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Among all the firmware requests by YouTubers and RED shooters, this one was almost out of the radar. Which tells me is an indirect response to whining about raw file sizes. Which means an internal lower bitrate R3D NE became even less likely.

Same technology used in Xiaomi 17 Pro. It has more DR than G9m2, but the lens quality and the algorithm used to combine low gain and high gain are horrible and so the extra highlight stops are wasted.

Funny how the ZR has reached legendary status even before its launch. Youtubers getting destroyed in the comments when making some stupid comparison. This is one example, but I have seen others... if you would have told me a Nikon camera would have got so much support, I would not have believed it. They really have got some momentum, I hope they try at least to satisfy the request of the people toward the ZR, because it is their Canon 5DmarkII moment.

Probably and until Resolve etc support the new codec. But then I've seen some side by side comparisons with Nraw where the reviewer is saying, "look at how much less noise there is" and I agreed, there was less, but also, "look how much better these skin tones are" and I thought, really? have you got your labelling wrong because the Nraw looked better in your side by side examples. So I guess until folks you know, love and trust start showcasing or you can get your own hands dirty, the jury is still out on just how good it is beyond the hype. My own personal jury has ruled against it despite thinking the camera looks fabulous, the screen is killer and the pricing excellent, but no way am I going to be using those file sizes. Lumix, get on with the S1H2 please.

The R3D NE is only available in bitrates similar to N-RAW high quality, not normal, which is what many people seem to be complaining about.

I noticed that in Cinema Tools comparison between Nikon Z6 III and Sony FX3 in the first section both cameras use x265 codecs. Watched it on big OLED TV and didn't notice any visible differences in color. IMHO Nikon x265 is perfectly usable option if maximum compression and smaller files are needed. If still in doubt about x265 quality, ProRes 10 bit 4:2:2 at 4K is good alternative. Here are the compression ratios of all Nikon codecs in Z8. We can easily extrapolate them to Z6 III / Zr https://zxi.mytechroad.com/blog/photography/nikon-z8-prores-prores-raw-bitrate-and-compression-ratio/ NRAW / RED RAW normal has a compression ratio of 7.5 which is comparable to BRAW 8:1. NRAW / RED RAW high quality - 4.5 compression ratio comparable to BRAW 5:1. Those are very good compression ratios. ProRes HQ 422 10Bit - 5.2 ProRes RAW - 2. We have several RAW or non RAW codecs and compression options. Last Z6 III firmware version 2.0 brings shutter angle. Z6 III has wave form too. The few options that are missing are open gate, anamorphic desqueez and LUTs. I don't need the first two and can have the last one with external monitor. Overall Nikon Zr / Z6 III are great cameras and quite affordable compared to the image quality in video they give.

