Unboxing, Setting up and testing the Nikon ZR

I've been looking to upgrade my camera to one that was more geared towards video and excels at it for the longest time. I've been running a Nikon D3400 since 2019 and a D5300 since 2024. These are both considered entry-level DSLRs and are not geared towards video and have many limitations. The reason I had bought Nikon based bodies is from my past experience with Nikon cameras when I worked for a Photography/Production company. When it comes to photography, Nikon makes some of the best cameras. I'd argue they are the king when it comes to photography and make excellent lenses and have really good color science. While you could get decent video quality out of most Nikon bodies, it is well known Nikon has been lacking in the video department. In the earlier days of YouTube, Canon dominated, and now Sony dominates. I had been strongly considering buying a Sony FX3 but remained hesitant for a few reasons. 1) The ridiculous price tag 2) Never was a fan of the color science 3) Too sharp and clinical, albeit you can likely change the settings and 4) the "influencers" and people around Sony cameras. I was close to pulling the trigger on buying an FX3 but held off. Nikon recently bought RED, a real high-end cinema camera brand and is now strongly focusing on video/cinematography and making major strides and improvements to their mirrorless lineup. Just last year Nikon released the first camera incorporating the two brands together, the Nikon ZR. When they released this camera I was immediately interested. Major improvements to video such as autofocus, video quality and codec options, exposure controls, much longer record times, no HDMI timeout limit, 10-bit 422, RAW video, etc. What made me buy it ASAP, the price tag. It came in less than half the price of the Sony FX3 whilst still being a full-frame sensor and not only that but exceeding the video quality of an FX3. It was a no-brainer and I was one of the first batch to buy it directly from Nikon. I've been sitting on this camera for awhile now as I can't afford to buy a full-frame lens outright yet. So I decided to finally get around to renting out a lens and giving this camera test drive. I own the camera (since Oct 2025), I rented some lenses. In this video I go in-depth with this camera. I unbox it, go over the specs, have a look through the menu and even test out various codecs. I also try out the ZR CTL phone app that allows you to fully control your camera remotely from your phone. Buy the Nikon ZR: https://obdr.it/UT1XB SmallRig Advance Cage Kit 5468: https://obdr.it/PmhO8 Cooling Fan: https://obdr.it/mjjLP SmallRig HDMI adapter: https://obdr.it/wDE4y Nikon MH-25a Battery Charger: https://obdr.it/DSxIu Nikon EN-EL15c Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh): https://obdr.it/2M7Yr Nikon ML-L7 Bluetooth Remote Control: https://obdr.it/tN2p4 ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B Card Reader: https://obdr.it/EKhSa ProGrade Digital 2TB Memory Card: https://obdr.it/A19mK Duttek 90 Degree HDMI to Micro HDMI Extension Cable 6 Feet: https://obdr.it/lQ5wF ZR CTL/Parallax Monitor: https://www.zrctl.com/ ************** USE AT YOUR OWN RISK ************** For whatever reason, Nikon doesn't officially support this on the Nikon ZR. I will NOT be held liable for any damages! Nikon EH-5d AC Adapter: https://obdr.it/FZGy7 Nikon EP-5B dummy battery: https://obdr.it/kpX2H ***************************************************** 00:00:18 Unboxing the Nikon ZR 00:04:11 Specifications 00:05:48 Comparing against the Nikon D5300 00:08:34 Explaining RED and Nikon's focus on video 00:11:14 Why did I buy another camera? 00:14:27 Looking at the accessories I picked up 00:26:45 Physical overview of the Nikon ZR 00:31:41 What is a Cinema Camera? 00:46:58 Back to looking at the camera physically 00:48:17 Quick look at the sensor 00:49:28 Looking at the lenses I rented from Lensrentals 00:56:49 Mounting the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II lens on the ZR 00:59:20 Putting battery and memory card in 01:01:49 First power on 01:04:13 Going through the Menu system 01:17:16 Updating the Firmware 01:29:05 Putting the ZR on a tripod 01:38:27 First test video on the ZR 01:43:48 Adjusting more Menu settings 01:48:18 Testing HDMI output 01:52:55 Nikon D5300 HDMI comparison 01:55:50 First test of R3D NE RAW 01:57:35 Side Rant: Is 6K or LOG worth it? 01:59:45 Trying out the ZR CTL (Parallax Monitor) app 02:17:18 R3D NE RAW test two controlled by ZR CTL 02:24:03 H.265 8-bit SDR test controlled by ZR CTL 02:30:33 Explaining my needs and if RAW or LOG is worth it 02:55:30 Looking at the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ lens 03:23:48 Testing the Power Zoom (PZ) 03:32:45 Installing the SmallRig Advanced Cage Kit 5468 onto the ZR 03:53:41 What it looks like with a cage on it 04:00:28 Final H.265 test on the ZR 04:02:40 Final R3D test on the ZR