Hi Steve -- Thanks Steve for the Z8 update to your now titled "The Ultimate Nikon Z8 & Z9 Setup & Shooting Guide for Wildlife Photography"
As an owner of the previous Z9 only version this was a free download for me. Lots of NEW to me stuff in it about the Z8
Congratulations -- you also won my side bet on who would get their book out first -- Thom Hogan is still working night and day on his currently 1200 page guide -- he hopes to make it shorted and out later this week.
Out of interest did you have access to a Manual for the Z8 or have to work these out ?....
It is interesting you note the firmware in the Z8 is already 1.05 -- I had expected it to launch with 1.00 -- Nikon is clearly working hard and fast to get planned improvements out. AND can't you state firmware 3.10 for the Z9 rather than 3.01 aren't differences small mainly bug fixes and minor improvements?
When I get my Z8 - I would luv to explore and replicate some of the points in the new section you added on Tone Mode ("just for the Z8 for now") p97 in using HLG -vs- SDR and note your comment "RAW Shooters For RAW shooters, this setting does seem to affect the tone curve of the RAW file - a bit." (and all the associated limitation that come with HLG -vs- JPG). More in the book.
I take it that you tried to set up your Z8 as closely to your Z9 as possible. As you say both appear 95% the same.
The following is my guess on the key differences
Photo Shooting:
-- I would have put the final para on page 90 in BOLD and RED -- don't use backup to the SD slot if you want to use your Z8 for fast long bursts...... technically I understand the way the buffer empties (not fills) is that in back up mode it has to right to both cards simultaneously and then empty the buffer slot allocated to that image before moving on to the next image - hence why it is the write speed of the slowest card that ends up limiting the camera -- but my understanding may be wrong....
-- Image size -- here is hoping that sometime soon we will be able to choose between Large, Medium and Small Full-frame Lossless RAW options (and HE*/HE too)
-- Tone Mode added for the Z8, just applies to JPG/HEIF
-- Subject Detection -- Aviation now added
I am not sure which menu these appear in on the Z8 - I expect it is Photo Shooting:
-- Not wildlife -- Skin softening added, just applies to JPG/HEIF [and vids]
-- Not wildlife -- Portrait Impression Balance mode [ still to understand precisely how this works, working together with Matrix Metering Plus Face Detect and whether it is the same as other models which had it in -- so basically some additional brightness tone and colour/hue balance tools ]
Customs Settings Banks
-- Custom Controls -- a few different buttons
-- Does the Z8 have a mic, is able to record memos and can you assign Audio record to any of the programmable buttons? - the top of the Z8 has a small mic or speaker and there are slits on the sides of the EVF which might be mics?
Settings
-- GPS -- I wonder if theses settings marked as Z9 change for a Z8 when either Snapbridge on a smart phone is paired and lined to a Z8 OR a GPS receiver is plugged in via the 10-pin and active.
-- Battery - presumably something changes when the MB-N12 is attached -- One Nikon rep recently stated that the 2 batteries in the MB-N12 grip "only" equate to 1.8x one EN-EL15C -- there must be losses due to the longer wiring and circuitry if true -- and this support avoiding the grip if possible and just carrying spare batteries. It might be worth exploring Battery Life saving strategies -- mie is always to just turn the camera of when not actually shooting AND to carry spare batteries.
-- Save/load settings - As you state on page 70 -- and CO (Nikon Canada) confirmed -- do not try to load a Z9 settings file into a Z8 - it will not work.
Network
-- Wired LAN (Ethernet) settings are enabled when a suitable ethernet dongle is added and live ethernet cable plugged in.
As an owner of the previous Z9 only version this was a free download for me. Lots of NEW to me stuff in it about the Z8
Congratulations -- you also won my side bet on who would get their book out first -- Thom Hogan is still working night and day on his currently 1200 page guide -- he hopes to make it shorted and out later this week.
Out of interest did you have access to a Manual for the Z8 or have to work these out ?....
It is interesting you note the firmware in the Z8 is already 1.05 -- I had expected it to launch with 1.00 -- Nikon is clearly working hard and fast to get planned improvements out. AND can't you state firmware 3.10 for the Z9 rather than 3.01 aren't differences small mainly bug fixes and minor improvements?
When I get my Z8 - I would luv to explore and replicate some of the points in the new section you added on Tone Mode ("just for the Z8 for now") p97 in using HLG -vs- SDR and note your comment "RAW Shooters For RAW shooters, this setting does seem to affect the tone curve of the RAW file - a bit." (and all the associated limitation that come with HLG -vs- JPG). More in the book.
I take it that you tried to set up your Z8 as closely to your Z9 as possible. As you say both appear 95% the same.
The following is my guess on the key differences
Photo Shooting:
-- I would have put the final para on page 90 in BOLD and RED -- don't use backup to the SD slot if you want to use your Z8 for fast long bursts...... technically I understand the way the buffer empties (not fills) is that in back up mode it has to right to both cards simultaneously and then empty the buffer slot allocated to that image before moving on to the next image - hence why it is the write speed of the slowest card that ends up limiting the camera -- but my understanding may be wrong....
-- Image size -- here is hoping that sometime soon we will be able to choose between Large, Medium and Small Full-frame Lossless RAW options (and HE*/HE too)
-- Tone Mode added for the Z8, just applies to JPG/HEIF
-- Subject Detection -- Aviation now added
I am not sure which menu these appear in on the Z8 - I expect it is Photo Shooting:
-- Not wildlife -- Skin softening added, just applies to JPG/HEIF [and vids]
-- Not wildlife -- Portrait Impression Balance mode [ still to understand precisely how this works, working together with Matrix Metering Plus Face Detect and whether it is the same as other models which had it in -- so basically some additional brightness tone and colour/hue balance tools ]
Customs Settings Banks
-- Custom Controls -- a few different buttons
-- Does the Z8 have a mic, is able to record memos and can you assign Audio record to any of the programmable buttons? - the top of the Z8 has a small mic or speaker and there are slits on the sides of the EVF which might be mics?
Settings
-- GPS -- I wonder if theses settings marked as Z9 change for a Z8 when either Snapbridge on a smart phone is paired and lined to a Z8 OR a GPS receiver is plugged in via the 10-pin and active.
-- Battery - presumably something changes when the MB-N12 is attached -- One Nikon rep recently stated that the 2 batteries in the MB-N12 grip "only" equate to 1.8x one EN-EL15C -- there must be losses due to the longer wiring and circuitry if true -- and this support avoiding the grip if possible and just carrying spare batteries. It might be worth exploring Battery Life saving strategies -- mie is always to just turn the camera of when not actually shooting AND to carry spare batteries.
-- Save/load settings - As you state on page 70 -- and CO (Nikon Canada) confirmed -- do not try to load a Z9 settings file into a Z8 - it will not work.
Network
-- Wired LAN (Ethernet) settings are enabled when a suitable ethernet dongle is added and live ethernet cable plugged in.
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