Django

I initially dismissed the Nikon ZR. The compact body and odd I/O layout made it seem like a prosumer crossover rather than a serious tool. After spending real time shooting with it, that impression completely changed. The huge integrated display transforms the experience. It feels intuitive, immersive, and for the first time a Nikon mirrorless seems built for video operators. Pair with a Leica M lens and it delivers this uncanny mix of smartphone agility and FF cinematic depth, a combo that feels surprisingly liberating (think sigma FP but with IBIS). The body is metal and feels rock solid. The flip out screen isn’t ideal for low angle work, but that’s about the only ergonomic miss. The stills side remains capable and thoughtfully separated from the video mode. The redesigned video interface finally feels modern, with waveform, quick exposure tools, and four customizable banks all within reach. The main system menu still feels like a maze, but the dedicated video page is a major step toward a proper cine oriented workflow. I just hope Nikon will pull more from the RED side (traffic lights, open gate, 17:9 etc) in a firmware update. Despite its understated design, the ZR stands out as Nikon’s most forward-thinking hybrid yet. The 32-bit float audio, internal R3D recording, and that massive touch display all combine into a package that feels disruptive and modern at a mid-tier price point. Haven't been this tempted by a camera in a while.

Can't seem to be able to import ZR R3D files into Resolve17, do I need to upgrade? any workarounds? Tried a quick 4K ProRes shot and its looking good, not seeing the mushiness of h265.. 🙂

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!

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?

I've noticed this in a couple reviews. Kinda surprised because the h265 on Z8/Z9 is quite good, even when compared to NRAW. So I do wonder if the h265 on ZR is somewhat "bad" maybe perhaps as noted above to circumvent overheating. I like having options on a camera but if the h265 is horrible than yeah that means this is an ultra high bitrate cam only. ..which kinda leads me to ask who would prefer the ZR to a Z8? both are around the same price here in EU.

Sounds good! Would love to see some more tests with maybe more telephoto focal lengths to see how the bokeh looks and humans for skin tones and detail without Apples usual computational behavior. Would love to try this out myself at an Apple store but you obviously can’t plug-in an SSD to their tethered display units. I think you can do ProRes in log and then airdrop footage though so I might go check it today. Particularly interested in what log2 brings vs their previous log. I assume better highlight retention, increased DR etc.

iPhones don’t have IBIS, no phone does AFAIK. What it uses is Apple’s sensor shift OIS which means the lens or sensor module physically moves, plus EIS which is electronic crop and warp. In normal video both work together. When you switch to RAW or open gate, EIS is disabled because you are recording the entire sensor with no crop margin for digital stabilization. OIS still works but the footage looks a lot shakier since you are used to EIS doing most of the work. This is pretty standard behavior across cameras that offer RAW or open gate. As for no internal RAW recording, I don’t see it as a major inconvenience considering how quickly you’d fill up your storage (especially if you got the base models). Going SSD is definitely the right move.

It’s not as risky as it sounds. You’re never pulling the active recording card, only the idle one. The camera is writing to one slot while the second slot is completely free, so you can safely swap it for a fresh card without interrupting the recording. That’s how Canon implements “relay recording” to allow essentially unlimited record times. Of course if you pulled the card that’s actively being written to, you’d corrupt the file, but the workflow is designed to prevent that. It’s not really a new trick on the C50, it’s fairly standard in Canon’s cine line and a reason people trust them on long form shoots. Most hybrids including Canon R line doesn't allow this as they're photo centric and that could cause issues, I'm not even sure this works when in the photo mode of C50.. another benefit of having dual OS systems. On a side note, I hope Nikon includes more RED OS features like traffic light system etc.

Sadly the mini was a flop, it didn’t sell well. People want big phones apparently which I find annoying as one hand gesture operation is impossible, not to mention pocket ability and discretion while shooting. Those are the reasons why I still use my 13 mini as my daily driver despite having a « better » regular size iPhone.

