Emanuel

Yeah - sounds almost as good as Fuji already.  😅

https://www.eisa-awards.org/awards/nikon-zr/
Interesting to see the Nikon ZR taking EISA’s Photo/Video Camera 2026–2027 award.
On paper, I can understand it. The overall package is unusually strong, particularly for the money, and Nikon has clearly managed to turn the RED acquisition into something rather more tangible than a logo on the box.
Still, awards like this always make me wonder what is actually being judged.
A camera can be outstanding as a specification sheet, and even as an overall product, while still having one or two behaviours that matter disproportionately once you start using it seriously (codec implementation, processing, noise reduction, workflow, etc.).
That does not necessarily make the award wrong. It just shows how different “best camera” can look depending on whether you are judging features, image quality, value, or the less glamorous realities of actually shooting and finishing a project with it.
The ZR may well deserve the trophy.
I'm rather more interested in whether Nikon keeps refining the bits that do not fit quite so neatly on the award plaque ; )
That said, kudos to ZR!
EAG :- )
 

Quick review after the shoot this morning. I used the Pyxis as a roaming camera for a lecture hall presentation, so it was basically a 4th angle... which is a good thing. Face detect is a no-go for this situation; too many faces. I normally use the wide area AFC window on my Panasonics with great success panning across people in their rows, shots of hands writing and typing, group discussions, etc. I tried to replicate shooting this way with the 12K... no good. Pretty unpredictable. Sometimes it would perform exactly as I'd expect, other times it would refuse to change focus, other times it would hesitate, other times it would stutter back and forth between points. 

I used the Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8 today. I tested across a range of focal lengths and focus sensitivity settings. I stuck with a reasonable aperture of f/4.5 as well. It actually did better when zoomed in >85mm. Maybe the compression or blur helps it. I don't know. Overall, I'm not discouraged by this, though. This is a great first effort and I fully believe it will only get better. 

Well it’s happened! Blackmagic released a beta firmware adding PDAF to the Pyxis 12K. I’ve been playing around with it a bit tonight. It’s really impressive for a first effort. The face detection mode is superb for a standard solo interview. AFC is pretty great but takes a bit to get used to, because it operates a bit differently than my Panasonics. The object tracking mode is its weakest at the moment. That needs some real work.

The other nice feature with this update enabling linear focus throws and the ability to set rotation degrees on focus by wire lenses. If this firmware will work with Tilta’s upcoming PL to L adapter, I’ll be veryyyyyyy happy. 

Going to try it out on an actual shoot tomorrow.

It took a minute to find a link to what you're talking about.  Doesn't seem to have made it to many of the usual suspect forums yet.  Hopefully AF on Pyxis 12K means that the same is coming to Ursa LF sooner rather than later!
https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=239482

I have experimented with the Beastgrip 1.33x and 1.55x adapters using full frame cameras and wide/normal to short telephoto lenses (35/40/50/75). I have tried with my slow Leica M lenses, which are usually pretty forgiving on coverage. These Anamorphics will cover full frame and are easy enough to attach to the M mount lenses with a 39 to 37 step down ring. the 1.33x is definitely a better fit for the 35 & 40mm lenses, as the 1.55x has a pretty wide FOV. Results are similar to the above samples, with soft edges and major distortion. But definitely plenty of character. Next time I take a stab at it, I'll post some samples. 

I also found this video below, which combines a cheap adapter from Aliexpress with 17mm rear-filter and the Viltrox 28mm F4.5 lens.  He just sticks the mounting plate from the smartphone clamp for the anamorphic directly onto the Viltrox lens with tape, so hardly and ideal situation, but it is more proof of concept, and it covers FF too!

Test image:

Video:
 

Yes, the Beastgrip might well be a better candidate - not only due to having a filter thread I can convert to but also potentially with a larger rear aperture for better coverage!
I found this comparison between the Moment M-series (left) and Beastgrip (right) which shows the rear openings:

Some rough measurements of the Beastgrip suggest that the rectangular opening is almost exactly 17mm across, which would make the image circle significantly larger than my Neewer, which uses a 17mm threaded mount.  
The rectangular opening looks to be on a separate plate - I wonder if that could be removed somehow to really open up the rear element?
Wow - full frame coverage!   I really didn't expect that, and it's very encouraging to hear!
I also realised the 1.55x makes everything pretty wide, and have been contemplating what FOVs I'd want to get and what focal length taking lenses I'd need to use to get them.
You reminded me of my ultra-cheap Risepray 35mm F1.6 C-mount lens, which has a 37mm filter thread.  Assuming it doesn't vignette (and therefore doesn't need any cropping) that would give me a 45mm F2.1 equivalent lens, which would be pretty good for shooting street and run-n-gun like I do.

