ND64

There is also this short film festival:
https://www.festivalnikon.fr/en
Many of submitted works are very creative. Edit is professional, color grading as cinematic as it gets:
https://youtube.com/@nikonfilmfest
So many talented people are out there, and I wonder why we don't see them in this forum? I want to hear their BTS stories.

I mean even iPhone could achieve 12 stops! with NR. 

Nikon's zealousness in keeping backward compatibility for lenses made their early efforts for DSLR video almost fruitless and hurt them badly in market share. Canon's fully electronic EF lenses, on the other hand, made the DSLR video "useable" for the first time. Nikon's engineers were always ahead of competition in increasing the data bandwidth; the reason they managed to make D90, but the overall performance of a camera is dependent on many things, and bandwidth is only one of them. They're still amazing in bandwidth, as they introduced 8k60p raw with no serious overheating issue, and now they're not handicapped by ancient mount system. 
Every Japanese camera maker had a modernizing issue somewhere in the last decade. Nikon with modern lens, Canon with modern sensor, Sony with modern codec/storage media, Panasonic with modern AF. But there is one that all of them are equally incapable of: modernizing the menu and UI.

This is an interesting point about the lenses. Also Nikon DSLRs I seem to remember had weird quirks with the aperture in video mode which took them an age to change.
Cameras design has two major fields... ergonomics and tech specs.
Get both right and you have a good chance of producing something nice.
Which is what the Z8 has achieved.
The best ergonomics and best tech specs.
Now the third thing is price and if you can do flagship specs and the best designed camera for cheaper than your rivals can, the only things stopping people buying it are lenses and brand loyalty, which are tough issues.
Panasonic for example has a brand and lens mount problem, in a way they always had during MFT as well.
Nobody can decide if it's a LUMIX or a Panasonic. Or whether Panasonic stands for LUMIX or kitchen appliances.
Nobody can quite be comfortable switching wholesale to L-mount, they don't know how committed they are to it after the big gap between flagships and the focus on mid-range tittle tattle. Plus Canon and Nikon just have so much momentum behind them from the prior DSLR mounts whereas Panasonic have had to start from scratch.
Anyway I don't mean to keep knocking Panasonic, there's still life in the old dog yet, I just think they could learn a LOT from what Nikon are doing right now.

Would die long ago if marketplace wasn't added to the platform. Zuck is idiot, but his team is clever at resurrection of zombie services. Reddit is another example of how people get used to live in terrible places. Its ocean of high value information/experiences/stories, but it needs high mental capacity to explore. Its cascading comment section is unbearable. Garbage/bot volume is insanely high.
We need more smaller, neat, well administered forums; and less public squares. 
 

I want them to make a FX3 killer with low noise 5k sensor, 120fps, active cooling, and RED codec/log. But they won't. They're much smaller a company than Sony, and have to spend the limited R&D budget on upgrading the current line up. And they have to ramp up their glass business too; they have much work to do: filling the gaps in still lenses, and develop cine lenses (they got curiosity from cinema community, now they need their attention). 

I want them to make a FX3 killer with low noise 5k sensor, 120fps, active cooling, and RED codec/log. But they won't. They're much smaller a company than Sony, and have to spend the limited R&D budget on upgrading the current line up. And they have to ramp up their glass business too; they have much work to do: filling the gaps in still lenses, and develop cine lenses (they got curiosity from cinema community, now they need their attention). 

I want them to make a FX3 killer with low noise 5k sensor, 120fps, active cooling, and RED codec/log. But they won't. They're much smaller a company than Sony, and have to spend the limited R&D budget on upgrading the current line up. And they have to ramp up their glass business too; they have much work to do: filling the gaps in still lenses, and develop cine lenses (they got curiosity from cinema community, now they need their attention). 