Here is my understanding about 4K NRAW in Nikon Z6 III / Zr and Z8. I don't have the camera just gathered info from Internet. Correct me if I am wrong. Z8 as others already mentioned uses two different methods to get 4.1K NRAW / RED RAW from 8K. Gerald Undone gets a lot of criticism on this forum but he mentioned those methods in his Z8 review while many other reviews don't. Typically for all 4.1K from 24fps to 60fps and 120fps Nikon Z8 uses line skipping with all artifacts that come with this method. Only for 24p,25p and 30p Nikon Z8 has a special EXTENDED OVERSAMPLING mode. This method of course gives more detailed / better image. It is not without it's own issues. Those issues becomes logical when we ask ourself how do they over sample a RAW video stream and at the end get another RAW video stream ? https://alikgriffin.com/nikon-z8-color-shifts-4k24p-nraw/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyyiKwlRXCA IMHO this small green cast in the shadows will be easy to fix. Still will require some work and time. The extended oversampling is not available for 60p and 120p. In this case APS-C crop is an option for better non line skipped image. Nikon Z6 III / Zr 4K NRAW is line skipped, but 6K full sensor width NRAW has only slightly higher bit rates when shooting with NORMAL quality. They are comparable to Sony Intraframe codecs. IMHO for RAW video 24Mpx sensors represents the best balance between resolution and speed. Too many mega pixels and large portion of them should be discarded somehow for 4K RAW video or we have to deal with huge 8K filesand do the down scaling in editing. 12Mpx sensor on the other side actually has less pixels than theory suggest are needed for perfect 4K DCI debayering. Rumors about what Sony using probably a fully stacked 24Mpx sensor in next FX3 make sense. Nikon Z6 III / Zr Achilles heel in NRAW so far is dynamic range / latitude. All tests of Nikon Z6 III so for show 1 stop less of both dynamic range and latitude compared to sensors in Nikon Z8, Sony 12Mpx one in ZV-E1, A7S III, FX3, FX6, 50 MPx one in A1, Sony Venice 2. They all have dynamic range between 12 and 13 stops and 8 stops of latitude. I really hope Red Raw better log profile, chroma noise reduction and 6K to 4K resolution down-scaling will give one more stop of DR and make this sensor on par with the rest. After all same sensor in non DR Boost mode in Panasonic S1 II when using ProRes RAW codec reached 9 stops of latitude. It is hard to believe Nikon used some trimmed down version of the same sensor. x265 10bit 4:2:0 in latest Nikon hybrid cameras is visibly of lower quality compared to RAW video but it may turn out to be perfectly fine for most tasks and most people. Nikon x265 10 bit 4:2:0 may turn out to be as good as other brands x265 10bit 4:2:2. I don't know until I try it myself or see a detailed test. Between Nikon Z6 III and Zr I would choose Z6 III. It has good EVF, shutter, Full HDMI port and is a true hybrid. Internally for video they are practically the same and by renaming NRAW video files we get access to the better RED RAW pipeline and color science in Resolve. Current Nikon Z6 III price in a local photo shop is 2050E. Nikon Zr price is 2375 Euro and camera is not yet available. Nikon Z6 III doesn't sell well, price was decreased significantly from original 2500-2800 Еuro most likely because it doesn't offer significant upgrade for photo shooters and all those talks about lower dynamic range. Second hand Z6 III bodies pop up locally from time to time in the 1700-1800 Euro range and still with warranty. IMHO Nikon Z6 III and Zr are for people who want to shoot RAW video. Theory and practice tell us 10bit 4:2:2 is equally good but sometimes we just want something 🙂, for whatever reason. 12bit NRAW with RED RAW hack is really a great choice because it offers fairly compressed industry standard RAW codec. ProRes RAW has higher bit rates. I edited in Resolve some sample NRAW video clips from Nikon Z8 and Z6 III and can say that if video is exposed properly there is no need of noise reduction. Editing, color correcting and grading them is not more difficult or time consuming than SLog3 internal footage from Sony. They take more space but still nothing crazy and for certain projects and people it could be acceptable. Bottom line: If you want to shoot RAW Nikon Zr, Z6 III and Z8 as well are great options, first two being quite affordable. I am worming up to the idea to get Nikon Z6 III. Use it some time and compared it with Sony ZV-E1 which has one of the best Sony sensors for video. Then eventually keep one of the two and sell the other.

If no-one is able to assist here, might be worth asking in the relevant sub-forum on liftgammagain.com where the colourists all hang out. Of course, you might get an answer that's more technical than you'd like...