Raw Log Camera Demo – looking for closed testers (Android)
The first signed demo bundle is ready for closed testing on Google Play. I am looking for Android users who can test the app and report bugs or usability issues.
Current focus:
• RAW and RAWC recording
• IT8 calibration and color profiles
• Astro mode
• Motorola Edge 50 Pro and other Android devices
Google requires at least 12 testers to remain opted in for 14 days before Open testing becomes available for this new developer account. If you would like to help, please join the tester group:
https://groups.google.com/g/rawlogcam-closed-testers
After joining, please reply with the Google account email used for Play Store testing. I will share the Play opt-in link and test instructions with the group.
Demo recording is limited to 20 seconds. Feedback about drops, exported H.265 playback, GPU preview, RAWC stability and IT8 behavior is especially welcome.

I'd be happy to help you test it, I'll join the group later today. Have about 25 android phones!!! I can imagine how difficult it is on Android to test on so many OS and hardware combos, the number is just insane.
I am actually working on a stills camera app for Android and iPhone at the moment. So have been learning the ropes for just over a year now

I think that word “affinity” is actually more important than people sometimes admit : )
On paper we can reduce everything to specs, codecs, lenses and prices, but after a certain point a system also has to make you want to pick it up and use it. Sony can tick practically every box and still somehow not be the answer (I know exactly what you mean there : )
Since you are very much a hybrid shooter, and stills seem to matter at least as much as video, I would probably look at this slightly differently.
 
On the L-mount side, before changing anything, I would certainly try the Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. It is not an exotic lens, but for somebody moving constantly between stills and video it is exactly the sort of lens that can make a system considerably more useful: sensible range, stabilisation, very useful close focusing and one lens that can stay on the camera for most of the day.
 
Sony is tempting for a different reason. Beyond the enormous stills AF lens catalogue, E-mount also gives you an unusually broad selection of genuinely affordable full-frame AF glass (the AF-AFF route, AutoFocus to Affordable Full Frame ; )
And then there is the increasingly interesting cine side.
The compact Samyang V-AF primes are a good example. They are relatively affordable, matched as a family, and the 24mm in particular is interesting because it makes perfectly good sense on full frame while also becoming a very useful lens on something like an FX30 (a cam I am particularly used to : )
Add Samyang's 1.7x anamorphic MF adapter and AF becomes MF. But put something like DJI Focus Pro LiDAR [ 1 | 2] into the equation and you can effectively bring automated focusing back again (the AF-MF-AF route ; )
And you no longer even need to go through that slightly mad route if you simply want AF anamorphic.
Blazar now has the Apex 1.33x S35 AF lenses and the Talon 1.5x full-frame AF line, while Sirui has its 20mm/40mm T1.8 1.33x S35 AF anamorphics plus the new Astra full-frame AF series. So E-mount is beginning to look less like a one-off anamorphic experiment and more like an actual affordable AF-anamorphic ecosystem.
 
The interesting part is that some of this does not necessarily lock you into Sony either.
The Samyang V-AF 24mm has already been shown working with AF on the ZR through the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+, so at least part of that E-mount investment could potentially follow you across.
And Sirui already offers native Z versions of its S35 AF anamorphics. Blazar had actually announced Z-mount for the Apex originally too, although the production lenses have so far remained E/L.
So for me the real attraction of Sony in your case would not simply be "better video AF". It is the combination of the huge hybrid/stills lens ecosystem, lots of affordable AF glass, the possibility of adding something like an FX30 without changing lenses, the Samyang V-AF route, and now a growing choice of genuine AF anamorphics as well.
At the same time, the ZR increasingly looks capable of borrowing some of those advantages without necessarily committing yourself completely to Sony.
Which, unfortunately, probably makes your decision harder rather than easier... ; )

