Question for Z8 users

[RickW]

Folks - I have no reason to argue with other shooters battery results, but I just shot a USTA tennis tournament and I seldom chimp, don’t auto review on either rear screen (which I think is actually not possible) nor in EVF, was shooting at 15 f/p/s, turned my camera off whenever practical and never got close to 1,000 shots on 1 battery. Was well into my 2nd battery after 7 hrs of shooting. No idea why others get more, but that was my recent real world experience. I shot same tournament in previous years with D850 and never had the battery anywhere near empty at end of day, and when using the 850 grip with EN-EL 18, I could have probably shot 2 days without a swap out.

Love everything about the z8 except for batt life. I wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without a batt in camera and 3 extras. Btw - I was using the vertical grip on the 8 and that grip does nothing to improve batt life since you don’t have a batt in the body itself and only 2 en-el 15’s in the grip which are drawn on by the camera one at a time. Nikon touts the ability to hot swap one of the 2 grip batts, but it’s honestly a waste. I could swap out both grip batts in 20 seconds as opposed to hot swapping just one in 15 secs. Big whoop. The grip is poorly designed on many levels (see my post from last week on my thoughts about the grip). Only thing it’s good for is the vertical controls, but a pita on many other levels.

And before anyone suggests that I’d have been better off with the 9 and it’s built in grip, I chose the 8 for smaller size/weight when shooting without grip. What I hadn’t considered was the possibility of better batt life with the 9 and its bigger batt. Was about to buy 2nd Z body and might opt for a 9 for when grip is needed. Need tore search batt life with the 9

 

[John Navitsky]

Folks - I have no reason to argue with other shooters battery results, but I just shot a USTA tennis tournament and I seldom chimp, don’t auto review on either rear screen (which I think is actually not possible) nor in EVF, was shooting at 15 f/p/s, turned my camera off whenever practical and never got close to 1,000 shots on 1 battery. Was well into my 2nd battery after 7 hrs of shooting. No idea why others get more, but that was my recent real world experience.

so if John's math of 2hrs power-on for a single battery is in the ballpark, 7hrs with two batteries doesn't sound unreasonable. how much of that time is the camera powered-on?

And before anyone suggests that I’d have been better off with the 9 and it’s built in grip, I chose the 8 for smaller size/weight when shooting without grip. What I hadn’t considered was the possibility of better batt life with the 9 and its bigger batt.

nothing wrong with just having more batteries. fwiw, you should carry a spare with the z9 also, and it weighs more.

 

[RickW]

so if John's math of 2hrs power-on for a single battery is in the ballpark, 7hrs with two batteries doesn't sound unreasonable. how much of that time is the camera powered-on?


nothing wrong with just having more batteries. fwiw, you should carry a spare with the z9 also, and it weighs more.

Turned camera off at every opportunity. Bottom line - batt life pretty much sucks compared to Nikon dslr’s without evf’s. Only neg I can find.

As for z9 size/weight - I have no idea as to weight of 8 + grip + 2 batts vs 9, but wouldn’t be surprised if the loaded 8 weighs same or more. As for size, 8 with grip is actually physically larger than 9.

 

[RichF]

I have a Z8. All of my other Nikon cameras have been sold or are for sale - including the D850, D500, etc. But if you give me any of the recent or current Nikon cameras, I can still get the shot. The difference with the Z8 is new capabilities - and as a result, higher keeper rates or rates that are so high I don't even consider focus when making my first pass evaluating images - I assumed they are all in focus.

with DSLR I had to cull my images based upon did I get a sharp image. With the Z 8 & Z 9 I still look at critical focus but for the most part, I nail it more often than not. Yes BIF, animal behind the brush, ... can be a challenge. But much less of a challenge than w/ my previous dSLR or Z 7 (ii)

 

[RichF]

FOr the most part, I don't concern myself w/ Z 8 battery life. Exceptions are when it is extremely cold or I need to review images as I shoot them.

 

[Vincent_VdB]

I went to shoot spotted owlets and took like 800 photos with the Z8 and the 600mm f/4 TC. The battery indicator was just 1 bar down --> plenty and plenty of shots left.
I do not have the habit of switching off my camera in between shots as I see hardly any effect on battery life. I do however not use any of the Bluetooth or WiFi connections (airplane mode). this was by the way with an EN-EL15c battery of at least 3 years old, not with the newer EN-EL15d battery.

 

[Anjin San]

Never ran out of a battery on a day yet…but I turn it off between opportunities. Check out Steve’s video on this…he concluded that shots is a poor indicator of battery capacity and uses eyeball to the viewfinder time instead as a much more useful metric.

