ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXZ 6 III or Z 8?
11 months ago - Niki Jones
I shoot mostly documentary and am looking to buy something lightweight but heavy-hitting - I was thinking the Nikon Z 6 III or the Z 8...
Key things for me are low-light capability, auto-focus being reliable enough for certain conditions (I do a lot of tense documentary work and sometimes it'll be just me doing the whole lot), and portability.
Anyone got insights on which might be better? I've already got some nice Nikkor glass so want to keep with Nikon.
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10 months, 3 weeks ago - Jim Read
Hey Niki
Exciting you're looking at buying camera (I'm jealous...). Both are really solid choices. Since you're shooting documentary work solo a lot of the time I'd personally air on the Z 6 III because of its arguably better low-light performance and more compact build. It has larger pixels, which means it can handle darker scenes a bit better, and it's also lighter - perfect if you're on the go a lot.
That said, the Z 8 has a higher resolution sensor and a faster readout, which translates to better performance in situations with fast motion or tricky lighting. It’s also got a more sophisticated autofocus system, so if you’re tracking action or need absolute reliability, it’s hard to beat.
Hope that helps and do let us know which one you end up going with...
Response from 10 months, 3 weeks ago - Jim Read SHOW
10 months, 3 weeks ago - John Lubran
With regard to broadcast standard documentary aspirations. The differing engineering ergonomics of SLR and dedicated TV cameras can often dictate the style of aquisition, particularly where opportunistic spontaneity is a thing, typical with documentary and factual.
Purpose designed camcorders are generally niftier. 100+ mbps is the difference between sub and actual broadcast 4K.
The fixed lens camcorder of cameras like the Sony Z90 are 90% as good as lenses costing four or five times as much as the entire camcorder, and usually much more flexible and functionally faster, an often crucial advantage when shooting factual. The Z90 is c.£2600 +VAT. EBU broadcast standard 4K bit rate type. A 'giant killing' camera with excellent auto and manual functions together with top rate audio capabilities. Easy intuitive run and gun functionality. Lightweight and compact.
It's an intreguing sub cultural phenomenon that some folk still want to use SLR type stills cameras that have limited user functionality as video cameras?
Best sub megabuck full spectrum TV quality cameras include such as the Sony PVW Z280. c.£5k + VAT. There's £20k+ cameras with £10k lenses that barely do more and sometimes even less, for practical qualitative purposes.
8K is really only likely to benefit Zoom cropping or cinema projection. (The difficult to equate 'apples against oranges' comparison between analogue 35mm film and digital is often described as about 5k) However shooting in 8K on SLR types introduces problematic limitations such as recording capacity, overheating in warm environments and power consumption. Purchase costs of SLR's with comprable video functionality are generally greater.
Clearly I'm biased. Other perspectives are available. At the end of the day the tools we use aren't the content itself. But they often dictate whether we get the content they way that matters !
Response from 10 months, 3 weeks ago - John Lubran SHOW