A Stepping Stone for Serious Cinematography

The ZR is the culmination of Nikon's much-publicised partnership with RED Digital Cinema, two giants in their respective fields.

- Ashok Kandimala

With that heritage, it is no surprise that the Nikon ZR has been received positively in the markets, with many experts declaring it as a new benchmark setter. Some detractors have also called it a Nikon Z6III (an excellent camera no doubt) in a bespoke new suit. So, what is the truth? We at Smart Photography brings to you as usual an unbiased and unfiltered review. So, read on.

Design & Build Quality

Nikon might have bought RED but it appears that the latter took over for the design department! The ZR bears no resemblance to its siblings in the Z-line. The on/off switch surrounding the shutter button, a feature that harks back to decades is gone and moved to the left side. The shutter button is now the video recording start/stop button and the surrounding switch is the power-zoom control. There is an additional recording button in the front just below the lens release button. The top deck has three more buttons. While these are marked with icons, they are also fully customizable. The top deck display is absent but there is slider switch to shift between Photo and Video modes.