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Cool, unfortunately could not test Prores other than on the camera due to no CFexpress but I may go back to the shop with my laptop to do further testing about this. Will report back. Another quick set of question I can't find immediate answers: does the ZR allow FX to DX crop and digital zoom while recording like on the Z8/Z9? Not sure the 24MP allows this but I'd like to know. Also I'm unclear about LUT support, can it import .cube files? And if so can you bake it in cam? Finally is the 4K60p as good as on Z8/Z9? Thanks in advance, I may pick the camera up today or tomorrow depending on these factors!

I've had good experiences with Prores 422 HQ on Z8, and am thinking the same, why don't tubers test and show the results in their comparisons? While the data rate is quite high (note that Nikon has stated they will add Prores 422 LT to the ZR in a FW update) it is a video file for which in-camera distortion and vignetting corrections available and there is some noise reduction in play as well. Cined has tested it it is included in the database and it seems from the numbers that the camera in Prores HQ mode applies less noise reduction to high ISO files than h.265. It seems like a good compromise and if the LT version comes soon it might turn minds.

Tried out the ZR today, quite impressed with the hardware. It's been said a lot but the screen size is shockingly impressive. I tried it with some Sony glass via the megadap adapter and AF tracking was smooth as butter. From what I could tell ProRes codec seemed quite good, why is there no footage comparing it to raw & h265? It seems like the right middle ground. I'm seriously considering picking it up. Any final thoughts before I pull trigger?

Speaking of disconnected, I recently got curious how much the GH7 had come down in price. I guess it's still $2,200 new (usually) but on sale for about $1,800 now which is a close match for the going price used? But... are there people out there still spending $2,200 on a GH7? I'm not saying it's a bad camera, but I'd really have expected the new prices to be <1500 by now, especially given that just about anybody who was willing to buy a GH7 at anywhere near $2,000 probably already did. (That and I've sort of always wanted one and really want the used price to be closer to 800 than 1800) That's a fantastic deal! Going rate is a lot more.

Regarding Andrew's original post, unfortunately for many of the camera companies, not just Panasonic, I'm a consumer that feels pretty comfortable being behind the curve in exchange for bargains. Meaning, I only buy older used cameras. Just bought another GH5 for $350, for instance, to help my wife do YT content creation. Not only is that cheap, but it's still better than anything else I could buy brand new for under $400. Are there enough people like me? Combine like-minded-folks and typically obtuse Japanese attitudes about the global market and the magic 8-ball sez "Outlook Not So Good"

Man that H265 doesn't look all that great beside the other formats

The reality. I am sure you can get more out of R3D than Lumix log, but at 5x the data rate. But then again, I have seen the size of the Lumix raw files and they are over 10x log, so err, no thanks. The actual reality is that no one will notice, especially as all they are interested in these days is the 60 second short on social media that can easily be shot on a phone or action cam...which coincidently, is exactly what I will be doing next year... Should we care? Yes we should...but always within the realms of reality and that reality for me is I'm not going to be shooting data rates 5-10x what I already have that are already more than good enough, because where does it stop? I still love the ZR, - I think it is THE camera of the year, all factors considered, but mainly for it's form factor and rear LCD, although I do wish that was tilt not flip out, but hey ho, not buying one so what does my opinion matter!

R3D NE, NRaw, Prores and H.265 compared by Cinema Tools. Not that much difference between R3D and NRaw, but not sure if they exposed according to this Recommended Zebra pattern values for R3D NE footage at Different ISO levels document. https://download.nikonimglib.com/archive8/ocJ930074UNE07okE3j44a40zA01/R3D_NE_datasheet_for_Zebra_pattern_(En)01.pdf

I’m not desperate to buy a new camera, but this is what is missing for me also. The A7CR is currently closest but other than format, the A7RV trounced it for me. Ditto the S1RII vs the S9. I can live without the EVF but the lack of mech shutter really caused me issues on the stills side. Sigma FP/L ditto. That camera for me is 2 elements away from being my perfect camera: Mech shutter + hi res tilt/flip LCD. The lack of IBIS used to bother me but I would shoot it on a monopod so not an issue. Tried the Leica TL2 but it was a bit clunky and moved on a bit from APSC anyway and would really only consider full-frame or medium format today.

I took it from the same site that @Andrew Reid mentioned: https://www.slashcam.de/artikel/Test/ARRI-ALEXA-35-Sensor-Bildqualitaet--Rolling-Shutter--Dynamik---Die-neue-Referenz---alles-.html I looked for the Nikon ZR, but I couldn't find similar IQ tests regarding 120fps. It's important to note these are super crops. Andrew thinks it was a bad performance for the Alexa. I don't think so. I don't see the same amount of aliasing as I do on the A1 and S1R ii (which line-skipped) shots.

