A first look inside the Nikon ZR

Nikon Team •Opening titles•10 Sept. 2025•4 Minuten Lesezeit

Nikon innovation, RED colour and cinematic quality: the Nikon ZR is the film studio in your pocket

With RED colour science built in, the Nikon ZR is your ticket to Hollywood. A Nikon Z CINEMA camera, the ZR is packed with innovation and features that put pro-level video in the palm of your hand. Small, light, incredibly affordable and with everything you need on board, the ZR frees you up to realise your vision on screen without the need for external recorders or monitors – although you can always use it as a centrepiece of a larger rig. Cue key features…

Nikon innovation, RED colour and cinematic quality: the Nikon ZR is the film studio in your pocket

Nikon Team

What’s in our kitbag?

ZRBorn Cinematic

Big performance, small body

The full-frame Nikon ZR packs Nikon and RED technology into a small body (just 133mmW x 80.5mmH x 48.7mmD) that weighs only 540g (the lightest compact cinema camera available*). With its large four-inch monitor, in-camera RAW recording and advanced 32-bit float audio it’s built to be a standalone rig but can also sit at the centre of a full, pro set-up.

Get RED colour straight from the camera

The Nikon ZR is the first camera in the world to support the R3D NE codec, and RED’s famous colour science is baked into the ZR with use of the Log3G10 and the REDWideGamutRGB (RWG) colour space. RED colour is also available as a preset for instant Hollywood. A number of RED-supervised Picture Controls are also available via Nikon Imaging Cloud for instant cinematic looks. Footage can be easily matched to that shot on a RED system.

Fanless design for long takes and silent operation

The innovative Nikon ZR dissipates heat throughout the entire body cover, meaning no overheating during filming and no need for a fan. It also means the ZR is exceptionally quiet, allowing you to record crystal-clear sound, even with the built-in mic.

Highest-ever specs for a mirrorless monitor

There’s no need to attach an external monitor to the Nikon ZR (although you can if you want, of course). The four-inch 3070k-dot vari-angle screen gives you a 1000 nits bright, clear and large image to work with. Its 16:10 ratio means 16:9 footage is displayed clearly, with information shown underneath, giving you an uninterrupted view of your scene. Vertical photography is also supported, improving workflow and ease of use.

Slow-mo, fast

With a slow-motion preset, a single action can take you there, so you won’t miss the moment you want to slow down. No fine tuning is required – you’re ready to take and upload without any post-processing. Slow motion extends real time by 4x, giving you beautiful, smooth footage.

View LUTs as you film

Check your LUTs while filming with LUT view assist, all on the camera’s monitor. The Nikon ZR can accept 17, 33 and 65-point LUTs and you can load up to ten on the camera at one time. LUTs aren’t burned into the footage at this point so you can still change your mind in post.

Built for wherever you go

With excellent heat, dust and drip resistance, the Nikon ZR is made to go with you, however harsh the environment. Whether it’s extreme sports or just messy kids, you’ll be confident your camera is well shielded against what life and the world might throw at it.

Adjustable shutter angle

The shutter angle on the Nikon ZR can be set between 5.6 to 360 for a wide range of creative techniques involving the amount of motion blur you require. With your shutter angle set, there’s no need to change your shutter speed every time you change frame rate.

Your lens, your choice

The Nikon ZR is built around the Nikon Z mount, the widest mirrorless mount available, letting in more light for more detail and allowing the creation of innovative NIKKOR lenses. You can use all Nikon Z mount lenses with the ZR and hundreds of Nikon F mount lenses by adding the FTZII adapter. Third-party adapters are also available for almost any lens mount, meaning your lens choice is virtually unlimited.

*At time of publication, September 10, 2025