Barry Solman
New member
Hi John. Thanks for the lead ! The reviews look promising, slightly higher amperage battery than the Nikon equivalent .I may order one from Amazon shortly and test it out. Thanks again.
Question for Z8 users
- Thread starter Kevin.M
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I have one of these new batteries. Having the ability to charge it via USB-C is excellent for travel, and a little extra juice is always welcomed on the Z8. However, I found (with my camera at least) that it takes slightly longer to power on the Z8 and also wake it from sleep. It's not a huge deal, you just loose a bit of the zippiness of operation. Once it's up and running though, no difference.
R
raybug42
Guest
Strange problem.
You want to see a video? Took these just now, switching between the OEM Nikon battery, and the Smallrig:
This is with VF-only (vs. the LCD). Notice how the first start up is very slow, and then gets quicker, but after a few times starts to get slow again? The OEM battery doesn't do that.
Edit: are people able to see these? Not sure how to embed from Flickr so that a video can be viewed here.
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O
Well-known member
Short answer, Battery's are not an issue in the Z8, as pointed out by others in this post the battery's are small and its good practice to always have a spare or two anyway.
The Z8 is a nice camera, the QC - product issues your were concerned about are in my opinion more a reflection of Nikon's combination of cost cutting, margin building, supplier outsourcing changes, dropping the ball with QC protocols usually to meet production demands or pushing the boundary to save money.
Not acceptable at this level product.
As consumers we today have shorter memories and are far more desensitized to negativity or issues with products or services compared to the past.
Again the Z8 is a good camera and makes a lot of people very happy, like your D850 did.
The Z8 battery concern is i feel a non issue, how long any battery lasts depends on how you use or set up your camera.
Only an opinion
JanH
Active member
In many ways to Nikon's credit (IMO), the company tries to maintain backwards compatibility as much as possible. Nikon's mirrorless cameras - with the exception of the Z9 - thus use similar batteries as the latest generations of DSLRs even though the ML Z cameras consume much more power. This holds true for the Z8 as well as for the other Zs (including the Z6II that I come from). So if you still have EN-EL15 batteries from the D850, you already have spare batteries for the Z5/6/7/8.
On the downside, you have only so many hours of continuous use of the camera on one battery (specifics depend on your power settings, number of shots taken, outside temperature etc). WIth all ML cameras the days of not paying attention to your battery because it lasts for days rather than hours are over unfortunately. But there are so many advantages and new possibilities that make up for that inconvenience. And in most situations changing the battery is a 10 second affair. Really the least of my worries.
WIth my Z cameras I always bring two spares that I cycle through as they need recharging - marking them C1/2/3. On a very few occassions - long outings, many shots - I have had to go to a second battery, but never to the third.
The Z8 is an amazing camera. Battery life should not be a reason to forgo that experience IMO.
PS. I only use Nikon's batteries. In other cameras I have used third party batteries. Invariably those have degraded more quickly than the original ones. While they are not cheap, Nikon batteries age very well, and I do not need to worry about compatibility issues.
On the downside, you have only so many hours of continuous use of the camera on one battery (specifics depend on your power settings, number of shots taken, outside temperature etc). WIth all ML cameras the days of not paying attention to your battery because it lasts for days rather than hours are over unfortunately. But there are so many advantages and new possibilities that make up for that inconvenience. And in most situations changing the battery is a 10 second affair. Really the least of my worries.
WIth my Z cameras I always bring two spares that I cycle through as they need recharging - marking them C1/2/3. On a very few occassions - long outings, many shots - I have had to go to a second battery, but never to the third.
The Z8 is an amazing camera. Battery life should not be a reason to forgo that experience IMO.
PS. I only use Nikon's batteries. In other cameras I have used third party batteries. Invariably those have degraded more quickly than the original ones. While they are not cheap, Nikon batteries age very well, and I do not need to worry about compatibility issues.
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This clarifies a basic difference between a DSLR and ML.
So far I have never had to change to even a second battery - though I carry one just in case it is needed.
JanH
Active member
To be clear, I have had to go to a second battery with my Z6II on a few occasions over the two years that I have used it. My experience with the Z8 is much more limited, since I have only had it for 2 weeks. However, so far my impression - somewhat counterintuitive to me - is that the Z8 uses less power than the Z6II