Thom Hogan

What is it?

The Nikon ZR is the ugly duckling in the Nikon lineup. (If you're not familiar with that fairy tale, let me just say that it has a happy ending.)

With the Z9 generation of cameras mostly fleshed out, the ZR launched as an odd duck: it's not like the others. Even the legacy-style Zf is recognizable from Nikon's long history of SLR, DSLR, and now mirrorless bodies. But the ZR seems a bit out of place, though some have likened it to "a large Z30." Then they look at it a bit more closely and see that no, this isn't just a bigger Z30, it's something completely different yet again. 

Nikon's launch marketing campaign for the ZR used the term "Born Cinematic" (I've got the t-shirt to prove it). The story every Nikon employee will tell you starts with Nikon buying RED in 2024 and implies that the ZR was a fast-track job starting from that acquisition. And that story is embellished with video this, video that, here a video, there a video, everywhere a video video (see above Nikon PR image and note the heavy video orientation).

Beware the story tellers. 

I'm pretty sure that both the basic body idea and the reduced control load was already in progress as a simpler FX body option when Nikon bought RED. However, though Nikon had started tinkering with a Z3 type of design, they seemed unsure of why they needed it. The RED acquisition gave them a reason to finally flush out the ideas they had been working on. For one, Sony had established the rectangular box for their FX video lineup already, and the one thing RED couldn't compete with Sony on was the run-and-gun level of video camera that models like the FX3 did so well. 

I'll give Nikon full marks for taking the RED and Z9 generation intellectual property plus some R&D prototyping and seeing a clear way they could shape them together. That they did this in what was a bit over a year from the acquisition also deserves applause. While Nikon gets dinged by some for being "too late to market" or "too slow to act" by a lot of the photography enthusiasts, Nikon is a company full of engineering teams that can act very fast when they need to. That's exactly what's happened with the ZR: speedy, logical, and excellent execution on point.

So what is that point? 

As I've said from day one of the RED acquisition, Nikon needed a way to bridge between what they've traditionally done in still/hybrid cameras and what the Hollywood crowd would want them to do. The Z9 generation cameras are excellent as still cameras, and even great as hybrid cameras. RED's offerings are Hollywood royalty, but RED has abandoned the fairy tale that they're also still cameras. There wasn't anything in between those two points, and that's exactly where Sony has been operating for some time now and gaining customers because of it. Ultimately, Nikon will need more than just the one lane bridge they've just built with the ZR, but the bridge is up and turning out to be something to behold.

Let's start with the foundation of that bridge. That would be the Nikon Z6III (above left) with its partially stacked 24mp full frame image sensor, capable of 900 second to 1/16000 second electronic shutter. Nikon decided the ZR (above right) didn’t need a mechanical shutter; its electronic shutter is worst case 14.4ms, which is equivalent to 1/69 second. That's better than a number of Sony's offerings and many other cameras in the ZR's price range. Given that the Z6III is late in the Z9 generation and gets all the benefits of that, the bridge has a really solid foundation. No one doubts the Z6III's still and video capabilities, which range to 6K raw. The primary RED ingredient that was added is R3D raw video capability, which comes with a great deal of interesting tweaks and a now well-established color science behind them. I won't make you skip to the performance section of this review: at 6K/60P the ZR's R3D video output is stunningly good, arguably best in class. Moreover, it grades really easily with the high-end RED cameras. Bravo. Bridge up and operating.

But that doesn't take a single thing away from the N-Log, H.265, or the other video capabilities the Z6III already had and which now appear in the ZR. The ZR can record those formats in up to 5.4K/60P (5376 x 3024). The RED color science in R3D raw is just a clear and useful addition. Also, the ZR has shutter angle capability, something those coming from the cinema world will appreciate. 

Meanwhile, the still capabilities of the ZR are almost exactly the same as the Z6III (a couple of not-often-used combined functions are missing). 

Nikon also did something unexpected: it tackled audio with the ZR. It's likely that Nikon had already been experimenting with this for the post Z9 generation cameras, but with the ZR we get 32-bit float audio, which removes the necessity of carefully and incessantly monitoring audio levels. In addition we get OZO audio, which is a Nokia technology developed to capture spatial presence using multiple microphones (the ZR has three built-in mics). Note that OZO doesn't work when capturing raw video, though. Add yet another sweetener with digital connections in the flash hot shoe for audio components, and the ZR is an audio enthusiasts dream. As a result, Nikon's optional ME-D10 microphone now provides excellent on camera sound recording without cables sprawling all around your ZR body. (The ZR has both the usual 3.5mm microphone/line and headphone jacks, as well.)