I want them to make a FX3 killer with low noise 5k sensor, 120fps, active cooling, and RED codec/log. But they won't. They're much smaller a company than Sony, and have to spend the limited R&D budget on upgrading the current line up. And they have to ramp up their glass business too; they have much work to do: filling the gaps in still lenses, and develop cine lenses (they got curiosity from cinema community, now they need their attention). 

In China launch event there was this slide that says 5 new companies joining the L mount

DJI, Blackmagicdesign, Samyang, Astro, disclosed before. The 5th can be Viltrox. 

They still have three registered but unannounced camera. One of them is probably a fixed lens. One of the remaining two can be S1Hii.
 

It still boggles my mind how youtubers don't understand for RS comparison you should put the two footages above eachother, not place them horizontally. 

The fact that we're comparing Nikon, which until four years ago was called "potato" in videographers community, with Panasonic, which was making pro video cameras when my mother was a young girl, and score points are about "anamorphic modes", is crazy if you think about that.
Anyway, feature leapfrogging is a never ending game. You get a capability in brand X that is missing in brand Y, but you get something unique in brand Y that is still missing in X. After two years, both will have them eventually with some differences in implementation. Decisions, in my opinion, should be based on "system advantages", not feature set. I love to have eye control AF in Canon cameras, but RF system is the most restrictive, while the native lens choices is like super cheap/super exotic. But some people would say they have 50% of the market share so there should be good reasons half of people bet on this system, and its ok. I don't think thats a good logic for choosing a system, but at least its an evaluation about the system, not the features. 

In China launch event there was this slide that says 5 new companies joining the L mount

DJI, Blackmagicdesign, Samyang, Astro, disclosed before. The 5th can be Viltrox. 

Democratization of videography introduced a group of people to the community who do. The expectations of a TikToker from a dedicated camera is obviously different than mine. 