In purely lens terms, ie, not considering any camera body or brand, 28-50 is perfect for me indoors so either Sigma’s 28-45 f1.8 or Sony/Canon’s 28-70 f2’s are ‘perfect’ other than size, weight & cost.
There is the compromise but for the way I work, it is a case of:
A. 2 bodies + 2 primes vs 
B. 1 body + 1 fast zoom
Now of we redo the size, weight and financials, we are in the parity ballpark, so it becomes a case of which option do we prefer, - the single larger heavier unit, or bouncing between two smaller & lighter set ups?
I am currently in scenario A but in other seasons have worked with scenario B.
Pros & cons to each!
Outdoors, my ‘perfect’ focal range is 50-100 with a smaller (but essential need) to go as wide as 28 and as long as 150.
A 70-200 doesn’t work for me, even if an f1.0 landed, it would still be a hard nope.
Too long, not wide enough.
The 28-105 is the closest in L Mount right now if I remove the Samyang 35-150 from the equation.
First of all, it’s bit really an f2 other than at the widest end where really it is just an f2 35mm, but a massive and heavy one.
I’d rather have the Sigma 28-105 for outdoor work and crop a bit and for indoor, as things stand, the Sigma 28-45 f1.8.
This is my most likely scenario continuing with L Mount next year which is also my most likely scenario as things stand for reasons already mentioned, namely, I am already invested in the system and happy with it other than some lens niggles.
I am pretty sure if Nikon had got the ZR right for me in just 2 further areas; a fully articulated rear LCD (or even just a tilt) and had a 1/4 size Red codec, it would have been a done deal.
I began my career with Nikon and was was with them for 9-10 years and still have a certain, perhaps nostalgic affinity with the brand.
Fuji was almost another decade and I could easily jump that way for stills, but not video and I have niggles with their lenses for my stills needs as it would be GFX in that regard and there are no rangy fast zooms so it’s a no go for me.
I have zero affinity with Canon though always loved the idea of an R3…but nah, that really would be an entirely new system for me.
I’ve been in and out of Sony various times and could go that direction but there is something slightly lacking I cannot quite put my finger on and the best I can come up with is that word ‘affinity’ again. They have ALL of the lenses and I really like the FX style bodies but still…
And so L Mount…
Leica, for all its criticism and arguably elitism, probably does have a difficult to quantify ultimate quality edge in stills over Lumix, but worth the money? Probably not real world, but does have other merits…
SL3-P over S1Rii purely for stills? Hell yes.
Entire S1/S5/S9 range over anything else in the same price bracket for video? Hell yes.
Leica, Lumix & Sigma for lenses generally, yup they have it.
This is just an early morning coffee ramble really.
Another 8 months will determine following 5 years for me…

32x higher full well capacity or 30db more dynamic range (as cited by the video) should equate (if my math is right) with almost exactly five stops more highlight retention. There might be other trade offs so it's closer to 3 stops in practice, though.
In theory, five stops extra would put an FX5 well past an Alexa35 for highlight retention and an iPhone 15 at base ISO (in Apple Log) in close competition. 

I’ve come close to pushing the ZR button a few times now and there are really only 3 things that have prevented me doing so…
1. The file sizes of that Red Raw codec. Apparently N raw is the next best option and there are of course some ‘workarounds’, but until there is a compressed version that maxes out at no more than 1000 mbps, it’s just too much and one of the principal draws of this camera is the Red codec.
2. I’m not unhappy with L Mount. In fact the opposite except for one factor and that is the absence IMO of equivalent lenses to Sony’s: 28-70 f2, 50-150 f2 and Tamron’s 35-100 f2.8. It’s ‘almost’ worth switching just for these lenses alone, but that last word, ‘alone’, but alone is not enough and lenses aside, everything else that L Mount, specifically Lumix offers, beats that of Nikon & Sony.
3. I still have hope that from within the L Mount Alliance, over the coming Winter and next Spring, either (or even both) a rangefinderesque camera will appear from either Lumix or Sigma and at least one rival for one of the lenses above, will appear. Unlikely to be a Leica, but next gen FP a possibility and even more likely, an S9ii?
4. Bonus reason, - switching not only costs money, but there is always a settling in period with any new system that frustrates.
So my set up now just works, I have it and I like it and as above, my only real crit is with regard to certain lenses, but the ZR body style just appeals to me and I would like that rear LCD, but ideally as a fully articulated unit which is a bit of a missed opportunity IMO.