Curiously, the ZR goes thump in the night. Nikon was very stringent about VR sleds in the earlier Z cameras, to the point of parking them when the camera wasn't powered. This protects the sled against sudden bumps that can cause it to no longer work correctly. Early Sony mirrorless cameras were particularly susceptible to IS sled breakage, though they later beefed up their system. 

Note that the ZR's sensor-VR sled is never parked. It's uninhibited when the camera is off. Which means the camera goes thud, thud, thud when bounced around unpowered. We'll all be looking at this and how it holds up long term, but it's a different level of disconcerting from the current thunk you get with Z cameras when the camera goes into standby and locks the sensor-VR sled. It'll be a few more months before I have the chance to slam the ZR around the non-roads in Botswana, but I'm thinking I should probably give the camera a little more shock protection when not in use.

So, Nikon's mashed up a Z6III, RED technology, and new audio components to create the ZR. But they've also worked on UX (user experience) and body design considerably, as well. 

The first thing you notice is that there is not only no viewfinder hump, but no viewfinder at all. Instead, out back on the ZR we have a big, bright, positionable Rear LCD. How big? 4". How bright? 1000 nits. How positionable? Fully articulating. At first glance at the numbers, maybe 3" and 4” would be close in size, right? Not really. From a functional standpoint, touch control works far better on a larger screen like this, and Nikon has enhanced touch controls in lots of useful ways on the ZR. And 1000 nits, that's not all that bright, is it? Oh, yes it is. Viewable in bright sun (though normally you won't want to crank it that high as the ZR uses more power at full brightness). Yes, one might hope that you could tilt independently of the articulation of the rear display, but at the ZR's price/performance point, does anyone do that?

The second thing you notice about the ZR is that it seems that some buttons might be missing. Grand total, not counting the shutter release, lens release, and power button, the ZR has only seven: front REC, top panel 1/2/3, plus bottom right thumb stick press, hamburger menu, and playback. What the heck? No Direction pad or AF-ON? Nope. When you look close enough, at least you'll find the Front and Rear Command dials are still there. 

If you look even more closely you find that 1/2/3 are also stenciled on the camera as (in reverse order) DISP, MODE, and exposure compensation by default. 

However, you're probably already panicking: things seem to be missing and the remaining controls are unusual and seemingly highly confined. However, the deep control customization on the ZR is much the same as on a Z6III: extensive and versatile. I've been able to customize my ZR to my needs very well, and distinctly differently for when I use it as a still or video camera. 

One thing hidden in the outwardly simplified UX is actually amazingly useful: you have four namable user modes for still photography and  video. Oh. So I can pre-set my camera four ways and know what it's configured to from just looking at the name? That's new. And highly useful. While I still find some clumsiness in how Nikon implemented this, once you know where to look and how it works, you'll see that Nikon has clearly listened to those of us who were complaining about User Settings (U1, U2, U3 on other Z system cameras, except for the Z8/Z9, which use Banks).

Okay, you might be warming up. But what happened to the i button quick menu? 

Don't worry, Nikon's rethought that, too. You'll note that I wrote "hamburger menu" above (that's the official name for the three line icon shorthand for menus). Press the hamburger button and you get i menu. Hold the hamburger button and you get the full menu system (plus there are touch options on the rear screen to get to those same places). You're getting warmer.

But notice I mentioned more touch options. When photographing stills on a Z6III the Rear LCD has touch options for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and focus (four items). On a ZR? Would you believe that becomes shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus, Exposure mode, exposure compensation, magnification, menus, focus peaking, gridlines, virtual horizon, histogram, display orientation, and brightness? (14 items! Some of those require two touches, though.) When recording video, you get the same plethora of touch options, but also add audio levels, zebras, view assign, and tally light. 

Starting to feel toasty? 

Yes, absolutely this is a new UX design. But it's been thought through pretty well (see the section on handling, below, for more). 

One concern people have with small(er) cameras that can perform high end video is heat build-up. The ZR is one of Nikon's thinnest bodies, so it must have a fan or vents, right? Nope. Nikon has done a lot of work on heat management within the ZR, using multiple methods to pull heat away from key devices and dissipate it (see image, below). This keeps the body size slim, but has a side result: the card slots needed to be stuffed into the battery chamber. And I mean stuffed. 

