Z9 or Z8 - any difference for sports photography?

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I began my Z odyssey with the Z6ii and then upgraded to the Z9 for sports. With the 70-200 MM it is a real handful, so what appeals about the Z8 is the same capability but less weight. And if it is superior to the Z9 then I will seriously consider buying one.
 
I have the same question . How ever I will wait for Steve’s review of Z8 before taking a call . I certainly like small bodies & my A1 never felt out out of place in my hands unlike my Z9 which seemed oversized .
 
You have the two cameras I have as well. Here’s my initial take on things.

1) Most sports and events that I shoot have plenty of dead time between innings, quarters, halves, timeouts, sets, songs, heats, races, dances, riders, you name it, to allow me to swap out batteries and not miss anything. However, I don’t like swapping batteries out in wet weather, and I still find it easy to shoot a high number of frames at 20 FPS. So I wouldn’t give up the Z9 and its bigger battery as my main body.

2) From what I’ve seen, the Z8 doesn’t have the voice memo button, but it lists the option in its specs.

3) I think the human brain is conditioned to enjoy seeing people framed in portrait orientation. I can get there through cropping, but I would miss the function of the Z9 grip, especially in higher ISO territory where cropping brings about more noticeable higher noise. And from what I’ve seen of the Z8 add on grip, I wouldn’t want to mess with that thing.

4) I would certainly welcome holding less weight for hours at a time, or having less hang from me. But I wouldn’t prioritize that pound for a main body. A second one, yes.

I look at the Z8 as a potential replacement for what the Z 6II is for me, not as a replacement for the Z9. But before I upgrade the Z 6II, I want to see what comes of the Z 6III. I would love for that to be a lower megapixel Z8, but I doubt it gets the stacked sensor.
 
From my point of view, there could be a couple of issues. First is the battery life as mentioned in replies above. next is the balance on longer/heavier lenses. The lighter body may not balance as well as the heavier Z9 on the longer lenses typically used for sports. The bottom line is personal preference. I prefer a heavier camera, ie with a grip. Bodies w/o grips don't feel comfortable in my hand and tend to rotate off of level more often than gripped bodies. As for my opinion of the Z8, I'm going to pass. The grip is downright absurd and with 10 ENEL18 batteries for my other bodies, I don't want a second type of battery/charger to lug around. (If you want to see the proper way to do an add-on grip, look at the F4s. The grip was designed to be part of the camera and if you didn't know it was added on you'd swear it was part of the camera. So, yes, Nikon can make an integrated grip, they just have chosen not to. I've owned and used gripped D100,D300,D500, D810, and D850's and the F4s was the only one they did right, IMHO)
It would be nice if Nikon issues a firmware update to get the AF changes the Z8 has into the Z9.
I can see a market for the Z8, have a few friends considering one mostly due to price.
 
I have a z6ii, which I use for general shooting, and a z9, which I use mostly for shooting sports (indoor volleyball.) What do I gain/lose if I sell the Z9 and replace with the Z8?

Stuart -- do you tether your Z9 with ethernet so you can FTP fast or use the body remotely via ethernet, do you need the most weather sealed body, do you need longer battery life and the safety of being able to write to 2 CFE-B cards at the same time and so on. If you use long teles I have no doubt the Z9 will balance better than a Z8 -- but really only marginally.
AND then the big one -- what will your pals say to you if you turn up with a baby pro-camera -- we all know in sports it is all about looking the part ------ only joking.

OK re Ethernet -- the Z9 has a built in port, whereas the Z8 will have to use a dongle -- my view is a dongle is another thing that can get pulled out when there are 50 remotely controlled bodies in a shooting park -- you would be using a vast amount of tape to make sure that dongle was not pulled out.

Obviously is you use a gimbal or want/need to move lighter then a Z8 would probably work better. I put a Z9 on a DJI pro gimbal and it works great. But I am not carrying it all day.
 
I have gripped every body I have used for sports. I shoot a lot in poorly lit venues and I prefer to use portrait mode when necessary in order to prevent having to crop much when shooting at high ISO. I like the integrated grip of the Z9 over the accessory grip of the Z8.
 
No one knows at this point in time how well the Z8 will perform in terms of battery life or autofocus performance with telephoto lenses. With the D5 it was noticeably faster to focus than th D500 or D850 which used the smaller batteries and a less powerful motor. This was quite apparent with a fast approaching subject where only the D5 could adjust focus fast enough.
 
