but I use a Godox X Pro II N radio controller on the hot shoe of the Z8 to operate Godox electronic flash units (AD 600 Pro and AD 200) in TTL mode. Godox makes radio flash controllers for several camera brands, that work with virtually all current models of Godox studio strobes and speedlights.
I also use equivalent Godox radio controllers on my Sony, Olympus and OM System cameras. All I need to do to switch cameras is:
- switch off the radio controller on the camera I am using
- pick up another camera
- switch on its radio controller.
No reconfiguration of the flash units, radio controllers, or cameras is necessary, and the UI of the different radio controllers is virtually the same (and this is why I don't use dedicated Nikon flash units, together with the fact that I prefer studio strobes rather than speedlights).
The fastest Z8 sync speed is 1/250 s.
The Z8 has a Rear curtain sync setting, but not a corresponding front curtain sync settings. Just use the Fill flash setting for TTL flash, instead. Like other cameras, the Z8 does have separate ambient-light exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation settings. Flash menu settings are only accessible when the camera is connected to a Nikon-compatible electronic flash, or flash radio controller, and this equipment is powered on and ready for use.
The Rear curtain sync setting is known to have trouble with studio strobes, including TTL ones. The main reason is that virtually all studio strobes lack a rear-curtain mode. If you need rear curtain sync, the best way is probably to use one of Nikon speedlights.
Red-dot sight
The Olympus EE-1 red-dot holographic sight mounts on any camera hot shoe, including the Z8, and works fine on the latter camera. It is a great help in locating birds in flight, and afterwards holding them in the field of view of a long telephoto lens. Using this sight means, in practice, shooting without seeing whether the subject is clipped by the edges of the frame, and having to trust that AF, subject recognition and subject tracking are doing their job. For this reason, the typical strategy with this and similar sights is shooting plenty of images in fast sequence while tracking the subject with the dot of the sight as best as one can, and discard the many useless images back at home.
This sight does introduce a vertical parallax error (on the Z8, about 11 cm), which can be corrected by calibrating the sight before use. The correction is precise only at a single distance to the subject. Adjusted for a subject distance of 30 m, the sight is still reasonably accurate within a distance interval of roughly 25-40 m (more if you make an allowance for manually cropping the images in post-production, which increases your keepers rate and is hardly a problem for the 45 Mpixel of the Z8).
The calibration is quick, but needs to be done with the camera on a tripod or a really steady improvised support, and involves pointing and locking the camera to an easily identifiable small object at the center of the viewfinder/rear LCD and at the same distance expected for shooting the subject.
Full spectrum modification?
It seems possible to perform a "full spectrum" modification of the Z8 by replacing the NIR and NUV-cut filter mounted in front of the sensor with a silica glass of quartz window. I found at least one 2025 Facebook post by a photographer who did so, although I do not know whether he did the modification himself or had it made by one of the companies specializing in this type of camera modification. The images produced by the modified Z8 that accompany this Facebook post, however, make me question whether the photographer actually knows how to use a full-spectrum camera.
The lack of a physical anti-aliasing filter on the Z8 sensor means that replacing the NIR and NUV-cut filter is not likely to cause an increase in aliasing artifacts, as commonly observed with modified cameras originally equipped with a hardware anti-aliasing filter.
Conclusions
The performance and capabilities of the Nikon Z8 are very close, and often identical, to those of the Nikon Z9 flagship mirrorless. They share the stacked sensor, Expeed 7 graphic processor, most of the internal hardware, most of the physical controls, and most of the firmware.
Compared to the Z9, the Z8 lacks GPS receiver, Ethernet socket, coaxial flash socket, Fn4 button, second Cf Express slot, anti-theft cable socket, card door latch, uses buttons instead of a mode dial, and of course lacks the controls of the second grip. The Z8 has a second USB3 socket and an SD card slot, both absent in the Z9, and minor redesigns of a couple of controls.
We may be seeing the beginning of a divergence between Z8 and Z9, with new features introduced in the latest firmware update for the Z8, but not (yet) the Z9. Previously, new features were introduced first in the Z9, and later ported to the Z8. Possibly the Z9 updates are winding down in preparation for the announcement of the future Z9 II.
The physical controls and their layout differ a little from those of "lower" Z cameras. The Z8 and Z9 have an additional Focus Mode button, absent in other Z cameras.
The Z8 is substantially cheaper than the Z9. You can buy one or two good Nikkor Z lenses with the difference.
The Z8 is bulkier (especially taller) and heavier than any of the other Nikon Z camera models, except the Z9.
The Z8 and Z9 are superior in several respects to all other Nikon Z camera models.
The Z8 and Z9 do away entirely with the electromechanical shutter, and use only an electronic shutter. These cameras do have a protective electromechanical curtain that looks like the front curtain of a shutter and can cover the sensor when the camera is off, and when displaying the menu.
The electronic shutter of the Z8 and Z9 is not a global shutter. It is, however, faster than the electronic shutters of many other cameras.
The Z8 and Z9 have sophisticated networking capabilities. They connect to a Wi-Fi access point like any good office appliance, and can automatically send new pictures automatically to an FTP server anywhere on the Internet via an industry-standard encrypted connection.
The Z8 lacks a hardware Ethernet socket, but it has built-in drivers to use an external USB 3.2 to Ethernet dongle to connect to a Gigabit Ethernet LAN, resulting in a much faster transfer speed than a Wi-Fi connection.
The Z8 is power hungry, and with certain menu settings uses power also when switched off. In practice, you should have a minimum of two batteries for this camera, and use one while you recharge the other. The add-on Z8 power grip accepts two batteries, but with this grip the Z8 becomes bigger than the Z9.
The Z8 can be powered via a USB 3.2 connector from a USB PD power supply or a large USB PD power bank. The same USB connector can charge the Z8 battery in-camera when the camera is off.
The Z8 can provide AF with AF-S and AF-P Nikon lenses in F mounts mounted on Nikon FTZ and FTZ II adapters. The FTZ II adapter lacking a tripod shoe replaced the original FTZ adapter equipped with tripod shoe, but the latter adapter is still easy to find on the second-hand market.
None of the other series of Nikon lenses in F mounts can autofocus on Z cameras.
Virtually all Nikon lenses in F mounts (except for oddballs like the Nikkor IX and a few others) can be used on Z cameras, albeit in manual focus and manual aperture mode. The aperture of Nikkor G lenses can be controlled by Z cameras via the FTZ/FTZ II adapters, and the lack of a physical aperture ring in these lenses is not a problem.