When Nikon and Red unveiled their first joint camera, the Nikon ZR, it sounded like a landmark moment. Nikon finally stepping into cinema cameras, Red lending its name to something more accessible; surely this would be the disruptive new tool that filmmakers had been waiting for.
But look a little closer, and the Nikon ZR starts to feel less like a revolution and more like a repackaged Nikon Z6 III.
The parallels with Sony’s FX3 are obvious. That camera was essentially an A7S III in a video-optimized shell, with the same sensor and processor, but it worked. Sony knew exactly who it was for: filmmakers who wanted cinema ergonomics, pro codecs and no stills fluff. The FX3 became a classic because it nailed its audience.
The ZR is trying a similar trick, but the execution feels muddier. Yes, it’s cheaper than the Z6 III. Yes, it’s optimized for video. But in stripping away the stills features, Nikon has created a body that’s less hybrid and more video-oriented, without going full cinema. And that leaves a gap.
For Nikon photographers branching into video, the Z6 III remains the better option: you retain stills capabilities and flexibility, and you don’t lose much on the video side. For new shooters looking for their first cinema camera, the question is harsher: why Nikon? Why not the tried-and-tested options from Sony, Canon or Blackmagic, with their mature ecosystems and established workflows?
That’s where the ZR feels caught between worlds. It isn’t the all-out cinema leap that some expected; no radical body redesign, no true cinema sensor, no distinctive Red DNA apart from codecs. And yet it also isn’t the hybrid powerhouse that Nikon users already have in the Z6 III.
I like the release, and I can't wait to get my hands on one. It signals intent. It proves that Nikon wants to be taken seriously in video. But as the first fruit of a Nikon-Red collaboration, the ZR feels cautious rather than daring. If you’re not aiming to serve the hybrid crowd, why not go all in on cinema? Why not deliver something with a real sense of Red’s heritage and cinema feel?
Instead, we’re left with a camera that may struggle to define its audience. Perhaps the ZR will be remembered as Nikon’s FX3 moment, a modest but important first step. Or perhaps it will be seen as a halfway house, neither hybrid nor truly cinema. For now, the lingering question remains: who is this camera really for?
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For more video camera options, check out our guides to the best cine cameras and the best hybrid cameras.
