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So is NRAW really REDCODE or is REDCODE really NRAW, I am confused now.

No translation, but you don't need to.

During my “Shall I get a Z8” research project - which has been going on so long it is featured in the Bayeux tapestry - I found the MC-N10 grip really appealing if a little pricy. However, what is a setback is that it is a right handed grip (good for me) that connects by cable to cameras, including the ZR, with left sided USB ports. I initially thought “well that’s awkward having to have that USB cable trailing across the camera but will use it over Bluetooth anyway”. Except that was a flawed assumption as it doesn’t have Bluetooth. Nikon makes a virtue of it being wired only in their product page. ___________ Reliable connection This grip connects to your Nikon camera via USB-C, ensuring a stable connection no matter where you shoot. You won’t have to rely on a wireless signal if you’re shooting in a crowded location where radio interference is a problem. _____________ And I completely get that of course. There are always cable routing solutions to make it less janky than Nikon’s own promotional materials of it show so I’m sure some mitigation can be had. The £69 Smallrig ZR cage has locking clamps for USB C as well as HDMI ports so it’s only a couple of zip ties away from not being a massive issue. At £400+ though, I’m sure they could’ve incorporated the small addition of a Bluetooth capability with a small internal rechargeable battery to provide the option and still made money. With the ZR having fewer hardware buttons it’s a product that could have a lot of appeal if you can swallow the price and the lack of wireless.

If you're upset about hybrid-styled cameras with somewhat awkward ergonomics being called "cinema camera," you must have been frustrated since 2018 or so. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera I'd be inclined to say that "cinema camera" is just about as meaningless as calling an image "cinematic." It means plenty of different things to different people. "How can you call it a cinema camera when it doesn't even have SDI output?" "That ain't no cinema camera, it has no mounting points on top or the sides!" "Cinema cameras don't have autofocus" "Cinema cameras need to be dedicated to ultimate image quality and it's not a true cinema camera without 16-bit raw." The ZR is obviously not going to be the A camera on a lot of professional shoots. It has no TC, no SDI, bad HDMI, and bad memory card location. On the other hand, it might finally be fulfilling some of the promise of the Komodo - a small, light crash camera that you easily fit in small spaces - or that you can easily throw at an AC/second shooter to go get some b-roll or a second angle handheld or with a light tripod and have it be a good match SOOC for what you're shooting with your Komodo-X or V-Raptor. Lack of a physical shutter lock is a bummer for some crash cam use cases. Sorry it's not for you, regardless! I'd be willing to bet that the next iterations of the Z6/8/9/etc start working in Redcode NE too.

If you put a card from a Z8 NRaw recording in a Z6iii does it play back? And vice versa.

Yea, and I suggested considering NRAW normal as R3S LQ. But you have to be careful about base ISOs.

The Reddit source https://www.reddit.com/r/Nikon/s/v8tkSHdsZa

It looks like it is. It also look like original RED RAW codec doesn't show any superiority over ProRes RAW codec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtTRoOWaw-w With ProRes RAW footage in Davinci Resolve you can choose between many Log profiles including Panasonic V-Log, Sony S-Log3, Canon C-Log2 and avoid using Nikon NLog. In this case Nikon Z6 III for me is a better camera. It has the same sensor, but also great EVF, mechanical shutter, full HDMI port. Nikon Zr main selling point is R3D NE or RED RAW lite if we can call it.

The fact that NRAW High bitrate is exactly same as R3D NE, could be a hint

If the Smallrig cage for the ZR is used, the bottom left side is Arca-Swiss compatible and the right side has a hole which allows the battery door to be opened and at least the CFExpress type B card should be easy to swap. This depends to some extent on what kind of construction the camera is mounted to, if there is space for opening the door, but it would be possible to do on some of my tripod/monopod heads. I have the Smallrig grip for the Zf and I haven't taken that off in ages. Card and battery access on the Zf is similar to the ZR. I think this situation is just an inevitable consequence of making the camera so small. You can plug in external power via USB-C to extend the shooting time. CFexpress cards are available at least up to 4 TB capacity so that would cover quite a lot without having to open the door frequently. I am sure Nikon will make larger ZR-series cameras that have fewer compromises in how the ports, cards, etc. are accessed.

Not that I have tried it yet, but post-season, for the first time, I am going to as storage is cheap and why not at least try the full capability of the camera?, good point, the data rates on Lumix has always been good!

In Z6iii, normal quality NRAW for 6k24p is only 750mbs. Import the file in CineX Pro, and rename the .NEV extension to .R3D, then select log3g10. Thats your REDCODE LQ.

For context, I went to film school and have worked on many projects with 2-3 people per camera, ones where I managed multiple cameras on my own, 16mm film projects, and everything in between. On the other side, I've also shot live concerts for music videos, which, incidentally, the ZR would be a fantastic choice for. So while I don't have the experience of many of the active pros here, I understand camera use cases. I never said anything about single cards being a requirement. I said that if you use the camera on any kind of support (tripod, jib, car rig, shoulder rig, gimbal) it's going to be a massive pain to change the card, ergo the ZR is designed almost exclusively for handheld, unrigged use. Almost every shot on most (not all) cinema projects uses a support system. The Alexa and Raptor are quintessential cinema cameras. Actually, I consider dual cards to be most beneficial in documentary settings, where retakes are impossible and you don't have multiple cameras for coverage. @eatstoomuchjammentioned the Z Cam F6. Z Cam's original prototypes for the E2 put the CFast card on the bottom, but they changed it because of feedback saying it would be too cumbersome to access. I consider the F6 to be a cinema camera, as a category, because it is designed to be used in a variety of situations that are typical for cinematic capture, and Z Cam discovered that included being able to change the card. Obviously, it's a lower end camera, relatively speaking, and there are plenty of photo cameras with better video quality. Because it's impossible to tell on the internet, I'll reiterate that I'm quite happy to agree to disagree about terminology! And I am genuinely happy when people do things differently than I would.

Or is Mackey playing Depp playing Mackey...

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.

That's exactly why they started with an "entry-level" camera. They are re-implementing their algorithms in Nikon's processors and hardware, which are cheaper and more efficient (it wasn't hard to figure that out, given the economies of scale). We should also expect big news regarding other Red features, such as the integration of a global shutter sensor. I imagine that the process will then be a two-way street. A future Red camera will have Nikon processors and technology.

Def getting there. As you said, bokek is better when it's not distracting, like in most of your recent images. That and the very contrasty-darker frames make the image better. I think that's it. You'd just have to add a couple of actors that move within the frame to fill the last piece of the visual puzzle.