Why the Z 8 Was a Perfect Fit for a High-Pressure Shoot

The assignment to shoot the Z 8 video—which we hope you’ve just seen—had many elements that were familiar territory to Dixie Dixon: sizable crew, multiple locations, several models, assorted animals and lots of details, outfits and accessories; plus a tight schedule that allowed only five days to plan and prepare, then four days to shoot.   

There was one crucial element at the center of it all—the Z 8, which Dixie found familiar in performance and new in its ease of handling—and we mean “handling” quite literally.

“The ergonomics are perfect,” she says. “I have tiny hands, and the Z 8 feels like a D850—just the right size for me.” Which means the Z 8 will pretty much be her go-to camera going forward. “It’s also a lot lighter, and that’ll make a difference when I have to bring gear to different shoots or do a lot of climbing.”

It will also make a difference indoors, as Dixie is very often tethered to a monitor so commercial- and fashion-shoot clients or their reps can view the images as they’re created. “The Z 8 just makes it easier and quicker to move around, to get everything done,” she sums up. And that was a key to getting the video shot in just four days. 

“We had a cohesive but abstract storyline that involved three different couples—soul mates meeting in different lifetimes, different time periods,” Dixie says. The concept led to an old-time train station, complete with its train, and scenes of indoor opulence and outdoor adventure; to horses, camels, a poodle, a Bronco; to time shifts and the clothes and accessories required. The stories are glimpsed in a minute-and-a-half of creative fantasy that’s alluringly real, yet elusively just out of reach. 

Under Pressure

The fact that the Z 8 fit seamlessly into Dixie’s shooting style and production workflow made the assignment practically a field test in the midst of a high-pressure, multi-level production. 

The fit was definitely noticed. “You know, we often use gimbals on our shoots,” Dixie says. “You can see one in the behind-the-scenes video, and while you can shoot the Z 8 hand-held, on the gimbal it gave us incredible, smooth-as-butter slow motion. We shot almost the whole video in 4k 60p, and the gimbal with slow motion is a great pairing.”

There was additional evidence that the Z 8 is a serious video-making machine. “My cinematographers—they’ve all shot for different clients using the big, high-end cameras, and they fell in love with this camera for its image quality…and the fact that their backs didn’t hurt.” 

The hybrid nature of the Z 8 and its quick switching from video to stills came into play in a big way to handle the demands of the shoot. “For our schedule we had to shoot both stills and video each day, going back and forth a lot,” Dixie says, “and the Z 8 handled that seamlessly.”

Inspiration and Anticipation

Another element associated with the Z 8 and its easy-handling performance has to do with the future, as Dixie looks forward to using the camera strictly for videography. “Rather than switch from video to stills on a shoot, I’m looking forward to having a strictly video day,” she says. “Then I could really focus on filming. The Z 8 inspires me to get in there and do a lot of the filming as well as being the director—it’s so light and so easy [to handle], I could really get creative with it, and I’m excited to actually do some personal projects. That’s really the beauty of it—you don’t need a huge crew to create beautiful, cinematic high-end footage with this camera.”

In a way, that too is familiar territory: the gear and its technology inspiring creativity.