In the Field: Nikon Z8 for Landscape Photography

Released in 2023, the Nikon Z8 packs serious power in a portable build. This favorite for hybrid shooters features a 45.7-megapixel stacked CMOS sensor and EXPEED 7 processor with sensational speed, high-res stills and 8K/60p or 4K/120p video. Its dynamic range is perfect for stunning skies and tonal transitions. Plus, its tough build makes it a reliable tool for rugged outdoor adventures.

Alex Armitage is an international award-winning landscape photographer with over 10 years of experience. During his career, Alex has used a plethora of cameras, familiarizing himself with leading brands such as Canon and Fujifilm. Now, he’s bringing you along as he branches out to Nikon with the Nikon Z8.

In this article, Alex will cover:

• An overview of the Nikon Z8

• Design & Build Quality

• Image Quality & Autofocus

• Video Performance

• Is It Worth It in 2025?

Over to you, Alex.

Camera advancements in details, features and bells and whistles can make it difficult to decide what to spend your money on. I’ve shot with Canon for over a decade, but I also own both Fujifilm and Hasselblad gear. Over my 10+ years as a photographer, I had never used Nikon until now. I spent some time with the Nikon Z8 to see how different the experience, build, image quality and features are compared to my current camera lineup.

An Overview of the Nikon Z8

The Nikon D850 is a legendary camera in the landscape photography genre with some of the best image quality you can get, even in 2025. So, when Nikon released its mirrorless alternative, the Nikon Z8, in May 2023, it had a lot to live up to — and it absolutely does.

The Z8 shares several features with the Nikon Z9, which was released in December 2021, but fits nearly all of the features into a more portable and compact body. 

Nikon Z8 Key Specs 

• 45.7-megapixel Stacked Sensor 

• 20 FPS (RAW) & 30 FPS (JPEG)

• 14.5 Stops of Dynamic Range

• 3.69M dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

• 3.2" 4-Axis Tilting Touchscreen LCD

• In-body image stabilization (IBIS)

• 8k/60p N-Raw and 4.1K/60p ProRes Raw Video

• ProRes 422HQ, H265, H264 with N-log or HLG

• Dual media slots (UHS II SD and CFexpress Type B)

• Full Size HDMI Port & Two USB-C Ports

Features such as the 45.7-megapixel stacked sensor, 14+ stops of dynamic range and IBIS will give you excellent image quality. Nikon developed world-class subject tracking in the Nikon Z9 and handed it down to the Nikon Z8. This allows you to prioritize certain subjects. With over 493 autofocus points, this camera excels at any activity in motion that needs quick or reliable autofocus.

The IBIS, combined with lens stabilization, allows you to shoot longer exposures handheld without a tripod. I got away with a few images at long exposures of 1/5s. 

Many features also apply to video, with smooth capture using the same stabilization technology. It also includes great image quality capabilities up to 8K, essentially the entire sensor. This camera can do almost anything, but I encountered a few issues I’ll discuss later.

Design and Build Quality

With brands competing closely in specs nowadays, exceptional handling and ergonomics are essential to stand out. As a matter of fact, when I bought my first camera in 2009, I chose between the Canon EOS 50D and the Nikon D300. Ultimately, I couldn’t make up my mind based just on stats, so I went to the store and held both of them in my hands. (This is why I went with the Canon.)

Ergonomics

The Z8 feels great in hand and matches the bulkiness of the Nikon D850. However, the Z8 is significantly larger—specifically taller—than my Canon EOS R5. I found that I couldn’t fit the Nikon Z8 in the same spot of my camera bag that holds the R5. 

The Nikon Z8 is also a bit heavier than my Canon R5. That being said, it’s well built with top-notch weather sealing. Most users will find that the Z8 has a comfortable grip.

Buttons and Features

The Nikon Z8 features two function buttons on the front of the camera. These give you quick access to customizable settings, such as adjusting focus mode or video settings. The function buttons are located on the front of the camera near the grip, so I did bump them a couple of times. However, this was likely a result of getting adapted to a new body. 

The autofocus joystick is a feature I always appreciate. I miss it when cameras don’t include it, or barely include it, the way my Fujifilm X100VI does. One trademark of the Nikon brand is the left side control group next to the EVF. Within it are buttons for white balance, bracketing modes, burst rates and a mode selection. 