Mid season report. Actually, I am nearing end of season with just 2 more jobs to go this year until June next…which is quite normal for me. The TDLR is I almost love it… Why ‘almost’? I’ll get to that… The Good = The body design actually. Yes I would rather Lumix had moved to a body style more like the FX3, but I guess they thought that might scare photographers who expect a hump. Whatever the reason, it’s not as innovative as it could have been and despite not having a top screen, really is like a smaller S1H in the hand and IMO, that is a good thing. In my hands, with no battery grip or any other adornment other than the smallest Senheisser mic, it feels just right in terms of size, weight, build, comfort, ergos. It’s a true hybrid. It would be even better with an internal electronic VND, but hey ho, maybe that will come with the S1H2? With 5x C1-5 custom settings and a simple photo-video switch, it’s fabulous for hybrid work. I don’t even use all 5 photo and 5 video settings, but have it set up basically as: landscape photo, portrait/candid outdoor, portrait/candid indoor and low-light, all with a starting f stop, aperture, WB, ISO and equivalent matching settings for video so it’s actually only one flick of a switch to flip between video and stills in any given scenario. Brilliant. The sensor. 44mp. Perfect 👌 for me sweet spot between the more traditional 24mp and the 100mp of the bigger MF sensors. Suits both photo and video. Video files and capability. I shoot 7.2k 30p open gate and the file sizes are not huge or slow to work with. With baked in conversion LUT, SOOC I love them. Yes raw would be even better, but an almighty faff and overkill for my needs. The open gate allows any number of crops, 30p a 20% reduction in speed on a timeline and the 7.2k quite a bit of scope for punching in etc. Having said that, not fully edited a finished production yet but I have checked and edited a few bits here and there and it’s even better than the 6K I was using before which itself was better than the 4K from Lumix FF cameras so thumbs up. The Not So Good = Battery life is pretty poor. I’ve always scoffed at people reporting poor battery life and never experienced it on any camera. Until now. It’s not great, but a spare battery in my pocket at all times is how I now roll and is what it is. AF accuracy for video is good but not Sony level. Ditto for photo. Having come directly from an A7RV, I’d give the nod to the Sony for ultimate outright stills quality and AF, but the S1RII gets the nod for video and body. I don’t think there is anything else other than I have a pair of them matched with the 35mm f1.8 on one and the 85mm f1.8 on the other. The S9 is on lighter duties of video only, mostly longer than clips and sometimes even full length ceremonies and speeches and has only overheated once and that was on a very hot day in direct sunlight. The S1RII by the way, I have never even had a warning and has never got hot to touch, - just the usual warmth you might expect shooting a thing all day long. I may replace the S9 next year with an S1IIE for a bit more robustness and utility, but waiting to see if any S1H2 appears before doing that, if I do that. Almost certainly will trade the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 for the new Lumix 24-60mm f2.8 next year as I think it will suit my needs better and appears to offer better AF and detail/rendering. S5II soldiers on in its static role and just does what I need it to do. I do need to find a way to get rid of the battery grip and the heavy tripod however and working on that… So ‘almost’ love it. It’s the battery life and good but not stellar AF plus the less than exciting body design that drops it 2 points for me so I’ll give it an 8/10. Along with the Z8, probably the best all round hybrid camera available today? At least for my needs. Taking into account lens options and prices.

8K50p N-RAW Normal is 362 MB/s. Comparisons between different codecs at different frame rates doesn't make much sense since frame rate is usually specified by the application and not used just to fill a data rate quota. h.265 is available on the ZR.

There is this conspiracy theory that its a damage control campaign by Sony, which I don't agree with. Sony's position is strong enough to not bother at all. But YouTubers shouldn't behave in a way to make it easy for conspiracy theorists. I mean they all made it about FX3 since day one. They didn't even mention that S9 IBIS works better than ZR, or S1ii extract higher DR from the same sensor, or what about Canon? Nobody made a comparison with any EOS. When they all talk about just one brand and one specific model of that brand, which is not even in the same price segment, some people may get suspicious.

It's only a 1:2 difference. You can get similar file sizes from Prores 422 HQ 4K as N-RAW Normal 6K, and the Prores looks gorgeous at least from the Z8; I would expect the same from the ZR. There could be an issue though if you want 50 or 60 fps then the quality may not be as good from the ZR as it is with the Z8 (due to lack of support of extended oversampling).

N-RAW Normal is still there and can be renamed to RED RAW. I understand that's not an option for people who want to trim but then as Jahleh said why not use NRAW. I was impressed recently by some of the color grading done in the movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was shot on Sony Venice 2, (Sony A1 sensor) at 8K RAW and transferred to 4K Digital intermediate. Following Hollywood workflow another option would be to do the trimming plus some WB and exposure balance in Resolve and export in something like ProRes 4:4:4. RAW video workflow will usually more work. ProRes 10bit 4:2:2 4K is an alternative, cinema tools test shows texture of image is good. Or expose h.265 2 stops to the right. When I am shooting at night with Sony ZV-E1 and don't expose 1.7 to 2 stops to the right, there is plenty of noise in the shadows. IMHO this is not a camera to get if you shoot a lot of 4K 60p or 120p and have a fast project turnaround that requires the use of x265. It is specifically for people who want to shoot predominately or at least 50:50 RAW video and are ready to absorb the cost in time and money.

