Scribblings About Things
Overblown Arguments Over Third Party Support of Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.00
As I had mentioned in my post a couple of days back, there have been reports of Tamron lenses not working, either partially or completely disabled, with Nikon Z8’s latest firmware 3.00. Tamron themselves have also posted a service advisory regarding this issue on their official site.
I do get that some users are frustrated over the fact that the native Z-mount Tamron lenses that they own are not fully compatible with the latest Z8 firmware, even though Z-mount Tamron lenses are supposed to be developed under license from Nikon.
In addition to that, several new reports of third party mount adapters from Megadap or Techart are not working as well after the update have also surfaced in the past couple of days.
And this has let to quite a bit of overblown arguments online with regards to who is to blame for this and in more extreme cases, how this firmware update is entirely not up to par, leading to some users calling it a fiasco of an update.
To be honest I do think this is quite a disappointing reaction to see from the users, especially considering the fact that many new features have been implemented in this new firmware update, so calling this firmware update a failure just because third party support is not perfect somehow sounds to me like an entitled user whining.
Before I continue, I think Tamron needs to be given a huge round of applause for acknowledging the issue early (literally the same day the firmware update was released) and letting users know that they are looking into the situation. It is indeed a good move from them to instill confidence in their customers.
So now, we all know that firmware updates (no matter major or minor) have shown time and time again that third party electronic peripherals, be it lenses or batteries, may no longer work as intended due to protocol changes or code changes. This has always been the case, so usage of third party accessories will always bring this risk as manufacturers might update certain safety or security protocols and do not guarantee full compatibility with using said third party accessories; even more so for accessories developed through reverse engineering of the electronic protocols.
I know this first hand - I sent in my D800 for routine maintenance in the past and the service center updated my camera to the latest firmware, which led to my Sigma 35/1.4DG HSM being unable to autofocus at all. It was fixed by updating the Sigma lens via the USB Dock.
The main argument for this current problem right now is that Tamron officially developed the said native Z-mount lenses under a license from Nikon, and because of this the lenses should work as intended with the latest camera body firmware update as it is released.
Unfortunately I think that this argument is not sound at all, since it would mean that Nikon would have to develop its firmware around how Tamron writes their lenses’ firmware, either that or Nikon would have to wait for Tamron to finish up updating their lenses’ firmware before releasing the Z8 FW3.00 penalizing users who are using native Nikon lenses.
Either of these scenarios just sounds improbable from Nikon’s point of view don’t you think?
On top of that, the actual licensing of the lens mount protocol from Nikon to develop the lenses is not a transparent transaction - apart from the manufacturers themselves (and I would argue even so only a handful within the organizations), no one else outside that circle knows what exactly is being licensed and what kind of royalties are in play over here.
If you look over the fence at the E-mount system, Tamron, and even Sigma, release firmware updates for their lenses every now and then when a new body is released or a firmware update for a current body might have changed something. So this is not exactly something new even when things are being developed in partnership or under a license.
Some argued that Nikon should have sent Tamron a beta copy or SDK of the FW3.00 so that they could prepare firmware updates for their lenses when FW3.00 landed. I do agree with this argument, since as partners this should be the case to maintain the relationship down the road, and if Nikon did not send them any prior information or SDK for Tamron to update their firmware, then I do agree that it is a huge oversight on Nikon’s end, especially considering that Tamron does have quite a fair bit of lenses for the Z-mount.
But objectively speaking, no one knows whether Nikon did or did not send them a SDK, and no one knows if Tamron has perhaps already been working on updates for their lenses prior to the release but just unfortunately could not make it in time for the actual release of FW3.00.
The 2-week gap between the announcement of Z8’s FW3.00 and the actual release date might actually be a little hint that there was more going behind closed doors than we are allowed to know.
Also as of now, it is not as if the lenses are bricked totally (since many users do comment that the lenses have no issues working on their other Z bodies), and the main culprit seems to be the newly added Focus Limiter function. Furthermore, Nikon is one of the few camera manufacturers I know of (or in fact, the only camera manufacturer) that allows you to rollback your firmware to an older version if required.
So right now, if you are using Tamron lenses as a main lens on your Z8, you have these 3 options:
If none of the FW3.00 new features are immediately crucial or required, just rollback to FW2.10 (or not update your Z8 if you have not done so) and you will get the full intended compatibility of the lens and body as it always has been.
