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New z8 firmware update 3.0 has been released.

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Pierre Lagarde said:
net1994 said:
A great set of updates, for others and not myself. I don't use any of the stuff related to the new features. One GLARING thing they need to update are custom banks. When I switch between banks, some settings I change in Bank A then carry over to Bank B when I'm actively shooting, like shutter speed for example. I've lost quite a few shots because of this.

One question, how big are those files for pixel shift WITH focus stacking? I think it would crush a computer when trying to make the final image.
Click to expand...
For first issue you should try this : https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z8/en/psm_extended_menu_banks_114.html

With this "ON", you should have all shutter related settings sets separately in each bank.
Click to expand...
OK So I have this setting [Extended Menu Banks] ON, so currently each bank defaults to the last shooting mode/shutter speed/aperture I set in that bank. This is how I want to have the Z8 banks set up.

But out of curiosity, with this setting OFF, the camera will carry over one set of values (shooting mode/shutter speed/aperture) when I switch on each of the banks?

The advantage of the latter setting is that I can always know exactly where I am with my exposure settings - but now have to make many more adjustments before I can begin shooting.

I am actually happy with the Z8 bank system (except that changing between them should be a one step operation rather than multiple steps coordinating the two bank modes (menu + extended menu)
 
Berend Botje said:
I am actually happy with the Z8 bank system (except that changing between them should be a one step operation rather than multiple steps coordinating the two bank modes (menu + extended menu)
Click to expand...
Not sure about the Z8, but at least on the Z9 one can assign a button and dial. So hold the button, spin the rear command dial and banks change. Easy.
 
rumple said:
Berend Botje said:
I am actually happy with the Z8 bank system (except that changing between them should be a one step operation rather than multiple steps coordinating the two bank modes (menu + extended menu)
Click to expand...
Not sure about the Z8, but at least on the Z9 one can assign a button and dial. So hold the button, spin the rear command dial and banks change. Easy.
Click to expand...
Indeed... Personally, I use the useless Video Record Button, and it's very practical ;)
 
Pierre Lagarde said:
rumple said:
Berend Botje said:
I am actually happy with the Z8 bank system (except that changing between them should be a one step operation rather than multiple steps coordinating the two bank modes (menu + extended menu)
Click to expand...
Not sure about the Z8, but at least on the Z9 one can assign a button and dial. So hold the button, spin the rear command dial and banks change. Easy.
Click to expand...
Indeed... Personally, I use the useless Video Record Button, and it's very practical ;)
Click to expand...
Thank you both. I will take a look at this option. BTW the "useless Video Record Button" can also be used to cycle different AF modes. Also very practical ;)
 
shuncheung said:
shuncheung wrote on June 11, 2025

The last firmware (among all cameras) Nikon introduced was 1.50 for the Z5, introduced on June 10, 2025 i.e. yesterday:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/562.html

Therefore, the next firmware should be 563

i.e. https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/563.html

But that 563 is current a dead link.
Click to expand...
Now two and half weeks later, that 563 is still a dead link, but in the meantime, Nikon has new firmware for four other cameras:
And those use up 564 to 567, while 568 is a dead link as expected. Therefore, somehow Nikon is saving the 563 spot for the Z8 FW 3.0. Most likely, Nikon had released the Z8 FW 3.0 briefly but withdrew it quickly as one post described here.
 
shuncheung said:
shuncheung said:
shuncheung wrote on June 11, 2025

The last firmware (among all cameras) Nikon introduced was 1.50 for the Z5, introduced on June 10, 2025 i.e. yesterday:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/562.html

Therefore, the next firmware should be 563

i.e. https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/563.html

But that 563 is current a dead link.
Click to expand...
Now two and half weeks later, that 563 is still a dead link, but in the meantime, Nikon has new firmware for four other cameras:
And those use up 564 to 567, while 568 is a dead link as expected. Therefore, somehow Nikon is saving the 563 spot for the Z8 FW 3.0. Most likely, Nikon had released the Z8 FW 3.0 briefly but withdrew it quickly as one post described here.
Click to expand...
lucky him!