I began my Z odyssey with the Z6ii and then upgraded to the Z9 for sports. With the 70-200 MM it is a real handful, so what appeals about the Z8 is the same capability but less weight. And if it is superior to the Z9 then I will seriously consider buying one.
I would expect battery life (reverting to EN 15) and second card slot (slowing the whole job down to SD speed - if you use it as a back up) will be the biggest issues. AF looks to be same as Z9.
 
I began my Z odyssey with the Z6ii and then upgraded to the Z9 for sports. With the 70-200 MM it is a real handful, so what appeals about the Z8 is the same capability but less weight. And if it is superior to the Z9 then I will seriously consider buying one.
Gonna be the same unless you require record to both cards, 20 FPS, and long bursts. Single card record is the same as Z9. And…battery life is just fine per Ricci and others…it is less than Z9 but an extra or 2 batteries in your pocket is fine. Shot 750 frames on the Z9 the other evening and was one bar below full…so even a -15c battery would be at half charge.
 
Stuart -- do you tether your Z9 with ethernet so you can FTP fast or use the body remotely via ethernet, do you need the most weather sealed body, do you need longer battery life and the safety of being able to write to 2 CFE-B cards at the same time and so on. If you use long teles I have no doubt the Z9 will balance better than a Z8 -- but really only marginally.
AND then the big one -- what will your pals say to you if you turn up with a baby pro-camera -- we all know in sports it is all about looking the part ------ only joking.

OK re Ethernet -- the Z9 has a built in port, whereas the Z8 will have to use a dongle -- my view is a dongle is another thing that can get pulled out when there are 50 remotely controlled bodies in a shooting park -- you would be using a vast amount of tape to make sure that dongle was not pulled out.

Obviously is you use a gimbal or want/need to move lighter then a Z8 would probably work better. I put a Z9 on a DJI pro gimbal and it works great. But I am not carrying it all day.
Dear Grumpy, thank you for your reply - very helpful. My inclination at this point is to sell the Z6ii and continue with the Z9 for sports and use the Z8 for my general shooting. Longest lens I use is the 70-200 and it is probably better balanced (albeit heavy) on the Z9. I do not tether (at least at this point) but it is a great suggestion. And as for looking the part, this is girls' volleyball, so most people taking photos are using their cellphones and my Z9 does indeed make me feel like a pro. (If only the results met the expectations.)
 
as others have said, it's basically going to be the same (not better, not worse) with the battery/grip/second card slot trade-offs. personally as long as you don't need to write to two cards i think it would be fine if the size/weight of the z9 bothers you.
 
HI -- well my Z8 arrived today - it took less that 30 mins to replicate my Z9 settings and pair with my devices. I fitted an L-bracket and ran some quick tests.

The Z8 feels tiny and very light in my hand - my f/1.2 lenses somewhat over front balanced. I will have to disable the focussing rings and only use the control ring on all lenses that allow this. I am not comfortable holding the lens by its shade. I may allocate this to a Custom bank.

I will test it with my 400/TC and 600/TC handheld and on a gimbal but already am guessing that since these work great with Z9s.
Then I will keep them on Z9 and reserve the Z8 for lighter lenses -- 70-200/2.8 and 100-400 etc.. AND as a general walk around and video lens.
Never say never though. AND of course it does not matter on a monopod.

I find the 70-200 and 100-400 easy to hold and shoot handheld -- I shot Lanner Falcon Hybrids at close range not that long ago with all 4 lenses and these "shorter" zooms give one the ability to provide the birds more space in the frame than longer heavier lenses. So I expect it these will work fine with a Z8.

The Z8 sits neatly in my Dji pro gimbal and while one can fit a Z9 it will lighter and be easier to use.

I currently have no intention of buying the grip. I avoided the previous grips for mirrorless -- they are all the same - just the 2 EN-EL15 and appear to lose charge when attached.

First test of the Z8 with a fairly large Sabrent Rocket CFX Pro 2TB shooting 4.1k/60p HQ Oversampled N-RAW N-Log -- showed a hot card warning after 30 mins continuous recording and then looked like just going on and on -- I stopped after 1 hour, which is far far longer than I would ever shoot in one shot. Gerald Undone said that his opinion is the Z8 only needs 5-10 mins to cool down and then it is good to go.

My Z6ii is currently regulated to be a static cam on my desk -- it has a role as a lender to family etc. My Z7 is so beaten up that it is cheaper just to keep it.

Sports guys -- the Medium Size option is 25.6MP on the Z8/Z9 JPG -- so perfect for you guys.
Sadly we do not yet have S/M/L RAW nor in sizes that I want to use -- 19.5mp DX ok, but I would want full frame 25mp or more and the small to be 19 mp. With ultra small reserved for the 11mp slot.
I shot 120fps and NPS and a magazine both used the shot -- but it would have been so much nicer to have had a small full frame RAW at higher fps than 20. Hopefully this will come.
 