If you need Focus Limiter, run Z8 on FW2.10 and use Tamron Lens Utility software to customize the custom function and button to map Tamron’s version of Focus Limiter to the lens.
If you need FW3.00 features other than Focus Limiter, update your Tamron lenses, disable all custom functions on the Tamron lenses (especially Tamron’s version of Focus Limiter via the Tamron Lens Utility software), and the lenses should work as intended on Z8 FW3.00. Do note that this might still cause some unintended hiccups here and there since Tamron has not officially come out to mention what other compatibility issues are there.
However if you are in the group which requires both FW3.00 features immediately and the Focus Limiter ability, your only choice is to just sit down and wait for Tamron’s firmware update. And also perhaps ponder over the above 3 suggestions I gave regarding to workarounds right now.
Lastly, regarding other reverse-engineered lenses and mount adapters, the final verdict on their compatibility is still hazy at best, but to play safe it is best to just stick with FW2.10 for now while keeping a lookout on the respective manufacturers’ websites for firmware updates in the coming days.
To summarize everything up, yes the firmware 3.00 for the Nikon Z8 did cause some compatibility issues with 3rd party lenses, even for those developed under license from Nikon. But to be fair we do not know what the license covers, and we also do not know whether Nikon themselves actually did provide SDKs to Tamron prior to the firmware’s release as part of their partnership. It always has been up to the third party manufacturers themselves to ensure compatibility, and if you need your gear working right now you could just rollback the firmware to the older FW2.10 and have everything working as it was.
A little patience goes a long way, so be glad that there are options to make the gear work just as it was. Go out and enjoy shooting!
Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.00 and Image Rotation Settings
A new option called [Auto-rotate during playback] has been added to the playback menu category form firmware 3.00 of the Z8.
If you are like me and got confused with what it actually does since there is already a [Auto-rotate pictures] option in the playback menu, and with both the manual and supplementary manual not giving clear enough explanations, fret not as I have managed to decipher what actually is going on!
So just a little history lesson first. With firmware 2.00 Nikon introduced the [Auto image rotation] option to the playback menu, which sat above the [Auto-rotate pictures] option and was as confusing as it could get in terms of naming. (I had written an article here when FW2.00 was announced)
With firmware 2.10 they thankfully relabeled [Auto image rotation] to [Record camera orientation], which makes it clearer what the option actually does.
However one thing I need to mention here is that the reference guide (both the PDF and the online version) is kind of misleading as to what [Record camera orientation] does, since as a setting by itself it does not automatically rotate images when viewed in camera. The supplementary manual for firmware 2.00 actually had a better explanation in the footnote, which I will paste here for reference (edited for the new label):
If [OFF] is selected for [Auto-rotate pictures], images displayed on the camera during playback are always in landscape (wide) orientation, regardless of whether [ON] or [OFF] is selected for [Auto image rotation] [Record camera orientation].
If [OFF] is selected for [Auto image rotation] [Record camera orientation], images displayed during playback are always in landscape (wide) orientation, even if [ON] is selected for [Auto-rotate pictures].
Ok so with this, I will begin explaining how these 3 settings, [Record camera orientation], [Auto-rotate pictures], and [Auto-rotate during playback] work in tandem with each other.
The very first option, [Record camera orientation], writes into the image file the orientation of the camera when the image is captured (for simplicity let’s just use “portrait” or “landscape” orientation).
If this setting is turned off, regardless of what the settings for [Auto-rotate pictures] and [Auto-rotate during playback] are, images will always be viewed as a landscape image on both the camera monitor and on PC.
This setting needs to be turned on for the other 2 settings to have any effect.
So assuming that [Record camera orientation] is turned on, what [Auto-rotate pictures] then does is that when the playback button is being pressed, depending on the camera orientation at the time when playback is initialized, portrait orientation images would be rotated to fit the screen, i.e. when [Auto-rotate pictures] is on,
When holding the camera in a portrait orientation (vertically), and pressing the playback button, portrait orientation images will fill the screen.
When holding the camera in a landscape orientation (horizontally), and pressing the playback button, portrait orientation images will be shown as vertical images on the horizontal screen (black spaces to the left and right).
However if [Auto-rotate pictures] is turned off, even if [Record camera orientation] is turned on images are always shown horizontally filling the entire screen regardless of what orientation the image was when shot and what orientation the camera was in when playback is pressed.
(This is the exact reason why I mentioned that the reference guide’s explanation is misleading)
So with that, now what does the new [Auto-rotate during playback] do?
