Nikon Z8 Camera Review For Filmmakers

Nikon Z8 Camera Review For Filmmakers - Not just a B Cam

Рет қаралды 29,058

Күн бұрын

Matt Johnson's review of the Nikon Z8 camera for filmmakers, telling you how the Z8 gives you essentially all the features of the Z9 but in a more compact body and with a more compact price!
😁 Colored with my presets: whoismatt.com/luts
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0:00 Spoiling this review because I respect your time
1:29 Dramatically Lighter & Smaller
2:38 Screen & Ports
3:09 Memory Card Slots (& BIGGEST Con Of This Camera)
5:58 Crazy Good Video Formats & Resolutions
6:50 LOG Profiles, IBIS, Weird Recording Time Limit
7:19 Autofocus, Manual Focus, Rolling Shutter
8:15 RED Lawsuit Update
9:20 Raw Footage EATS Memory Cards
9:50 Any Overheating?
11:32 Battery Life
12:00 Lowlight Performance
12:20 The Price vs the Z9
14:05 Do I Recommend The Z8?
14:55 Notice The Shirt
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Пікірлер: 118

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

😲 Are you tempted by the Z8? P.S. All the footage was colored with my presets, get them here - whoismatt.com/luts

@roccocolombo Жыл бұрын

Hi Matt, do you consider the vide focus capabilities on the z8 , comparable to the sony a s3 ?

@cinematools9621 Жыл бұрын

Nikon is making strides in video quality with Z9 and Z8. I hope to see these video features in smaller cameras from Nikon.

@chrisdunnink Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the advice, will get my z8 thursday! And love your positivism!

@kapilesh14 Жыл бұрын

This camera is even better than a1! Nikon knocked it out of the park this time.

@kirillzolotarev461 Жыл бұрын

Is it tho? I want to see a low light AF, I shoot a lot of clubs (video and photo) and it’s such a struggle with my z6ii…I hope to test it asap, I have been waiting for z8 for months.

@kapilesh14 Жыл бұрын

@@kirillzolotarev461 Come on! I didn't include autofocus in my statement as Nikon has still a long way to go in that department. However, for the specs and the price this camera seems to be unbeatable.

@kirillzolotarev461 Жыл бұрын

@@kapilesh14 ahahah.. ok, I enjoyed shooting with z9 but something like Sony a7s iii is still so much faster in AF department for video, I thought this announcement will make my decipher about switching easier, but it made it harder.

@kapilesh14 Жыл бұрын

@@kirillzolotarev461 I think that this camera is such a good news for all Nikon shooters. But would it force someone from Sony or Canon to jump ship would be a little difficult. The all around lens selection is an issue with Nikon. Also, as you mentioned autofocus in photo and video is so much superior in Canon and Sony. I myself selected a7Siii, AF of which is so much better but they have improved it even further with recent releases.

@highdynamicphotographyfilm2235 Жыл бұрын

@@kirillzolotarev461 low light EV -7

@joeaddison Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Matt!

@christianhotter Жыл бұрын

My wife does photography with Nikon and I've been using Sony for video. Our best lenses are Nikon, so my next camera will be moving me to Nikon. I started video years ago with a Nikon DSLR, but it was missing video features. It looks like Nikon finally caught up with the camera body.

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Sony is still great but nikon is KILLING it and I love to see the competition

@DarrellYoung Жыл бұрын

Great job, Matt. I appreciate your enthusiasm.

