Nikon and RED lastly put a shared badge on a compact physique that goals previous vlogging specs and into critical manufacturing. You get inside R3D, a vibrant 4-inch display screen, and a physique that undercuts rivals on value whereas elevating questions on ports, playing cards, and rigging wants.
Coming to you from Gerald Undone, this incisive video focuses on the brand new Nikon ZR cinema digicam. Gerald lays out the core pitch quick: inside REDCODE RAW, REDWideGamut/Log3G10 workflow, and sub-10 ms rolling shutter, making ZR a small, low cost approach to match RED footage on set. He additionally calls out friction factors you’ll discover the primary day you rig it, just like the micro HDMI port and the awkward backside card door that hides a CFexpress Sort B and a microSD slot. The display screen is the win right here at 4 inches, 1,000 nits, and three.07 million dots, which really adjustments the way you monitor on a light-weight construct.
Gerald compares usability in opposition to the Sony FX3 and says ZR feels nearer to a souped-up Sony ZV-E1 in day-to-day dealing with. That’s not a knock on picture high quality; it’s about ergonomics, button logic, and I/O. You get a zoom rocker that may drive power-zoom, three prime customized buttons, and fast boot, however the single backside 1/4-20 mount and sideways EN-EL15c battery power cage options quick. Audio is the shock: inside 32-bit float works with each the built-in capsule and the three.5mm jack, which may save takes when acquire is off, although the dearth of a local XLR deal with leaves a spot when you document dual-system usually.
Key Specs
Lens Mount: Nikon Z
Sensor: 35.9 x 23.9 mm full body CMOS, efficient 24.5 MP
Stabilization: 5-axis sensor-shift
ISO: Twin base 800 / 6,400; native 100–64,000
Inside Recording:
ProRes RAW 12-bit as much as UHD 6K 30p; DCI 4K as much as 120p; UHD 4K as much as 60p
REDCODE RAW 12-bit as much as UHD 6K 60p; DCI 4K as much as 120p; UHD 4K as much as 120p
H.264 8-bit FHD as much as 60p
H.265 8/10-bit as much as 5.3K 60p, 4K 120p, FHD 240p
ProRes 422 HQ 10-bit as much as 4K 60p, FHD 120p
Video Output: Micro-HDMI as much as 3840 x 2160
Media: CFexpress Sort B (Slot 1), microSD UHS-I (Slot 2)
Audio I/O: 3.5 mm mic in and headphone out; inside stereo mic; 32-bit float document
Connectivity: Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, USB-C (Energy + USB 3.2 Gen 2 information), UVC 1080p60
Monitor: Articulating 4″ touchscreen LCD
Energy: Nikon EN-EL15c
Measurement/Weight: 5.2 x 3.2 x 1.9 in; 1.19 lb physique solely
You additionally get quick readout. Gerald measured roughly 9.1 ms rolling shutter in 6K R3D and sub-10 ms throughout modes, which retains skew in examine on whip pans and handheld strikes. Dynamic vary lands effectively in R3D with a 14-stop complete and about 10.9 “clear” stops at 6K on a 6K timeline with out NR, with a bump while you downsample to 4K, whereas H.265 seems to be softer from heavier noise discount, so it’s greatest reserved for long-form runtimes the place area trumps element. ProRes 422 HQ is cleaner than H.265 however nonetheless reveals extra processing than uncooked, pushing ZR towards a “shoot uncooked first” mindset when picture integrity is the precedence.
The view-assist button habits is inconsistent between contact and customized buttons, which slows on-set toggling. There’s additionally the two-hour-and-five-minute clip cap and the variable H.265 card-time estimate quirk that Gerald has criticized on different our bodies, so plan media and energy with margin, particularly when you’re hovering round 470 MB/s at 6K60 R3D. On thermals, the fanless design held regular in summer time temps in his checks, together with multi-hour oversampled 4K60 whereas powered over USB-C.
For those who’re coming from Nikon Z6 III, autofocus and stabilization habits will really feel acquainted. Monitoring disables when utilizing Hello-Res Zoom, and IBIS is ok for static pictures however not the steadiest when strolling. The true hook is price-to-codec ratio and coloration pipeline parity with RED cameras, which makes ZR a compelling b-cam or crash cam while you want R3D in a small physique with out renting. Take a look at the video above for the total rundown.
