Nikon ZR, the first progeny of the Nikon-RED acquisition, is out, with quite a stir around it. The new camera seems to follow no known patterns, fitting into a box of its own. The camera blends high-end cine features, never seen before in this price range, with hybrid features trickling up from Nikon’s Z cameras. As the market scrambles to figure out the camera, its use-cases, workflows, and target audience, we’ve been lucky enough to get a first-hand impression from our own Francesco Andreola Francesco Andreola seems to be the perfect candidate for this interview: He was a Nikon-RED user before it was cool, working with a RED KOMODO-X on set alongside Nikon mirrorless bodies, the Nikon Z6III being his current. You can dive into his hands-on review here, but the general gist suggests an incredibly powerful filmmaking tool, jam-packed with features in a body that may just be a bit too compact, dictating some significant compromises. R3D in the palm of your hand. Image credit: CineD Codecs and formats: heavyweight and flexible The Nikon ZR offers a wide variety of codecs, including lightweight H.264/H.265 in 8-bit and 10-bit, as well as storage-devouring options such as ProRes 422 HQ (currently only HQ), and three RAW options internally: R3D, N-RAW, and ProRes RAW HQ. These juicy codecs come at a cost of storage space (and price), and won’t be the first choice for everyone. However, they provide a unique blend of footage quality, compactness, and vlogging abilities. As with many high-bitrate cameras these days, the Nikon...
Published By: CineD - Yesterday