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The Nikon ZR is the primary in a line of ‘Z Cinema’ cameras born from Nikon’s acquisition of high-end cinematography firm Crimson. It is based mostly closely on the Nikon Z6 III stills-oriented digicam, however provides Crimson’s famend ‘Colour Science’ to realize skilled cinema-grade footage for the primary time in a consumer-level video-centric digicam.
I am going into much more element in regards to the technical particulars of the digicam in my ‘Introducing the Nikon ZR‘ information story, however for this hands-on assessment I’m concentrating on my private expertise of utilizing the canera when Nikon gave me a sneak preview in a sound studio, the place I received to check out the digicam’s video (and stills) capabilities for myself, with the assistance of a drummer and numerous paint. This is how I received on…
Nikon ZR: Specs
|
Sensor |
24.5Mp full-frame partially stacked |
|
Processor |
Xpeed 7 |
|
Lens mount |
Nikon Z |
|
Autofocus |
Hybrid phase-detection / distinction AF with AF help, -10 to +19 EV detection vary, 253 AF factors (video), 299 AF factors (picture) |
|
Picture stabilization |
5-axis, as much as 7.5 stops |
|
Climate sealing |
Sure |
|
Sensitivity |
Twin base ISO (800 / 6400) • ISO100-51,200 (204,800 exp) |
|
Max video decision |
6K 60p, 4K 120p, Full-HD 240p |
|
Max stills burst |
20fps Uncooked, 120fps JPEG |
|
Viewfinder |
N/A |
|
Rear display screen |
4-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 3.07 million dots, 1,000 nits brightness |
|
Reminiscence |
1 x CFexpress Kind B, 1 x microSD |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mini HDMI, USB-C, headphone, mic, digital accent shoe |
|
Battery |
EN‑EL15c |
|
Dimensions |
134 x 80.5 x 49 mm (5.3 x 3.2 x 2 in) |
|
Weight |
540g (1lb 3.1oz) physique solely, 630g (1lb 6.3oz) with battery & reminiscence card |
Nikon ZR: Worth
The Nikon ZR has a launch value of $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,499. That is a darn sight cheaper than Crimson’s personal Raptor and Komodo line of cameras, which generally have five-figure value tags. It is very effectively priced in comparison with its extra direct rivals, too. The closest Sony equal, the Sony FX3, sells for $4,098 / £3,799 / AU$6,499, whereas the Canon EOS C50, introduced a mere matter of hours earlier than the Nikon ZR, is because of launch at $3,899 / £3,359 / AU$5,899.
It even undercuts the Nikon Z6 III stills digicam it’s based mostly on, too, in most territories, which presently sells for $2,699 / £2,199 / AU$3,899, with costs sometimes having fallen since launch.
Nikon ZR: Design & Dealing with
These migrating from Nikon’s stills mirrorless cameras might be in for one thing of a shock. The shape issue of the ZR is sort of totally rectangular, with no bump to talk of, nor a protruding viewfinder meeting. There is a textured space to supply a little bit of grip beneath the appropriate hand. That is pretty typical of video-centric cameras, which are sometimes designed to be positioned in a cage or rig. It is surprisingly gentle to carry, however I might definitely need a wrist strap when handholding the digicam, simply to make certain.
There is not any digital viewfinder, however to make up for this, the rear display screen is large and takes up nearly the complete again of the digicam. It measures 4 inches diagonally, in comparison with the three.2 inches of most different Nikon full-frame Z-series cameras, and is of the vari-angle touchscreen selection. The display screen flips out to the aspect and tilts up and down for a cushty viewing expertise. The screen-facing aspect can be tucked in opposition to the digicam physique for cover and to protect energy when getting used as a part of a setup with an exterior monitor.
And whereas the management configuration of Z-mount cameras has been pretty constant throughout the vary since launch (apart from the odd button swapping locations right here and there) and had been a pure development of the management format from Nikon DSLRs, issues are radically completely different right here. Up prime, there’s a big Report button (additionally duplicated on the entrance of the digicam), surrounded by a rocker lever for zooming out and in with suitable energy zoom lenses.
The standard entrance and rear management dials provide a level of familiarity, however moderately than devoted buttons for issues like publicity compensation, ISO, and so forth, there is a row of three programmable buttons, merely marked ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’. Controls on the rear of the digicam are much more pared again, restricted to a easy joystick for navigation, and a menu and playback button.
It might take some getting used to, however all these design modifications swimsuit the digicam’s foremost objective for recording video completely; eye-level viewfinders are not often used for videography (the times of shaky camcorder footage apart). I discovered it to really be actually handy to make use of the touchscreen for altering settings, as there is not any have to take your eye from the scene you are recording, and with it being so large and vibrant, it quickly turns into second nature to maneuver between menus and alter video seems and the like.
Above: I shot this brief video section with the Nikon ZR and videocentric Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ when Nikon gave me a sneak peek of the digicam simply earlier than its announcement
Nikon ZR: Efficiency
The digicam makes use of the identical Xpeed 7 processor, 24.5Mp partially stacked sensor, and has the identical autofocus, subject-tracking, ISO vary and picture stablization efficiency because the Z6 III it is based mostly on. We’ll have to put it via our lab checks to verify all this in fact, however management oddities apart, it may be thought to be the identical digicam because the Z6 III. There is not any purpose that this digicam cannot be used to take simply pretty much as good photos because the Z6 III, not less than, on the subject of stills capturing.