LCD Screen and EVF

With a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a quad-VGA electronic viewfinder, the Nikon Z8 makes it easy to access menus and see your shots before you snap them.

The Nikon Z8’s EVF is brighter than my Canon EOS R5, which was good in bright conditions like out on the dunes of New Mexico. However, the resolution isn’t as crisp as my R5’s EVF. This wasn’t the end of the world, though, and the difference wasn’t too noticeable in my landscape work. Plus, the EVF is still great for manual focusing and real-time feedback.

What I did notice—and miss—was a fully articulating LCD screen. Many photographers prefer an LCD that only articulates up and down. However, I prefer the versatility of a fully articulating LCD screen.

Battery Life

The Nikon Z8 supports 4K and 8K video recording, but long shoots cause the battery to drain quickly (and the camera will sometimes overheat). You may want an external power source for extended sessions, or at least adjust settings to prevent battery drain.

The Z8 uses an EN-EL15c battery (same as the Nikon Z f, Z6, and Z7), but you can use the EN-EL15a and EN-EL15b models, too. The Nikon Z8 is rated at 340 shots using the LCD screen and 330 shot using the EVF. The Nikon Z8 also has dual USB-C ports with a dedicated port for charging, allowing you to charge and transfer data at the same time.

Image Quality

Image quality is arguably the most important aspect of shooting landscape photography. I prioritize image quality over autofocus, frame rates and video capabilities. Fortunately, the Nikon Z8 has world-class image quality that competes with any other full-frame camera manufacturer. That being said, image quality from the 2017 D850 was exceptional, so what can you really improve on? 

Image Resolution

Let's start with megapixels. Can you have too many? Are there diminishing returns? My personal preference is within the 40-50 megapixel range, with the Z8 falling in with 45.7 megapixels. This gives plenty of room to crop without dealing with exceptionally large files. I’ve recently been shooting with a Hasselblad X2D 100c, with a 100-megapixel medium-format sensor, and I can confidently say I don’t need that many pixels. The Nikon Z8 is in my sweet spot.

ISO Performance

When it comes to ISO performance, the Nikon is partially ISO invariant, which is a massive benefit to newer cameras over their older predecessors. ISO invariance gives you the ability to shoot underexposed images and brighten them as if you had increased the ISO in the field. For example, if I shoot the night sky at ISO 1600, my exposure is two stops underexposed. I could increase my ISO to 6400 in the field to properly expose my image, or I could take the image and increase the exposure by two stops in the edit, resulting in the exact same image. 

The Nikon Z8 and Z9 also have dual-gain ISO. If you’re shooting between ISO 64 and 400, it’s best to only shoot at ISO 64 or ISO 100. If you decide to go over ISO 100, it’s best to jump all the way to ISO 400 for less noise.

Dynamic Range

If you’re unfamiliar, dynamic range is essentially how much detail can be captured between the darkest and brightest points of a scene. A larger dynamic range gives you the ability to capture more details in the bright clouds and the dark shadows in a single image. The Nikon Z8 has 14.3 stops of dynamic range compared to the 13.6 stops of my Canon R5. This is nearly a stop better and gives me more flexibility in my edits. 

The Nikon Z8 (along with the Nikon Z9) has great shadow recovery capabilities. Take the image above: it was taken completely underexposed in a dark cave. After raising the exposure by 4EV, even at ISO 1600, there is very little noise from the shadows. This is largely due to the stacked sensor and ISO invariance I highlighted earlier.

Image Stabilization

When shooting in low-light settings, the six stops of in-body image stabilization (IBIS) between the Nikon Z8 and the lens come up clutch. Remember, not all lenses have added stabilization, but many modern Z-mount lenses from Nikon do. This level of stabilization helps you take handheld shots like the one above. I shot both this image and the previous one at 1/4s. This technology helps you capture crisp images without a tripod.

Autofocus

The Nikon Z8 features robust autofocus capabilities that mirror the flagship Z9’s features. With a 493-point phase-detection autofocus system, the Z8 has fast and accurate focus even when shooting in challenging conditions or capturing fast-moving subjects. The 3D tracking autofocus can pair with subject detection and maintain continuous focus, a dream for wildlife or sports photographers. 