Since I had the Z9, Nikon seems to have been on a firmware update rampage.
This is just for the Z8...
■ Still Photography
• Added [Pixel shift shooting] to the photo shooting menu.
• Added new picture controls.
• Added [Birds] to [AF subject detection options] in the photo shooting menu.
• The maximum shooting display zoom ratio is now 400%.
• Added [Auto capture] to the photo shooting menu. Users can select capture criteria from [Motion] (the direction the subject is moving), [Distance] (how far the subject is from the camera), and [Subject detection] (whether or not a subject of a given type is detected).
• The length of time the camera will continue to buffer frames before cancelling shooting during the Pre-Release Capture phase of high-speed frame capture + has been increased from 30 to 300 seconds.
• Added [Large] to the size options available for [Secondary slot function] > [JPEG primary - JPEG secondary] in the photo shooting menu.
• Added new bracketing increments for use during auto bracketing with [AE & flash bracketing], [AE bracketing], or [Flash bracketing] selected for [Auto bracketing set]. This change also applies to [Interval timer shooting] > [Options] > [AE bracketing] > [Increment].
■ Video Recording
• Added new picture controls.
• Added [Birds] to [AF subject detection options] in the video recording menu.
• The maximum shooting display zoom ratio is now 400%.
• Added [Auto capture] to the video recording menu. Users can select capture criteria from [Motion] (the direction the subject is moving), [Distance] (how far the subject is from the camera), and [Subject detection] (whether or not a subject of a given type is detected).
• Added low ISO sensitivity options to [ISO sensitivity settings] > [ISO sensitivity (mode M)] for use during N-Log video recording.
• Changed the range of speeds available for Hi-Res Zoom.
• The color of the in-focus AF-area brackets shown on the shooting display when Hi-Res Zoom is enabled has been changed.
• Hi-Res Zoom operations can now be performed using the sub-selector.
• Added slow-motion video recording.
■ Playback
• Added [Playback speed] in the video playback “i” menu.
• Added [Auto image rotation] in the playback menu.
• Added [Auto series playback options] to [Series playback] in the playback menu.
• Made changes to the [Select for upload to computer] and [Select for upload (FTP)] items in the playback “i” menu and added [Select for priority upload to computer] and [Select for priority upload (FTP)].
■ Controls
• Added [Half-press to cancel zoom (MF)] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in positions d18 and g17.
• Added [Focus point border width] to a11 [Focus point display] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• Changes have been made to how a full format is performed with [Format memory card] in the [SETUP MENU].
• White balance and exposure compensation can now be adjusted while recalling the shooting function settings.
• Added support for the power zoom feature on power zoom lenses.
• Added an [Exposure delay mode] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position d6.
• Added to the custom controls and roles assignable via the following items in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU]. New reset options have also been added.
- f2[Custom controls (shooting)]
- f3[Custom controls (playback)]
- g2[Custom controls]
   Choose [Prefer focus point] or [Prefer focus point (face priority)] for f3 [Custom controls (playback)] > [Main command dial] or [Sub-command dial] > [Frame advance zoom position].
The settings for f3 [Custom controls (playback)] > [Main command dial] or [Sub-command dial] > [Frame advance] can now be applied during playback zoom.
• Made updates to [Non-CPU lens data] in the [SETUP MENU].
• Increased the character limit from 3 to 256 for “Category” entries in IPTC presets.
• Restructured the [Camera sounds] item in the [SETUP MENU] with the addition of new options, including new sounds and volume level adjustment for the electronic shutter.
■ Displays
• Added focus-distance information to the focus distance indicator displayed during manual focus.
• The option selected for [Viewfinder display size] (formerly [Finder display size (photo Lv)]) in the [SETUP MENU] now also applies in video and playback modes.
■ Network (Also NX Field)
• A warning now appears when the connection to an ATOMOS AirGlu BT accessory is unstable or disrupted.
• ATOMOS AirGlu BT accessories and MC-N10 remote grips can now be used together.
• Made changes and additions to the [Connect to FTP server] item in the [NETWORK MENU].
• Changed the procedure used when configuring the camera for synchronized release, increasing to twenty the number of groups that can be created, while the number of cameras in each group that can be controlled from the master camera has been increased to sixteen.
• Added [Overwrite copyright info] under [Connect to other cameras] in the [NETWORK MENU].
■ App-Related Changes
With NX MobileAir:
• the camera live view display for photo mode now shows NX MobileAir status, and
• camera settings saved to a memory card using [Save/load menu settings] can now be downloaded to the smart device or copied from the smart device to the camera memory card using NX MobileAir.
■ Other Changes
• The time the shooting display goes dark after shutter is released when [ON] is selected for [Photo flicker reduction] in the [PHOTO SHOOTING MENU] has become shorter.
• Improved the accuracy of [3D-tracking] for small, fast-moving subjects when [Auto], [People], [Animal], or [Vehicle] is chosen for [AF subject detection options] and no subject of the selected type is detected.
• Improved focus lock-on with flicker detection in low-speed continuous release mode.
• Made other improvements to the autofocus operation and its reliability.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes resulted in the viewfinder darkening during playback when [Auto] was selected for [Viewfinder brightness].
• It is now easier to obtain the correct exposure from the first shot during interval-timer photography in high-contrast settings or settings dark enough for starlight view.
• The histogram display is no longer available when starlight view is enabled.
• Changed the video low-capacity warning so that it is now displayed in white on a red background when there is less than one minute remaining. The warning is now also displayed when recording is not in progress.
• Users now have more precise control when scrolling through videos during playback using the progress bar.
• When [AF-area mode] is set to [3D-tracking] and the human subject is large relative to the frame and multiple eyes are detected near the tracking focus point, the camera will assign priority for focusing to the eye closer to the point.
• The RGB histogram is now easier to view when [Mode 1] or [Mode 2] is selected for d11 [Warm display colors] in [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• Fixed the following issues:
- Photos taken with interval-timer photography could sometimes be underexposed.
- Flash may not sometimes fire during focus shift.
- The focus position unintentionally returned to the position saved using [Save focus position] if standby timer was expired while power was supplied via USB and a WR-R10 was attached.
- Optimal exposure could sometimes not achieved in burst or focus shift shooting.
- Pressing the AF-ON button immediately ended playback when [Playback] was assigned to [AF-ON button] and [Prioritize viewfinder (2)] was selected for monitor mode.
- Shutter release was sometimes disabled when “Bulb” was selected for shutter speed.
- Focus point selection using the multi selector and sub-selector was unavailable if a touch operation was performed using [Position focus point] when [3D-tracking] was selected for AF-area mode.
- Fine-tuning values set in [AF fine-tuning options] in the setup menu did not apply while the subject is detected with [Wide-area AF (S)], [Wide-area AF (L)], [Wide-area AF (C1)], or [Wide-area AF (C2)] selected for [AF-area mode].
- With some lenses, the shutter release was sometimes disabled in burst photography if the lens zoom ring was rotated.
Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.00 to 1.01
• Changed the timing of the high-temperature warnings appearing when the camera’s internal temperature increases mainly during video recording.
• Changed the position where the memory card high-temperature warning is displayed in video mode.
• Fixed the following issues:
- The battery would draw down more quickly while the camera was off if [ON] was selected for [Connect to smart device] > [Wi-Fi connection] in the [NETWORK MENU] even if [OFF] was selected for both [Bluetooth connection] and [Upload while off].
- Focus could still be adjusted using the focus ring when [Disable] was selected for a15 [Manual focus ring in AF mode] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] if an option other than [Non-linear] was chosen for f9 [Focus ring rotation range] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].

