molson wrote:
It's an isolated issue, and it hasn't been even determined that it's the camera that's at fault (yet).
Have you sent your camera in for the mount service advisory? If not, that would be my next step and get both taken care of.
molson wrote:
Unfortunately, I would probably have to send the batteries and lenses in along with the camera. I'm starting to wish I had kept my Fuji gear...
Thought you had the Nikon gear up for sale and decided to keep Fuji ? Hard to keep up with you lol
bs kite wrote:
What is so great about Fuji? A lot of folks like it. I think Morris's (Wildlife/Nature forum) go-to is a Fuji body and 500PF
To be honest, there's very little to choose between the Z8 and the Fuji X-T5. The Nikon has slightly better high-ISO performance and slightly better dynamic range, but for birds I'm mostly shooting the Z8 in DX mode, so it loses some of those advantages because it's only a 19mp file, where the Fuji is 40mp. The Nikon telephoto lenses are better, but my Fuji wide zoom is better than the Nikkors; for close-in subjects like the small birds I'm shooting lately, the Fuji AF is actually a bit better; it focuses fairly quickly in situations where the Z8 refuses to focus at all. If it were not for the Nikkor 400mm f4.5 and the availability of the other new Z telephotos, I probably would have stuck with Fuji.
And the Fuji batteries last three times as long, and recharge twice as fast...
If all your EN-ELc batteries each give the same results, they are unlikely to be the source of the problem. The lens might contribute to the issue though, if it indeed is that the short battery life is with one lens specifically.
It seems clear the camera is faulty. I would contact Nikon to describe how you have used the camera and how long the battery lasts (in EVF on time) and they should check if the camera has abnormal power consumption. I would hope them to have a test for that.
Camera strap lugs and the mount can be checked and fixed on the same trip.
Of course, one faulty camera is one too many, but it is what it is. Just get it done as soon as possible so you can enjoy the camera's full capabilities.
My camera is on the service advisory serial list but since it locks with all my Z lenses and the strap holds too, I haven't taken it to service. However, the sensor has one dust spot and I haven't been able to remove it with air flow only so I might have it cleaned if it persists and the other issues can be fixed on the same go. (I usually don't get persistent dust spots).
molson wrote:
Unfortunately, I would probably have to send the batteries and lenses in along with the camera. I'm starting to wish I had kept my Fuji gear...
I know about the Nikon refusing to focus at all. My Father had a saying he occasionally used when he tried and tried to do something and it just was not going to happen. It happens to me sometimes when my Z8 absolutely refuses to focus correctly.
When my Z8 decides it is not going to focus on a loon in an open basin with no clutter........ "I could go to hell and back" and that camera will refuse to do what I want. And I know a few of the tricks. I am still working on my AF choices.
The ease of Fuji focusing sounds interesting.
Based on what you listed, seems to me the Nikon advantage is those lenses. But I only need 3 lenses, maybe 4.
molson wrote:
To be honest, there's very little to choose between the Z8 and the Fuji X-T5. The Nikon has slightly better high-ISO performance and slightly better dynamic range, but for birds I'm mostly shooting the Z8 in DX mode, so it loses some of those advantages because it's only a 19mp file, where the Fuji is 40mp. The Nikon telephoto lenses are better, but my Fuji wide zoom is better than the Nikkors; for close-in subjects like the small birds I'm shooting lately, the Fuji AF is actually a bit better; it focuses fairly quickly in situations where the Z8 refuses to focus at all. If it were not for the Nikkor 400mm f4.5 and the availability of the other new Z telephotos, I probably would have stuck with Fuji.
And the Fuji batteries last three times as long, and recharge twice as fast......Show more →
Seems like the obvious answer is to first get the Z8 repaired. If you decide to sell the Z8, you can't sell it without disclosing the potential issues you've outlined in this thread (and the service advisory) so you're either going to take a big hit selling it as is or you need to send it in. As far as needing to send in the batteries with the camera, that doesn't make sense to me. Testing multiple batteries would rule out the batteries and point to the camera. I also don't think it makes a lot of sense to compare a potentially faulty Z8 to the Fuji if you care about the validity of your comparison.
