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It’s been a little over a year since Backscatter published its initial review of the Z9. Much like DPG’s review, undertaken by Nicolas Remy, Backscatter was blown away by the top-end mirrorless camera’s performance, from the beautifully detailed 46MP images and lightning-fast autofocus to the insane 20fps continuous shooting (14-bit RAW files) and impressively long battery life. When Backscatter updated the review after getting the opportunity to test video, they also marveled at the quality of the footage that the Z9 could produce—a huge upgrade over any other Nikon camera.

Now, the Backscatter boys have been lucky enough to have a good play with the Z9’s “baby brother”—the Z8—and as you might have already guessed, it’s more of the same. That’s no bad thing, since as you’ve probably already heard, the Z8 is essentially the same camera as the Z9 but in a smaller package (with half the battery power and switching one CFexpress card slot for an SD card slot). In their video review this time around, Backscatter CEO Jim Decker and Media Producer Robin Dodd discuss how mind-blowing the Z8 and Z 105mm combination is for macro, how the incredibly quick burst shooting speed allows you to nail fast action, and the excellent quality of the video you can achieve with the Z8.

Jim and Robin don’t let the Z8 off completely, of course. The same caveats that came up with the Z9 get another outing—flash sync speed and ambient light custom white balance, we’re talking about you!—but in Backscatter’s view, these are by no means deal breakers. Overall, there seems little doubt that the Z8 will be flying off the shelves, and as Jim points out, “Anybody who’s anybody is going to make a housing for this camera.”

Check out the review to discover Backscatter’s full take on Nikon’s “baby Z9.” Also, make sure to look out for Nicolas Remy’s forthcoming review of the Z8 on DPG next month.
 

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