@LastXwitness Жыл бұрын

I believe Nikons had a true clear vision of the Z series as a whole rather than just making it up as they go along or confusing the line or switching around controls and menus per model etc It’s making more and more sense as they roll out the last 3 -5yrs of R&D. I’ve been really happy with the z9 for the last year and a half and the 8 makes it more accessible or as a backup/second camera for pro use . I think we are heading into an exciting Gen 3 of the z6/7 and the line up will really be a great option as a system. The glass has been awesome constantly with breathing in mind. The 85mm 1.2 is phenomenal.. the long glass is saving pros on multiple lenses with built in native element TC in them and even the PF glass.. the 24-120 f4 has been a workhorse all around lens for me even the close focus is ridiculous. It’s just really great to see and who woulda thought theyd be the brand to break the internal raw video barrier lol and be one of the first with no mechanical shutter which is doomed to explode on any brand the longer time goes on hammering it. So I guess helps in reselling the camera with shutter counts idk I could go on. 🤷‍♂️

@B-Moye Жыл бұрын

This is a great review Matt!! Thanks. Very compelling camera from a Sony shooter here. Same price as my Fx3 😮

@willvazquez3218 Жыл бұрын

Brother, Nikon needs to hire you to make a wedding video with their Z8. I keep seeing new videos popping up on Nikons KZfaq channel showcasing the Z8. They are all so terrible, with awful grading, blown highlights, etc. you really know what you’re doing, you protect the highlights, you grade beautifully, you film, creatively, and real pretty. Nikon needs to stop sabotaging themselves with their own videos.

@wilkbor Жыл бұрын

I'm happy to see that Nikon continues to push the envelope. The next step, I hope, is to see some of these features trickle into a Z6 iii.

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

hope so!

@andrewmason8691 Жыл бұрын

It will be interesting to see what video specs there are in a Z6iii. I’m thinking 10 bit N-Log 4K 60fps uncropped and 10 bit N-Log 6K 30fps. May be NRAW. Sell for $2,500.

@TedTremendous Жыл бұрын

Great review! I am interested in this. Do you care/have issues with A7siii Sony not updating firmware and giving FX3 all the goods? Is that a decision maker for you in any way? Love to know

@BryanKeithPhoto Жыл бұрын

The image quality of the Nikon is top-tier!

@johndc7446 Жыл бұрын

Its awesome that theres not only Sony and Canon making innovations and marketing.

@makatron Жыл бұрын

This will be my main cam and moving my z6ii to B cam duties.

@souljah9e Жыл бұрын

Absolutely stunning colors! Finally a Mirrorles D700🔥

@highdynamicphotographyfilm2235 Жыл бұрын

It’s Mirrorless D850 and even better

@driesrengle. Жыл бұрын

Haha, this. D700 was the best camera ever at that time. Maybe the z8 can be a new D700.

@BlackRoseMediaProductions Жыл бұрын

I'm looking to upgrade my Z5 to... well... I'm not sure. I also shoot video for weddings, but only have the z5 for a camera body. Would you recommend a better camera A and keep the z5 as my camera B, or stay with the z5 as a camera A and invest in another z5 for my camera B? Was seriously considering switching to Sony, but that's a lot of money for someone that hasn't been doing this for very long. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks Matt!

@dmc225videoproductions8 Жыл бұрын

In what format you recommended record a wedding cuz prores raw 4k 60fps is not like 13gb per minute?

@AlexandruLuchita Жыл бұрын

thanks for the review. How easy is to match sony slog with a nlog? thanks

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Premiere has a match footage optionnthat works pretty well.

@jayforcinema Жыл бұрын

Thanks Matt! If you get the chance, would love to learn about how the Z8 and Z9's autofocus performs with the Nikon FTZ adapter, or even the Techart EF-Z adapter. The lenses are too much of a cost right now, and it would be great if one could use some of the fantastic older glass, till there is budget to upgrade Also, would love it if there was a Powergrade version of the LUTs at some point. I use Resolve for grading, and really like the ability to individually tweak the elements in the grades

@andrewmason8691 Жыл бұрын

For photography, the F mount lenses are good. For video, they are good, but there is an annoying grinding noise with the AF. I might be a bit fickle there. But just generally speaking, the Z lenses are just better. They have better resolution. They are sharper. AF sticks that bit better. You don’t have to get Z mount lenses straight away. Do it over time. But once you buy one of them, you will want more of them.