 

[Anjin San]

I went to shoot spotted owlets and took like 800 photos with the Z8 and the 600mm f/4 TC. The battery indicator was just 1 bar down --> plenty and plenty of shots left.
I do not have the habit of switching off my camera in between shots as I see hardly any effect on battery life. I do however not use any of the Bluetooth or WiFi connections (airplane mode). this was by the way with an EN-EL15c battery of at least 3 years old, not with the newer EN-EL15d battery.

C is the latest version unless there’s a new one I don’t know about.

 

[bscavotto]

I came from the Z6ii to the Z8, and I can say that the Z8's battery life is a massive upgrade for me, personally. I can use one battery in the Z8 when the Z6ii would have been on its third!

 

[EricBowles]

I was out this morning with the Z8 photographing birds for about 1:30. I had 780 images and still had 57% of the battery remaining. I was shooting mainly single shots and very short bursts at 10 fps. I probably viewed but did not shoot a like number of frame equivalence - that is, I focused, tried to follow the subject, and the subject moved in a manner that I focused but did not make a photo. I was being pretty selective because I was photographing backlit shorebirds and looking for precise positioning against the background of water or sky.

The key to battery life is the amount of active EVF time. If you are framing a shot, focusing, and waiting for peak action while watching through the EVF, you will consume a full battery in a couple of hours.

There are tips to battery life. For example, one I learned early was to use the EVF only - don't have the camera constantly switching between LCD and EVF. Switching keeps the camera awake and uses one or the other viewfinders constantly. I found my camera was waking simply by brushing against my shirt. That one change nearly doubled my battery life.

The battery of the Z7ii and Z8 is the EN-EL15c - which has 30% more capacity than the earlier versions.

 

[Drew]

I sold my D850 awhile ago which I was EXTREMELY happy with, I did so I could go to the projected Z8 before it was actually released, I waited when it was released, I didn't jump right on it and then the recalls happened. I'm thinking Nikon has corrected the defects and in the interim I've tried a crop sensor camera and I'm not satisfied with the results.

I'm thinking about buying the Z8 but I'm concerned with the specs saying it's only is rated for 340 shots, that's not a lot when the camera is rated to shoot 20 frames per second shooting raw. How are you Z8 users feeling about this camera? Battery life, image quality, weight etc.

Thanks in advance for your input and advise. ~Kevin

I have considered the CIPA shots to be a extremely conservative. On my OM-1, I get a lot more shots than the CIPA battery rating. I had an older E-M5ii, where the number of shots was probably closer to the CIPA rating. In any case, buy a spare battery. If you have an external charger you can get the basic EN-EL15 battery, you won't need one of the B or C versions.

 

[raybug42]

I sold my D850 awhile ago which I was EXTREMELY happy with, I did so I could go to the projected Z8 before it was actually released, I waited when it was released, I didn't jump right on it and then the recalls happened. I'm thinking Nikon has corrected the defects and in the interim I've tried a crop sensor camera and I'm not satisfied with the results.

I'm thinking about buying the Z8 but I'm concerned with the specs saying it's only is rated for 340 shots, that's not a lot when the camera is rated to shoot 20 frames per second shooting raw. How are you Z8 users feeling about this camera? Battery life, image quality, weight etc.

Thanks in advance for your input and advise. ~Kevin

 

[Barry Solman]

A very recent Z8 battery example. I took my dog for two walks in a nearby national wildlife refuge last week. Each walk was around 2 hours. Took around a thousand shots on the two walks with my Z8 and the Z 180-600 mm lens -- trumpeter swans, Canada geese, bald eagles, green-winged teal, wigeons, mallards, etc. Trying to get to know the Z 180-600 (which I got a couple of weeks ago) better. And also trying to teach my dog (who was on a waist leash) to sit when I stop to shoot so that he is not an anti-VR device. He did pretty well.

Today, when the dog and I returned from a walk in the neighborhood, there was a beautiful red-tailed hawk sitting on a neighbor's fence along our alley. After taking my dog back to the house, I grabbed my Z8 and the Z 180-600 mm lens. The hawk had moved, but was nearby. I watched him in several different trees and while he ate a mouse. I took photos for 45 minutes. Took another thousand or so shots -- used bursts and a slower than usual shutter speed, given the low light (the sun was setting), figuring that some of each burst would be sharp. Probably could have gone slower.

When I got home, I checked my battery stats. The Z8 said I had taken 2,054 shots on the current battery (over the three sessions) and that I had 18% charge left. The battery was an EN-EL 18c and was fully charged when I put it in the Z8 last week before the first of the walks.

