Nikon Releases First RED ZR Firmware Upgrade, Extends Recording Times

Nikon has released firmware version 1.10 for the Nikon ZR, taking recording times up to 6 hours as well as introducing  some other valuable new features.

The headline news for the Firmware v1.10 update for the Nikon RED ZR is that it significantly extends the maximum continuous recording time from 125 minutes to 360 minutes (6 hours). There is a caveat here in that Nikon notes that achieving the maximum duration requires an external power source and specific recording settings (not RAW, for instance), but it unlocks the ability to use the camera on long-form shoots such as interviews, documentary work, and live events. 

Multi-Camera Shoots

The update also makes the ZR a decent possibility for multi-camera shoots as it adds support for timecode input via a wired connection through the external microphone/line input connector. Nikon has also usefully adopted a RED-style file-naming convention, intended to simplify data management when working with multiple cameras.

Usability Updates

Several additional usability updates are included. A new warning line can now be displayed in brightness information tools such as the histogram and waveform monitor when recording R3D NE video in Log3G10, helping operators judge exposure more accurately. The maximum number of LUTs that can be imported from a memory card has also increased from 10 to 50, providing more flexibility when selecting looks on location.

A Power-on lamp energy saver option allows users to choose whether the power-on lamp remains lit even when the monitor is closed, making it easier to confirm the camera’s status while avoiding unintended battery drain. In addition, the Video file type setting can now be set to R3D NE 12-bit (R3D) even when the camera is in AUTO shooting mode, which should enable simpler access to higher-end recording formats.

The full list of changes is below and the free firmware download is available via the Nikon Download Center.

Full List of Changes

■ Video Recording

• • Extended the maximum length of footage that can be recorded in a single video session.
• • Brightness information, including histogram and wave-form monitor, now displays a warning indicator on the brighter side that shows potential loss of detail in highlights when [R3D NE 12-bit (R3D)] is selected for [Video file type].
• • You can now also set [Video file type] to [R3D NE 12-bit (R3D)] in [Auto] mode. Note that the shooting mode [M] will automatically be selected.
• • Added a [Video file naming] item. File names consist of a reel number, clip number, recording date, among other information.
• • Added [LTC signal input] to [Timecode]. Now the timecode can be synchronized with a timecode generator connected to the external microphone/line input connector.

■ Controls

• • Increased the maximum number of files displayed to import from g15 [LUT view assist settings] > [Import CUBE file] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] to 50. CUBE files with names starting with a period (“.”) are no longer displayed.

■ Displays

• • Added a [Power-on lamp energy saver] item to the [SETUP MENU]. The power-on lamp remains lit while the camera is turned on when [OFF] is selected.

■ Network

• • Updated some guidance texts displayed on the camera when connecting to the Nikon Imaging Cloud service (the connection procedure itself remains unchanged).

■ Other Changes

• • Fixed an issue where noise sometimes occurred in the audio during live streaming (USB streaming).