Its requirements are that [Record camera orientation] and [Auto-rotate pictures] have to be turned on, and from there, if [Auto-rotate during playback] is turned on, during the playback process, portrait orientation images will be rotated in real-time depending on the camera’s current orientation, and not the orientation at the point whereby the playback button is pressed.
To summarize:
[Record camera orientation] writes orientation data to the image file; needs to be turned on for the other 2 settings to work.
[Auto-rotate pictures] will rotate portrait orientation images depending on what the camera’s orientation is at when the playback button is pressed; needs to be turned on for [Auto-rotate during playback] to work.
[Auto-rotate during playback] will rotate portrait orientation images to match the current camera’s orientation regardless of what the camera’s orientation was at when the playback button was pressed.
Hope this information helps!
Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.00 Issue With Tamron Lenses
Just like to inform Z8 users out there who are using native Z-mount Tamron lenses that there is an issue with the newly released Z8 FW3.00 with said Tamron lenses.
With the new firmware installed, there have been numerous complaints and feedback regarding Tamron lenses not being recognized by the camera body at all.
Tamron has issued a notification regarding this issue at their official support site here.
Some users have found that by turning off the newly added “Focus Limiter” function, it solved the issue and the Tamron lenses would work as normal, but if you are worried about other functions breaking with the Tamron lenses (like custom Tamron button functions and such), I think it might be safer to just stick with FW 2.10 first until Tamron release firmware updates for their lenses.
I will update this page again when more information becomes available either from Tamron or Nikon.
** Update 3/7/2025
It seems that for the Tamron 35-150/2-2.8, as long as you’re running on firmware 2 on the lens, the lens works without issues on FW3.00 Z8 as long as custom functions are not mapped to the lens via Tamron Lens Utility and the Z8’s new focus limiter is turned off.
I suppose this should be the case for the other Z-mount Tamron lenses too, but I do not own them to test out.
Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.00 Released
The previously announced Z8 firmware 3.00 is now officially released.
It can be downloaded on their official page here.
Since it is a major firmware update, the list of changes is pretty substantial, and along with it comes a supplementary manual which can be downloaded here.
(They do update the supplementary manual links sometimes so instead of linking directly to the supplementary manual’s PDF I have linked to the manual overview page instead)
I covered in my previous post regarding some of the changes that were announced, so do refer to it if you would like a summary of the changes in the new firmware.
I will update my camera some time later this week after my assignments are over and write a more detailed article on my opinions on the changes after I have tested them out.
Nikon Z50II, Z5II, Z6III and Zf Firmware Updates Released
Nikon has released minor firmware updates for the Z50II, Z5II, Z6III and Zf.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official pages listed below:
This is a minor firmware update which brings about some text changes for Nikon Imaging Cloud connection procedures.
The Z5II’s update also includes some minor changes to SnapBridge and the d13 custom menu item.
Nikon Z8 Firmware 3.00 Announced
Last week, Nikon announced firmware 3.00, a major firmware update, for the Nikon Z8.
Details of the firmware changes can be viewed at the special contents page on their official website (in English here).
For Japanese readers, unfortunately there is no special content page yet, so the information is on the Z8’s product page here, and the press release here.
Interestingly, it is not a development announcement, yet the actual firmware is unavailable for download (both at time of announcement and at the time of this post), which I suspect might be due to last minute ironing out of bugs or wanting to coincide with the Photonext 2025 convention last week.
Being a major firmware update, there are some new features being implemented in this firmware, and some of the more prominent ones are:
Pixel shift combined with focus shift or AE bracketing. This is definitely a big plus for macro shooters or still-life studio shooters since you can eliminate moire and also get high resolution images.
In-camera focus distance limiter. I can see how it would be useful for a wide range of photographers to prevent unnecessary hunting and improve response speeds. It feels like an evolution of the auto-capture feature implemented for the Z9 (and later the Z8), which brings me to wonder if the directional movement detection of the auto-capture feature could be implemented in normal shooting modes too.
Support for flexible color picture controls. This would bring the Z8’s picture control support more in-line with the newer EXPEED7 bodies, though as of writing the announcement did not mention any support for Nikon Imaging Cloud, so I suppose Imaging Recipes are still not supported with FW3.00. With flexible color picture control support, one workaround for this is to use a Imaging Cloud-enabled body (as of writing, Z50II, Z5II, Z6III, Zf), load one of the Imaging Cloud Recipes you like and take a shot, extract the picture control profile using NX Studio, and load it into the FW3.00 Z8.
