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One thing that I'm curious about, and I don't think I've seen it in any reviews yet (though admittedly I've only watched like 2) is whether turning off IBIS comes with a physical sensor lock on this camera as it does on some other Nikons. Given that the camera has <10ms of rolling shutter, I'm really strongly considering selling my Z Cam E2-S6G and remaining Z Cam accessories toward it. My main use for that camera is attaching it to my car on bad roads to film the drive. The ZR could be an ideal and much smaller replacement for that sort of thing - but if the sensor floats even with IBIS off, it becomes a terrible choice.

I get what you're saying, but I'd also say that almost none of those cameras are a direct competitor for the ZR - either in size or price. Cameras that I would think of as direct competitors to the ZR would be Panasonic S9 (micro), Sony A7C series (micro), and Sigma fp (micro), or Fuji X-H2S (full-size) - or a used R5 (micro). It's weak, but no weaker than a majority of the cameras in a similar size/price range. I get that, but I'd say that the intersection between "times when a monitor or recorder needs to be attached" and "times when the camera isn't rigged" is a small one. And again, if that's your main use case, you should almost definitely not pick the ZR. Similarly, even more common use cases like "camera is on a tripod and you want to swap the CF card" are weaknesses. Luckily, they're use cases that are well-covered by a bunch of other cameras.

I really like the look of this camera but ultimately Canon just doesn’t have a native lens selection that appeals to me - they are mostly too expensive plus I don’t like the build of them. They need to open their lens mount for me to be persuaded back to them. Still think the FX3 is the better all round camera.

I know the phrase of the day is content creator, but I, personally, see this as the ultimate, low/no budget, DIY, short film camera. I don't think I have ever been so tempted to hit preorder. I understand its inconveniences and there are a couple things I need to research... battery life (the FP is atrocious), overheating, IBIS quality, etc... but I must say this is the most excited I have been for a camera since I bought my 5D3 and installed ML Raw onto it.

Sure, I get what you're saying and thanks for making the distinction but I guess what I meant by "true open gate" is when a taller sensor (3:2, 4:3, etc.) gives you extra vertical resolution that’s actually recorded, not just the full width of a 17:9 sensor. On RED, if you want 3:2 or 4:3, you’re essentially windowing/cropping horizontally, you’re not capturing new image area above and below the 17:9 frame. That's what I mean by "pseudo open gate". That’s where cameras like ARRI LF, Alexa 35, or mirrorless bodies with 3:2 sensors have an edge: their open gate modes really open up more height for anamorphic or reframing flexibility. Different design philosophies, but that’s the distinction I was getting at. I dunno for a camera that’s marketed "Cinema Z" under the RED name, micro HDMI feels like a completely unnecessary weak point. Most modern mirrorless bodies (R5 II, FX3, Lumix, even Nikon Z) have full-size HDMI now. It’s not just about rigging the cam but it’s about having a reliable connection for external monitors or recorders when needed. For a camera that’s trying to position itself as a serious compact cinema tool, micro HDMI in 2025 looks like a surprising step backward. That said yes kudos on them for the bright 4" screen!

The lack of a full size HDMI doesn't bother me too much because it doesn't support RAW over it anyway, and the 4 inch screen looks really nice that I don't think an external one is necessary. I suppose it might be frustrating for those who want to rig it out or absolutely need an external monitor, but there are quite a few things about this camera that makes that impractical regardless of what the promotional photos show. It'd be nice to have a full size HDMI, and anything that limits how you can use a camera sucks, but it'd also be nice to have two of the same card slots and not located in the battery compartment. If you need that, or want to rig it up, this camera just isn't for you.