And whereas the underlying {hardware} that powers the video capabilities of the digicam can also be indistinguishable from the Z6 III, with the identical headline 6K 60p max video output, it is the inclusion of Crimson Colour Science that units the ZR aside. It information 12-bit Uncooked video in an all-new R3D NE (Nikon Version) format, which does not have the total shade depth of Crimson’s 16-bit R3D information, however in any other case mimics the feel and appear and presents the identical flexibility. In essence, you possibly can freely combine and match footage shot on a ZR with that shot on Crimson’s top-end Komodo and Raptor cameras.
There are additionally a bunch of Crimson Image Controls that apply cinematic seems in-camera, and are helpful for these chopping their tooth on the planet of video. It is very easy to modify between these utilizing the massive monitor to see their impact earlier than you begin recording footage.
There isn’t a technical purpose that Nikon could not convey this Crimson Colour Science to the Nikon Z6 III (or, certainly, different Z-series cameras) because it’s firmware moderately than {hardware} dependent, however whether or not the corporate really will is one other matter: apart from the effort and time recquired to do that, the massive N could effectively need to maintain the Z Cinema line distinct from its stills-oriented Z-series cameras. Briefly, if you wish to shoot the kind of cinematic video that Crimson’s Colour Science achieves in an reasonably priced digicam, then the ZR is the one technique to do it for the foreseeable future.
Recording at 6K, video takes the complete width of the sensor, however that is cropped to a DX format when capturing 4K, thereby making use of a 1.5x crop to the focal size of any connected lens, which is beneficial while you need to get nearer to the motion, however not so good for expansive broad pictures. Full HD could be recorded in each horizontal and vertical codecs with out altering the orientation of the digicam, once more with a cropped part of the picture sensor.
No matter decision you determine to file your footage, its output is in the usual 16:9 facet ratio utilized by the cinema business. Nonetheless, the sensor has a local 3:2 decision, so this loses pixels on the prime and backside of the show. Some might be dissatisfied that it would not output ‘open gate’ video, which is actually the total sensor knowledge that’s cropped in post-production. Maybe that is one thing {that a} future firmware replace would possibly deal with.
The digicam has a CFexpress card slot for its major storage medium, and these quick playing cards are greater than able to maintaining with something that the ZR can output. I used to be just a little shocked that its secondary slot is of the microSD selection, which isn’t almost as quick. Nonetheless, it is adequate for much less data-hungry video resolutions, and not less than the digicam has a second card slot; Nikon has clearly realized a lesson from the backlash over the unique Z7 and Z6 Z-series mirrorless cameras, which solely sported a single slot.
It is extremely uncommon for a video digicam to run with out a fan to maintain issues cool, however the ZR is certainly fanless. Nikon tells me that that is doable as a result of energy-efficient design of the Z-series structure, which doesn’t produce as a lot warmth as rival methods within the first place, and dissipates it via the digicam’s magnesium alloy chassis. The digicam can file as much as 125 minutes of video with out a break, though in the event you’re capturing with the usual EN‑EL15c battery, it’s going to conk out after about 90 minutes or so.
One upshot of this fanless design is that there is no such thing as a want for vents, and so the digicam is correctly weather-sealed, identical to different Z-series stills cameras. So you possibly can shoot in inclement situations with out (overly) worrying that moisture will discover its means inside.
The opposite large benefit is that there is not any fan noise to cope with, which works a protracted technique to explaining one of many different elements that units the ZR aside from its competitors: it’s the world’s first digicam to supply 32-bit float audio in-camera. This basically permits an enormous vary of sound ranges to be recorded, faithfully recreating every thing from the quietest whispers to the loudest noises crisply and clearly on one soundtrack with out clipping or distortion. The three microphones constructed into the digicam physique additionally allow spatial audio results, equivalent to sound shifting from left to proper in sync with the onscreen motion.
I additionally received to check out Nikon’s new ME-D10 digital shotgun microphone, developed particularly for the ZR. It slips into the hotshoe on prime of the digicam, however has an inbuilt digital interface on the underside that transfers the 32-bit float audio from the microphone with out additonal cables. It is a neat answer, and was used to file my pattern drumming video.
Nikon ZR: Verdict
Nikon Z-series cameras have all the time been succesful on the subject of recording video, with the hybrid part detection AF factors constructed into the sensor mixed with superior topic monitoring, enabling them to maintain tempo with shifting topics for silky clean footage, and definitely an enormous enchancment over the video capabilities of DSLRs.
Nonetheless, their DSLR-like type components aren’t excellent for video manufacturing. The design of the Nikon ZR is way more video-friendly, capable of work standalone (due to its outsized monitor and wonderful audio capabilities) or as a part of a rig. However it’s the Crimson Colour Science that units this new digicam aside from others within the Z-series line. I used to be actually impressed with the built-in Image Controls developed by Crimson that gave my footage an prompt filmic look, however I’ll definitely want some correct time with the digicam to evaluate the R3D NE format.
However from what I’ve seen to date, it seems just like the collaboration between Nikon and Crimson has paid off handsomely, leading to a brilliantly compact digicam that may ship professional-level video at a value level that us mere mortals can afford.