Custom wide-area AF (C1/C2) have been updated to support up to 135 different patterns (from the initial 20 patterns in previous firmware versions), and also the customizations are enabled to the edges of the sensor (29 x 17) as well, as compared to the previous 21 x 13 maximum area. This is significant as it brings a lot more options for the custom wide-area AF (and more in line with the newer EXPEED7 bodies), and this is the first Nikon body with the 45.7MP sensor with full customization for this, and we can be quite sure that something similar will be available for the Z9 soon enough.
Subject detection is now available in manual focus modes, similar to that of the Zf and Z6III.
There are also other quality of life and workflow improvements, such as higher zoom magnification or voice memo implementations, as well as some video-related upgrades, all of which are detailed in the links provided at the top of this post.
One particular feature that sounds a bit confusing right now is the new a14 option “Maximum Aperture Live View”. In the special contents page it sounds like it would work for autofocus as well by focusing at maximum aperture and stopping down just right before shooting (like how the DSLRs worked) for better accuracy and light gathering during focusing. However, a similar implementation for the Z9 seems to work only for manual focus, so either this feature has been refined for the Z8 (and updated for the Z9 accordingly), or there is some misunderstanding on how the feature would work.
Nevertheless I’m definitely glad that new features are coming!
Nikon Z6II and Z7II Firmware Update 1.70 Released
Nikon has released firmware 1.70 for both the Nikon Z6II and Z7II.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official page here (for Z6II) and here (for Z7II).
Unfortunately no, this is not the unicorn FW2.00 that would miraculously bring the power of the dual EXPEED6 to EXPEED7 levels (running joke in the community just in case anyone gets offended).
It adds Russian language for units sold in the region, and also fixes some operational bugs with regards to touch AF and viewfinder settings.
Nikon Zf Minor Firmware Update 2.01 Released
Nikon released firmware 2.01, a minor firmware update, for the Nikon Zf.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official page here.
It addresses a bug which caused an error in the camera under certain conditions when using Multiple Exposure, so definitely update it if this is a feature you use often.
Nikon Z6 and Z7 Firmware Update 3.80 Released
Nikon released firmware 3.80 for both the Nikon Z6 and Z7.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official page here (for Z6) and here (for Z7).
It addresses a bug which caused the camera to record shutter speeds incorrectly in the Exif when using bulb or time mode for long exposures.
Nikon Z50 and Zfc Minor Firmware Updates and Nikon Software Updates
Over the past couple of days Nikon released some minor firmware updates for the Z50 and the Zfc, together with minor software updates to NX Studio and Wireless Transmitter Utility (WTU).
The firmware can be downloaded from their respective official links here:
Z50 download page
Zfc download page
Similarly, the software updates can be downloaded here:
NX Studio
Wireless Transmitter Utility
The minor updates for the cameras and software are small bug fixes as well as adding support to the Z5II.
However, one particular thing to take note about the new NX Studio is that it now requires logging into a Nikon account in order to use it. I am not sure how the repercussions would be with air-gapped PCs, so it might be a good time to make sure that you keep a copy of NX Studio 1.8.0 (the previous version) which does not require signing in. The official direct download page is here - this link will be archived once the next version comes out so do act fast if you need it.
As for the WTU, even with this update I still cannot get it to work properly (will write a separate post on this), so unless they do a major overhaul on the underlying code and protocols, I cannot recommend it as a reliable way to beam photos to your PC.
Nikon Z50II and Z9 Minor Firmware Updates Released
Earlier this week Nikon has released minor firmware updates for both the Z50II and the Z9.
The new firmware for the Z50II (Version 1.01) can be downloaded here from their official site.
Similarly, the new firmware for the Z9 (Version 5.20) can be downloaded here from their official site.
As mentioned these are minor updates, so I decided to just write about both in one article.
Firstly for the Z50II, FW 1.01 fixes some bugs with remote shooting and Snapbridge, renamed an item in Custom Settings, and added support for pre-release capture with Smallrig’s remote as well as a new language.
As for the Z9, FW 5.20 also tackled with bugs affecting remote shooting and burst shooting operations, as well as renaming the same item in Custom Settings menu.
