Nauticam NA-Z8 Underwater Housing
For the Nikon Z8
The NA-Z8 brings Nikon's "mini Z9" into the water — the same 45.7MP stacked sensor, zero-blackout shooting and 8K 60p video in a more compact body. Built on Nauticam's N120 port system, it runs both native Z-mount and legacy F-mount glass (via the FTZ adapter), keeps every essential control under your fingers, and ships with vacuum and leak monitoring as standard.
Consider the NA-Z8 if you:
- Want the "mini Z9" — 45.7MP stacked sensor, zero-blackout continuous shooting, 8K 60p N-RAW video
- Shoot both native Z-mount optics and legacy F-mount glass via the in-housing FTZ adapter
- Run long video sessions and want the heat-dissipating cooling-fin tray
- Need reliable safety monitoring for demanding dives
At a Glance
| Dimensions | 356 × 204 × 163 mm (W × H × D) |
| Depth Rating | 100 m |
| Weight in air | 3.4 kg |
| Weight in water | Negative 0.05 kg (incl. camera and battery) |
| Port Opening | N120 |
| Compatible cameras | Nikon Z8 |
The Camera: Nikon Z8
New to the Z8? Here's the context. Already know it well — skip to the housing below.
The Nikon Z8 is effectively a "mini Z9" — the same 45.7MP stacked CMOS sensor and much of the flagship's performance in a smaller body, and the camera many D850 shooters had been waiting for. Its electronic shutter delivers true zero-blackout continuous shooting through the EVF, and for video it records up to 8K 60p or oversampled 4K 120p internally in 12-bit N-RAW and a range of ProRes formats, with pro tools like a waveform monitor and focus peaking.
Key camera specifications
- 45.7MP stacked CMOS sensor
- Electronic shutter; true zero-blackout continuous shooting
- 8K 60p N-RAW internal; oversampled 4K 120p
- 12-bit N-RAW and ProRes / ProRes RAW formats
- Waveform monitor, focus peaking, 1/6EV ISO fine-tuning
- 3.69M-dot (3690k) 0.5" OLED EVF
The Housing
Lens compatibility and the N120 port system
The NA-Z8 is built on Nauticam's N120 port system for native Z-mount full-frame lenses. For F-mount glass, the FTZ adapter sits inside the housing, giving the same port configuration as a Nikon F-mount DSLR system. Two lens-release buttons — one for F, one for Z — let you change lenses through the port without removing the camera; the camera only comes out when installing or removing the FTZ adapter itself.
Mission Control: every control within reach
Nauticam's Mission Control philosophy places the essentials within easy reach of the reinforced moulded handles. Dual thumb levers sit by each handle — Playback and DISP on the left, Record and AF-On on the right — with a dual-action lever near the front-left handle for the user-assignable Fn1 and Fn2 buttons and a nested ISO lever by the right handle. To speed image review through the EVF, Zoom In and Zoom Out are mapped near the right handle.
Cooling fins
The NA-Z8 camera tray is designed with heat dissipation in mind: baffles spread the heat the Z8 generates during demanding video work across a larger surface area, helping the camera stay cool while in use.
Flash triggering
The NA-Z8 ships with the manual LED flash trigger (26350) pre-installed, with an optional TTL flash trigger (26308) available. Both are self-powered by coin-cell batteries and fire supported strobes quickly through the housing's built-in fiber-optic bulkheads.
Vacuum check and leak detection — standard
Nauticam's vacuum check and leak detection electronics ship with the NA-Z8 as standard. Combined with the optional 25625 M16 Vacuum Valve II, the system continuously reports the housing's watertight, safe-to-dive status through a color-coded LED: solid vacuum, or vacuum loss. Leak detection runs on the same circuit, so any water intrusion triggers an audible and visual alarm.
The system is temperature-compensated, so it won't throw false alarms from a change in water temperature or from the camera heating up on an action-packed dive.
What's in the Box
- NA-Z8 Housing with two handles and mounting balls
- 90122 Spare main O-ring, O-ring remover and lubricant
- 2× Optical bulkhead caps
- Panasonic CR-2032 battery (for moisture alarm)
- Set of Allen keys
- Manual instruction card
- Padded housing bag and shoulder strap
Optional Accessories
Vacuum valves
- 25625 M16 Vacuum Valve II (pushbutton release)
Viewfinders
- 32203 Nauticam 45° viewfinder
- 32211 Full Frame Straight Viewfinder 32° / 1:1
- 32212 Full Frame Straight Viewfinder 40° / 0.8:1
- 32213 Full Frame Angle Viewfinder 32° / 1:1
- 32214 Full Frame Angle Viewfinder 40° / 0.8:1
Triggering, cables and bulkheads
- 26308 TTL Converter for Nikon
- 26216 Universal Optical Fiber Cable
- 26074 M14 Nikonos 5-pin bulkhead with micro connector (for Nikon TTL converter)
- 26075 M14 Ikelite-style bulkhead with micro connector (for Nikon TTL converter)
- 26325 M16 USB-C Bulkhead with USB-C Connector
- 25081 M24-M16 Step Down Adaptor
Handling
- 28123 Pair of Handles — size S (10mm closer to housing; requires 25011)
- 25011 Set of spacers and long screws (for increasing handle distance)
- 28130 Hand Strap for 28113
Mounting Accessories
- 25221 M10 strobe mounting ball for housing
- 25218 Mounting Ball Set for tripod
- 17959 Housing mounting ball with 1/4" screws
- 17951 Nauticam Monitor Housing Mounting System
- 17954 Universal Tripod Plate for Nauticam Housings
- 17957 Nauticam Monitor Housing Mounting Adaptor
- 17960 Universal Quadra-Pod Plate for Nauticam Housings
HDMI Configurations
HDMI 2.0 cable system
- 25086 M24 adaptor for HDMI 2.0 cable (incl. tightening tool)
- 25099 M24A2R200-M28A1R170 HDMI 2.0 cable
Compatible HDMI 2.0 monitor housings
- 17922 Nauticam Atomos Ninja V Housing — Atomos Ninja V 5" 4Kp60 4:2:2 10-bit Recorder/Monitor/Player (excl. HDMI 2.0 cable)
- 17922S Nauticam Atomos Ninja V-S Housing — as above, with Atomos AtomX SDI Module (excl. HDMI 2.0 cable)
HDMI 1.4 cable system
- 25033 Standard HDMI bulkhead with M16 thread
- 25081 M24-M16 Step Down Adaptor
- 25100 HDMI (D-A) 1.4 cable, 200mm
Compatible HDMI 1.4 monitor housings
- 17923 NA-Shinobi-H Housing for Atomos Shinobi 5.2" 4K HDMI Monitor
- 17925 NA-503-H Housing for SmallHD 503 UltraBright On-Camera Monitor