The ZR uses the same EN-EL15C battery that many other current cameras use (e.g. Z5II, Zf, Z6III, Z8), but it's oriented lengthwise down the body instead perpendicular into a hand grip. This leaves little room for cards, so Nikon has compromised here. The primary card slot is a CFexpress Type B one, while the secondary card slot is a microSD slot (UHS-I) almost hidden behind the battery. This CFe/microSD combo is pretty unique as far as cameras go, and a bit off-putting to some. Personally, I'm using the ZR more as a one slot CFe camera than a dual slot one. But if you have the need for the second slot, it's there, it's just darned inconvenient (the battery has to be removed to access the microSD slot).

As a few have noted, the ZR doesn't have the rubber gasket that would allow "dummy batteries" in the camera. That had always been a point of weather/water ingress on previous cameras, so the fact that it's missing is not at all a bad thing. However that means that the ZR is either EN-EL15 powered, or dependent upon USB PD for power. That last bit, coupled with small Type D HDMI connector, is a drawback to some serious videographers, as not only does it interfere with the articulating Rear LCD when pointed forward, but it's a point of potential long-term wear on the connectors as well as a weak point that can interrupt data transmission when cables get unseated. Smallrig's cage kit for the ZR includes cable clamps to help with that, and is the current recommended solution.

Without cage, the ZR is 5.2 x 3.2 x 1.9" (133 x 80 x 48mm) and 19 ounces (540g). It’s bag friendly because it doesn’t have a hump.

Partly due to how the cameras are promoted (e.g. "cinema"), the ZR gets lumped with the Canon C50 and the Sony FX3. From the front, they even look about the same size (the Canon is slightly bigger, the Sony slightly smaller). However, there is a dramatic difference in actual volume, because the Canon and Sony have distinct hand grips that stick forward, and are also quite a bit thicker than the ZR body (the C50 massively so). Nikon's ZR is unique in the small cinema size because it trades off some things (grip, buttons, fan, built-in caging) for real portability. It packs smaller, is less gimbal fussy, and can be stuck into tighter spaces when necessary.

SnapBridge, Nikon Imaging Cloud, the ML-L7 wireless remote, bluetooth remote, ATOMOS AirGlue BT, Adobe Frame.io (via NX MobileAir) and all the usual connect-to-computer/FTP capabilities you'd expect round out the connectivity support. You can also connect a Nikon MC-N10 Remote Grip to the ZR, as well, which gives you additional configurable buttons. 

The Nikon ZR is made in Thailand and is available as body only and in three kit forms: with the 24-50mm f/4-6.3, the 35mm f/1.4, and with the 50mm f/1.4. The body only price was US$2200 at launch.

Nikon's page for the ZR (Aside: the Overview page at NikonUSA doesn't even mention stills use, it's all video all the way. Note that NikonUSA's Web pages for the ZR haven’t always been 100% accurate; Nikon originally claimed MB-N14 support, for instance.)

Source of reviewed camera: purchased via NPS Priority Purchase

Thom’s Book for the Nikon ZR

How's it Handle?

As you might guess, this is the crux of this review. From a features and performance standpoint, the ZR is much like a Z6III with some added quality video/audio capabilities. Where the ZR is distinctly and blatantly different than a Z6III is in how you handle the camera, both physically and logically. 

That, of course, starts with the body. I'm not 100% sure what Nikon's thinking here was, as it both succeeds and fails in many ways. It appears to me that Nikon was looking strongly at the other small box video cameras (e.g. Sony FX3), compact cameras, as well as some of the hybrid/hybrids (e.g. Sony AC series, Panasonic S9, et.al.) while trying to figure out where they could be the same and different from those. 

If you're getting the feeling there may be Yays and Nays coming, you're correct. Indeed, there are so many of these that I'm going to call them out individually:

Yays

• The ± lever around the shutter release turns out to be very handy for both stills and video. This control has two options: zoom (as in lens focal length change for power zooms) and zoom (as in magnification of an area in the composition screen). Zoom zoom,  a bit like a Mazda ;~). Both uses become second nature, at least if you have a PZ lens, of which there are currently two. The magnification bit turns out to be highly useful in a lot of scenarios, but I'll discuss that in context later in the review.
• The 4" Rear LCD. Big and bright, which considering that you're using it for composing and sometimes control modification, is good in both aspects. It's a little easier to touch the correct portion of the screen to change something, for instance. Plus it's just easier to see.
• Audio contacts in the hot shoe. It's been a long time coming, but I can't overemphasize how useful it is to have that optional (and quite good) ME-10 mic just slide into the camera without cables, particularly for the selfie video crowd. That the ME-10 is also adjustable as to how it picks up sounds and has microphone isolation from the camera (even though it looks like a single block, it has suspension), makes the ME-D10 the go to choice for the run-and-gun videographer. Note that while the new contacts support 32-bit audio (including with Nikon's optional mic), not all things plugging into this do. For instance, Tascam's XLR system does not.
• The slight indent on the front where your fingers will grip in handheld doesn't look like much, but its pebbled rubber surface is pretty effective for short periods as long as you're not sweating or the camera hasn't collected mist/moisture. It's just enough that I can forego any add-on plate/grip most of the time. However, if you need more grip, Smallrig has a grip/plate available for the ZR, and it is an excellent addition for still photographers.
• The lens strap connectors are not metal rings that'll dangle and make noise. They're also perfectly aligned so that the camera doesn't twist on neck straps. They're big enough to accommodate any type strap I'm familiar with. Simple but Works is a best design practice.
• The new combined i/MENU button was smart. Press and it's i. Hold and it's MENU. Let's hope Nikon keeps the same number of other buttons on the post Z9-generation bodies, but doubles up that menu-related button again, which would give us even more right thumb configuration options (not so much on the ZR, as it has few buttons to start with). 