An interesting note for FW 5.20 is that NX Field, which used to be a paid upgrade, is now available to the Z9 with this firmware upgrade. While I am not the targeted audience for NX Field, this is definitely a generous move for those who use Z9’s in such situations.
On a more interesting note, the particular bug fix regarding pressing playback after shooting multiple bursts could in some instances corrupt images, I actually fell victim to this bug once on the Z7. While I had no issues recovering the files using a file recovery software, I was unable to replicate that error and just ignored it as a one-off event and just attributed it to user error. Quite interesting to see now that a fix is out for it for the Z9, so perhaps the other models might be affected as well?
Just wondering what the exact conditions are to trigger that bug..hmm..
Nikon Zf Firmware 2.00 Released
Just earlier today, Nikon has officially released firmware 2.00, a major firmware update, for the Nikon Zf.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official page here.
Similarly, the long list of changes and updates implemented in this new major firmware update is listed on the official download page link above, as well as documented in a supplementary firmware update manual (PDF download). I highly recommend going through both the changelog and the supplementary manual to learn more about the changes.
This update came at a really good time - I was just discussing about this firmware and the Z6III’s missing firmware update a few days ago in this post here, and I believed that the updates would come before the Z5II’s official shipping date. (And still believe that the one meant for the Z6III would come adhere to this rule too)
Now as mentioned this is a major firmware update with a long list of changes, so I am just going to list here some of the changes that I am really excited about.
The monitor/AF point bug is fixed! Like finally! (I have documented the bug in my Zf equipment discussion page here)
Cycle-AF area mode can be set to a custom button - this is the one function I use a lot on my Z8, and hence have been waiting for it to come to the Zf ever since the Z50II gave a sneak peek of what to expect. The video record button, being slightly out of the way, is now way more useful since there is no fiddling with dials but just a button press away from an AF area mode change.
Auto ISO capability can be split between “C” mode and when using the dedicated ISO dial to set ISO. Simply put, there is now a very quick, easy (and may I also say, elegant) way to turn on Auto ISO without going into the menus. (I previously discussed this small inconvenience back in this post here and in my Zf discussion page, and although I suggested having a custom function for it, the solution implemented is actually way more elegant and I definitely am thankful I am not the UX designer lol)
By setting Auto ISO to ON when in C mode, and setting Auto ISO to OFF in the dial region, just by a quick turn to the C mode you could easily activate Auto ISO, and switching back to any of the ISO values on the dial would lock it back to fixed ISO at that value.
The “Auto ISO with dial setting the max ISO” trick still works if you set Auto ISO on for both instances.
Ability to change the command dials to represent ISO or exposure compensation when shooting in M-mode - I am not the target audience for this since I prefer to keep my shutter speed dial to 1/3-step and use the command dial for it, but for those who exclusively use the physical shutter speed dial with Auto-ISO I can totally see how this would change the way the camera would work for themm
Nikon Imaging Cloud access is finally here, and I am quite excited to test out all the recipes, especially since some of my work does require me to shoot and deliver in JPG directly this would really be helpful.
Double tap Touch Fn is available, and can be used to set absolute position or reset the AF point. Nice.
Remember this pair of very confusing menu items? Turns out that Nikon did listen to feedback, and it is now properly labeled as “Record Camera Orientation”!
There are also quite a few video-related updates, but truth be told I am not a video person (at least at point of writing) so I am not going to discuss much about them here.
In summary, the Zf is already a very highly performant camera, and all these quality of life changes (and the much needed bug fix) would make this camera a bigger joy to use!
Where Are the Zf and Z6III Firmware Updates?
After the Z5II’s announcement last week (details of the announcement on this post here), I took a look at some of the videos and articles done by people who have tried out the pre-production units, and realized that the Z5II would come with a firmware very similar to that the Z50II.
That is to say, it would include a lot of the newer customization options that were added to the Z8/Z9 via firmware updates (such as being able to set “Cycle AF-area mode” to a custom key, or being able to set the “Delete” function to a custom key during playback).
When I tried out the Zf loaded with the pre-release FW2.00 at Nikon’s booth in CP+ 2025 earlier this year, on top of the Nikon Imaging Cloud access options, the “f2: Custom Controls (Shooting)” custom settings also saw many new additions to it, bringing the level of customization to that of the Z8/Z9 (and now, the Z50II and Z5II too), as well as fixing the infamous rear-screen bug of the Zf.
And since Nikon did mention themselves that the Zf would see an update to gain access to the Imaging Cloud, it is only a matter of time before the Zf’s firmware update would land.