My turn to be nitpicky: Red cameras do offer true open gate. The sensor itself is 17:9. Open gate refers to using the entire sensor to record. Open gate on a Micro 4/3 camera or GFX would be 4:3 aspect ratio. On most mirrorless or DSLR's, it will be 3:2. Open gate and 3:2 get conflated a lot because that's the ratio for the sensors in the cameras that a majority of people have. Micro HDMI sucks really bad. One of the worst connectors I've ever seen. That said, there's also a very nice 4" screen built into the camera and I'd still say that the camera's strength is not in being built out for cinema, but in being small and relatively inexpensive. If you're rigging the camera with a cage, you could use a cable clamp to avoid the connector breaking as soon as somebody breathes near it. If I'm using the camera as a tiny handheld, I'm not connecting an external screen. But definitely, if your use case is to put an external monitor on the camera without a cage, this camera is a terrible choice and you definitely should not buy it. FWIW, the EOS R5 also has a micro HDMI port. I think that was improved in the II, but in a couple of years of owning and casually using the R5 as my small/handheld camera (similar to how I see thie ZR), I don't think it's ever bothered me because I've never connected an external display to it. Anyway, for me, if I were going to rig up a camera, I'd just use an OG Komodo (available used for not much more money than the ZR costs new). I have a pretty nice minimal Komodo rig for handheld and it's pretty light. Still a lot bigger than my R5 which is, in turn, bigger, I think, than the ZR.

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This is the most exciting cinema camera I've seen since the 5D3 got cDNG RAW with Magic Lantern. Not a fan of Z mount but the camera specs make it irrelevant. I may even buy into their lens ecosystem now. Hopefully Sigma starts making FF natives for their system. Anyway. Instant buy. It's amazing, cuz I never thought I'd own a RED. Nikon buyout is the best thing ever. Edit: Note to self, buy Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ and Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 in Sony E.

Hummm, IDK if this could be an everyday camera for all the v-loggers out there. IIUC according to Gerald, all of the codec implementations, with the exception of RedCode, are more than mediocre and are anyway worse than on other Nikon Z cameras. In practice, if you want to use it, you have to use RedCode, but at 6K@60p, it consumes 470MB per second, and a 320GB CF Express card is full in 28 minutes. Surely the FW is alpha or beta, and then with updates, things will change but ATM, we're shooting ants with a cannon.

This is interesting. Now, what I want to see is software that converts CinemaDNG in to ProResRaw.

I get that RED cameras don’t offer media redundancy or true Open Gate, but in a small mirrorless form factor, some form of redundancy is more expected, especially with a hot CF/SD slot near the battery that could potentially cause failures. RED at least has RED Connect / IP streaming for backup, and SDI. All we have here is micro HDMI not exactly safe externally either. Even a “pseudo” Open Gate mode could’ve been implemented without needing a bigger sensor, just flexible readout. Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but these shortcomings feel like crippling.

And with the Techart Pro MZ adapter you can have them autofocus as well.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HS8B2ZM/A/blackmagic-camera-prodock There's also an iPhone dock for timecode in, HDMI out, power, audio, accessories. iPhone Models iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max

Keep in mind that most, if not all of the actual Red cameras from Red don't support redundancy recording. I don't think I ever saw an older one with more than a single Red mag slot. Komodo has a single CFast card. Komodo-X has a single CF Express card. I'm not sure about V-Raptor. As far as open gate, yes, Reds do this, but their sensors are 17:9 so open gate matches that. If they support 3:2 recording, it's by cropping the left and right edges of the frame. I'm not sure if all of their sensors are 17:9, but again, every one that I've seen has been.

With dynamic range, the actual number that results from a measurement depends on a number of factors, what SNR level is used as the lower end limit of acceptable quality, and whether the SNR is calculated based on patches or pixels, or something in between. An 8K camera at pixel level will have lower DR than a 4K camera or 8K camera downsampled to 4K which in turn will have lower dynamic range than 2K native camera or a 4K/8K downsampled to 2K, and so on. Noise reduction that is applied to the footage also affects the dynamic range. Only by applying an equal test at equal final presentation resolution can a fair measurement of DR be made. In stills there are well-defined standards (PDR at photonstophotos and engineering DR by DXOMark, for example, all evaluated after resampling the images to 8 MP size) but for video there doesn't seem to be any unified standard which would result in comparable numbers.