Nays

• You're going to lose that hot shoe cover. Buy extras, as the camera is not weather resistant without it. SmallRig also makes a dead cat cover, that both covers the shoe and provides wind protection for the built-in mics.
• I would have preferred that the PHOTO VIDEO switch be an OFF PHOTO VIDEO switch. I'm leery of power buttons that stick up a bit from the top plate, though I will say that Nikon's version is not as easily prone to accidental On/Off as many others I've used.
• Nikon needs a better thumb stick, and has for some time. The ZR basically proves this, as the camera is so dependent upon you being able to distinguish between a press and a direction move with it. Any slight slip and you're moving instead of pressing or pressing instead of moving. 
• The Command dials are so minimized to almost feel recessed into the body. In other words, they're not as easy to find and manipulate as the bigger and better positioned ones on the other Z cameras.
• Someone read the memo wrong. If you're going to number the primary configurable buttons, just number all the primary configurable buttons. Also, stencil a number alongside the other configurable buttons (such as the playback button, though most people won't configure it). It actually feels like things are off on the ZR: I'd have made four primary buttons (1, 2, 3, REC) all numbered, or all stencil numbers alongside the button. This might not seem 100% important, but when you go to customize the camera the cognitive dissonance comes into play. This isn't help by Nikon calling them Fn1, Fn2, and Fn3 in the customization process. Pick a lane and stay in it, please.
• The lack of additional 1/4" threaded sockets around the camera is distinctly non-video. This basically forces most video users into using a cage, and that's just bulking up the camera, defeating one of its primary attributes.
• The lack of a Mode dial (or switch, as in the case of the Zf/Zfc, which would have fit better on the ZR) is going to be an issue for some. That's because most of you are going to be using one of your minimal customizable buttons to change modes (though Nikon did at least give you Mode access through a touch panel on the Rear LCD, a PHOTO SHOOTING Menu Option, and you can get to modes via the i/MENU button). However, the touch option is not always there depending upon your DISP setting... These are the kind of "didn't think through every aspect of the changes" engineering that often get into "new" designs. I can identify quite a few of these on the ZR. There's always an "out," but sometimes not the one you think.  
• Strange lapses. Despite the fact that you can set Extended shutter speeds (M), Nikon has removed Long Exposure NR from the PHOTO SHOOTING menu. It's likely that the removal of a physical shutter influenced this, but still, it's a strange lapse. Also, this isn't the only one of these small discontinuities you'll find.
• Return of the “You Can’t Do That Mentality.” If you’re looking for some place to put Back Button Focus (it’s allowed on a ZR), you’ll that the most logical option (REC button on the front which fits naturally under your left index finger or thumb, doesn’t allow you to set it to AF-ON. Really, Nikon? I thought we were done with this control paternalism. What salaryman sitting at a small desk somewhere in a windowless room decided, “sure you might use that button to lock exposure, but no one would use it to control focus.”? 

With those lists out of the way, how does the ZR really handle in practice? Fear not. I've wrestled my ZR and gotten it to compromise with me in ways that make it pretty direct, even for still photography.

Short answer: you're going to be changing the way you do some things, whether in stills or video. You're going to more likely lean on User Settings (the old U1/U2/U3, now accompanied by U4). Be forewarned that where you do this has mostly changed (now on the SETUP menu), as well as how you do it. Next, you're going to be leaning on the touch UI more than you're used to. Finally, the more you simplify your setting procedures and make sure your oft-used things are prioritized, the more you'll like the ZR.

Let's start with stills.

