Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera Body

Electronic Shutter-Only Design

Relying on the speed and stacked design of the sensor, the Z8 completely forgoes a mechanical shutter and uses just an electronic shutter for all capture modes. The speed of the sensor enables recording at up to 1/32,000 sec and the stacked structure reduces motion distortion for accurate depiction of fast-moving subjects, like golf clubs, baseball bats, and automobiles. Also, despite the absence of a mechanical shutter, flash sync up to 1/200 sec. is still supported as well as high speed sync functions.

By removing the mechanical shutter, the Z8 can also operate completely silently and there is no worry over mechanical shutter wear or breakdown. A shutter release sound can be added for awareness when a photo is being taken, and the volume can be adjusted to suit different working scenarios.

More Beautiful Portraits

Perfect for portraits, the Z8 improves on the sensor's inherent capabilities with a series of processing tools and shooting functions to improve portraits:

• Fine-tune hue and brightness while shooting for more precise control while shooting.
• Skin softening can be used on up to three subjects in a shot and slightly blurs the skin for a more pleasing texture while still retaining essential sharpness on eyes and hair.
• Manual white balance control is more intuitive when making adjustments and Auto WB has also been optimized for human subjects.

493-Point Phase-Detection AF

Covering the full sensor area, the Z8 uses the flagship 493-point phase-detection AF system to realize fast and accurate focusing performance. This system is benefitted by the high-speed communication of the Z interface along with the speed of the sensor that enables AF readings to occur at up to 120 fps.

This focusing system also supports working in low-light conditions with a Starlight mode that permits focusing down to -9 EV to greatly benefit astrophotography, concert, and other nighttime shooting applications. Also useful for working in difficult lighting conditions, Backlit AF uses separate pixels on the sensor for AF, allowing these areas to intentionally overexpose for focusing accuracy purposes without impacting the actual exposure of the recorded image.

A mainstay focusing mode in DSLRs, which debuted for mirrorless with the Z9, the Z8 also includes 3D Tracking AF that pairs with subject detection to lock onto fast, erratically moving subjects that move parallel and perpendicular to the camera. Additionally, there are three Dynamic-Area AF modes, with a range of focus area sizes, for capturing a broad variety of moving subject types.

Subject Detection with Deep Learning Technology

Utilizing inherited algorithms and deep learning technology from the Z9, including sophisticated Subject Detection, the Z8 can recognize a variety of distinct subject types, ranging from humans to animals to airplanes to bicycles. When working in Auto-Area AF, these subjects will automatically be detected, focused on, and tracked to ensure sharp focus when the subject is moving across the frame.

Eye-Detection AF, specifically, has been tuned for improved accuracy and refined recognition of eyes in the scene, regardless of how small or large they are within the image frame, and can also be used in conjunction with custom Wide-Area AF for different subject shapes and sizes.

Internal 8K60 and 4K 120 Recording

Equally capable for video, the Z8 matches the Z9's recording capabilities here, as well, with a variety of resolutions and frame rates available up to 8K. Using full pixel readout, UHD 8K 30p video can be recorded with continuous shooting possible for approximately 2 hours 5 minutes.

UHD 4K and Full HD recording is also possible in a variety of frame rates, including full-frame 4K recording at up to 120p for slow-motion playback. Using an 8K area, oversampled UHD 4K recording is possible at up to 60p for increased sharpness and detail. Also, high-resolution frame grabs can be recorded in camera from 8K and 4K videos, for producing 33MP or 11MP stills, respectively.

12-Bit N-RAW and ProRes RAW Video

Internal 12-bit raw recording at up to 8.3K 60p in the N-RAW format is supported along with internal ProRES RAW HQ. Raw recording offers greater tonal and color latitude and can improve dynamic range, benefitting color grading needs and post-production flexibility.

• N-RAW is Nikon's own raw recording format that offers impressively small file sizes compared to other raw formats as well as the ability to create MP4 proxies for more efficient previewing or transferring.
• N-RAW recording is available at up to 8.3K at 60p or 24p; 4.1K at up to 120p; 5.3K at up to 60p with a 1.5x crop; and 3.8K at 120p with a 2.3x crop.
• ProRes RAW recording is also available at up to 4.1K and 60p.

ProRes and H.265 10-Bit Recording

Internal recording is also supported with 10-bit color and 4:2:2 sampling in the ProRes 422 HQ and H.265 codecs, and H.264 and 4:2:0 color can be used depending on workflow needs. For more latitude when color grading in post, there is also a 10-bit N-Log setting as well as a Flat color profile. Additionally, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) can be used for creating HDR-ready content straight from the camera.

Recording Support

Aiding the impressive recording specs, the Z8 also incorporates a variety of useful recording tools and functions for use in productions:

• Red REC frame indicator on EVF and LCD during recording to easily recognize when recording is being captured.
• Dedicated video info display indicates various recording settings, such as frame size, frame rate, audio settings, codec, bit depth, and HDMI output settings. Some of these settings will also be visible on the camera's top control panel.
• Focus peaking and zebra stripes are visual aids to help achieve sharp focus and accurate exposure.
• Waveform monitor for realtime exposure analysis.
• Fine ISO control in Manual mode for adjusting exposure in 1/6-stop increments.
• Fast AF-ON function can be assigned to Fn buttons; it is now possible to assign two different AF speeds to different buttons.
• Slow shutter speed video is supported, slower than 1/frame rate, for working in extreme low-light conditions or for creating intentionally blurred effects.
• Timecode linking is possible when working with an optional timecode generator.
• Complementing the video capabilities, the Z8 also supports 24-bit linear PCM sound recording and offers compatibility with external XLR microphones via the optional Tascam CA-XLR2d-AN digital adapter.