NA-Z8

The Nikon Z8

The excitement for the Nikon Z8 rivals that of the release of the Nikon D850. Nikon shooters have been eagerly waiting for what this "mini" Z9. The D850 long ruled the Nikon roost for incredible image quality, amazing autofocus and a wide dynamic range all in a high-resolution package.  While the Z6/7 and Z9 have bracketed the spectrum of specs, the Z8 is the system that many D850 shooters have been waiting for.

The Nikon Z8 features a 45.7MP stacked CMOS sensor that is delivers incredible still and moving image performance.  The Z8's electronic shutter means true zero blackout continuous shooting when using the camera's EVF and the wide range of autofocus options insure there's the right mode for every situation.

For video shooters, the Z8 can capture up to 8K/60p or oversampled 4K/120p internally in their ultra-efficient 12-bit N-RAW format or a variety of ProRes formats including ProRes RAW.  The Z8 also adds pro-level video features such as a waveform monitor, focus peaking, and the ability to fine tune ISO at 1/6EV steps.  There's also a convenient 'Video Info Display' and Red Record Border.

The Nauticam NA-Z8

The Nauticam NA-Z8 is the most intuitive and reliable underwater housing available for the Nikon Z8.  Building on the successful and field-tested designs for the NA-Z6/7 and Z9 housings the NA-Z8 embodies Nauticam's Mission Control design philosophy placing essential controls within easy reach of the reinforced molded handles.

F and Z Mount Compatible

The NA-Z8 underwater housing for the Nikon Z8 utilizes the N120 Port System for Z-mount full-frame lenses. However, the NA-Z8 is also designed to accommodate the use of F-mount lenses, thanks to the FTZ adapter. This allows the same port configuration as found on an F-mount DSLR system like the NA-D6 or NA-D850.

The NA-Z8 housing is equipped with convenient lens release buttons for both F and Z mounts, making lens changes a breeze, regardless of the lens platform. You can quickly and easily switch between different lenses without having to remove the camera from the housing, except when installing or removing the FTZ adapter.

Mission Control

As with other Nauticam housings, the essential controls are placed as close to the handles as possible to make these the most intuitive and user friendly housings available.  Our engineers place controls where they are needed most, not just simply close to where the button is on the camera.  Dials feature rubberized finger grooves and levers are shaped for smooth operation.  In addition to the dedicated dual thumb-levers near each handle, 'PLAYBACK' & 'DISP' on the left and 'REC' & 'AF-ON' on the right, there is a dual action lever near the front left handle for the user assignable 'Fn1' & 'Fn2' buttons.  Near the right handle is also a nested 'ISO' lever.  To make image review even easier, especially when using the EVF, the 'ZOOM IN' and 'ZOOM OUT' buttons are mapped to the right hand side near the handle.

Enhanced Viewfinders

Electronic viewfinders are constantly achieving higher resolution and better dynamic range and the Z8 features a 3690k-dot OLED 0.5" viewfinder.  Pair the Z8's EVF with Nauticam's Full Frame Enhanced Viewfinders for unrestricted viewing of the entire EVF in either a straight or angled configuration.  The added working distance from the back of the housing makes for a more comfortable and natural position underwater.  Edge to edge visibility and a dioptric adjustment make for easier composition and tack-sharp focus.

Cooling Fins

Nauticam’s drive for innovation doesn't stop at elevated ergonomic camera control but continues onto the sometimes overlooked aspects of a camera housing. The NA-Z8 camera tray was uniquely designed with heat dissipation in mind. With the Z8’s unprecedented video specs they foresaw heat being something that may be encountered. Take a closer look at the NA-Z8s camera tray and you'll see baffles that distribute the heat from the Z8 across a larger surface area allowing your camera to cool while in use.

Flash Triggering

The NA-Z8 comes with the manual LED Flash Trigger (#26350) pre-installed.  An optional TTL LED Flash Trigger is available (#26308). Both are self-powered by coin-cell batteries and provide fast triggering of supported strobes via the built-in fiber optic bulkheads of the NA-Z8. 

Premium Professional Optics

Nauticam's lineup of optics insure the sharpest, most natural looking images underwater whether it's super-macro or wide-angle.  The WACP-1 Wide Angle Conversion Lens works flawlessly with the Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lens to deliver an impressive 130º field-of-view at 28mm and 83º at 48mm.  A ~0" minimum focus distance and small front element makes composition and lighting even easier. Those looking for a more compact system can use the new WACP-C with the Sony SEL2870 28-70mm f3.5-5.6 OSS lens plus the Megadap ETZ 21 adapter which delivers full zoom through and a 130º to 59º field-of-view.

Want greater than 1:1 magnification with unmatched sharpness?  The SMC-1 and SMC-2 provide 2.2x and 3.6x magnification respectively with the Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro lens and can be easily mounted with the Nauticam flips system allowing for fast deployment as well as secure and accurate placement of the optic.

HDMI Output

The Nikon Z8 promises clean full-resolution HDMI output using an HDMI type A connector and the NA-Z8 features an M24 bulkhead that can accommodate an HDMI 2.0 connection to a monitor/recorder such as the Atomos Ninja5+ in the NA-Ninja5 housing. Mounting a housing for a monitor/recorder is possible using the one M10 or 4x 1/420UNC threaded mounts at the top of the housing.

Integrated Vacuum Check and Leak Detection System

The Nauticam vacuum check and leak detection system is shipped with NA-Z8 as standard equipment. Combined with an accessory vacuum valve (PN 25624), this monitoring system provides constant updates on the water tight and safe-to-dive status of the housing. A simple color coded LED lighting system lets the user know that the vacuum is solid, or that the housing is losing vacuum. Leak detection is built into the same circuit, so if there is water intrusion, an audible and visual indication will occur.The Nauticam system is temperature compensated, eliminating false alarms caused by a change in outside temperature, or from a camera heating up on an action packed dive.