"Nikon Z8 REBORN! Firmware V3.00 Tested"
 
wildblanket said:
I can't see this in the list in the post above:

"Nikon also added a Maximum Aperture Live View feature, which switches the lens to its widest aperture no matter what is selected. This switch gathers more light for Live View purposes and enables faster autofocus. It then switches back to the selected aperture when taking the shot."

For someone with fast lenses this sounds a useful feature. The focusing on Z8 is good enough that it might not make much difference, but can't do any harm.
Click to expand...
So, it only does "Max Aperture" in "Live View" mode,...and not when framing the subject via the EVF?

I a former DSLR shooter,...I still can't bring myself to hold my Z9 or Z8 out in front of me like a freak'n Cph when capturing pics!
 
JMD-70 said:
wildblanket said:
I can't see this in the list in the post above:

"Nikon also added a Maximum Aperture Live View feature, which switches the lens to its widest aperture no matter what is selected. This switch gathers more light for Live View purposes and enables faster autofocus. It then switches back to the selected aperture when taking the shot."

For someone with fast lenses this sounds a useful feature. The focusing on Z8 is good enough that it might not make much difference, but can't do any harm.
Click to expand...
So, it only does "Max Aperture" in "Live View" mode,...and not when framing the subject via the EVF?

I a former DSLR shooter,...I still can't bring myself to hold my Z9 or Z8 out in front of me like a freak'n Cph when capturing pics!
Click to expand...
Live View is d9: View Mode = Show effects of settings, in both the EVF and the monitor. It's the usual view. It works the same in EVF or monitor.

There's an alternate setting, d9: View mode = Adjust for ease of viewing, that always shows a bright scene if possible. I think the most common usage is for flash shooting in a dark room, so the scene can be viewed easily.

I think the new Maximum Aperture setting is fairly specialized, for certain dark scenes and for difficult focusing subjects.

Until now, Z cameras opened to f/5.6 for smaller apertures (like f/11), and close back to that (example f/11) as the shutter is pressed. Wider apertures, like f/1.8 or f/4, would use the actual current aperture for focusing and viewing the scene.
 
Last edited:
jthomas39 said:
JMD-70 said:
wildblanket said:
I can't see this in the list in the post above:

"Nikon also added a Maximum Aperture Live View feature, which switches the lens to its widest aperture no matter what is selected. This switch gathers more light for Live View purposes and enables faster autofocus. It then switches back to the selected aperture when taking the shot."

For someone with fast lenses this sounds a useful feature. The focusing on Z8 is good enough that it might not make much difference, but can't do any harm.
Click to expand...
So, it only does "Max Aperture" in "Live View" mode,...and not when framing the subject via the EVF?

I a former DSLR shooter,...I still can't bring myself to hold my Z9 or Z8 out in front of me like a freak'n Cph when capturing pics!
Click to expand...
Live View is d9: View Mode = Show effects of settings, in both the EVF and the monitor. It's the usual view. It works the same in EVF or monitor.
Click to expand...
Context of JMD-70's question:

In DSLRs, you could do a "live view" on the monitor by flipping the mirror up and having the sensor readout appear on the monitor. So "live view" today is a bit strange for people used to that only appearing on the monitor.
 
jthomas39 said:
JMD-70 said:
wildblanket said:
I can't see this in the list in the post above:

"Nikon also added a Maximum Aperture Live View feature, which switches the lens to its widest aperture no matter what is selected. This switch gathers more light for Live View purposes and enables faster autofocus. It then switches back to the selected aperture when taking the shot."

For someone with fast lenses this sounds a useful feature. The focusing on Z8 is good enough that it might not make much difference, but can't do any harm.
Click to expand...
So, it only does "Max Aperture" in "Live View" mode,...and not when framing the subject via the EVF?