@jayforcinema Жыл бұрын

@@andrewmason8691 Thanks Andrew! With the prospect of saving approx 3000 USD by sticking with the existing F mount glass, I would happily live with the grinding for now. But definitely, the lenses will be upgraded one by one to the Z mount... I would rather do that slowly, but get the really good glass. For now, I think the Z8 is mainly going to be on my renting radar, it's a truly 2023 camera.

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

It also depends on the make/model. Even some z mount glass can be noisy, like my 105mm macro. Sigma is king of noise with the art lenses.

@UraFlight Жыл бұрын

What LUT did you use to make this video ? I love the colours 😊

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

All color graded with my whoismatt luts. They’re linked in the video description

@digwillhachi Жыл бұрын

what is the H265 10bit like? I am not likely to be shooting 8k raw for everything.

@UraFlight Жыл бұрын

I’m filming with R5 in 8K , rolling shutter sometime is horrible. Did you had a chance to compare rolling shutter with R5 and Z8 or Z9 ?

@toddysurcharge771 8 ай бұрын

Stacked sensor really helps minimize rolling shutter which in my experience only impacted 8k/60 video. Anything lower frame rate wise in 8k or 4k and lower res has zero issues from my testing

@willvazquez3218 Жыл бұрын

Did you film your talking head portion with the Z9? Looks really nice.

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was a Sony a7siii, I didn't have the Z9 to use with the Z8 :(

@aaronjones56 6 ай бұрын

What cf express cards are you using to record 8K raw ?

@BrandonFletcher07 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Matt for this. I was hoping to hear your thoughts on this as a wedding film maker. I started with Nikon but now shoot on Sony but I like seeing Nikon being more competitive in the video market. Love to chat with you sometime as I too am in Texas.

@epicimages5583 Жыл бұрын

I'd love to hear your opinion on Nikons internal N-Log or Raw. I use Z7/6ii models with an atomos ninja v and have never been happy with the N-Log footage. It always seems too contrasty compared to footage from Sony for example. I was just about to dump all my nikon gear and buy 2x a7rv, but i could stay with nikon. Not sure the z8 is everything i want. (video wise)

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

The internal raw is beautiful, I love the colors but it is definitely not easy on the memory cards even though its about half the size of ProRes Raw

@JoacimSchwartz Жыл бұрын

I don't know who dropped the ball with the N-LOG LUT, but I have never had good luck with it in the Ninja V, either the recorder or lut is too contrasty or the instructions has been too conveluded. My suggestion is to make a N-LOG > 709 LUT with Danvici to load into the Ninja and do not toggle the log/HDR switch.

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

With a z8 there is a lot of improvement there, but the best thing to do is to stop using their lut and do your own grading. Also, color transforming the footage in DR to arri or vlog can help. In the latest firmware you can use a lower iso for nlog that really makes a difference too. I’d just rent one to to check before making the choice. Good luck.

@toddysurcharge771 8 ай бұрын

Late to the convo but you can avoid overheating issues if you do long indoor videos (like interviews or whatever) by recording to external ssd or other fast device. It overheats due to memory card warming up and not battery so doing external recording alleviates that esp if you have external ssd on a cooling pad

@dreamteamfilms3550 5 ай бұрын

Wondering if the APSC crop mode is decent. That would compel me. 4k at 120 in full frame and crop mode so a 50mm 1.2 can also be a 85 1.8... Although no back up is kinda deal breaker for me.

@davetormey 11 ай бұрын

Life long Nikon shooter here who has been shooting stills on a D850 and video on a Sony body. Does Nikon have a picture profile/file format like Sony’s S Cinetone that is usable straight off the camera or does everything require some level of color grading?

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

There are some formats that look nice straight out if cam.

