I am pre ordering it. While I do want a new camera, this pre order is not a decision to buy the Z 8. With Nikon...given their record of actually having the product at the time of introduction, I've learned that you order first and ask questions later. I suspect, that for amateurs who aren't NPS members, the lead time to get the Z 8 is about 4 months, and that's first come, first serve. Plenty of time to ask questions.
Got my hands on a Z8 today (demo unit at my local retailer), and I must say it is an impressively well balanced camera. It fits in the hand so well that I had hard time to give it back. I didn't feel the need to test it further as I think it's not different from Z9 in my own usage, but the handling is really cool.
So just an advice : if you don't want to buy it, avoid testing it... or even holding it if you know you're usually too easily tempted :D
Kudos to Nikon.
My whole plan just went out the window. For those who didnt my previous post, I felt that since I wasn't NPS, I would be waiting some months, so I decided to order first and ask questions later, to evaluate if the "8" was for me. Well, I'm supposed to get delivery tomorrow. Fortunately I've learned a lot about the camera since May10, so I feel confident that I made the right decision to purchase.