Which then raises a very interesting question - why does the Z6III’s firmware feel a bit nerfed as compared to the supposedly lower level Z50II and Z5II?
With the exception of the Z6III (and Zf for now), all the EXPEED 7 based bodies, FX or DX, would come equipped with a dedicated Bird AF in its subject detection options. While I know that for the Z6III the animal detection AF would work for birds too, it just feels strange that the Z6III, supposedly being the top-of-the-line hybrid camera, lacks that option, as well as the other customizations available for setting custom functions to the Fn keys. These customizations can be viewed as quality-of-life improvements, and many of which would benefit working photographers. And if the pre-release Zf FW 2.00 were to be a clue, most of the customizations seen in the Z50II/Z5II are just firmware based and can be added via an update.
There might be issues or difficulties that we do not know about regarding implementing the options in Z6III, or perhaps the presence of some other bugs that they would like to iron out, or perhaps there some are extra additions or goodies they would like to include in the major firmware update of the Z6III - all of which only the Nikon engineers would know and I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt. But nevertheless, I personally think as a sign of good faith Nikon should release the major firmware update for Z6III before the Z5II officially ships, so that current owners of Z6III would not feel left out, or in harsher terms, cheated, that a lower level body would have the improved menu options and customizations.
Final note: these are just my personal observations, opinions and speculations, and are by no means rumors or confirmations of any sorts regarding firmware updates coming any time soon.
** Update 8/4/2025: Zf firmware 2.00 officially released. Details are discussed in my post over here.
Nikon Z8 Firmware 2.01 Released
Earlier today Nikon released a minor firmware update (2.01) for the Z8.
The firmware can be downloaded at the official Nikon page here.
This minor firmware update changed the default encryption keys of the camera, which is similar to the recent wave of firmware updates that have been released for the other Z bodies.
And the main attention of this minor update is to fix the issue regarding the d-pad panning the image in wrong directions when used in vertical mode. (I have written about this in more detail in this post over here).
One interesting note of this patch is the fixing of green color cast with some pictures taken. While I personally have not encountered it myself (and thus not sure what combinations of settings would trigger it), I am wondering if they changed the imaging algorithm a bit in FW2.00 since there has been some buzz in forums and discussion boards about FW2.00 RAW files looking cleaner and less noisy at higher ISOs. There is no concrete evidence so far to substantiate the high ISO improvements as far as I know, so take this statement with a pinch of salt.
That said, I am really curious what are the conditions that would trigger the green color cast. Hmm..
Are We Getting Too Hooked on Camera Firmware Updates?
I have been wanting to write a piece on this issue for a while now, and it just happened that earlier today a new firmware update came out for the Z6II (FW1.62 here) and Z7II (FW1.62 here), and observing the reaction online spurred me to write this piece today.
So the firmware updates this time round addressed a couple of bugs regarding the camera’s operation, and also implemented some minor changes in its wireless connectivity settings.
Definitely nothing major, but personally I appreciate the effort made by Nikon to address these glitches and improving operation stability for everyday use.
However, there is so much noise about how this firmware update is too minor, and a FW2.00 with proper AF updates should be the one being released.
Gosh, seeing how people keep repeating the same thing every time a minor update is out is really unbearable.
I, for one, definitely appreciate that issues are fixed as soon as possible in the forms of minor updates, instead of waiting for a release with a larger update.
And in this particular case, not once has Nikon promised a FW2.00 update for the Z6II/Z7II, but just speculation from users and online keyboard pros.
Would I be happy if a FW2.00 came out for my Z6II and brought about improved AF algorithms and new features? Definitely!
But I bought my Z6II knowing well its limitations and capabilities, and any other feature that is added via FW would just be a touch of nice gesture from the manufacturer.
Similarly for the Z8, I also purchased it knowing that it promised similar levels of performance of its bigger sibling, the Z9. Z8’s FW2.00 came as a surprise as it added a ton of new features and customization to the camera, and while I am in no doubt very satisfied with the new features implemented in Z8’s FW2.00, none of them were promised from the beginning.
Would a theoretical Z8 FW3.00 bring new features that we have not thought of? Very highly probable. Would Z8 end at FW2.00 and only bug fixes be released in the future? Equally probable too, I would say.
I still remember those days whereby a firmware update for DSLR was so rare that, normally only critical bugs are fixed.
