On set with the Nikon ZR

Get yourself in a tight spot  

Although it can be at the centre of a more complicated rig, the Nikon ZR is designed to operate as an all-in-one system, so make use of the portability! Grab the ZR and a lens and you’re ready to go. Take it to a challenging space where there wouldn’t be room for a full-size rig and check out the results. Whole new possibilities of where you can take images are opened up with the compact nature of the camera, without compromising on results.

Use audio for storytelling

With the inclusion of three mics and five pickup patterns with OZO Audio, the Nikon ZR is ready to capture the right sound for the scene. Use front (narrow), front, rear, omnidirectional and even binaural to create an immersive sound world for your footage, switching between modes for different scenes to move the story on.

Speed up your workflow

With RED’s famous colour science built in and available instantly, you can get graded footage straight from the camera via a RED preset, plus RED-supervised Picture Controls are available via Nikon Imaging Cloud. Try filming using presets when your footage has to be up and available quickly, but you don’t want to sacrifice cinematic quality.

Learn the art of cropping

With 6K/60p and 12-bit RAW internal recording, your footage can easily be cropped when outputting in 4K. But cropping isn’t just for getting rid of unwanted objects in the frame that you only notice afterwards – it can also be a way of adding drama. Cropping to a detail on a face in interview footage at the right moment can increase tension, while cropping to a smaller object in the frame can reveal a plot point. Keep a close eye on your footage in post and examine frames to see if a crop could add something to the story.

Try a ‘oner’

A favourite of some cinematographers and directors, the ‘oner’ is a scene taken as one shot, moving the camera with the subject as the drama unfolds. With the Nikon ZR you could film more than two hours without a pause, due to the innovative fan-free body that dissipates heat. It’s also small, agile and stable for handheld movement, allowing you to track a subject through different spaces where a large rig can’t go.

Go vertical

With support for vertical filming in the Nikon ZR, there’s no need to rotate footage during editing and the large four-inch monitor will let you see everything in detail as you work. Framing is important in vertical video, but composition aids such as the rule of thirds still apply. If you’re used to working in landscape mode, try vertical clips for things such as YouTube shorts rather than cropping existing horizontal footage. You’ll notice the difference and it will save you time in the edit.