The Z8 focuses well at -7EV and even better with Starlight mode active to allow focus down to -9EV. This means it can basically focus in the dark, which is not only beneficial in a cave setting, but in astrophotography work, as well. I didn’t get to use the Nikon Z8 for astro, but the performance within the cave was exceptional despite barely seeing what I was shooting at times. 

As a landscape photographer, I didn’t spend much time with the autofocus on the Nikon Z8. Unless I'm capturing wildlife, my need for autofocus is infrequent. Focusing on stars with the Starlight mode is exciting though, considering I use manual focus when photographing the Milky Way and for astrophotography in general.

The Nikon Z8 does have excellent autofocus, though, and it tracked well in the limited testing I did. This was an area where Nikon lacked for quite some time (specifically in video), and I’m happy to see they finally caught up to the competition.

Video Performance

While Canon spearheaded ‘hybrid’ cameras for stills and video in the early 2010s, Nikon struggled to keep up with video throughout the 2010s. Even their beloved D850 still lacked many of the hybrid capabilities of cameras released around it. For the longest time, I didn’t use Nikon because their video performance was nowhere near the competition. That has completely changed now. 

RAW Video Capabilities

With their move to mirrorless, Nikon has exceeded some of the competition (I’m looking at you, Canon). They even went as far as acquiring RED, which is one of the major camera brands for cinematography. 

The Nikon Z8 is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to video capabilities, with the ability to capture 8K at 60fps in 12-bit N-Raw.

I care most about the impressive bit rate, plus the image quality of the footage from more manageable video codecs. For me, it’s 10-bit H265. You can shoot in N-log, and the colors you get after applying Nikon’s supplied LUTs are great. The blacks are clean and the file sizes aren’t overbearing.

Rolling Shutter 

Because it’s a fully stacked sensor, the rolling shutter on the Nikon Z8 is completely manageable. Most of the tests I read report less than 14ms, meaning your footage won’t suffer from rolling shutter too badly. 

Video Stabilization

Stabilization while filming video is serviceable. It’s nothing class leading like Panasonic or OM System, but it does the job when you need it to. I wouldn’t expect gimbal-like footage while walking around with the Nikon Z8, but it does well filming handheld even at more zoomed-in focal lengths. 

Video Autofocus

Autofocus for video is impressive from Nikon. Sony has been on top in recent years, with Nikon sitting far below on the list. I can confidently say that isn’t the case anymore, and I’d argue that Nikon can compete with Canon in this regard. That’s seriously impressive considering their video autofocus was completely unreliable not long ago. If Sony has A+ video autofocus, Canon would get an A grade, and Nikon would receive an A-. Overall, the video capabilities from the Nikon Z8 are near perfect, especially with the hybrid capabilities at this price.

Is the Nikon Z8 Worth it today?

The short answer — absolutely. Even though the camera was released in May 2023, it doesn’t have much competition. The Nikon Z8 adapts most of the incredible features of the Nikon Z9 in a smaller, more portable package. 

The closest competition in the hybrid camera space is between the Sony A7R V and the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. The A7R V has the best autofocus of the three and the largest resolution at 60 megapixels, with similar dynamic range and low-light performance to the Nikon Z8. It falls short of the Nikon Z8 quite a bit in its frame rate for shooting raw images and overall video capabilities. The Z8 offers more versatility from a hybrid perspective and doesn’t suffer from as much rolling shutter as the A7R V. 

Competition is close when you compare it to the newer Canon EOS R5 Mark II. Video capabilities from both are pretty equal, but I’d give the slight edge to the Nikon Z8. The photos are nearly identical, though the newer Canon can shoot at a slightly higher frame rate (you can find out more in our Canon R5 Mark II review). Considering the price difference between these two from MPB, the Nikon Z8 is a better value for your money.

If you’re in the market for an affordable world-class hybrid camera, with an incredible line-up of lenses, the Nikon Z8 is hard to beat. 

Read more about Nikon’s lineup, including reviews of the D700, the D7000, the Z6 II, and the D4. For all camera reviews, expert guides and interviews, visit the MPB Content Hub.