p.69 #1 · Nikon unveils the highly anticipated Z8 camera!
I own both the Z8 and Z7 II, and the sensor in the Z7 II is very slightly better in terms of dynamic range, as severely pushed shadows are a bit cleaner on the Z7 II. With that said, the Z8's files are also very, very good, and I like some of the other things (like the dual-axis tilting screen) such that I still use the Z8 as my primary landscape camera. I also slightly prefer the color out of camera on the Z8. The difference in file quality between the two are really quite minimal and can only be seen when pushing the files really hard.
When you add in resolution, though, and look at a Z6 II and a Z8 for landscape use, I'd 100% take the Z8, as the very slight difference in DR is offset considerably by the resolution advantage. Not that you can't take great landscapes at 24MP.
p.69 #2 · Nikon unveils the highly anticipated Z8 camera!
Ripolini wrote:
So, assuming that the additional dynamic range in the BSI 24 Mpix sensors (Z6, Z6 II, D780, Zf) does allow taking landscapes with better tonal gradations, if you were going on a landscape specific trip, you'd prefer 37% [100x(8256-6048)/6048] more resolution to better tonal gradations. Is it correct?
Regards,
Riccardo
If I were on a landscape trip, I'd put my 17-28 on one body, the 70-180 on the other, and keep my 28-70 in the bag. I am way less concerned about resolution than most people, as at base ISO's all of these files are super flexible. I suppose if I was photographing something with a lot of little details, I'd use the Z8... however, I fear that I don't think these things through as analytically as other do.
I also have a Z9, but would probably leave that home as I'd want to avoid the extra weight on long hikes.
p.69 #3 · Nikon unveils the highly anticipated Z8 camera!
Here is a demonstration of a 6 stop shadow push of the Z8/Z9, Z7II, as well as the closest Z8 competitors. You can see the Z7II is just a hair better than the Z8/Z9, but likely not to a degree that would affect 99% of photos, and 6 stops is quite an extreme push.
p.69 #5 · Nikon unveils the highly anticipated Z8 camera!
molson wrote:
If I couldn't get my exposure accuracy within 6 stops, I would probably just give up photography... or maybe just buy a better camera.
It's not all about getting your exposure right. The more extreme examples just help to clearly illustrate the differences between sensors at a glance. Sensors with better DR have advantages well below 6 stops, it just means they are proportionately cleaner at, say, a 3-4 stop push which is not at all uncommon. You might be surprised at how far some images get pushed - some lenses need well over +3 EV correction in the corners just to auto-correct vignetting, and that's a baseline before any other adjustments. If you then need to raise the image even one more stop in post, you are already at 4+ EV towards the edges of the frame, and that is easily into the territory where DR deficiencies start to obviously show up in the images, especially on worse performing sensors. The better the sensor DR, the less image quality degradation you will get in those everyday situations.
Another example might be if you were shooting to protect highlights, chances are you are going to need a significant shadow boost in post to even the scene out. Personally I shoot some birds that happen to have a mixture of black and white on them, so I am often raising shadows a fair bit if I shoot to prevent blowing out the white feathers. Blending multiple exposures is sometimes an option, but not with anything that moves and it's extra work. Wedding photographers run into similar issues with white dresses and black suits.
As to when you might actually need a 6 stop push, it would be more for trying to salvage an image that was accidentally exposed poorly and maybe you were on vacation and don't have an opportunity to re-shoot it. Stuff like that. Always better to have than not have. I know I've been happy to have that level of shadow recovery when I occasionally mess up my settings or forget to change something from a prior shooting session, even if it's not 6 stops, being able to get clean results from a big shadow push has a nice safety net for when it is occasionally needed. Even looking at the differences in the above example, I think that could easily be the difference between a keeper and a throw-away image if you were having to try salvage something.