A comparison between Resolve and redcinex in handling of nraw would be great. Resolve has blue channel clipping issue, tho there are some half solutions for that, and redcinex support is still beta and has a bug as shows color noise in clipped highlights. 

Once a fashion photographer told me, in a humorous way, that why he doesnt need high DR. The scene was a hotel room and half naked model was lying on the bed. He wanted the window, that has a view to a historical building, to be completely blown out, because "the facade of that damn building is sexier than my model". It was interesting to me that how much they're obsessed with viewer attention heat map in their frame, like they even plan for the eye movements. 

Once a fashion photographer told me, in a humorous way, that why he doesnt need high DR. The scene was a hotel room and half naked model was lying on the bed. He wanted the window, that has a view to a historical building, to be completely blown out, because "the facade of that damn building is sexier than my model". It was interesting to me that how much they're obsessed with viewer attention heat map in their frame, like they even plan for the eye movements. 

Try 40mm f/2. Incredible price performance.
Apparently in new firmware you can have separate banks for still and video. Also digital zoom is now available in DX too.
 

It still boggles my mind how youtubers don't understand for RS comparison you should put the two footages above eachother, not place them horizontally. 

For some reason, and for just few hours, Rakuten offered A7cii for $1000. Not living in Japan was one of my many strategical mistakes in my life.
 

They still have three registered but unannounced camera. One of them is probably a fixed lens. One of the remaining two can be S1Hii.
 

They still have three registered but unannounced camera. One of them is probably a fixed lens. One of the remaining two can be S1Hii.
 

The fact that we're comparing Nikon, which until four years ago was called "potato" in videographers community, with Panasonic, which was making pro video cameras when my mother was a young girl, and score points are about "anamorphic modes", is crazy if you think about that.
Anyway, feature leapfrogging is a never ending game. You get a capability in brand X that is missing in brand Y, but you get something unique in brand Y that is still missing in X. After two years, both will have them eventually with some differences in implementation. Decisions, in my opinion, should be based on "system advantages", not feature set. I love to have eye control AF in Canon cameras, but RF system is the most restrictive, while the native lens choices is like super cheap/super exotic. But some people would say they have 50% of the market share so there should be good reasons half of people bet on this system, and its ok. I don't think thats a good logic for choosing a system, but at least its an evaluation about the system, not the features.