You sure its Alexa? Here is ZR 4k120 in super35 crop for comparison

The best test so far

That's a terrible result from the Alexa 🙂

Nope - the dial works different on different cameras. In the X-M5 and X-T50, the FS positions only works with a chosen Film Simulation plus a general color setting for ALL the positions of the dial. You can´t create a custom setting for each FS position. In the X-E5 and X-T30 III you can store different color settings (Color Chrome Effect, tone curve, color, sharpness etc) for each of the FS positions - Fuji even created a "recipe" menus for each FS position. My X-S20 have a unlabeled dial, that comes as a Film Simulation by default, but don't have FS "positions". For all the cameras, is just a firmware update away. It involves a lot of steps (choosing the photo, opening the menu, and I don't know if in this menu now you can choose a recipe - at least in my X-S20, you can only choose the original Fuji Film Sims). People that use repcipes (like me) don't want anymore to waste time editing and converting photos (yes, I was a RAW only shooter not a long ago - I still save the RAWs too).

I'm not sure of the practicality of sensor processing/detail tests at 120fps. Who watches much more than just a short clip? The only exceptions I can think of are in Clockwork Orange and Billy Elliot- both shot on film. I had a look at the GH7 test at 100fps and 120fps. It looks better than both the Sony A1 and Lumix S1r ii. For reference, here's the Alexa 35 at 120fps:

How does the stabilisation stand up on the Nikons and Sonys compared to Lumix? It’s such a huge plus for me when covering events etc

No reason that the iJustine channel can't publish a great video..... Well done to the film-making team that created it: Strange that there's no credit for editing. Maybe that was also Nathan. Well done to Apple for creating a phone that can produce results like this when used competently. Any YouTuber with the desire and sufficient resources should be able to replicate such a thing. It is a nice example of what the tech can do when used correctly by competent film-makers. The night shots were pretty good. I've found it to have impressive DR and low-light capabilities, but this was slightly more than I was anticipating. Those areas of Tokyo are probably quite well lit though, and I bet there was a healthy dose of NR in post for select shots. The results are still good though.

Open gate... Hey guys... Justine, you read it well. Simply speechless... : P

Or maybe you will not 😂 I still stand by the ‘fact’ that it’s an excellent choice for my needs and the only alternative combo I would switch to right now at the end of 2025, would be Nikon Z8 + ZR + Z6iii (or perhaps 2x ZR’s) vs 2x S1Rii + S5ii and if a fairy waved her magic wand in my direction and said it could happen overnight with zero faff or cost, I’d accept her offer. But as fairies don’t exist, I’ll just have to stick with what I have!

Some test results... SlashCam have the S1R II 8K at 22ms, but I think open gate brings that closer to 30ms? Sony a1 is at 15ms for 8K, no crop. The 4K/120p is also much better / cleaner on the a1: S1R II https://www.slashcam.de/artikel/Test/Panasonic-LUMIX-S1R-II-Sensor-Bildqualitaet---Debayering--Rolling-Shutter-und-Dynamik--Rolling-Shutter---Panaso.html#RollingShutterPanason This is important because 4K/120p is usually what sets apart your £3k new camera from a £1k used S1H. Granted there's a few new features that have come through since. But if you don't need the speed, the a1, S1R II, Z8 and so on seem a bit pointless to me? There's so many cheaper options if 60p or even 30p is your only need. a7 IV, S1H, Fuji X-H2, and so on.