I shoot sports assignments with a pair of Z9s and will continue using the 9’s. I sold my 6ii a few weeks ahead of the 8 announcement to get a better return, and will use the 8 for general assignments or as a third lens for sports, and personal recreational use. Looking forward to the same muscle memory with the addition of the 8.
 
Guys and Gals - this constant harping on battery life is becoming tedious I have seen the same sniping in too many threads. It is not clear why this type of comment keeps being posted.

No Pro nor serious enthusiast, who are the target audience for these camera, cares.

The Z8 with EN-EL15c lasts over 1 hour recording 8.3k and far far longer if used when shooting stills in real world situations. Why a Z8 uses more power than a Z7 is obvious - it has more and brighter screens for a start. Comparisons with DSLRs are just dumb.
Buy and carry a few more batteries - a battery that costs £59, weighs 80 grammes / 2 1/2 ounces is NOTHING -- I routinely carry 2 EN-EL18d and 2 EN-EL-15c and almost never have to change them in use. However, I choose to when there is a break in the action if there is a possibility it would power of during action.

Generally flying with 99 Wh per battery is ok when they are carried in compliance with the rules.
An EN-EL18d is 36 Wh, an EN-EL15c is 16 Wh and the largest V-mount or Power Bank I fly with is 99Wh.
I fly with 4-6 spare batteries and 1-2 power banks - I have had no issues - just pack them properly and put them in your carry on.
These batteries are very safe and stable if they are not damaged or short circuit, so they must be carefully protected from these situations.
Electronic equipment including cameras, laptops, and other gadgets need to be protected from heat production and unintentional activation.

~I have similar comments w.r.t. Video recording times and overheating -- a pro would be crazy not to test their gear to discover its operating limits and then plan shoots to work with them OR use other tools that fit the needs of their work. Enthusiasts are the same. Just everyone please try more real world testing - not just entirely unrealistic bench tests.

Buy and use the Z8 or don't. Just please move on !!
 
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Guys and Gals - this constant harping on battery life is becoming tedious I have seen the same sniping in too many threads. It is not clear why this type of comment keeps being posted.

No Pro nor serious enthusiast, who are the target audience for these camera, cares.

The Z8 with EN-EL15c lasts over 1 hour recording 8.3k and far far longer if used when shooting stills in real world situations. Why a Z8 uses more power than a Z7 is obvious - it has more and brighter screens for a start. Comparisons with DSLRs are just dumb.

Buy and carry a few more batteries - a battery that costs £59, weighs 80 grammes / 2 1/2 ounces is NOTHING -- I routinely carry 2 EN-EL18d and 2 EN-EL-15c and almost never have to change them in use. However, I choose to when there is a break in the action if there is a possibility it would power of during action.

Generally flying with 99 Wh per battery is ok when they are carried in compliance with the rules.
An EN-EL18d is 36 Wh, an EN-EL15c is 16 Wh and the largest V-mount or Power Bank I fly with is 99Wh.
I fly with 4-6 spare batteries and 1-2 power banks - I have had no issues - just pack them properly and put them in your carry on.

These batteries are very safe and stable if they are not damaged or short circuit, so they must be carefully protected from these situations.
Electronic equipment including cameras, laptops, and other gadgets need to be protected from heat production and unintentional activation.

Buy and use the Z8 or don't. Just please move on !!
well said indeed! I always carry spares and almost never have to use one, and last YEAR I had only once changed a battery...and yes, I do shoot lots of stills and almost no videos.
 
Guys and Gals - this constant harping on battery life is becoming tedious I have seen the same sniping in too many threads. It is not clear why this type of comment keeps being posted.

No Pro nor serious enthusiast, who are the target audience for these camera, cares.

(snipped)

Buy and use the Z8 or don't.
I paid for a Z8 yesterday to add to my Z9 and to replace my Z7.

The Z8 has dramatically better AF detection, a distinctly brighter viewfinder and a 10 pin socket for my 24 year old MC-30 electronic release I use for tripod work for starters.

No question - my Z8 is a much better camera than the Z7 that I paid £3,399 for 4.5 years ago. The Z8 cost me only £800 more than the Z7.

My Z8 looks like achieving around 80% of the battery shots of the Z7 - I have a couple of spare Nikon batteries I got for £35 each - and nobody complained about Z7 battery life.

It is perhaps interesting that nobody at the 2 dpreview replacement forums or still around dpreview appears to be getting a Z8 - perhaps an indication of mainly hot air and not much action audiences.
 
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