So, everyone is talking about quality and analysis on the videos shared on YouTube, but no one has had the chance to download a raw file? Did the shilltubers sign NDAs that don't allow them to share the original files? Will we have to wait for the camera to get into the hands of common users?

A Chinese Weibo user who knows Sony Semi stuff said they developed a 5k sensor with 14bit readout and DCG, for next gen A7S/FX3; and the next day this rumor appeared. Probably somebody thought its perfect for S1Hii. The only thing certain about this sensor is that it's expensive.

We can dream... Shady website specs leaked on a Chinese social media site. • 4K 240p uncropped • 5.1K 120p open gate, ProRes RAW • V-Log2 • 16+ stops dynamic range • Arri codec • 39 LUTs • ProRes 4444 XQ, 4444, 422 HQ, 422, 422 LT, Proxy • 32-bit float audio • Phase Hybrid AF • 8.5 stops in-body image stabilization • 120fps continuous burst shooting • Dual CFexpress Type B slots • New active cooling system

The h.265 itself is not the problem. Its that you can't turn off the NR with h.265, and in low light its too much. Nikon didn't change this even after all firmware updates they did for Z9/Z8/Z6III, so its safe to say its not going to happen with Expeed 7. Probably because power consumption will be noticeably higher if the encoder has to compress noisy image.

I still have problem with Gerald Undone, and this is exemplified with Canon C50 vs Nikon ZR review. I don't question his numbers, but how he interpreted them for his bias. Man pissed on the ZR t every corner, but excused the worst or the worst for Canon. The simple example is the ZR micro hdmi vs Canon C50 lack of IBIS. Yes it is an inconvenience the ZR doesn't have a full size hdmi, but it can be remedied with a 100 USD cage plus lock. But what about the lack of IBIS, you would need a full set of big supporting gear. Either a tripod, shoulder mount or gimbal. But hey, his excuse is that he talked with some first AC, and they told him that they prefer the sensor to be locked, as if the C50 principal use will be on movie sets!!!!! He is revolting, how dare Nikon put cinema on the ZR, but does he think that the ZR/C50/Fx3 will be primarily use on cinema sets!!! Is he crazy, 99.9% of their use will be in events, corporate videos, weddings, reportage, social media content creation etc. At the top you will find them used on small to average advertising production, short films, small to no budget films. And in rare case as specialist camera like crash cam, in higher end production. But again in those 99.9% cases, stabilization is a big big plus for those production. But hey, Nikon dared to put Cinema on the ZR. I mean a camera that has better image than 90% of digital camera just 5 years ago.

BTS on the go.

With F-mount lenses the AF won't be great during video but it should be OK for stills for the most part. I don't think focus pulling by hand with autofocus stills lenses (F-mount) is going to be easy. Practice with the same kind of subjects helps. For video AF, native lenses do best. Most Z mount Nikkors also can be programmed for linear manual focusing. Raw video takes up a lot of storage very quickly.

I bought all the impact transitions about 10 years ago, never bothered with the subscription based gpu ones they were ridiculously expensive and getting cheesier with each passing year. I now use 3 or 4 of them regularly, but most of them look super dated now imho.

Pretty good summary. After shooting NRaw almost a year now with Z6iii I can relate to almost all of that. According to Gerald and Cinematools Z6iii FX 4k NRaw is line skipped but DX is pixel to pixel, which is the reason why in Cinematools’ Z8 vs Z6iii comparison the 4k120p with Z6iii looks better. The only extra step with NRaw IMHO is to use Resolve to trim the NRaw files and export important parts via Resolve’s Media management. If you do the Red Raw hack after export, Resolve won’t accept the renamed files. If you do the hack first, Resolve won’t export the trimmed R3D files. Have not tried Red CineX pro though. Hopefully it or some other method works with the Zr’s R3D NE Raw files.

