Nikon has just announced its newest mirrorless camera, the Z8, and it's already caused quite a stir among photographers even if only because it's almost exactly the same model as the bestselling Z9, pretty much everyone's 2022 camera of the year, albeit in a more compact body and at a more affordable price.
Like the Z9, the Z8 offers 8K/60p video (as well as 4K/120p); and as for stills, the Z8 not only offers the traditional 14-bit RAW and 8-bit JPG but is also capable of 14-bit High Efficiency RAW and 10-bit HEIF that can be shot at 20 fps (RAW and JPG) or 30 fps (fine JPG) on an all-electronic shutter with no moving parts. All this with what Nikon boasts is its "most advanced autofocus system."
As far as I have been able to determine, the only difference between the Z8 and the Z9, other than the former's more compact body which come photographers such as myself might actually view as an advantage, is that the Z8's weather sealing, while excellent, is not quite up to the standard of the Z9. Certainly these are small tradeoffs for a more than 27% price reduction.
Nikon expects to begin shipping the Z8 on May 25, and the camera is already available for preorder at B&H. Even so, judging from the enthusiastic reception given the Z9, it might be sometime before supply catches up with demand.
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