1 day ago
8
Nikon has just announced a new firmware update for their Nikon ZR cinema camera. Let’s have a look at some of the coming updates.
As an owner of the Nikon ZR, I am keenly aware of the amazing benefits—and a few frustrations—of using the camera as a tool in the field. The camera is both amazing and imperfect. But, as someone who has owned the Nikon Z9 since its initial release, I’ve been continuously impressed with Nikon’s dedication to firmware upgrades in recent years. I loved my Z9 right out of the box. But the number of added features I’ve gained via firmware updates over the years has essentially allowed me to upgrade my camera without ever spending a single dime.
So, many of us are hoping that Nikon will continue this same path with regard to the ZR. Especially since so many of the camera’s shortcomings are the type of things that can be fixed via firmware as opposed to hardware, it makes sense to keep an eye on this space.
Today, Nikon announced a 1.1 firmware update. They were quick to mention that this isn’t a 2.0 firmware update. So don’t expect the ZR to be completely transformed just yet. It’s only been out for three months, after all. But they have made a number of quality-of-life improvements that ZR users will appreciate.
Namely, they have now added the ability to jam-sync timecode via the camera’s mic jack. The camera was already timecode compatible with the Atomos UltraSync Blue system. But allowing direct jam sync of timecode via the headphone jack allows the cameras to be used in more non-Nikon workflows with additional timecode generators and simplifies the process for those not using the Bluetooth system.
The video record limit has been raised from 2 hours to 6 hours. Note, however, this only applies to non-raw formats. Then again, 6 hours of R3D NE files would require a pretty massive memory card, so this is more an improvement for H.265 or ProRes 422 shooters.
They’ve added a red clipping warning line to the waveform and histogram in an effort to make it easier to quickly identify exposure red flags on set. The exposure tools on the ZR have been one of the biggest bones of contention, and I still expect more improvements once we hit the major firmware upgrades, but for a 1.1 firmware update, this is a nice addition.
For those, like myself, using the ZR alongside a RED camera, the new firmware allows you to customize the ZR file-naming conventions to more closely match the way RED cameras name their files.
The green power light on the camera, which allows for the super-fast ZR boot-up but then goes dark, will now be able to stay on full time while the camera is in operation. One issue users were having is that it was so easy to hit that off/on button that they were accidentally turning their cameras on inside their bag. Then they would get to location with a drained battery, having no idea their camera was on the whole time (especially with the LCD in the closed position). Being able to have the green button light stay on clears up that confusion.
Lastly, when adding LUTs, you can now see up to 50 available LUTs on your card. You can still only load 10 LUTs at a time into the camera. But before, while in the process of loading the LUTs, you would only be able to see the first 10 files on the card, making the process of adding LUTs more laborious than it needed to be. With the 1.1 firmware update, this problem is fixed.
There are still plenty of firmware-fixable quirks that I’d expect to be ironed out by the time we hit the first major 2.0 firmware update. But, in the meantime, these handful of early changes should help ZR users more efficiently integrate their systems within their workflow.
To get the new firmware for free, visit Nikon’s Download Center.
English (US) ·