Why I changed from the Canon R7 to the Nikon Z8

A look at both cameras from an aviation photography perspective

What I liked about the R7

Having upgraded to the R7 from a 70D, the jump to mirrorless was a big one, but one that I felt was easy to pick up and yielded great results from the get go.

The rapid frame rate, great crop factor due to the high megapixel count and the easy user interface made the R7 a really enjoyable camera to use.

The intelligent focus knew what it was looking at, making it much better at focussing than a DSLR.

What was annoying me about the R7

A number of things were annoying me about the R7 as I got to grips with it.

When paired with my 100-400mm mk ii using the EF-RF adapter, the image stabilisation took a long time to kick in (up to 15 seconds). This was unacceptable and led to a significant number of poor shots in fast paced scenarios such as when in the Mach Loop.

I did not like the slow sensor readout speed of ~29ms, which leads to bad rolling shutter when using electronic shutter mode. Using electronic first curtain mode does fix this however the sensor blackout experienced in this mode makes it quite difficult to track moving subjects with a slow shutter speed. At this point, you might as well be using a DSLR in terms of shooting experience. Having said that, I appreciate focussing ability and other factors have a massive step up over a DSLR.

It's really small and quite uncomfortable to use for long periods. You can only really fit 3 fingers on the grip, leaving your little finger hanging underneath. I found over time I got a callous on the inside of the knuckle of my little finger from it rubbing against the bottom of the battery door.

The focus drifted when using high frame rates, even when the subject is static, leading to every shot in the same set being focussed at a different point. It was only apparent when really zoomed in, but still not something you want in your shots.

The buffer size on the R7 was also quite small.

I was told that the stabilisation issues are likely due to using an EF lens with an adapter on an RF body, and I should upgrade to the RF 100-500mm.

Having tried a few peoples RF 100-500mm lens, I didn't like it. Image quality was really good, but there were a number of things I didn't like:

The zoom ring was quite stiff, even at its loosest setting, compared to the EF 100-400mm mk ii which could easily be pushed/pulled. I like lenses which can be zoomed easily and have a short zoom range meaning I don't have to reposition my hand when zooming from fully out to fully in.
It felt cheap, but the price was anything but. The plastic casing and light weight made it feel quite flimsy and I prefer my kit to have a bit more of a solid feel which helps me to keep it stable while shooting.
The high aperture of f/7.1

Even if I did choose to upgrade my lens, I would still be stuck with the slow readout speeds, focus drifting and other issues that the R7 sadly has, leading me t look to upgrade bodies later on down the line.

The options for upgrade

There were a few options to upgrade to: the R5ii and R6ii from Canon or the Z8 from Nikon. Alternatively, I could have chosen to wait for the R7ii to be released, but at the time of writing, a release date is still unannounced, as well as confirmed specifications.

I really liked the idea of staying in the Canon ecosystem, mainly regarding the offering of the 500mm f/4 lens, which doesn't really have an equivalent at a reasonable price offered by Nikon.

I also really didn't like the idea of having to switch EVERYTHING from Canon to Nikon - batteries, chargers, SD -> CF card, card reader, software.

The sensor readout speed of the R6ii is ~14ms which half that of the R7 but would still lead to some visible rolling shutter effect. So this body was out of the question.

The R5ii had a good readout speed of ~6ms, but the price is extortionate. Its the same price as a Z8 + 180-600 + kit lens.

I had a couple of big airshows coming up soon, and was keen to move away from the R7 before them given it was the last time I would get to see a few types of aircraft, and with a R7ii release date still not announced, it wasn't an option to wait. Having said that, the specs of the R7ii look amazing and should hopefully address the issues I have experienced.

The Z8 was the only option.

Z8 first impressions

The first thing I noticed was the great build quality, and comfortable grip - a definite improved on the R7.

The internal zoom on the 180-600 is really smooth and can be operated with your thumb leading to smooth zoom and continuous shooting without having to pause to zoom. It is less than 1/4 of a turn to zoom from 180 to 600mm meaning there is no pausing to zoom out as a large aircraft passes.

The extremely high shooting speed and unfillable buffer is amazing.

I much prefer full-frame over crop sensor. The 600mm on the full frame Z8 was only slightly less raw zoom than the 400mm on the APS-C R7. However in crop mode the resolution drops to 19MP, meaning the R7 has the higher crop factor, but if you can get close enough to your subject to fill the frame to start with, the higher megapixel count of the Z8 means image quality is superb.

The only downside of the full frame mode is it's harder to 'lock' onto the correct part of a moving aircraft as it's coming towards you at 400kts through the Mach Loop, just because the aircraft fills less of the frame. This may be a scenario where you'd want to switch to crop mode, but I haven't been able to try this out yet.

I find its much easier to get usable shots at low shutter speeds than the R7. In a burst, I am always confident I will get at least 1 keeper. I put this down to the Z8 having no EVF blackout, unlike the R7, making it much easier to track a subject.

What I don't like about the Z8

The aircraft tracking mode is trained to detect airliners only. It works okay on fighter jets, but still not great. I have switched subject tracking off.

I have noticed that a number of my shots are coming out with a strong turquoise hue, something which I have never experienced on Canon equipment. It can be corrected in Lightroom, but still is something which I would rather not have to do.

What I prefer about the R7

I loved the "Delete all in scene" option when going to delete a frame. Sadly there is no such option on the Z8 which I truly hope is brought out in future firmware updates.

I find the user interface is much more intuitive on the R7. Perhaps it is because I have always used Canon, but things do seem much simpler. For example custom modes are changed by turning the dial on the top of the R7. The Z8 has custom shooting modes and custom settings banks. I have ones for Jets, Helis/props, Birds and Landscapes so to switch between jets and helis, I have to change two options - the shooting bank and the custom settings bank. I wish there was an option to link these so I only have to change one.

Am I glad I switched

Yes, the Z8 has delivered excellent results from the get go. The learning curve was steep and I am still discovering new features, but it has already proved itself to be a very capable camera.