I don’t see the ZR & C50 as direct competitors even though they were announced at the same time and take inspiration from the FX3. Different builds, specs and price point. Not to mention the ecosystems. The way I see it, the DR per price argument is a bit of a stretch. A camera is more than just a sensor, and the two bodies are not in the same hardware category. I love for example that you can open the side door on the C50 while recording and hot swap cards. The built in fan, screw mount, included XLR top handle with zoom rockers and record. It all reminds me of the C100 which I shot so much run & gun with. ZR feels more like a vlog cam with a Z6iii in comparison. Reminds me more of Sonys ZVe1. DR wise, yes C50 shows about a stop less than the ZR in Gerald’s tests at its 6.9K RAW base, but it also gains an extra stop in S35 mode and two stops in 4K H265. On top of that it’s open gate 7K vs 6K. Different sensors, different pipelines. IBIS would have been great on the C50, but Canon just doesn’t include it in the cine line, just like RED, BM, FX6, FX9, etc. Bummer but not a deal breaker for me, C50 ergos look good and with 7K open gate that leaves a lot of wiggle room for stab in post. The ZR is great value image wise, but in my opinion it has some valid hardware quirks and R3D RAW comes with massive data rates. Gerald’s DR score of 10.9 was with R3D RAW, but it drops to 9.74 in NRAW, so in practice the gap is smaller than it first appears. For me the C50 checks most of the boxes I need, and opens up a slew of lenses including anamorphic but also s35/s16. But for others the ZR with Z mount adaptability and R3D RAW at a mid level price point might make more sense, and that’s fine.

My daily driver is an iPhone 13 mini and that won’t change (lowkey wish they’d reintroduce the mini line, everyone I know that has one loves them). But my secondary iPhone will be getting a substantial upgrade to the 17 Pro. It’s the first pro model that resonates with me. Love the rugged unibody design, previous pro models still had that fragile precious feel I despise. And of course the specs. One that few seem to mention is that open gate will be supported through Final Cut Camera 2.0. And the front camera sensor is square which allows multi aspect ratios, a cool direction. I do more and more vertical work for social and a lot of times they want the “iPhone” look not a heavy graded shallow DoF look so main benefit for that will be the cameras but I have seen impressive videos shot on iPhone Pros. 28 years later included. So who knows to what capacity all these codecs, log, open gate etc will be used.

Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/live/-xwAllKdSW0?si=idF9ndnB6oNJjzKb It's an interesting talk, the DP mentions how the camera opened up lens choices for their short, from high end Panavision anamorphics to FF, S35 and even S16 glass. In that sense it really behaves like three cameras in one. Sure, the R5C also has crop modes, but the C50 adds open gate, all the desqueeze factors, and a rugged screw mount cinema build. You can also record log master on one card and baked in LUT on the second. That makes it feel like a purpose designed tool rather than a hybrid you have to adapt around.

It's definitely not a typo! Several C50 reviews mention it and there is a B&H C50 talk with the DP of the short film I linked earlier and a senior Canon rep that confirms S35 has a stop more of DR, when pressed on how they achieved that he says its readout & ISO related. That seems to suggest Canon is using the reduced data load in the crop to drive the sensor differently, maybe a slower more precise readout path, or shifting the base ISO behavior to lower noise. Not unlike how Panasonic’s DR Boost works, though probably different sensor readout trickery.

Fair points, but I think you’re overstating the certainty here. None of us actually know if Canon is switching bit depth between FF and S35 on the C50. Canon hasn’t published that detail, so it’s speculation. What we do know is Canon are claiming higher DR in S35 mode, so whether that comes from pipeline tweaks, bit depth, or something else, the end result is what matters to shooters. Also, the CVP review actually concludes the opposite of “no improvements”: they specifically say the C50 has better DR, better AF, C-Log2, the XLR top handle, and a range of new photo/video features the R5C doesn’t have. For me, the 7K open gate, C-Log2, higher dual base ISO range, dual format recording, cine-oriented form factor, and XLR top handle are what seal the deal over the R5C. Neither are perfect cameras, but the C50 checks enough boxes for me to seriously consider it.

No indication C50 can do this either but they should definitely consider it if not already. I also hear they are releasing a bunch of "stylised" LUTs including day-to-night for the C50. As for open gate, if the R5C (or even the R5 II) sensor could actually handle full-height 3:2 video readout, Canon would have probably leaned on that already.. either through firmware or at launch. Instead, they built a brand-new lower MP sensor for the C50. That tells me the older 45MP architecture just isn’t optimized for it (whether it’s readout speed, heat, or the processing pipeline). So while open gate on the R5C would be fantastic, the fact Canon didn’t already enable it when they had the chance is probably the clearest sign it’s not coming. Also for product segment reasons. But you never know..