In essence, the ZR is a large and heavy compact camera when you're using it for stills. You compose via the Rear LCD, You'll want to pre-define your four User Settings (and name them!), and then you'll set things four ways: (1) touch UI, (2) four dedicated buttons you've customized, (3) the Command dials, and (4) the i/MENU button access to functions.

The real issue for still photographers with the ZR is this: how are you going to achieve focus? There isn't an AF-ON button (though you can assign that function to a button, those buttons aren't well positioned for the usual Back Button focus method). One more button (top of the right rear under the Rear Command dial) would have fixed this. 

My simplistic advice (I have more advanced advice coming in my ZR book):

• Back Button focusers — assign AF-ON to the 1 button on the top (and LFn buttons if your lenses have them) and get used pressing the shutter release with your middle finger.
• Focus and reframers — use 3D-Tracking and get used to keeping the shutter release half pressed (if not using Back Button Focus).
• Automagic reliers — trust the subject detection and assign Cycle AF-area mode or Focus mode/AF-area mode to the REC button.
• Fiddly must-focus-here folk — use touch focus on the Rear LCD.

One thing to note is that the DISP screens are individually responsive to all the added touch options. In other words, you can add virtual horizon, histogram, focus peaking, and gridlines to any of the DISP screen possibilities and they're remembered. So if there's one "screen" that you can always use, I'd say assign the screen you want and then assign Button 3 to something other than DISP. The "and then" is important, as there's no way to get a DISP-like function in the menus; you'd need to re-enable it as a button to make further changes (or do so in the Custom Setting menu).

In terms of PHOTO SHOOTING menu options, the ZR is pretty much the same as the Z6III except that Auto capture isn't available and you can't combine focus shift with pixel shift or pixel shift with bracketing. 

If you're a flash user, be aware that the ZR has a top flash sync speed of 1/60 (to match the rolling shutter) and loses Auto FP flash capabilities). Also, if you set Silent mode, flash isn't available. Also strangely: if there's no card in the camera the flash doesn't fire (the Z6III does). I was curious as to whether a "new" flash that wouldn't have known the ZR during its development works, and I can report that the Viltrox Spark flash does indeed work with the ZR and is even appropriately sized for the camera.

I'd judge the ZR to be an acceptable still camera (once configured for the user) for landscape, macro, travel, casual, and maybe even some event photography. Where the ZR falls down is in action (sports, wildlife). This isn't because of focus performance or frame rates, both of which are Z6III level. It's solely due to handling. The lack of a hand grip and AF-ON button mean that the handling aspect is seriously eroded. You can overcome a bit of the missing functionality by assigning Back Button focus to the LFn button on a long lens, but that button better be where your fingers are (I'm looking at you 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S). Note also that you can get a cage and mount an MC-N10 grip on the right side, which will get you an AF-ON button. However, that's an expensive and clumsy option. Focus is going to be an acquired taste for still users, at best, because your second camera should also be set the same way so as to not confuse you as you move between bodies.

Bottom line on stills is this: you'll be doing most of the adjusting, not so much the camera ;~). If you're on board with that, then you've got a pretty compact 24mp full frame camera with a deep set of features that performs at state-of-the-art levels for still photography.

Now for video use.

It's a similar story, actually, though Nikon doesn't have an established, specific video UX (user experience). To date, Nikon has been producing hybrid cameras, so if you're using the other Z series cameras for video, you've been adjusting to the camera, not the camera being set straight out for video work. Nikon didn't invoke the RED UX with the ZR, they mostly kept their hybrid UX where it concerns video.

The good news is that the ZR's reliance on the big, bright Rear LCD works perfectly well for video, better than with previous Z system cameras. Again, there's a ton of touch controls and informational tools (including waveforms) that make it pretty easy to dial in what you're doing. Again, autofocus can be a stickler for some, but remember that half pressing the shutter release holds focus where it is when you're in AF-F (full time focus). 

Having separate named User Settings (U1 to U4) for video really starts to make the ZR shine. Couple those with the touch UI and even the minimal number of customizable buttons, and there's a huge amount of control exposed without having to menu dive. This is the best handling Nikon Z so far for video. All the Z9 generation functions are present, but more front and center when you need them.

Which brings us to a handling elephant that's in the room with me. Nikon did not get the ZR as polished as well as they could (and should) have. Those nays on the body handling traits tend to either get in the way or not fully embrace the good things that Nikon did in focusing the UX on the display. Nikon's going to need a few iterations to get everything fully dialed in and working as one. The ZR therefore, feels underdeveloped in terms of handling. Lots of good going on, sure, but too many small "didn't think that throughs." 