@FRANKRICECOLD209 Жыл бұрын

It Has 2 USB Ports Does That Mean You Can Record To a External SSD Drive Like The panasonic s5 ii x ? Thanks

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Nope unfortunately not

@FRANKRICECOLD209 Жыл бұрын

@@whoismatt Man That Is Unfortunate Thanks For The Reply

@kpetsas Жыл бұрын

Nice! Do you know if this sensor has dual native iso?

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Yes it has.

@hugnos 3 ай бұрын

It's easy and fast to switch from video to photo?

@wakeywarrior Жыл бұрын

I think this is probably, all things taken into account, the best camera on the market for the money. But it’s still very expensive for a hobbyist such as myself. Hopefully in a few years, Nikon will have trickled down this tech to a camera costing half.

@ZackCrain Жыл бұрын

Can you use an external SSD through USB C for recording that 8k? That way you could get a 4tb nvme or something like that and go for much longer

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Nope

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

No. The ninja V does work in 4k, max 60p

@jcwestberry Жыл бұрын

Where did you get the wooden desk in the background?

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Home Depot

@scotttucker9613 Жыл бұрын

Really nice recap of this camera. Really noob-y question...if you're recording in 8k/60 for slow motion, are you shooting in multiples of 25 or 60 for shutter speed? Sorry if this the dumbest thing you've read today, just trying to wrap my head around 60fps slow mo (I usually use 4k/120 and shoot at 1/125 or 1/250).

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Your question has to do with system frequency. Here in europe we use pal, so 50 p and in the us it’s mostly 60 p.

@mannurkumar Жыл бұрын

Nikon Z8 4k 120fps has crop or not?

@sohamsett Жыл бұрын

4K 120p sub sampled meaning ?

@strippedlist Жыл бұрын

Can you record maybe like blackmagic directly on an ssd? Like the new kondor handle with SanDisk blade ssd?

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

I wish! I don't believe it supports that though

@strippedlist Жыл бұрын

@@whoismatt in B&H description of the camera it shows in an image recording on ssd, check it out

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

@@strippedlist you sure you aren't looking at the Panasonic S5iiX?

@Marcus_Visbal 2 ай бұрын

Do you still use Sonys or did you switch?

@danielbarakat Жыл бұрын

Matt!!! I keep thinking of selling my a7Rv and all my lenses and going for this! Video wise Nikon wins big time in just specs alone. I noticed my video quality being worse compared to my a7iv due to the binned video on the a7rv...but I can't go back to the a7iv with the inferior overall specs...and I can't use an a7siii because I do photography too. I feel the z8 does everything for me. But will I regret it? Is there anything about the Sony system that would make me not want to go through this transition? I only have 1 camera so don't care about pairing a zv with an alpha series camera or anything like that. I see you have BH on you affiliates, if I make any purchases, I'll use your link. I do a lot of product photography and video especially tech like laptops, phones etc. How does the auto focus work on that? It's really not perfect on the sony system and I have to reshoot a lot. Jumpy focus and such. How's the nikon's autofocus when it comes to that? How's the overall video quality compared to Sony? I don't have time to grade, so I just shoot in S-Cinetone. How's the straight out of camera video on the Z8? If I do this, I have to sell $8000 worth of Sony gear for about $7000 to entice a quick transaction....so it's a gigantic decision for me.

@Jonathan.Cajica Жыл бұрын

Does anyone know how to convert ProRes files to Davinci? Raw converter isn't working for my Z8 files.

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

You mean prores raw?

@Jonathan.Cajica 10 ай бұрын

Yeah prores raw converter for Resolve; I found a few SWs that do the work, but is just easier to shoot in N-Raw (except for file size)@@KobusGevelspar

@extremekidproductions7859 4 ай бұрын

how does the screen compare to Sony screens?

@eu6enelee Жыл бұрын

Hey Matt, awesome video! I just received my Z8 yesterday (woot). Was just wondering, as I was setting up the camera, I noticed that my exposure meter disappeared in video mode. How are you exposing your footage without a monitor? I've set everything up for nlog and I'm assuming nlog follows most logs and exposes to the right.. but without a meter or any indicators besides zebras, I'm just not sure what I'm doing, ha! Any help or recommendations would be great :D

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Nikon doesn’t have it yet unfortunately, I miss it too, just like shutter angle.

