The Nikon 8* series DSLR cameras and the new Z8 are among the highest rated cameras in the world.
I've owned them all, except for the Z8 (and that will change shortly). I've actually owned nine D850's and would rank that as the best camera overall. It even surpasses the Z8 in dynamic range.
DXO Reviews gives an 82% Gold to the D800, 86% Gold to the D810, 89% Gold to the D850, and 94% gold to the Z8. You can view the data here.
There have been two major shifts in photography in my lifetime. Film was the standard from the start with George Eastman's invention in 1885. The early adopters of film photography were adventurous souls ... me, less so. I started in film photography when they were widely available in small metal light-proof canisters to slip into a 35mm camera.
The first major shift in photography occured in 1975 with Kodak's invention of a 0.01 megapixel camera. The first Kodak digital cameras were targeted to the "print" medias (newspapers, magazines, etc). The first digital camera for consumers was the FUJIX DS-1P in 1988, and the boom in DSLR cameras. Nikon collaborated with Fuji with the release of the E2/E2S in 1995 followed by the Coolpix 100 in 1996. Nikon was a "late" starter of its own line of DSLRs with the D1 in 1999. The D1, by the way, was a 2.1 megapixel camera.
Nikon made waves with its first full frame DSLR (D3) in 2007. It was followed with a more consumer friendly D700 in 2008.
Another major shakeup that was felt industry wide was in 2012 with the release of the D800 and D800e. These two cameras moved into the realm of medium format with outstanding dynamic range .... but, in particular, an incredible 36.3 megapixels. Absolutely ground breaking at the time for a 35mm camera to challenge the medium format world.
The successors, D810 and D850 continued its march into higher and higher image quality with the D850 often referred to the king of DSLR's. It's not often mentioned ... the D800 series and the Z8 offer a near perfect balancing for hand holding, especially with heavier lenses.
I tried to keep progressing along with these shifts in the industry. My first venture into mirrorless technology was with the Nikon 1 V1 system in 2011. Nikon launched the CX sensor size with the Nikon 1. The CX sensor didn't match anything else in the industry. It was Nikon's way of throwing the bird to other manufacturers with its new and 'non-standard' sensor size. For some reason or other, Nikon thought that smaller bodies should be associated with their mirrorless cameras. If I am counting right, Nikon released ten versions of the Nikon 1 camera system spreading across three series (V, J, and S series). My only venture was the Nikon 1 V1 and V3 ... although I did end up with a V2, and J5. Quite frankly, they were junk and a major disappointment. Nikon discontinued the Nikon 1 to focus on the Nikon Z in 2018. How it managed to keep the Nikon 1 alive for 7 years is beyond me.
Nikon kept its mistake-prone venture in mirrorless with the release of a few poorly received cameras. An example is the Z7 that featured only one SD card slot ... enthusiasts demanded two slots. To Nikon's credit, they did fix that issue with the release of the Z7II ... but it took time. Nikon doesn't really listen to its users.
I ended up trading up my eight D850 for a Nikon Z9. The circumstances of this upgrade are odd. I had previously owned the D3, D3S, D4S and D5. The form of the camera was to my liking, but it was hard to get used to after the enthusiast-oriented camera bodies. I didn't use the Z9 much and recently sold it – and got my 9th D850.
Again, through a series of strange circumstances, I have ended up with a brand new Nikon Z8.
The seller represents a camera shop in another province. I suspect it is overstock and they are just keeping up to date on volume for discount purchase purposes.
I need to make it clear: I am not a professional photographer. I like having a camera with the resolving power to handle just about anything I throw at it. I do some strange shoots. I like birding, in particular: ospreys. I like shooting old buildings that are in process of being reclaimed by nature. I like shooting old vehicles and that includes tractors, trucks and cars. Restored or in process of being reclaimed by nature. There are some landscapes I enjoy shooting ... but, unusual views.
Would I shoot anything else? Well, it depends. I don't like staged events like family get togethers or posed events.
So then, why the Z8? I'm not 100% certain. By my way of thinking, the D850 remains the king of all hand held cameras for enthusiasts. For professionals, it depends. Medium format cameras absolutely hold the gold ring ... but the cost is prohibitive, especially when you consider that not all of your photos need that "gold ring" espense.
If I were to list the reasons for wanting the Z8:
- No moving parts. It's mirrorless, no mirror means no shutter "clicks"
That's a huge benefit. Granted, replacing a shutter is not that expensive, but it is inconvenient. And shutters have a "sound" to them, no chance of stealth shooting. - Stacked sensors. If trying to shoot birds in flight, a stacked sensor can spread the load and get your photos to the storage cards faster.
- Slightly lighter and smaller form factor.
- 20 fps vs 7 fps (9 fps with a hang grip) ... you can even get to 120 fps in DX mode.
- Subject tracking.
- IBIS (both in body and in lens supported)
- Upgrade in technology
On the downside, I don't like losing a bit of EV. The D850 remains the leader in EV, with a rating of 15.4 to the Z8 (and Z9's) EV of 14.4.
There's one other aspect to all of this. I have had some health issues within a few months of my first Nikon D800. Since then, I've been "chasing" the 8* series leader. I need to stop this. And I expect I'll stop at the Z8, my last venture into mirrorless.
I did get the Nikon Z8. I purchased it on April 27 2026 and am still getting to know it – I expect that will be a process that will take several months. Since I have also owned a Z9, I can definitely say that the Z8 is a better form factor (for me). Compared to the Z9, it lacks GPS and wireless transfer capabilities, but those are trade offs that I can live with.