What follows is not my opinion. Just a bunch of facts. Sony a1 is £2800 used now. Let's suppose Sony a1 is same price at point of acquisition as a new S1R II - ok you may have to get a used Sony with a few marks and 10k shots on it, but such is the nature of the used market these days you'll easily find an offer with 1-2 year warranty like a new cam. For 8K it is 422 10bit 500Mbit H265. The equivalent to H.264 at 1000Mbit. 300Mbit is a bit low for 8K and the much slower sensor in the S1R II means rolling shutter is problematic in the 8K and open gate modes. But that's an ok trade-off if the price is lower. But it is £2999 at WEX. So for sure the a1 is a direct competitor. E-mount is more adaptable. I can even autofocus my manual focus lenses on it. There's fewer native lenses for L, and fewer adapters. E-mount is all-round superior because it's been around longer and has a larger installed user-base. I like L-mount, but it just doesn't give you as wide a choice in glass. And we must take into account the size, design and build quality of the body, where subjective opinion matters a lot - but there's no denying the S5 II body which houses the more powerful panasonic tech is a mid-range £1300 consumer-grade construction and feels like one, whereas the a1 is firmly in the professional bracket, along with the a9 series. And AF on the Sony still way ahead. Open gate is definitely a plus for the Panasonic. As people who own multiple cameras though, my choice would be to bring out the trusty S1H for a grand when open gate or anamorphic is needed. When it comes to other more common scenarios like autofocus shooting, higher frame rates, 4K/120p, low rolling shutter and a wider choice of lenses, most people would be served better by the a1 than the s1r II or s1H. The a7rv sensor is fantastic. Same sensor in the Sigma Fp-L... which is why I kept hold of it, despite it being an odd duck. I don't think I will 🙂 It's a great camera but just doesn't light my fire enough. The Sony a1 is nearly 5 years old and has a better spec, a better lens mount, is smaller and better built. The GFX 100 is king for manual focus vintage glass... the large sensor is just glorious, and the design - although it's a bit of a chonk - is just such a pleasure to work with. I'd rather have the Sony a1 and GFX 100 at the core of my camera world, and everything else I add to that is either a bargain or a niche use. For example I love my X-Pro3 for a small street photography camera, and the Ricoh GR OG. Definitely considering adding an S1H to the bag again though, as it's entered bargain territory and is one of the very few modern mirrorless cameras still to have that oh-so-rare AA filter. The S1H's image is better than the S5 II and the differences to the S1 II or S1R II are probably pretty tiny. 6K is enough for me. Z8 is the best spec on paper for the price in today's world. You mean in a worse body 😉

Maybe I misunderstand but the X-M5 has C, FS1, FS2 and FS3 settings on the Film Simulation Dial so you can set up multiple custom recipes. That said, I wish the dial was used for something useful affecting actual shooting, the Film Simulation Dial is unnecessary in my opinion because you can just use whatever you want when converting/editing your RAWs. That would have been good enough to go into the Q menu to change the setting. In general I feel like Fujifilm really oversaturate with the different models at this point with barely any difference. Do we really need X-M5, X-E5, X-Pro3, X-T30III, X-T50, X-T5, X-S20, X-H2, X-H2s? I currently have an X-H2s and an X-M5 but I'm completely ready to jump ship to whatever brand offers a small rangerfinder-shaped body with medium to high end specs. Going to wait and see in the next few years what Sony A7C III (hate the low-quality EVF and low-res screen) and Panasonic S9 II (has no EVF and no mechanical shutter) will bring. Biggest pro of Fujifilm bodies is that they all have a joystick for AF points.

Do you think the Kolari magnetic oplfs might push the S1ii into the S1h territory as far as look goes? (Added cost of course)

I certainly like the combination of vintage lenses with modern anamorphic adapters. In some ways the images might be similar to the modern lenses with vintage anamorphic adapters. It's certainly much more accessible.. Please do, and make sure to post it here so I'll find it - I get the sense that there might be a lot of tricks to get the most from it. I pulled up Buyee and a quick search for "50mm F1.8 m42" revealed quite a number of things: Lots and lots of lenses that are many hundreds of dollars It's got the search engine from Amazon, not the one from ebay... I would categorise its approach as a "vibe search".. like "that's a lens right? ok, sure.. here are a bunch of lenses - knock yourself out!" It ranked the Takumar 28mm F3.5 surprisingly high up in the list, considering that further down in the list were quite a lot of Takumar 55mm F1.8 m42 lenses (which match 2 of my search words instead of the 28/3.5 which matched ZERO of my keywords!). Damn Takumar made a lot of 55mm F1.8 lenses I've been buying vintage audio valves/tubes from all over the world since the early 00s and have found the Japanese to be the hardest market to buy from, especially as buying vintage stuff likely means dealing with older vendors who are less likely to be interested in dealing with language barriers, international postage, customs, etc. Back then it was pretty common for us to search the net, or forums, or even business directories etc, or just see something pop up on ebay and we'd contact the seller and then buy all of their stock from them. Most of the time we couldn't even get the Japanese vendors to reply to our emails.

Good move from Nikon marketing with this and the ZR in general. The ZR marketing campaign has been a complete success IMO, and whatever we think is not important. What's important is getting the Nikon/RED name out there with YouTubers and influencers. A better Nikon/RED camera will come, so not worried about the ZR's shortcomings.