Ever since the Nikon Z8 mirrorless was announced in May this year, I've been keen on picking this stunning snapper up, but its RRP of AU$6,999 for the body alone was a tad too much for my budget (even as someone who writes about cameras for a living).
However, there's now a massive discount that will save me AU$1,000 via Aussie retailer CameraPro on what is arguably the best Nikon camera to date – so I'm sorely tempted to jump at the opportunity before it passes me by. If you've been keen on upgrading to a new pro camera – and one that's supremely powerful and produces top-notch stills and video – you may not want to miss this opportunity either, as there's no guarantee there'll be a better offer when Black Friday camera deals officially come calling on November 24.
The Z8 body is discounted by AU$700 on its product page at CameraPro, but add the camera to your cart and there's an additional AU$300 that gets taken off automatically at checkout for a total saving of AU$1,000 – no discount code needed. However, this additional AU$300 voucher offer is only available until November 19.
Why I'm buying the Nikon Z8
Buying the Nikon Z8 would mean I'm changing systems entirely. I've been using Canon's cameras and lenses for years, but the Z8 brings some flagship features that frankly has me bowled over. And as a wildlife and landscape photographer, these features truly are too tempting to pass up. It's so good, that my TechRadar colleagues who tested it gave it a full five stars in our Nikon Z8 review.
The Z8 essentially a miniaturised Nikon Z9 and without the same excessive price tag of the pro-level sports camera, so I get portability here, although it is a little chunkier than the Z7/Z6 bodies. I'm used to the heft of a Canon DSLR however, so this doesn't faze me. What I really like about it over the older Nikon Z-series full-frame cameras is its button layout that makes it more intuitive than before.
It uses the same stacked 45.7MP CMOS sensor as the Z9, which is capable of some blistering fast readouts. This makes a mechanical shutter redundant and, like the revolutionary Z9, there's only an electronic shutter here. That means I'll have a maximum shutter speed of 1/32,000 of a second compared to 1/8,000 second on most other premium cameras out there.
As a wildlife photographer, the Z8's burst speeds of up to 120fps are utterly mind-boggling and one of its most tempting aspects. Sure, at this speed I can only capture 11MP low-res stills, but I'll still get 45.7MP images with 30fps – which is already quite a lot – with autofocus and autoexposure engaged between frames.
To match, its buffer memory can save over 1,000 RAW frames at 20fps to the memory card before it stutters, and it won't stop saving JPEGs at 30fps till the card is full.
I will admit that I prefer Canon's current autofocus system, but I'll be happy with the 493-point phase-detection AF system on the Z8.
While its video capabilities are definitely overkill for me, it's capable of up to 8.3K/60p 12-bit internal recording in both N-RAW and ProRES RAW HQ formats.
The battery life on the Z8 is, perhaps, the only reason I've got any hesitation – it uses the same pack found in the Z7 bodies, so it tops out at about 275 shots. You could argue that I can use the savings from this deal to pick up an extra battery or two and a grip, but I'll also need to set aside some moolah to buy Nikkor lenses after giving up my current Canon ones.
Still, I can't allow this AU$1,000 to pass me by.
RIP my savings.
Check out more offers in our dedicated Black Friday camera deals coverage.