I'm happy with the battery performance on the Z8. I do always try to bring a spare charged battery or two along, but do not often need it if I start with a fully charged battery.

Thanks for the info, but how were you able to use an EN EL 18C in the Z8 ? Please advise.

 

[BillW]

Thanks for the info, but how were you able to use an EN EL 18C in the Z8 ? Please advise.

Sorry. A typo. And a very confusing one. It was an EN EL 15c battery. I wanted to mention the specific battery because EN EL 15c batteries have greater capacity (16 WH) than prior versions of the EN EL 15 (for example, the EN EL 15b is 14 WH). So all other items being equal, you'll get more shots with an EN EL 15c battery than you will using a prior version of the EN EL 15 battery like the 15b.

 

[StarTracker50]

Get it. You'll love it.

 

[ajrmd]

It’s interesting how this thread has taken the battery life path. Even with airplane mode and intermittent chimping, the z8’s battery life is relatively short and it reminds me of the Canon R5. Sticking an extra battery or two in one’s pocket is a fair trade off for an otherwise outstanding camera.

 

[Squatch]

Since going mirrorless, I’ve gotten in the habit of turning the camera off when I’m not actively shooting. The Nikon mirrorless cameras are basically “instant on,” and really don’t require any startup time.

I have three EN-EL15C batteries. On a recent birding outing with my Z8/Z 800PF combo, I returned home with roughly 4800 shots on my card, and two still fully charged batteries. Go for the Z8, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the least.

Edit: I always shoot at 20fps, airplane mode, preview off.

 

[Barry Solman]

Sorry. A typo. And a very confusing one. It was an EN EL 15c battery. I wanted to mention the specific battery because EN EL 15c batteries have greater capacity (16 WH) than prior versions of the EN EL 15 (for example, the EN EL 15b is 14 WH). So all other items being equal, you'll get more shots with an EN EL 15c battery than you will using a prior version of the EN EL 15 battery like the 15b.

Sorry. A typo. And a very confusing one. It was an EN EL 15c battery. I wanted to mention the specific battery because EN EL 15c batteries have greater capacity (16 WH) than prior versions of the EN EL 15 (for example, the EN EL 15b is 14 WH). So all other items being equal, you'll get more shots with an EN EL 15c battery than you will using a prior version of the EN EL 15 battery like the 15b.

 

[Barry Solman]

All good , thanks for the update.
I am hoping that Nikon introduces an EN EL15D down the road, a higher amperage battery to hopefully increase the capacity, shot count.

 

[O]

I sold my D850 awhile ago which I was EXTREMELY happy with, I did so I could go to the projected Z8 before it was actually released, I waited when it was released, I didn't jump right on it and then the recalls happened. I'm thinking Nikon has corrected the defects and in the interim I've tried a crop sensor camera and I'm not satisfied with the results.

I'm thinking about buying the Z8 but I'm concerned with the specs saying it's only is rated for 340 shots, that's not a lot when the camera is rated to shoot 20 frames per second shooting raw. How are you Z8 users feeling about this camera? Battery life, image quality, weight etc.

Thanks in advance for your input and advise. ~Kevin

Ignore the 320 shot Nikon comment, that's far from real world experience.

Rent a Z8 for a day or weekend, don't get mesmerized by the 20fps thrill or become a spray shooter.

Its depends on what your actually doing or intending doing and what your prepared to invest in money and time to go mirror less.

Ask yourself what is it you loved so much about the D850 then see if the love will be there for you in the Z8.

A question may arise, do you even need a Z8 will a ZF do the job, who knows, after all there just tools, 90% of what you achieve comes from YOU.

Only an opinion

 

[gKhan]

I sold my D850 awhile ago which I was EXTREMELY happy with, I did so I could go to the projected Z8 before it was actually released, I waited when it was released, I didn't jump right on it and then the recalls happened. I'm thinking Nikon has corrected the defects and in the interim I've tried a crop sensor camera and I'm not satisfied with the results.

I'm thinking about buying the Z8 but I'm concerned with the specs saying it's only is rated for 340 shots, that's not a lot when the camera is rated to shoot 20 frames per second shooting raw. How are you Z8 users feeling about this camera? Battery life, image quality, weight etc.

Thanks in advance for your input and advise. ~Kevin

I was out shooting BIFs on several days in the last couple of weeks, and shot between 400 and 951 pics per day. All pics were RAW taken in bursts of 10 to 20.
Each day's shooting lasted about 45 minutes. I'd recharge the battery at the end of every day and it always had between about 40 to 50% battery life left. I wasn't paying particular attention to the remaining life but was pleasantly surprised but the amount remaining.