Prores RAW has an even higher data rate than R3D or N-RAW on the ZR. Nikon lists ZR data rates for Prores 422 HQ 4K 25 fps at 820 Mb/s (102.5 MB/s) and 6K at 25 fps at 1600 Mbps (200 MB/s). Thus the Prores options for 6K are even bigger than the R3D or N-RAW, but the 4K version of Prores 422 HQ is a bit more manageable than 6K. Prores 422 HQ may be easier to edit than RAW in some ways (at least distortion and vignetting profiles are applied in-camera so there is less post work to be done). I use Prores 422 HQ 4K on the Z8 as my go-to format. I love the colors and image quality.

Hey everyone! I wanted to share something I've been working on for the past while - Lumap, a DCTL for Resolve that consolidates all your basic grading adjustments into one intuitive panel. The Problem I Was Trying to Solve I got tired of using complex node structures just to do basic exposure, contrast, and saturation adjustments that would look natural. Coming from a photography background using Capture One and Lightroom, I missed having simple sliders in one place that just worked without having to think about CSTs, colour spaces, and multiple different nodes. What Lumap Does Instead of wrestling with lift/gamma/gain wheels, Lumap gives you: Photometric exposure - Linear stops like changing exposure in-camera Temperature and Tint - For white balance Intelligent contrast - References your source’s format's middle grey without overcooking the toe/shoulder Brightness - Targets midtones while preserving highlights and shadows Organic highlight/shadow recovery - create organic, film-like roll-offs that seamlessly blend into your midtones Smart saturation - Preserves luminance and prevents skin tone oversaturation Film-style density - Control the intensity and depth of colours you get from subtractive saturation techniques Why Sliders Instead of Wheels? Most of us aren't using professional grading panels - we're using mice and trackpads. Sliders are just faster and more responsive for cursor input. Plus, if you're coming from photo editing, this interface will feel immediately familiar. There's a free demo version so you can test if it fits your workflow. https://www.dhyanverco.com/lumap Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try! And happy to answer any questions.

I went into an actual camera shop (remember those?) yesterday and had a chat about the ZR. It is a branch of a reasonably sized chain of stores and I was asking them about if I ordered one would I have a chance of being in the first batch of their deliveries. They had a check on their system and told me how many they had on order and was a bit surprised how few it was (less than double figures) and even more surprised to find out that that figure wasn’t just for their branch but the whole group. Considering that they had pretty much the whole Nikon range on display, it wasn’t even like they aren’t a limited stockist of the brand. So I said, “Oh right, with that few coming I suppose I’d have no chance of getting one for a few batches?” Tap, tap, tap… ”No you’ll be fine as we haven’t got anyone who has pre-ordered one” ”In this branch?” ”No, the whole group”. I was quite taken aback and asked why that was. They said that the general consensus with customers and staff was that it was just a bit of a niche product and of the customers that were interested were all talking about the data rate putting them off. What they also said is that they had had a resurgence of interest in the Z6iii since the ZR was announced. It all likely means little in the overall scheme of things as this is just one retail group but it’s interesting to me how there can be such a gulf in the interest in a product and the reality of people actually buying it. I think that data rate thing is going to be a thing though.

Nice. I'm getting the Pro one to replace my 12 Mini, so it should be quite the upgrade. When I'm on trips I use the big camera for shooting the surroundings and environment and my phone for quickly shooting the people I know as we're out and about doing things. Ironically that means that it's my most important camera and the other stuff is my secondary setup. I'll be curious to see what the lower-bitrate files are like, as shooting at full res gives very little recording time.

I am; should be delivered tomorrow. Main reason is it's my normal upgrade cycle time. But, even if it was a year early for me I'd still be compelled to buy it. I've been using my phone for critical pick up shots for a while now and the addition of ProRes RAW makes it even more useful for me this way. The 200mm equivalent telephoto also will be great for casual concert and event photography so I'm pretty happy all around.

The rumours are all over the place!!! Who knows what we’ll get. My same wishes apply. 6k 50 no crop, super 3 way lcd and top evf. Faster processing. Happy for a video centric camera but looking for under 3000€ and video/photo switch

There is something to be said about how my S1 still comfortably covers all my needs 7 years later...

Wait 7 years

I’d rather wait for the Nikon/RED version https://nikonrumors.com/2025/03/13/new-nikon-z-video-oriented-camera-rumored-to-be-announced-later-this-year-similar-to-the-sony-fx3.aspx/