https://www.nikon-asia.com/cinema-z-r

I think that's why I like it! I loved the fp because it was so small, but I ended up resenting it because using the best codecs involved adding an external SSD which would end up with a camera that was bigger and more awkward to use than my R5. Internal raw recording and a flippy screen makes this perfect for an everyday carry camera, especially combined with some of the smaller M mount glass (Collapsible 50/2, Elmar 35) and it also should be easier to mount on the inside of a windshield than the R5 since it looks a little less wide.

Yeah I can't help but feel that Jarred tweeting "the Nikon ZR is not a replacement for any RED camera" gives the indication RED team wanted to protect their line and purposely not give the ZR too many pro features like redundancy recording, open gate, active cooling, proper I/O and media storage. Also the 12-bit non linear R3D code. I guess its all fair trade and still nice to see a $2K camera with REDCODE inside.. but now Nikon has a cine line to protect which may hinder them/us paradoxically.. I feel like Canon gave us the real surprise and actual FX3 competitor by not holding back on specs and in quite a few ways surpassing the more expensive C80/C400 (although I hear C400 will get open gate in an update). ZR is still a banger even if we were expecting a more pro body and Nikon is being very agressive on pricing.

Thank you! From what I understand, this is how it works for both the types of raw where Resolve has the option. Maybe sometime, I'll play with those suggestions, but it'd still be more work than just clicking a box for supported footage. Though it's not a huge loss since the difference is fairly subtle anyway. Yeah - if the info is there, there's also the option of bringing down the ISO/exposure in the raw tab and then using curves or lift to bring up the exposure in the shadows.

My guess, they didn't want to kill their RED brand. It would also have cost minimum, 5000+ USD to 10 000 USD, and not many Nikon shooters could have afforded this. I would have liked a bit better spec even with a more costly body. But in the end, this will be found in a lot of Nikon shooter camera bag, as a secondary or third body for professional. And it would become their primary body for video. For photographers, 5000 USD is already flagship level camera bodies. This is also the ultimate content creator camera, people might not care or even despise it, but it is a big market. Nikon has loss so much market share, and more importantly in the younger demographic, that it might revive a new generation of shooters for the company. It is a bit of a jack of all trade, from someone who would just pick the camera and either film himself or do some content filming some dancers or skaters. To someone rigging it and going to shoot a doc or a short film.

I like this camera. The problem is I like about twelve other ones as well. The indecision is saving me a fortune.

Where did you get these. In the gerald Undone test, the DR imatest test, it around the 12.5, which is about the good/middle ground.

I saw the loooong CVP review but if you want a review in a nutshell, this time GU is spot on:

Nikon cornered themselves with nomenclatures in this one. They wanted to make a first RED semibranded product to buzz the market. But at the same time, they want a piece of the VERY profitable "creator camera" market (the Sony ZV-E10s sells a boatload). And got the Zr stucked in the middle. This is not a "cinema camera". Is a ZV-E1 competitor / step up ZV-E10 camera, compared it (and Nikon is promoting it) to the FXs is a mistake. If you see it as a top "creator camera" or a B-cam / crahs cam for REDs, it makes more more sense. And is an amazing value - if fact, for amateurs like me, it is one of the most interesting cameras of the year. I hate cameras without EVFs, but with a 4 inch display, for the first time it could be acceptable. It have a af joystick. It have internal 32 bit audio without adapters - amazing for shotguns use. It will make a lot of people to wet their feet on REDCODE (even a lesser version of it). Is small and light, great for gimbal work if needed. Compared to a ZV-E1 for $100 more, it trounces it completely. And we have to see how is the overheating issues, but it could yes be used (albeit with compromises) in pro shooting. And if Nikon makes a hybrid camera with this form factor, they would get a new customer instantly.