The body seems a bit rushed to me. One thing I noticed that I haven't seen on previous Nikon bodies is a weird thing on the bottom, where two of the screw holes have really faint plastic ridges around them, while the others don't. The reason to have a ridge is usually to protect the edge of a screw that doesn't fully drive into its indent, so perhaps someone didn't get the depths quite right for two of the twelve bottom screws (possibly more; one seems overly indented). Also, the Command dials don't really feel right for the body. The speaker is in an odd position on the right side of the body. And, of course, Nikon hasn't figured out the industry-wide problem of keeping cables plugged into the body from interfering from the LCD when it's articulated forward. 

One thing that Nikon missed is that they didn't make the menu system responsive to that big PHOTO VIDEO switch that sits at the top of the camera. It would have been useful to remove the VIDEO RECORDING menu and CUSTOM SETTINGS options when the switch was set to PHOTO and remove the PHOTO SHOOTING menu when the switch was set to VIDEO. I can understand Nikon's reluctance to do that with the older Live View switch on the back of the DSLRs and earlier Z System cameras, as it is easy to accidentally move that switch and not notice. But Nikon is asking you to make a choice with the prominence of the PHOTO VIDEO switch, and it should be clear what you're doing from what's being displayed on the Rear LCD, too. This is particularly true because we now have separate still and video User Settings: the camera has two very distinct personalities (again, still or video), and it really feels to me that Nikon didn't fully follow through on making them completely separate. 

However, I'll bet that when it comes down to it, only two ZR handling issues will be complained about by most users:

• The fiddly thumb stick — I can't count how many times I've pressed it but did so just enough off center to actually select something else before the press was recorded. 
• The Standby timer interaction with menus — Nikon still allows you to press another button, such as the hamburger (menu) button to bring the camera out of standby, however holding that button coming out of standby never brings you all the way to the full menu system. Instead, you always get the quick menu coming out of standby.

How's it Perform?

Battery: Battery performance is going to be determined by how bright you adjust the monitor. By default, it seems to be set at about 300 nits, which is adequate for indoor use, in the shade, or when the sun is down. Nikon's stated battery life (about 2.9 hours for stills, 90 minutes for video) is based upon the Rear LCD not being cranked up. Also, when the Standby timer expires, the ZR is really powered off, which had me selecting longer standby times, and that also cuts into battery usage. I'm betting that you're going to up the display brightness and increase the Standby timer, so I decided to set the Rear LCD to maximum brightness and the Standby timer to No limit. That resulted in a worst case of 1.5 hours for stills. The ZR is a camera that really needed a powered grip or a larger battery, but of course those things would make it a bigger camera.

Which leads me to this: either you're going to be carrying extra batteries around with you, or you need a USB PD source with higher capacity. Indeed, the latter is exactly what most of the video users of the ZR seem to be doing: SmallRig not only sells a ZR cage, but also has an option for a V-mount battery plate. SmallRig also sells a 98Wh battery for that plate (by comparison, an EN-EL15c is 16Wh, or about one-sixth the capacity).

So is up to three hours of still use and 90 minutes of recorded video under normal settings bad? Not exactly. I've been getting 500+ still images from a battery charge walking around doing casual photography. A full battery lasts me a morning or afternoon session (but not both ;~). As for video, since I'm mostly interested in the best possible video (e.g. R3D raw), a single battery nets me almost 3TB of video! I'm going to run out of cards long before battery. 

Buffer: Not really a consideration. Nikon lists the buffer (for all image qualities) at “over 1,000 frames,” and the ZR isn’t exactly a camera you’re likely to be using to get that many frames stuffed onto a card at a time, so for all practical purposes, a CFexpress card in the camera is going to not be slowing you down in any likely situation.

Focus: This one is easy. I see no differences between the ZR and Z6III, which is to say it's not Nikon's absolute best performance—that would be in a Z8/Z9 set correctly—but it's near enough so that most people won't notice a difference. Still performance is exactly as you'd expect from a late generation Z9-inspired camera. 

For those of you who haven't used a Z9-generation camera for video or are coming from a different brand, Nikon's video focus performance is the most unnoticeable of the current makers (noticeable isn't good in video). Nikon's timed their focus pulls really nicely so that they don't call attention to themselves but also occur when they absolutely need to. Plus you have complete control over the speed at which focus reacts and moves. Assuming you have recognizable subjects and aren't trying to video a black panther deep in an abandoned and unlit coal mine, you're going to find Nikon's video autofocus as good as it gets on video cameras. RED users, in particular, are going to go "wow, maybe I can actually use autofocus sometimes now." 

