The Nikon Z8 at the top of its game with a firmware update

Nikon is announcing today (February 7, 2024) a major update to its flagship body, the Z8. A more compact version of the large monobloc Z9 body, the Z8 had recovered the same processor and sensor, but not yet all the features that Nikon had distilled into its titan over the course of updates.

Nikon Z8 firmware 2.0 not only fixes this, but it also brings features and improvements previously exclusive to the Zf launching in 2023. Once the Z8 is updated, the owner will enjoy Nikon’s most advanced body… while waiting for the future upgrades of the Z9 model.

What the Z8 gets from the Z9

From the Z9, the Z8 inherits numerous improvements linked to the sport/press/nature functions. The first is the presence of Birds mode directly within the AF recognition mode selection interface. Enough to allow rapid activation of algorithms dedicated to the identification of volatiles, without having to search in the menus.

For professionals, the Z8 also recovers the autocapture mode, a system which allows you to program the camera to take automatic shots according to three criteria: movement (and direction of entry), distance and recognition of the camera. subject. The kind of function that photojournalists use in difficult-to-access areas, where wireless transmission does not pass or only poorly. Enough to automatically capture the passage of a skier, a rider, etc.

Still inherited from the Z9, we identify an improvement in ISO sensitivity in video mode. With a base threshold of ISO 800, the Z8 sometimes produced excessive digital noise when moving up the shadows. The arrival of a Lo 1 (400 ISO equivalent) and Lo 2 (200 ISO) mode makes it possible to limit the increase in digital noise in N-Log and N-RAW with this large 45 Mpx sensor capable of shooting in 8K.

Added to this is a choice of reducing the size of the electronic viewfinder (to add black edges and thus be less submerged in the image), the possibility of shooting in JPEG+JPEG on two different memory cards (small JPEGs for transmission and large JPEG for archives), or a high-resolution digital zoom which simulates a clean zoom effect in 4K, even with fixed focal lengths. Let’s not forget finer management of autobracketing increments in order to limit LED flickering, or the possibility of storing several FTP profiles (for journalists from wired agencies).

The legacy of the Zf

Less defined than its big brothers with its 24 Mpx sensor, the Zf hid exclusive functions under its retro look, which therefore arrive on the Nikon Z8.

The first is the pixel shift, a mechanism that increases output definition by multiplying shots. Concretely, the device on a tripod controls the stabilization mechanism of the sensor to move it on two axes and capture 4/8/16 or 32 images in order to bring the maximum output definition to 180 Mpx after assembly.

The first box compatible with this technology, the Zf therefore “gives” this function to the Z8. This is not a luxury, Nikon being rather late compared to certain competitors – OM-System even allows this use freehand. Note that the assembly of RAW files is carried out a posteriori in the free NX Studio software, therefore on a computer.

In terms of JPEG rendering, the Z8 gets two improvements: the addition of picture control Portrait with rich tones, appreciated by wedding photographers who like to deliver fair and soft renderings of skin, as well as two monochrome modes Flat (flat) and Deep Tone, the latter simulating a rendering close to the use of a red filter ( darkened skies to bring out the clouds).

Asked by The DigitalsNikon France assures us that the improvements that the Z8 benefits from today should arrive later in the Z9.

The Nikon Z8 firmware 2.0 update is now available in the Nikon Download Center.