I a former DSLR shooter,...I still can't bring myself to hold my Z9 or Z8 out in front of me like a freak'n Cph when capturing pics!
Click to expand...
Live View is d9: View Mode = Show effects of settings, in both the EVF and the monitor. It's the usual view. It works the same in EVF or monitor.

There's an alternate setting, d9: View mode = Adjust for ease of viewing, that always shows a bright scene if possible. I think the most common usage is for flash shooting in a dark room, so the scene can be viewed easily.

I think the new Maximum Aperture setting is fairly specialized, for certain dark scenes and for difficult focusing subjects.

Until now, Z cameras opened to f/5.6 for smaller apertures (like f/11), and close back to that (example f/11) as the shutter is pressed. Wider apertures, like f/1.8 or f/4, would use the actual current aperture for focusing and viewing the scene.
Click to expand...
Adjust for ease of viewing doesn’t open the lens it just amplifies the image in the viewfinder, so this change should be significant if it opens up to focus when you are stopped down for flash - maybe it won’t according to how it’s written, but that would seem the main point of it.
 
shuncheung said:
shuncheung said:
shuncheung wrote on June 11, 2025

The last firmware (among all cameras) Nikon introduced was 1.50 for the Z5, introduced on June 10, 2025 i.e. yesterday:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/562.html

Therefore, the next firmware should be 563

i.e. https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/563.html

But that 563 is current a dead link.
Click to expand...
Now two and half weeks later, that 563 is still a dead link, but in the meantime, Nikon has new firmware for four other cameras:
And those use up 564 to 567, while 568 is a dead link as expected. Therefore, somehow Nikon is saving the 563 spot for the Z8 FW 3.0. Most likely, Nikon had released the Z8 FW 3.0 briefly but withdrew it quickly as one post described here.
Click to expand...
As expected, that 563 link is now live with the Z8 FW 3.0:

 
Update worked fine on my pair of Z8
 
madecov said:
At my age, it's going to take the rest of my life to master the Z8
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm retired 10 years now and you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to learn this beast. I have the Nikon documentation (PDF files) and Thom Hogan's excellent book (PDF file). I initially skimmed them for highlights and then jumped to use the camera. Now I am rereading them in detail trying to understand the camera better. But, with my age my attention span has shrunk a lot, and my thoughts wander more as I read - to possibilities and ways to use the camera - and by the time I am any distance into the reading my limited storage (retention) has lost some the earlier reading. Sigh. Sucks to get old.

I love the camera but it's a beast to learn. My F3 was simple by comparison. An now 3.00....

Peter
 
shuncheung said:
shuncheung said:
shuncheung said:
shuncheung wrote on June 11, 2025

The last firmware (among all cameras) Nikon introduced was 1.50 for the Z5, introduced on June 10, 2025 i.e. yesterday:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/562.html

Therefore, the next firmware should be 563

i.e. https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/563.html

But that 563 is current a dead link.
Click to expand...
Now two and half weeks later, that 563 is still a dead link, but in the meantime, Nikon has new firmware for four other cameras:
And those use up 564 to 567, while 568 is a dead link as expected. Therefore, somehow Nikon is saving the 563 spot for the Z8 FW 3.0. Most likely, Nikon had released the Z8 FW 3.0 briefly but withdrew it quickly as one post described here.
Click to expand...
As expected, that 563 link is now live with the Z8 FW 3.0:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/563.html
Click to expand...
Thanks - will download later on. It's nothing really earth shattering for me. A lot of "nice to have" features.
 
PMB said:
madecov said:
At my age, it's going to take the rest of my life to master the Z8
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm retired 10 years now and you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to learn this beast. I have the Nikon documentation (PDF files) and Thom Hogan's excellent book (PDF file). I initially skimmed them for highlights and then jumped to use the camera. Now I am rereading them in detail trying to understand the camera better. But, with my age my attention span has shrunk a lot, and my thoughts wander more as I read - to possibilities and ways to use the camera - and by the time I am any distance into the reading my limited storage (retention) has lost some the earlier reading. Sigh. Sucks to get old.

