Nikon Z8vs Pentax 17
Nikon
Nikon Z8 (2023)
Starting from £3999 new
Best for Sports, wildlife & hybrid professionals
View Nikon Z8
VS
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Sports, Wildlife & Hybrid Professionals — Nikon Z8 (2023): Z9 performance in a compact body — 45MP, 8K/60p RAW, and 20fps burst without the bulk or price of the flagship.
Film Photography Enthusiasts & Diptych Storytelling — Pentax 17 (2024): The best new film camera of the decade — manual controls, a sharp lens, and a half-frame format that doubles your roll and forces a new way of seeing.
Who should buy what
Nikon Z8 (2023)
- Professional photographers who want Z9 capability in a smaller body
- Wildlife and sports shooters who want 8K RAW and 120fps burst
- Z6 III or Z7 II owners upgrading to pro-grade performance
- Hybrid professionals who need the best Nikon video and stills in one body
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the nikon z8 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Nikon Z8 (2023) | Pentax 17 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,999 | £400 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | — |
| Video | 8K/60p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW | N/A — film camera |
| Autofocus | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) |
| Stabilisation | 6-stop IBIS | N/A — film camera |
| Burst Rate | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG | Manual wind-on |
| Battery Life | 330 shots (CIPA) | 2× CR2 lithium batteries |
| Weight | 910g body only | ~165g (without batteries) |
| Dimensions | 144.0 × 118.5 × 83.0mm | 113 × 66 × 44mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen | N/A |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD | 35mm 135-format film cartridge |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth | N/A |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Nikon Z8 | Pentax 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — |
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