Video: The Z9 generation cameras have long had solid video functions and performance. The difference between them generally comes in the form of the image sensor used. The pixel count and rolling shutter attributes of the image sensor are the true determinants of how good the video looks now that Nikon is providing us raw video, N-Log recording, and state-of-the-art compressions. 

Which makes my first comment easy: I see no differences between a Z6III and ZR recording 10-bit H.265 N-Log, whether in 4K or 6K. The cameras use the same image sensor and EXPEED7 processor, plus have an identical rolling shutter of 9.4ms (6.3ms when in DX mode). Other than some jitter buried deep in the shadows (and typically not seen in correctly exposed footage that wasn't graded way significantly upwards), the ZR produces really nice H.265 footage. You get about 11 stops of usable dynamic range, though the very bottom stop is showing some impacts of noise reduction via the codec.

I mention the excellent 4K/6K H.265 video capabilities because a lot of people are getting things backwards due to all the YouTube hype over the preproduction ZRs that were distributed to get launch videos. Pretty much every one of those intro videos gushes over the R3D raw video capabilities of the ZR ("it clearly shows more detail..."). Heck, even I'm gushing over the R3D raw video in this review. A lot of folk have taken this to mean that the H.265 capabilities produce inferior results. Well, yes, inferior to never-before-seen-levels of video results at this price point. But that doesn't make the ZR's H.265 capabilities any less impressive. The ZR is competitive—highly competitive—with other 4K/6K cameras running the same compression and log schema. 

Where the "gushing" came from was something that was clearly different and better: running R3D rather than H.265 seems to open up a magic boost of detail, almost like the difference between unsharpened and sharpened still images. And yes, you can clearly see the difference on even a basic 4K display. 

Be aware that there are penalties for using R3D.

First, there's file size. My 1.33TB (that's a T, not a G) cards can record about 46 minutes or R3D raw at 6K/60. At 4K/60 that rises to 103 minutes. If you go "full cinema" (4K/24P) you get to 125 minutes and hit the file size limit the camera can record (and will need external power, as an EN-EL15 battery won't last that long). These massive files would also be slow to download to your computer unless you're using a CFexpress 4.0 card, 4.0 card reader, and a USB4 or faster interface. So you have a size and speed penalty you need to deal with. Is that worth it for what the R3D raw reveals in your frame? I'd say yes if your goal is to produce output at Netflix quality levels or higher, but generally not for more common uses. 

The second penalty comes with a benefit (that's a difficult proposition to pull off). Dynamic range in the R3D files is slightly lower than N-RAW, by as much as a stop (so about 10 stops useful range). Exposure latitude is down, too. This seems to be due to the way RED works to retain highlights and provide post grading flexibility. It's that latter bit where the benefit lies: R3D files can have their white balance and exposure (equivalent ISO) changed in post. As long as you've exposed for that in the first place. If you're used to setting exposure for your Z6III/Z8/Z9 N-RAW correctly, that won't be "as correct" for R3D: you really need to guard the highlights better with R3D (despite it's ability to adjust them in post). If you're a RED user already, just use what you've been doing for exposure (and beware of the opposite: if you switch to N-RAW/ProRes/N.265 you need to set your exposure differently for them). 

Correctly exposed R3D grades relatively easily. I don't see the color shifts I sometimes see in ProRes RAW when pushing the grading to its max. Moreover, when R3D shifts it goes pink/red instead of the green/blue ProRes RAW does, which is better for skin and most subjects. (N-RAW is more like ProRes RAW, though not as extreme in shifts.)

Finally, I should point out that the ZR is getting some interesting direct support for the R3D bits. Cinematools (cinematools.co) has two products that will not just be of interest to ZR users, but should really be on any ZR that's recording R3D. The first is Utility LUTs for the ZR, which adds viewing LUTs for REC709 as well as for false color and clipping monitoring. The second is the R3D NE LUT Pack, which includes a full REC709 LUT, as well as an Arri Alexa matching LUT, plus two additional useful LUTs. 

Bottom line is that the Z6III does very good video, but the ZR can do better. Plus the ZR can be used in a way that produces much gooder video. If you can afford the cards, storage, accessories, and time.

Audio: I'll be honest. I simply don't have enough experience or samples to write definitively about either the 32-bit float or Ozo features yet. Nor have I seen enough samples from others I trust to help verify my own experiences. 

My preliminary assessment is that Nikon has clearly improved the audio capabilities over the Z6III. The ZR's built-in amp appears to be less noisy, and I can recover sounds I normally can't recover. Not having to constantly monitor and reset levels is certainly a great feature all by itself for a run-and-gun videographer like me, even if it came with no other benefit. So I'm initially pleased with the results, but not going to say more than that. 