Some may argue that cameras these days are more “computer” than “camera”, and to that point I agree whole-heartedly also. However feeling entitled to constant major firmware updates that would implement new major features every time is just asking for the impossible.
And at least over here in Nikon we do see some major firmware updates every now and then, and we have also seen that Nikon tries to put the best and newest software features into the flagship Z9 first before it trickles down to the other models.
Be glad for that, as over in the orange camp, their flagships are not getting that much love, and the noise due to this is even worse there.
tl;dr - Purchase a camera based on what it is capable of at the time of purchase, and be glad that the manufacturer is even making an effort to fix minor bugs. Any major firmware update that implements new features should be seen as a nice privilege, rather than feeling absurdly entitled for them.
/end rant
Nikon Z8 Firmware 2.00 (Auto Image Rotation)
Z8’s FW 2.00 introduced a new setting, Auto Image Rotation under the Playback Menu, and as I was going through the options setting up my camera, I thought that this option sounded pretty confusing, especially since the next option just below is it called Auto-Rotate Pictures, and thought perhaps I could do some explaining.
Anyway it seems like what Auto Image Rotation does is to include or exclude rotation(orientation) data (most probably in the EXIF) when the image is saved. This data is then used when loading the images in the computer, so that images shot in vertical orientation can be automatically rotated and displayed properly as shot.
Similarly, the next setting, Auto-Rotate Pictures, if turned on, would use the same embedded rotation data to rotate vertical images during playback (i.e. when using the back LCD horizontally, vertical images would be rotated to be vertical with black bars beside it)
So once you know what these two options are actually for, the effects are as such:
Auto Image Rotation “On”, Auto-Rotate Pictures “On” - This is the default settings. Images shot will rotate properly on PC, and also rotate during playback when using the camera in horizontal position.
Auto Image Rotation “On”, Auto-Rotate Pictures “Off” - I use this pair of settings personally. Images shot will rotate properly on PC, but during playback images will always be displayed in landscape orientation.
Auto Image Rotation “Off”, Auto-Rotate Pictures “On” - Images shot will always be displayed in landscape orientation on PC and at the back of camera.
Auto Image Rotation “Off”, Auto-Rotate Pictures “Off” - Images shot will always be displayed in landscape orientation on PC and at the back of camera.
Hope it clears some confusion for any one out there who finds these pair of settings puzzling.
Anyway the Japanese menu option for this is “縦横位置情報の記録” - literally translated to “Recording Orientation Data”, and it explains what this option actually does clearly. While I get that there might be character limits for the menu items, why not just call it “Orientation Data” or “Image Rotation Data”, which makes it much easier to understand?
Side note 1: more information on this can be accessed on the Z8’s FW 2.00 supplementary manual (page 48 to be exact)
Side note 2: Auto-Rotate Pictures used to be called “Rotate Tall” in older Nikon bodies, so if you know what Rotate Tall does then it might be easier to understand.
** Extra Information Update (14/2/2024)
There seems to be a bug when these settings are set:
Playback Menu’s Auto Image Rotation ON
Playback Menu’s Auto-Rotate Pictures ON
Setup Menu’s Auto Rotate Info Display OFF
With these particular settings in place, when the camera is held in a vertical orientation and you playback a vertical image, the D-pad and touch controls for panning around the image act as though the camera is in horizontal position (in simple words, it’s moving in the wrong direction)
Have escalated this issue to the service center for them to look into it.
** Bugfix Update (23/4/2024)
Nikon has released FW2.01 (can be downloaded here) which addressed the issue mentioned above, and contains some other minor bug fixes.
** Information regarding FW3.00 settings here (2/7/2025)
Nikon Z8 Firmware 2.00 Release
Nikon has just released a firmware update (2.00) for the Z8 a couple of days ago.
I have updated my unit and tested it out, and am really liking the changes so far - please feel free to go through my Z8 equipment notes page to learn more about how I am using the Z8 with the new firmware if you are interested.
Anyway, here is a set of links for useful information regarding the new firmware update for the Z8.
Official Firmware Download Link
Official Firmware 2.00 Supplementary Manual (PDF)
FW 2.00 Video Introduction by Ricci Talks (YouTube)
I definitely recommend downloading a copy of the supplementary manual and go through it as the list of changes is really extensive.
At the end of the manual a set of default settings for the camera is also listed, so it is a useful reference if you wanted to revert any settings back to the original in the future.