You should be able to get the camera to focus by first turning the MF ring to make the subject clear enough and then activating AF. This has worked for me. The problem is generally that the subject is initially too small and blurred to be noticed by the camera.
When I've tested Fuji cameras, I got inconsistent results with low keeper rates when the subject is approaching the camera and high fps is used. The Z8 handles those situations well (as does the D6) e.g. with 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 S.
I am wondering what the problem with the wide angle was. I would have thought full frame to give a significant detail advantage over APS-C especially for wide angle shots. If it is an AF issue, perhaps settings can help. E.g. by restricting the area the subject is searched in.
bs kite wrote:
I know about the Nikon refusing to focus at all. My Father had a saying he occasionally used when he tried and tried to do something and it just was not going to happen. It happens to me sometimes when my Z8 absolutely refuses to focus correctly.
When my Z8 decides it is not going to focus on a loon in an open basin with no clutter........ "I could go to hell and back" and that camera will refuse to do what I want. And I know a few of the tricks. Still working on the AF.
That Fuji focusing sounds very tempting.
Based on what you listed, seems to me the Nikon advantage is those lenses. But I only need 3 lenses, maybe 4.
ilkka_nissila wrote:
You should be able to get the camera to focus by first turning the MF ring to make the subject clear enough and then activating AF. This has worked for me. The problem is generally that the subject is initially too small and blurred to be noticed by the camera.
The point is, the Fuji (and Panasonic) cameras perform much better under these conditions - no need to disable to biggest selling feature of the camera (AF).
When I've tested Fuji cameras, I got inconsistent results with low keeper rates when the subject is approaching the camera and high fps is used. The Z8 handles those situations well (as does the D6) e.g. with 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 S.
I seldom shoot subjects like that, but when I do, the Nikon and Fuji cameras perform just about the same, although the Fuji has less of a tendency to jump to the background than the Z8 and Z9 do. Neither system is as good as Sony (or Olympus) in that regard.
I am wondering what the problem with the wide angle was. I would have thought full frame to give a significant detail advantage over APS-C especially for wide angle shots. If it is an AF issue, perhaps settings can help. E.g. by restricting the area the subject is searched in.
It's pretty simple - the Fuji XF 8-16mm is just better optically than the Z 14-24mm f2.8 or the Z 14-30mm f4. AF has nothing to do with it.
RobCD wrote:
As far as needing to send in the batteries with the camera, that doesn't make sense to me.
How will Nikon be able to determine if the problem is the camera, or the batteries, or the lenses, without having them to check? I've dealt with Nikon service far too many times to think otherwise.
Searching you'll see anecdotal reports of battery life anywhere from 'terrible' to 'great' ..
Probably the truth is somewhere in between.. There are too many variables in the battery life reports on the InterWebs and the reality is only the extremes get. posted in wonderful forums like this..
Folks who are happy will generally not post..
TooManyShots wrote:
Is this a known issue because I am about to pull the trigger for the Z8 as a second body to my Z9....maybe just get a refurbished Z9 from Nikon instead?
Photo in raw. (+/- 52MB)
video in H265 10 bit .mov N-log 120p
Did set all the battery save option i did find, except the viewfinder that did i keep on 120refresh rate.
Fps was set to 15 fps and i did use short burst rate around the 3 to 12 shots. with shutter speeds not lower the 1/320e
Card used: Angelbird 160GB AVpro CFexpress SX Type B 1785MB/s
Great card with a friendly price.
it shoot nraw 8k 60P with no problem/s
molson wrote:
Unfortunately, I would probably have to send the batteries and lenses in along with the camera. I'm starting to wish I had kept my Fuji gear...
Forgive me but it seems that you are way ahead of yourself and thinking of reasons something will not work. I find that every time I do that, I can never get to the solution.
You do not know that Nikon would require you to send the batteries too.
Yesterday, I left my Z8 powered up for 3 hours. The battery was at 100% at the beginning of the power-up and it was still 100% at the end of the 3 hours.
I wish you would do the same with your Z8. We all might learn something.
The other suggestion I like was from ArizonaImage "Try resetting the camera to factory defaults and see if you can do a firmware update."
