I've shot using Nikon cameras for more years than I care to mention and they've never let me down. My first Nikon digital camera was a D300 which served me well both topside and underwater for a number of years and in recent years I switched to a D850 which has been superb. Time and technology wait for no man, of course, and these days it's all about mirrorless so it was only a matter of time before I finally got with the programme. With my bank balance still recovering from the trauma, I've now added a Nikon Z8 to my camera bag.

Whilst the Z8 has a familar feel about it - the camera's menu system, for example, is very similar to previous DSLR cameras - there's a lot that is new and unique to mirrorless. As a stills camera, there's not alot to separate the Z8 from the D850 but where the Z8 (and indeed mirrorless cameras in general) really excels is for video capture. This thing is an absolute beast for video and I'm really looking forward to expanding the range of content that I'll be able to create with it. I've already invested in a camera cage for it so that I can mount accessories like grips, microphones, a field monitor and so on. Bring on Youtube stardom!

Whilst I'm confident that the Z8 would be a real game changer underwater, sadly I don't think I'll be taking mine with me on dives for quite some time. With underwater camera housings costing almost £5k, a new housing will have to wait. In the meantime, though, the Z8 is going to see a lot of topside action! Watch this space for video content...