Nikon Rumored to Release Z 8 With 60-Megapixel Resolution and 16-Bit Raw

Nikon Rumored to Release Z 8 With 60-Megapixel Resolution and 16-Bit Raw

Nikon's Z 6 and Z 7 cameras are the first forays into the full frame mirrorless market for the company. As they continue to expand the offering for the new Z mount, rumors are coming out of the Z 8, including claims of ultra-high resolution and deep bit depth.

Nikon Rumors recently uncovered possible screenshots of the manual for the Nikon Z 8. Marquee features include a 9,552 by 6,364-pixel sensor, giving it just a shade under 61 megapixels and putting it right on par with the newly released Sony a7R IV. The screenshot also indicates 16-bit raw capabilities, which would be a boon for editing work. File sizes out of such a camera would likely be quite large, but luckily, it seems Nikon will also be releasing a new lossy compression raw codec, which should help to keep the file sizes in check. Such a camera should be quite tempting for those who demand high resolution and bit depth, such as landscape, product, and macro photographers. With Sony continuing to forge ahead, Fuji releasing impressive medium format bodies, and rumors of a high-resolution camera body in the works from Canon that might push 80 megapixels, it looks like the future is quite exciting. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
15 Comments

16 Bit would be the most exciting feature, considered medium format for a while but this would be no thought anymore.

...only if the sensor and processor can make effective use of it. Most cameras today can't make much out of 14-bit.

Yes I know, lets hope for it :-)

It will be in both mirrorless and DSLR (D850 successor) bodies :)

As long as it has dual card slots this time...

New 16-bit file and lossy compression raw codec because it's too large...:-))) no sense.

Nikon are knocking it out of the park with this camera line, I’m happy with my Fujifilm setup but man these Z cameras and lenses are tempting.

With revolutionary onboard memory, no need for pesky slots at all!

You might think you're joking, but a SUPER SIMPLE solution to all of this "I need dual slots" argument (I'm in full support of dual) is for Nikon to solder on 128/256/512 chip memory on the mainboard inside. Then, give us a menu option (or not) to have this memory act as a rolling backup. Doesn't even have to be super fast ram if they can boost up the onboard buffer to dump the files quickly to CFExpress then push the buffer slower to the internal ram.

Really need those high megapixels for website thumbnails.

Considering how close the first gen was to Sony’s third gen, odds are that the Z8 will be ahead of the a7rIV along most metrics. But the killer part is really the lenses.

Z8? But then what are they going to call the successor to the Z6?

Z6s?

I would have liked to have seen this be a less about the megapixels and more about image quality with a 24mp sensor

Yeah they make that. Z6.