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Nikon rug-pulls Z8 users by removing Auto Capture from upcoming firmware update

Nikon's Auto Capture feature helps facilitate taking images of fast-moving subjects that enter the frame erratically. (Image source: Nikon)
Nikon's Auto Capture feature helps facilitate taking images of fast-moving subjects that enter the frame erratically. (Image source: Nikon)
While Nikon previously revealed that its nifty Auto Capture feature would make its way to the Nikon Z8 in a future firmware update, the verbiage stating such has mysteriously vanished from Nikon's marketing of the feature, leaving fans scratching their heads. Auto Capture, which has already made an appearance on the Nikon Z9, is a feature that automatically locks focus on and snaps an image of anything that enters the frame.

It appears that Nikon is trying to rewrite history by removing wording relating to the Auto Capture feature coming to its Z8 mirrorless camera, as noted by Nikon Rumors and users on the DP Review forum. Nikon has gone so far as to edit the Z9 firmware update 4.0 feature announcement video to remove mention of Auto Capture coming to the Z8 in the future. Previously, the Z9 firmware 4.0 video allegedly noted at around the 1:42 mark that Auto Capture would be coming to the Z8 in the future, but, now, there is no such mention — as seen in the video embedded below this article.

While some speculation suggests that mention of the feature coming to the Z8 was removed so that Nikon wouldn't be pressured into bringing it to the Z8 in a specific time frame, others have suggested more sinister motives. One thing that almost all the launch reviews note about the Z8 is how much it resembles the Z9 in performance, only falling behind slightly in terms of ergonomics, sustained burst shooting, and battery life — for US$1,500 less, those are easy compromises to live with. Nikon silently "un-announcing" Auto Capture for the Z8 could indicate that the camera maker was concerned about cannibalising its own flagship camera sales.

Time will tell whether Nikon is trying to preserve sales of its Z9 by distancing it from the Z8, or whether Nikon actually plans on introducing Auto Capture to the Z8 and just needed more time to develop the feature. Nikon's silence on the matter only creates more room for speculation, which can do nothing but hurt the brand — without clarification, for all we know, it could have been a mistake in the marketing that was simply corrected.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 06 > Nikon rug-pulls Z8 users by removing Auto Capture from upcoming firmware update
Julian van der Merwe, 2023-06-20 (Update: 2024-08-15)