Nikon ZR Review: Overhyped or Actually Worth It?
- Matt Zefi
- Feb 2
- 5 min read
The Nikon ZR is one of the most hyped cameras of the year. I've been using it for a few months now, and like everyone else I was excited about the spec sheet.
So after real time in the field: was it overhyped?
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What you get for around $2,200
Spec | Nikon ZR |
Price | Around $2,200 |
Raw formats | RED RAW, N-RAW, ProRes RAW |
Resolution | 6K60 in RED RAW |
Sensor | 24MP |
Audio | 32-bit float |
Screen | Large, high quality front screen |
Cards | CFexpress Type B |
On paper this looks too good to be true. I was working at B&H when it was announced and was part of the launch video, and I remember thinking: what's the catch here?
Why I actually reached for it
I primarily shoot Sony, so I've been adapting the ZR to Sony glass, and I've been genuinely impressed with the performance.
When I got this camera I was road tripping from New York City out to Yellowstone, and I found myself picking it up constantly. Three reasons:
RED RAW at 6K60. Standing in front of wildlife, the question answers itself. Why wouldn't I want the best possible footage of this scene? And if I need to crop heavily later, 6K gives me the room.
That screen. In the field it became so useful that going back to a smaller screen is genuinely difficult. Most cameras in this class have small screens.
The form factor. It's small enough to always have in my backpack, and honestly I've put it in a jacket pocket. It's not quite a pocket camera, but it's close enough that you can bring it anywhere.
Adapting Sony glass
This mattered a lot to me because I've already invested heavily in Sony lenses, including the 600mm f/4 I use for wildlife.
Adapting is nearly seamless, but be realistic: autofocus performance lands around 80 to 90% of native, and it depends on the lens. Longer focal lengths struggle more.
It's a viable photography camera too
With a 24MP sensor, this works for stills. Nobody's buying it purely for photography, but for grabbing thumbnails in the field it's excellent, and it's a fine general option.
It's a video-first camera. If you want these internals in a photography-forward body without RED RAW, that's essentially the Nikon Z6 III.
You also don't have to shoot raw at all. The higher-compression formats are there, and for some projects that makes sense. Though I'll admit I've shot almost exclusively raw on this camera.
The downsides, and there are several
The RED RAW files are enormous
This is the big one. There aren't many compression options for RED RAW on this camera, so the files are massive. I have filled cards endlessly.
I live full-time on the road, which makes storage genuinely difficult. I run a NAS that I upload and download from, but it's still a real constraint.
The upside is it's made me far more intentional about when I use this camera. I hope Nikon finds a way to offer more compressed RED RAW, even at some cost to quality. As it stands, the files are too big to use casually or on longer shoots.
H.265 isn't as good as it should be
If the H.265 on this camera were better, I'd use it much more. That was my original thinking when I bought it: $2,200 for all these features. We'll see whether a firmware update improves it.
Budget for storage. The camera is affordable, but if you're shooting raw you need an extreme amount of storage, and CFexpress Type B cards get pricey. Factor that into the real cost.
The Rec 709 view assist is not accurate
This one caught me out and it's worth knowing before you shoot something important.
You cannot eye your exposure on this camera. I was using the histogram, the screen looked very dark, and I was convinced I was underexposed. In post I was actually overexposed and had clipped highlights slightly. It was a very high dynamic range scene of a moose, and it worked out fine in the end, but that was my first real learning experience here.
You can learn to work around it. Just know it's there.
The menu system
I've used every menu system out there, and this one has a lot of things spread out in places that don't make sense. There are plenty of moments of "why is this over here and not in that section," plus separate quick menus. It could be streamlined considerably.
Small body annoyances
The grip could be improved, though I'm not someone who gets worked up about grips and there are far worse cameras
The power button placement means I leave it on almost all the time
The card is in the battery door rather than on the side, which gets annoying
So is the Nikon ZR overhyped?
No. At around $2,200 with these capabilities, it's genuinely hard to call this overhyped.
Will it improve with firmware? I can't say yet, and I hope so. But the H.265 is good enough to use, it's far more affordable than much of its competition, and the screen, 32-bit float audio and raw options make it a very solid camera at this price.
The one condition: if you're going anywhere near the raw formats, factor in storage and CFexpress Type B cards before you buy.
FAQ
Is the Nikon ZR worth it?
At around $2,200, yes. The feature set at that price is hard to argue with.
Does the Nikon ZR shoot RED RAW?
Yes, up to 6K60, along with N-RAW and ProRes RAW.
Can you adapt Sony lenses to the Nikon ZR?
Yes, and it works well. Expect autofocus at roughly 80 to 90% of native performance, with longer focal lengths struggling more.
How big are the RED RAW files?
Very large, and there aren't many compression options. Plan your storage and card budget around it.
Is the Nikon ZR good for photos?
The 24MP sensor makes it viable, but it's a video-first camera. The Nikon Z6 III is the photography-forward version of similar internals.
Can you trust the exposure preview?
No. The Rec 709 view assist is not accurate, so don't eyeball exposure. I clipped highlights believing I was underexposed.
Final thoughts
Extraordinary specs for the money, held back by file sizes, an inaccurate view assist and a scattered menu. Not overhyped, but not frictionless either.
Do you think the Nikon ZR is overhyped? I'm curious. Let me know in the comments. I'll see you out there on the road.
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