 

[raybug42]

Has anyone tried this new SMALLRIG EN-EL15C 2400mAh Camera Battery for Nikon in a Z8, Rechargeable Camera Battery​

 

[John Woodworth]

Folks - I have no reason to argue with other shooters battery results, but I just shot a USTA tennis tournament and I seldom chimp, don’t auto review on either rear screen (which I think is actually not possible) nor in EVF, was shooting at 15 f/p/s, turned my camera off whenever practical and never got close to 1,000 shots on 1 battery. Was well into my 2nd battery after 7 hrs of shooting. No idea why others get more, but that was my recent real world experience. I shot same tournament in previous years with D850 and never had the battery anywhere near empty at end of day, and when using the 850 grip with EN-EL 18, I could have probably shot 2 days without a swap out.

Love everything about the z8 except for batt life. I wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without a batt in camera and 3 extras. Btw - I was using the vertical grip on the 8 and that grip does nothing to improve batt life since you don’t have a batt in the body itself and only 2 en-el 15’s in the grip which are drawn on by the camera one at a time. Nikon touts the ability to hot swap one of the 2 grip batts, but it’s honestly a waste. I could swap out both grip batts in 20 seconds as opposed to hot swapping just one in 15 secs. Big whoop. The grip is poorly designed on many levels (see my post from last week on my thoughts about the grip). Only thing it’s good for is the vertical controls, but a pita on many other levels.

And before anyone suggests that I’d have been better off with the 9 and it’s built in grip, I chose the 8 for smaller size/weight when shooting without grip. What I hadn’t considered was the possibility of better batt life with the 9 and its bigger batt. Was about to buy 2nd Z body and might opt for a 9 for when grip is needed. Need tore search batt life with the 9

I believe you. My experience is with musical events, mostly in dive bars, but sometimes major events. At the big events, I get choice positions, and in return I feel obliged to never miss a shot.

This summer, I ended up squeezed into the sound booth right on stage (behind the side curtains) and got some terrific shots of the star act with lots of action. There were other photogs covering other perspectives by agreement...Once you're in position you are frozen in for the duration. (Well, you can leave but can never return to a choice spot.)

I was shooting with a Z8 and Z9 with 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8's so the load was shared. I think about 2,000 images total, single shots.

The Z8 got very hot and consumed about 1.3 batteries over the 1.5 to 2 hr show. I always carry plenty of spares, but I was concerned that it would shut down, which it didn't.I actually am not sure how long it was because the whole experience was very exciting.

The Z9 never broke a sweat and I only remember that it's battery was maybe 1 or 2 bars down.

I think the reason this was so "draining" for the Z8 was because the focus system was on almost continuously and it just doesn't dissipate heat like the Z9. This was two weeks after the Z8 was released and using the original firmware.

I've noticed this behavior subsequently if the focus is used continuously for, say 10 minutes, in 3d tracking mode. But that is the only time I used more than 1 battery for my usual gig of 2 to 4 hours. For my regular shoots, the Z8 is pretty much the same as my Z7ii is...namely, no big deal.

For these very intense shoots, the Z9 is still (Nikon's) king in my experience.

 

[ccirelli]

Ya those projected "official" battery life ratings are hilarious. It really has very little to do with number of images, at least certainly in a shutterless body. I understand that everything requires power.

Extreme examples (although don't actually do either), if I walk around all day tinkering in the menus, in playback, and leaving my rear display on / active, I can certainly run the battery down without taking a single image. On the flip side, if I walk around doing high fps spray & pray bursts at 20 fps or higher, I could literally get a few thousand images before I hit 50% on the battery.

Summary, the Z8 with the EN-EL15c is more than adequate. Batteries are small and fairly cheap too (I never get off-brand), but I rarely - if ever - need to change batteries more than once in a full day of shooting. You could also get the MB-N12 grip to run dual batteries, but that thing is huge, ugly and awkward on the Z8 (my only complaint). But two EN-EL15c's in the grip is equal to around 80% of the larger EN-EL18 in the Z9.

 

[DougC]

In my first outing with my Z8, I shot over 4K images in less than 2 hours with a hitch. I didn’t intend on doing this but shooting at 20 fps makes one a bit crazy. Personally, I think the battery drain problem is due to camera settings left on or off rather than too many shots. For example , turn on airplane mode and turn of Bluetooth and WIFI if you don’t use them.