Nikon acquired RED Digital Cinema last year, bringing in one of the foremost manufacturers of professional cinema cameras into their fold. To no surprise, this has now led to the outfit’s first cinema camera in the form of the Nikon ZR.
The first release in the equally brand new Z Cinema range, the full-frame cinema camera is developed in conjunction with RED, which means this will combine some of the best tech found in the two companies’ lineup of products. It’s impressively compact and lightweight, too, looking just like a bigger mirrorless camera, making for an absolutely interesting offering to anyone in the market for a smaller filmmaking-focused handheld camera.
The Nikon ZR is equipped with a partially-stacked 24MP sensor (same found in the Z6 III) with a dual base ISO of 800/6400, giving it 15+ stops of dynamic range for better low-light sensitivity and well-balanced image details. It captures 6K 60fps and 4K 120fps footage in 12-bit RAW, with support for the 12-bit R3D NE RAW codec, a new RAW format that should be familiar to REDCODE RAW users, which allows users to edit the ISO in post-production. There’s also support for Log3G10 and the REDWideGamutRGB to reproduce exposure standards and color science similar to what you can get with RED’s cinema cameras. You can also record in Nikon’s N-RAW format, ProRes/ProRes RAW, and H.265.
It’s supposed to do audio capably as well, with the camera offering 32-bit float internal recording via three built-in high-performance mics that uses Nokia’s OZO surround sound technology. The mic array offers five pickup patterns, namely front, front super directional, all directions, rear, and stereo (binaural), so you can choose the appropriate pattern depending on the kind of footage you’re recording. There’s no electronic viewfinder, but it does have a 4-inch vari-angle LCD around the back that boasts 1,000 nits of peak brightness, which supposedly makes it bright enough to use in direct sunlight.
The Nikon ZR comes with the outfit’s subject tracking hybrid phase-detect autofocus that can track nine different types of subjects, with the ability to automatically switch between subjects automatically. This should make it a lot easier to use as a filmmaking rig than your standard RED camera. There’s also five-axis in-body stabilization with 7.5 stops, making it perfectly viable for handheld recording without having to rig a gimbal setup of any sort. It’s also the first Nikon camera to come with a digital accessory hotshoe, which enables two-way digital communication with compatible accessories for easier control of more complex camera setups.
While designed for filmmaking, it can also be used as a photography camera with an electronic shutter range of 1/16000 to 900 seconds and support for RAW plus secondary format capture. Other features include a maximum recording time of 125 minutes before needing a battery swap, two card slots (CFExpress Type-B and UHS-I MicroSD), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a magnesium alloy chassis, and a light weight of just 1.19 pounds (with no battery or lens).
The Nikon ZR is now available for preorder, priced starting at $2,199.95. It’s slated to ship in October.