Amazing spec really.
Looks like it could be my forever camera….
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I agree. I had an EOS-M when it was first hacked, sold it, and then broke my own rule and bought it again when Crop Mood hit. Now I have two of them: one built up, and one bare bones. And the developers are improving it all the time -- especially lately. Have you checked out Amit's new builds? They are based on Bilal/Danne's last release so they are seemingly just as stable, if not a little more-so. But the new UI is great, and he seems to be unlocking a new feature every day!

I have one URSA Cine 12K just waiting for... ;- )

At this point, I am pretty sure that I'll still be asking for it next January - and the January after that.  😉
It makes some sense that BMD would bring all of those upgrades to two of their most popular cameras first - now let's just hope that they don't leave the higher-end stuff out.  Judging by their last set of announcements, there is some hope for new features coming to the Ursa LF, given that they're focused so heavily on pushing it into the broadcast market, but I could also see them pulling most of the people working on camera firmware and shoving them over into the firmware that runs on their boxes that are designed to fit in a server rack (the main focus of their recent announcements).

Canon EOS-M with Magic Lantern in 1:1 mode. These are the resolutions currently available:
3072 × 1308 2880 × 1226 2560 × 1440 2520 × 1080 2160 × 1620 (doesn't work with a monitor plugged in) 1920 × 1280 Yes, there's a major crop. And yes, it is possible to overload the buffer with the 3K and 2.8K modes when shooting 12-bit. And rolling shutter is pretty terrible. But it's a digital 16mm camera with 1:1 readout that shoots raw. Practically no moire or aliasing. And a beautiful image (one of my favorites right now, bar none). Plus, one developer has been making major updates to the UI and simplifying the menus in the past 2-3 weeks. It's like a whole new camera.

I ordered one, should be here by tonight.

Sure : ) That's actually how this thread started back in January, and I updated it again in March with the 9.9.2 firmware update : )
So yes, PDAF itself isn't the new part here. What I meant by "quite an update" was 10.2.2 as a whole (and AF finally graduating from beta), especially "10-minute pre-record" and all on the "Same hardware" (which is why those were the two bits I put in bold), that's the news! No need for a new camera ; ) alongside 4-channel audio, Cloud Streaming and the rest.
And yes, you were already asking for the URSA Cine 12K LF back in January... let's see if that one comes next ; - )

Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro are now $100 off everywhere.  It's still on the pricey side for an action camera, but my Insta360 One R/RS's are getting older/a little beat up and the batteries seem to be showing signs of age too.
I'm not sure how this person did such a deep dive on the imaging pipeline, but it was an interesting read.
https://gethypoxic.com/blogs/technical/gopro-mission-1-gp3-image-pipeline
Info on the sensor:
https://www.sony-semicon.com/files/62/flyer_industry/IMX06A-AJ1R-J_Flyer.pdf
(Also saw that Sony now has a 247 megapixel MF sensor while digging that up, that's a lot of dots)

Exactly. What you call availablism is central here. But with Wong Kar-wai it never feels merely opportunistic. The available does not remain simply available. It becomes emotional architecture.
Pre-handover Hong Kong gave him the lights, the colours, the cramped spaces, the corridors, the streets, the reflections and the limitations. But the art is in turning those given elements into mood, memory and desire. That is the difference between just using a location and allowing the location to become part of the film’s inner life.
In that sense, the uncontrolled city is not only a background. It becomes a collaborator. Wong Kar-wai does not simply take what is there. He finds what is hidden inside what is there.

There is one important point here : )
A Japanese decision invalidating the Japanese patent does not, by itself, kill equivalent patents in the US, Europe or anywhere else (even if they belong to the same patent family). Patent rights are territorial and each national right has, legally speaking, its own existence within its own jurisdiction.
So no, compressed RAW has not suddenly become free for everyone everywhere : )
What is interesting is something else: if the claims are substantially equivalent (and that is obviously the important bit), the reasoning used in Japan may well become useful ammunition in other validity challenges.
That is why, for me, the really interesting question is what Panasonic (or anyone else) does next.
If equivalent RED claims start falling elsewhere too (particularly in the US), then yes, we may be looking at a very different landscape.
- E. :- )
  
 

This has to be fixed! I'll ask Jarred about this (particularly about the possibility of a lighter R3D NE option) and see what he says (E. :- )