Dust on the sensor can make for some ugly splotches on your photos. The built-in sensor cleaning function, which shakes the sensor at very high speed, does an OK job. And you can also minimize the visual effects by using large apertures, but that’s not always a good solution. A better bet is to keep dust off the sensor to begin with.
But that’s easier said than done. Every time you change a lens, there’s a good chance of some dust sneaking its way in there. And that’s even more likely when you’re out and about shooting in dusty environments, obviously. And with their static charge, digital camera sensors are literal dust magnets.
With DSLRs, there’s at least a mirror there to help intercept floating dust particles. It’s definitely not a complete solution—plenty of dust can still find its way onto the sensor.
But with a mirrorless camera, the sensor is fully exposed. It’s made even worse by the shortened flange focal length of mirrorless cameras, which makes the sensor even more exposed.
The Nikon Z8, comes with a solution. 1 It’s in the form of a shield, or cover, that goes across to protect the sensor when the camera it turned off. And when you’re changing lenses, that can make a huge difference, because any dust is going to hit the shield rather than the sensor itself.
But, somewhat oddly, the feature is disabled on the Z8 by default.
It’s easy to do, but it can make a real difference in how often you have to deal with dust bunnies when you edit your photos.
NB: Before doing this, make sure the sensor is free of dust as much as possible by using a bulb blower on it, if necessary.
How to Enable the Sensor Shield on the Nikon Z8
You can find the setting under:
Setup Menu > Sensor shield behavior at power off
When you go to the submenu, you get these two options. The default selection is Sensor shield stays open.
To enable the sensor shield, choose Sensor shield closes.
You’ll get this popup information.
Clean Image Sensor
There’s another feature that works well in conjunction with the sensor shield. I’ve covered it in more detail separately, but here’s the short version.
The Nikon Z8, as with many digital cameras in recent years, includes a built-in sensor cleaning function. The gist is that it momentarily vibrates the sensor to (hopefully) shake free any dust particles clinging to the sensor. It can be useful, although it’s not a whole solution by itself.
By default, this setting is to clean the image sensor every time the camera is powered off. If you want to manually engage it or turn the feature off, you can find it in the adjacent menu item.
Things Worth Knowing
- If you do need to use a dust blower on your sensor to blast away any dust, you’ll need to turn the shield feature off first. Otherwise, you’ll obviously just be blowing dust off the shield, not off the sensor itself.
- Don’t ever use one of those pressurized can dust blowers on a camera sensor. You can end up with marking residue, and they often come out very cold, potentially damaging the sensor. If you do need to use a blower, an old-school bulb blower is a much safer option.
- This also goes for the Nikon Z9. It also has a sensor shield feature, and it’s disabled by default. You can enable it with the same steps.
Nikon Z8 Manual & Firmware Updates
- You can find the Nikon Z8 manual here [PDF]. There’s also an online reference guide.
- You can find the latest Nikon Z8 firmware and related software updates here. Nikon released an updated version (C:Ver.1.01) on August 23, 2023.
Nikon Z8 Price & Availability
The Nikon Z8 was released in May 2023. For good reason, it has been highly sought after, so it might be worth getting on a waitlist sooner rather than later.
The Z8 It packs many of the features of the flagship Z9 into a smaller form factor and is touted by Nikon as the true successor to the Nikon D850 DSLR (and also as “the ultimate hybrid camera”).
It’s sold in various configurations, including:
- Body only (MSRP $3999)
- With 24-120mm ƒ/4 zoom lens (MSRP $5099)
Check the current availability and price at:
- 45.7MP FX-Format Stacked CMOS Sensor
- 8.3K 60p N-RAW, 4.1K 60p ProRes RAW
- Lightweight Design, 30% Smaller than Z9
- Up to 20 fps Raw, 30 fps JPEG Shooting
- 493-Point AF, AI-Based Subject Detection
- with NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S Zoom Lens
- 45.7MP FX-Format Stacked CMOS Sensor
- 8.3K 60p N-RAW, 4.1K 60p ProRes RAW
- Lightweight Design, 30% Smaller than Z9
- Up to 20 fps Raw, 30 fps JPEG Shooting
- 493-Point AF, AI-Based Subject Detection
Essential Accessories for the Nikon Z8
Some accessories are optional, but these are pretty much essential. And they don’t come with the camera as standard.
FTZ II Lens Mount Adapter
If you’re upgrading from a Nikon DSLR and have F-mount lenses you want to use on the Z8, don’t forget to pick up an FTZ II lens mount adapter. This lets you use Nikon / NIKKOR F-mount lenses on Nikon Z mirrorless camera bodies while retaining autofocus, stabilization, and other features. And because there’s no glass, there’s no impact on image quality or light loss.
Memory Cards for the Nikon Z8
The Nikon Z8 has two memory card slots. One takes CFexpress Type B or XQD memory cards. The other takes SD cards. I’ve put together a more detailed post on Nikon Z8 memory card recommendations, but here are some quick recommendations.
Slot 1: CFexpress Type B
- ProGrade Digital Cobalt CFexpress Type B
- SanDisk Extreme Pro (SDCFE) CFexpress Type B
- Lexar Professional GOLD Series CFexpress Type B
- Nikon MC-CF660G CFexpress Type B
- Type: CFexpress Type B
- Write Speed: 1200 MB/s
- Read Speed: 1700 MB/s
- Type: CFexpress Type B
- Write Speed: 1500 MB/s
- Read Speed: 1700 MB/s
- Type: CFexpress Type B
- Write Speed: 1500 MB/s
- Read Speed: 1750 MB/s
- Type: CFexpress Type B
- Write Speed: 1500 MB/s
- Read Speed: 1700 MB/s
Slot 2: SDXC UHS-II V90
- ProGrade Digital V90 UHS-II SDXC
- SanDisk Extreme Pro V90 UHS-II SDXC
- Lexar Professional 2000x Gold V90 UHS-II SDXC
- Type: SDXC UHS-II V90
- Write Speed: Up to 250 MB/s
- Read Speed: Up to 300 MB/s
- Type: SDXC UHS-II V90
- Write Speed: Up to 260 MB/s
- Read Speed: Up to 300 MB/s
- Type: SDXC UHS-II V90
- Read Speed: Up to 300 MB/s
Related Posts
- They’re not the only cameras to do it; a handful of others, like higher-end Sony cameras, also have a sensor shield.[↩]
Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-09-28 at 17:02. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