I love the camera but it's a beast to learn. My F3 was simple by comparison. An now 3.00....

Peter
Click to expand...
I'm a similar age, and the Z6 iii is maybe 80% as complicated as the Z8? I've had it a year. By now, I can operate it for my typical uses with muscle memory -- my fingers just hit the correct controls without thinking about it. So satisfying.

I'm thinking that the cameras are way easier to use for what we were doing with older digital cameras, and not any more difficult to learn for those uses.

Once that's working easily and effectively, there's a huge list of other things the cameras can do. I think I tried out too many of them all at once!

Now, I'll try one new thing at a time when I'm in the mood. It is useful to scroll through the Hogan Guide's Table of Contents and jump to an interesting topic or detail. Or follow a DPR forum topic that's new to me.

Video -- other than just quick video clips, that's a whole new set of terminology, tech details, and very complex editing methods. I keep wanting to jump in, but the photo shooting is about all I can handle right now.
 
Last edited:
PMB said:
madecov said:
At my age, it's going to take the rest of my life to master the Z8
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm retired 10 years now and you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to learn this beast. I have the Nikon documentation (PDF files) and Thom Hogan's excellent book (PDF file). I initially skimmed them for highlights and then jumped to use the camera. Now I am rereading them in detail trying to understand the camera better. But, with my age my attention span has shrunk a lot, and my thoughts wander more as I read - to possibilities and ways to use the camera - and by the time I am any distance into the reading my limited storage (retention) has lost some the earlier reading. Sigh. Sucks to get old.

I love the camera but it's a beast to learn. My F3 was simple by comparison. An now 3.00....

Peter
Click to expand...
I don't think it's an age thing. I believe that all ages these days suffer from short attention spans due to the constant feed of information that we all subjected to. I don't think humans were designed to consume so much information.

But, I digress....
 
Samuraidog said:
PMB said:
madecov said:
At my age, it's going to take the rest of my life to master the Z8
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm retired 10 years now and you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to learn this beast. I have the Nikon documentation (PDF files) and Thom Hogan's excellent book (PDF file). I initially skimmed them for highlights and then jumped to use the camera. Now I am rereading them in detail trying to understand the camera better. But, with my age my attention span has shrunk a lot, and my thoughts wander more as I read - to possibilities and ways to use the camera - and by the time I am any distance into the reading my limited storage (retention) has lost some the earlier reading. Sigh. Sucks to get old.

I love the camera but it's a beast to learn. My F3 was simple by comparison. An now 3.00....

Peter
Click to expand...
I don't think it's an age thing. I believe that all ages these days suffer from short attention spans due to the constant feed of information that we all subjected to. I don't think humans were designed to consume so much information.

But, I digress....
Click to expand...
;-)
 
Samuraidog said:
PMB said:
madecov said:
At my age, it's going to take the rest of my life to master the Z8
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm retired 10 years now and you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to learn this beast. I have the Nikon documentation (PDF files) and Thom Hogan's excellent book (PDF file). I initially skimmed them for highlights and then jumped to use the camera. Now I am rereading them in detail trying to understand the camera better. But, with my age my attention span has shrunk a lot, and my thoughts wander more as I read - to possibilities and ways to use the camera - and by the time I am any distance into the reading my limited storage (retention) has lost some the earlier reading. Sigh. Sucks to get old.

I love the camera but it's a beast to learn. My F3 was simple by comparison. An now 3.00....

Peter
Click to expand...
I don't think it's an age thing. I believe that all ages these days suffer from short attention spans due to the constant feed of information that we all subjected to. I don't think humans were designed to consume so much information.

But, I digress....
Click to expand...
I’m probably younger than the majority of the folks in this forum (mid-40s) and I agree with the above. More of a societal culture thing than age. We’re all guilty of it with the 24/7 news/information cycle and technology.

--
Ryan
 
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