Z8 won't show overlays in EVF—anyone else have this problem?

[TJMcG119 2]

I am trying to get my Z8 to show me things like the histogram live in the viewfinder. I've been through the manual, spent hours with chatbots, and made all the settings, turned off the wrong ones, and turned on the right ones, and I still can't get them to show up. Everything shows up just as it should on the LCD screen, but not in the viewfinder. I'm beginning to think it's a firmware glitch. Has anyone had a similar problem? Did you fix it, and how? Anyone know of a Nikon forum that might help? I searched Nikon's support and couldn't find anything on it there.

 

[AlanKlein88 4]

I wish this was my advice, but it came from AI Chrome.

It can be incredibly frustrating when you’ve ticked all the right boxes in the menu but the EVF still refuses to cooperate. Since you mentioned that the histogram shows up on the LCD but not in the viewfinder, the issue is likely due to one of three "hidden" conflicts or a specific customization step you might have missed for the EVF specifically.
Here is how to troubleshoot and fix it:

1. Check the EVF-Specific Customization​

The Nikon Z8 has separate customization menus for the monitor (LCD) and the viewfinder (EVF). Even if you enabled it for the monitor, it might still be unchecked for the EVF.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu (pencil icon) > d Shooting/display.
• Select d20: Custom Viewfinder Shooting Display.
• Highlight one of the display profiles (e.g., Display 2) and press the Right Arrow (Set).
• Ensure Brightness Information (Histogram) is checked.
• Important: Once you exit the menu, you must look through the EVF and press the DISP button on the back of the camera to cycle through the views until that specific profile (e.g., Display 2) appears.

2. Disable "Starlight View"​

This is a common "gotcha." If Starlight View is turned on, the camera prioritizes visibility in the dark and automatically disables certain overlays like the histogram to keep the view clear.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu > d Shooting/display > d11: Starlight View (Photo Lv).
• Set this to OFF.

3. Change the "View Mode" Setting​

The histogram often won't appear if the camera is set to "Adjust for ease of viewing" because that mode doesn't show the real-time exposure effects.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu > d Shooting/display > d9: View mode (Photo Lv).
• Ensure it is set to Show effects of settings. If it is set to Adjust for ease of viewing, the live histogram is often suppressed because it wouldn't accurately represent the final exposure.

Summary Checklist​

Potential Cause	Solution
EVF settings vs. LCD	Enable Histogram in Custom Setting d20.
View Mode Conflict	Set d9 View Mode to "Show effects of settings."
Starlight View	Turn d11 Starlight View to "OFF."
Cycle Display	Press the DISP button while looking through the EVF.

Would you like me to look up how to assign the histogram to a specific function button (Fn) so you can toggle it on and off even faster?

 

[TJMcG119 2]

I wish this was my advice, but it came from AI Chrome.

It can be incredibly frustrating when you’ve ticked all the right boxes in the menu but the EVF still refuses to cooperate. Since you mentioned that the histogram shows up on the LCD but not in the viewfinder, the issue is likely due to one of three "hidden" conflicts or a specific customization step you might have missed for the EVF specifically.
Here is how to troubleshoot and fix it:

1. Check the EVF-Specific Customization​

The Nikon Z8 has separate customization menus for the monitor (LCD) and the viewfinder (EVF). Even if you enabled it for the monitor, it might still be unchecked for the EVF.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu (pencil icon) > d Shooting/display.
• Select d20: Custom Viewfinder Shooting Display.
• Highlight one of the display profiles (e.g., Display 2) and press the Right Arrow (Set).
• Ensure Brightness Information (Histogram) is checked.
• Important: Once you exit the menu, you must look through the EVF and press the DISP button on the back of the camera to cycle through the views until that specific profile (e.g., Display 2) appears.

2. Disable "Starlight View"​

This is a common "gotcha." If Starlight View is turned on, the camera prioritizes visibility in the dark and automatically disables certain overlays like the histogram to keep the view clear.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu > d Shooting/display > d11: Starlight View (Photo Lv).
• Set this to OFF.

3. Change the "View Mode" Setting​

The histogram often won't appear if the camera is set to "Adjust for ease of viewing" because that mode doesn't show the real-time exposure effects.

• Go to Custom Settings Menu > d Shooting/display > d9: View mode (Photo Lv).
• Ensure it is set to Show effects of settings. If it is set to Adjust for ease of viewing, the live histogram is often suppressed because it wouldn't accurately represent the final exposure.

Summary Checklist​

Potential Cause	Solution
EVF settings vs. LCD	Enable Histogram in Custom Setting d20.
View Mode Conflict	Set d9 View Mode to "Show effects of settings."
Starlight View	Turn d11 Starlight View to "OFF."
Cycle Display	Press the DISP button while looking through the EVF.

Would you like me to look up how to assign the histogram to a specific function button (Fn) so you can toggle it on and off even faster?

Thanks, Alan but after doing all that for hours today, it turned out to be what I thought it would, a setting that I made and forgot about a long time ago.

In the Z8, settings for what you see in the viewfinder are different from the LCD screen, and the Display button cycles through the various overlays in the EVF. I reprogrammed that button to my quick response BIF button using the Recall Shooting functions, to be able, when shooting a static scene, to switch quickly to preset fast shutter/auto iso.to catch a bird that entered the scene. I forgot all about that, and I programmed another fn button to do the display switch. I also programmed a button on the long lenses to do it with my thumb while holding the lenses with my left hand.

Thank you taking the time to help. I was really worried it wasn't going to be fixed for a while, but in the back of my mind, I knew it would be something really simple.

 

[AlanKlein88 4]

Thanks, Alan but after doing all that for hours today, it turned out to be what I thought it would, a setting that I made and forgot about a long time ago.

In the Z8, settings for what you see in the viewfinder are different from the LCD screen, and the Display button cycles through the various overlays in the EVF. I reprogrammed that button to my quick response BIF button using the Recall Shooting functions, to be able, when shooting a static scene, to switch quickly to preset fast shutter/auto iso.to catch a bird that entered the scene. I forgot all about that, and I programmed another fn button to do the display switch. I also programmed a button on the long lenses to do it with my thumb while holding the lenses with my left hand.

Thank you taking the time to help. I was really worried it wasn't going to be fixed for a while, but in the back of my mind, I knew it would be something really simple.

I'm glad you figured it out. My camera manual is around 400 pages and you need a Master's Degree to get through it.

 

[TJMcG119 2]

I'm glad you figured it out. My camera manual is around 400 pages and you need a Master's Degree to get through it.

True enough. I spent a couple of hours with AI bots because they can look things up faster than I can, but 9 times out of 10, they get the menu references wrong, and I ended up looking through a PDF anyway. Truth be told, the Display button thing is something that should have jumped out immediately, and I feel like it was a (very lengthy) senior moment. Oh well...

 

[greybeard39 12]

Why I still shoot my D500

 

[TJMcG119 2]

Why I still shoot my D500

I do have an FM and a dozen rolls of film in the fridge. Simpler times...