@markr041 10 ай бұрын

I think you missed something really important. There is a histogram in video mode; a lot more informative than the "exposure meter."

@DineshBhadwal Жыл бұрын

Can someone confirm heat dissipation on this camera? There are reports that the card gets burning hot in video. The body is too small and there is not fan.

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Cards can become hot, but the make/model makes a lot of difference

@diegopalma5123 Жыл бұрын

is there a way to get a more natural look? its very sharp and digital...not very organic...beside mist filters...thanks!

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

Sure, filters and grading.

@sinister_mister 4 ай бұрын

A Banana for scale? :D Some bananas are bigger than others.

@tomaltman9506 Жыл бұрын

You can record 8k in 10bit h265 on an SD card.

@janrolsenfoto Жыл бұрын

So this camera won’t work below minus 10 degrees Celsius? Nikon says minus 10 is an extreme temperature. That mean in practice that you can’t trust this camera in wintertime.

@Scriptshepherd Жыл бұрын

Damn, I thought this camera had the perfect specs on paper, but the inability to record video to both card slots is a dealbreaker at this price point and for professional work.

@QUINPANO Жыл бұрын

So bummed that you don't get two cf express slots like the z9. I don't understand why so many companies keep doing different slots its a complete deal breaker.

@reneefariasphoto40 Жыл бұрын

SIZE MATTERS. It's really simple.

@QUINPANO Жыл бұрын

@@reneefariasphoto40 I don't think changing one more slot would change the size by a lot or at all.

@reneefariasphoto40 Жыл бұрын

@@QUINPANO Curious. Are you an engineer? Have you done integrity test on this type of change? According to what other reviewers have stated it would require a larger camera body, which makes sense to me. But hey I am not an engineer.

@QUINPANO Жыл бұрын

@@reneefariasphoto40 look at the Z9 it's literally only that size because of the bigger grip and Ethernet ports on it and that has 2 slots

@vanlee0831 Жыл бұрын

I don’t think Z8 has AI AF, it is the same as Z9 which is tied to A1.

@himalayareaders Жыл бұрын

Wow,impressive 8 k.

@markr041 Жыл бұрын

There is NRAW HIGH and NRAW NORMAL. The latter is half the bitrate, so you get twice as much video on the sane size card. You evidently shot in HIGH. Did you try NORMAL? Is there a discernible difference in quality?

@KobusGevelspar 10 ай бұрын

I tried both and the difference is really small, hardly noticeable

@markr041 10 ай бұрын

@@KobusGevelspar That is useful to know. Thanks.

@countryroadsstudio7174 Жыл бұрын

Me likey.

@fionngorilla Жыл бұрын

640 GB card filled in 15mins of filming in 8k 60fps Raw? Wow.

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Those files B I G 😜

@ScarinziMedia Жыл бұрын

Yes. I get a little over 45mins on a 2tb red card

@Abdi_Mohamed_ Жыл бұрын

This camera SLAPS by the looks of it

@vest-media Жыл бұрын

Oh well, it's the first time I can say that I was the first somewhere.

@TheNanofiber Жыл бұрын

Until they can figure out the back up video recording I'm not sure this can be taken seriously as a pro video camera. Others do it, and they need to figure it out. If you record RAW on the z9 it does write proxies automatically, so why can't it write them on the other card??? Makes no sense.

@whoismatt Жыл бұрын

Yeah really hoping they fix that in a firmware update.

@TheNanofiber Жыл бұрын

I’ve been hoping they would do that but they haven’t done it for the z9 and it seems it would be easier because the cards are the same…

@fthprodphoto-video5357 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful Tool but way too expensive for my wallet. 4K video is more than sufficient for 99.9% of the people and pros, technology is really advancing so fast !