Stills: Really nothing to say here. The 24mp Exmor-type sensors are extremely well proven at this point. Really solid performance. Like the Z6III, the ZR has the same small dynamic range penalty until you hit the gain adjustment ISO, but frankly, I never really encountered situations with my Z6III where that was a serious issue, so I likely won't with my ZR, as well. 

Surprisingly, the ZR has advanced still features in it, such as Pixel shift shooting, which for static scenes can produce dramatically excellent 96mp images. By dramatically excellent I mean over a stop of dynamic range boost while removing virtually all visible aliasing (e.g. edges are sharp). False data due to Nyquist violation is essentially non-existent with full pixel shifting. It's a shame that Nikon didn't add the Focus shift shooting option together with this, as some of the best macro and product images I've seen have come for a Z6III doing both together.

Final Words

The ZR presents a conundrum. It certainly has thrown Nikon for some loops, as they opted to simply point out R3D raw and 32-bit float audio for the most part in their early marketing of this camera. Nikon overall is still marketing the ZR almost solely as a video camera. That's good in the respect that the ZR is probably the best of the full frame options I'd likely mount on a handheld gimbal, so run-and-gun videographers are certainly going to love this camera.

But the ZR is certainly more than just a run-and-gun video option. While it requires a complete rethink when used as a stills camera, the ZR is pretty state-of-the-art at photography, too. So much so that I’ve created a book about that (Configuring and Using a Nikon ZR for Still Photography).

Which brings us to size/weight. 

With the right lens out front (the 24-50mm f/3.5-6.3 isn't a bad option, plus we have lots of small wide to normal primes to consider), the ZR is decidedly bag friendly. By that I mean it doesn't require a huge backpack; the ZR is more of a messenger bag camera. That makes the ZR pretty travel friendly, and I don't really see composing-by-LCD as much of a problem for that when the rear screen is this big, bright, and positionable. However, while the ZR's size is bag friendly, the weight is not exactly hold friendly. With the 35mm f/1.4 mounted—which I find to be a very nice companion for this camera—you're holding just over two pounds. That's enough that my Fujifilm X100VI starts to be a more friendly travel option, as it's half the weight. 

Which brings me to this: more so than any other Z System camera I've reviewed—perhaps with the exception of the Zfc and Zf, which also have UX differences from norm—the ZR is really a camera you need to hold and handle some before committing to it. I'll warn you that your first impression may be wrong. I initially didn't see myself thinking I'd drag a ZR to sporting event sidelines or the wilds of Africa for my still photography. But I've warmed up to both. Maybe even heated up. 

On the sidelines we sports photographers have the classic problem when action comes right to us: drop our big camera with the long lens and lift up the other one hanging round our neck to grab the closing-in-on-us image (sometimes literally, as in knocked over). One thing I wasn't expecting is that by not having to bring the ZR up to my eye to take a photo, I get to that "last second" image faster and I'm aware of what's going on right around me better. Meanwhile, though I've yet to verify it, my extremely tight situation in the front of Land Cruisers lends itself well to a smaller body, and yes, we wildlife photographers often have that same issue as on the sidelines: we don't have time to lift the camera all the way to our eye and get settled into our usual DSLR-type UX, plus it's useful to be aware of what's going on around you. 

Let me be clear, though: the ZR is not an action camera. It's not one I'd use as my primary camera for sports or wildlife. That's mostly due to the limited control I have at my fingertips in the heat of the moment. What I just described in the last paragraph are situations where I have to trust autofocus and the other automatic systems in the camera and just concentrate on getting a composition before I start pressing the shutter release. 

Overall, the ZR is a tough camera to give a blanket Recommended to because it has such a unique combination of function, form, and user experience. It's a camera that grows on you as you adjust to it. The good news is that the ZR is no slouch in function or performance for still photography and it’s a top performer for video. In the right hands, the ZR is going to produce amazing results. 

It's interesting that at 24mp FX, Nikon has now given us three very different design approaches (ZR, Zf, and Z6III), plus an entry option (Z5II). None of these cameras are slouches. The traditional DSLR user is going to pick Z5II or Z6III, but I applaud that Nikon has found three different ways to express state-of-the-art 24mp FX. One of them certainly has to fit and benefit your style of use, it's just a matter of figuring out which one that is. Thus my real recommendation is go to your camera store and try one, and try not to do that with a built-in bias. 

Recommended (conditionally, 2025 to present)