Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.01 Released

Earlier today a minor firmware update for the Z8, firmware version 3.01, was released by Nikon.

It can be downloaded on their official page here.

This firmware update addressed the issue with certain 3rd party lenses (most notably Tamron lenses) not functioning properly after applying FW 3.00 that was released a couple of weeks back.

I covered in a previous post regarding the issue, and also did a small write-up about how I found the situation to be blown a bit out of proportions by online chatter.

To be honest I actually expected Tamron to be rolling out the firmware updates for the lenses, since they did officially mention that they were investigating the issue. But I guess there are deeper exchanges behind closed doors behind the two manufacturers and whatever fixes that were required have now been implemented by Nikon in FW 3.01 instead.

And to be honest, I am glad that the issue is resolved by Nikon’s firmware since you just have to update the body for full compatibility, rather than having to update the individual lenses.

It might have been an unfortunate oversight by Nikon in FW 3.00 that caused the issues with Tamron lenses, but I still stand by my point that if you are using 3rd party lenses, even officially licensed ones, you definitely need to be wary about updating cameras, especially so if you are using the bodies for critical work.

Anyway from preliminary reports online, as expected it seems like the affected Tamron lenses now work properly on the Z8. There were also reports of certain other reverse-engineered 3rd party lenses also seem to work again on the Z8, though there are conflicting results based on which manufacturer or which lens is in question.

This issue seems to be resolved for now, so let’s just stop the finger pointing and enjoy the camera more.