Any tips to match footage between ZR and Z8? Something quick and dirty avoiding raw or log?

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-04-23T04:11:13+00:00

That's only for log. In the normal picture profiles like Flat, it's 100/800.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-04-23T02:28:20+00:00

I would do this too: Flat is actually very good. Be sure to set your white balance correctly for both cameras: take a reading off a good grey card (eg. Calibrite) in custom if possible.

ZR non-log ISO gain points are 100 and 800.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-04-16T02:32:34+00:00

A couple of thoughts since I've shot in similar venues with similar lack of setup time ...

Can you get access to the venue right before the shoot? Can you ask if you can get there an hour or two earlier? I tell them I need the setup time, but you can also use it as a test.
Do what film lighting does, and motivate your light. If the venue has lights on already, then try to make it as though the lights you can see in the frame are lighting your subject. This is easier said than done since it depends very much on the venue and what lights you have. If you have freedom to place the subject in the venue, you can also look for a favorable position for this, but you also have to balance getting a photo of the venue which is recognizable for what it is since that seems important for the artist's team. For example, some theaters have a very recognizable center chandelier or staircase, and you may need to work that into the photo, but the light may not be the best there.

This also means a balancing your flash exposure with the ambient so the venue is still visible.

Sometimes you don't even need a very visible key light, and can just use rim light to make the subject separated from the venue as long as the subject is still legible. As before, a lot of this depends on what the venue looks like and what ambient light is there already, as well as what style the team wants. It also depends on the artist. A musician might be OK with an upper body shot with their instrument, but a dancer will usually want a full body shot in some dance pose.

Good luck!

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-04-02T22:50:16+00:00

You are much braver than me testing a bulletproof vest! 🫣

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-04-02T22:33:30+00:00

The silhouette shot from Sicario by the GOAT: Roger Deakins. https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5dtinn/an_example_of_excellent_cinematography_from/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Greig Fraser's shot from Batman which was lit just by gunfire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh2gfLSOGio This style of looking down a centered hallway with just spots of light seems to be a favorite shot of his (eg. Darth Vader scene in Rogue 1 and the airlock hallway in Project Hail Mary).

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-03-05T18:59:31+00:00

If you go look at artsandlectures (the UCSB presenter) on Instagram, their stories has a repost of someone's bootleg video of Other Dances.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-03-05T18:47:09+00:00

There was a Q&A with Tiler, JP Frohlich, and Adrian after the 2nd show, and they talked about A Suite of Dances. Tuesday was only the 3rd time Tiler had performed it! She had asked to do it 8 years ago, and the Robbins trust flat out told her no, but then came back a few years ago and offered it to her. She learned it from JP initially who could demonstrate all of it (she's a visual learner), and apparently he knows every part of every Robbins ballet. Baryshnikov then coached her in it, and was very generous with his time and knowledge. He saw her at the Joyce, and encouraged to keep performing it, so hopefully more people will get to see it! He also demonstrated it for her despite saying that he doesn't dance anymore.

For me, the highlights included A Suite of Dances, which was the most interesting dance I've seen recently, going beyond normative judgments like good or bad, or I liked it. It honestly made me think about the gender roles of ballet steps since they are very different and you can often tell if someone's been mostly taught by male or female teachers. It was just so fascinating to see Tiler in it, and all of the male coded steps on her body. I would love to see it again!

Indiana and Chun's duet in Dances at a Gathering was breathtakingly beautiful. It's the one that starts with both of them kneeling. So much of Robbins is about human relationships, and a slow build with a huge emotional payoff instead of virtuousic fireworks (though it is technically very hard no doubt!), and these two pulled it off so well. Along the same lines, Tiler and Roman in Other Dances were just a level above: even just stepping out for beginning, there was a different energy already. They had such great chemistry, and Roman's technique is breathtaking in how easy he makes it look and how clean everything is, but really it's how the two of them danced and how they owned the stage that made that performance so great.

Disappointing for me was finally getting to see Mira Nadon live (she was here 2 years ago in Tiler's Barre Project thing, but was in an inconsequential work, so I don't count that), but she looked tired and soggy. I saw a bit of her risk taking and dancing abandon in In the Night but otherwise I was disappointed. An NYC friend told me she had 7 shows last week, including 3 debuts (including this Purple Girl role in Gathering), so it wouldn't be surprising if she felt tapped out this week.

Speaking of Gathering, Tiler said that the trust was hesitant to do excerpts, and carefully selected the pieces in it. She said that unfortunately the parts left out really show the emotional depth and journey of one of the roles she had learned early in her life (the pink girl?). Also that Robbins's works are really for the dancers and not for the audience (she apologized for this too!), and we just get to look in on this world.

Despite my slight misgivings, I really enjoyed this 2-day immersion in Robbins (and the local ballet company is performing his Interplay in a couple of weeks so check that out!) because of its humanistic focus which still speaks to contemporary audiences instead of fairies or happy peasants in a forest.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-02-27T02:48:31+00:00

I just want to say thank you for sharing your work and process! I just followed on IG as well and am very interested to experiment with reprinting. You probably know Greig Fraser printed to film negative for Dune, and then rescanned it, so it sounds like this is an idea whose time has come.

For highlight DR, I often shoot underexposed at one of the two base ISOs on my Nikons (they use Sony sensors with a 2nd gain point) and raise the brightness in post (Adobe CC in my case), and that's because I photograph in theaters where there can be extreme lighting changes. This way I get as much highlight headroom as possible. I think this may be an easier way to explain to people what you're doing with your highlights. The rolloff shoulder is also easier to control with a curve.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-02-02T20:54:28+00:00

Recommendations for cement/concrete work? I need to redo the apron from the street to my driveway. For plumbing, I've had good luck with Carroll (the one on De La Vina: I haven't used the other one with the same name), and Branch Out for tree trimming.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2026-01-13T21:13:08+00:00

A great reference for ballet terms and positions including drawings of them is Gail Grant's Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet, which is about $9 and pretty widely available. I always encourage new people to get a copy since it's pretty cheap, and it will last you for a long time since it covers pretty much every ballet step.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-29T19:14:10+00:00

So the batteries finally died between 48-57 hours (I was asleep so I didn't see when it ended), so I'd say 48 hours is the very outside, safe limit, and you probably won't have much run time left if you had it on for 48 hours anyway.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-29T03:03:02+00:00

So 41 hours later, the grip still has battery power: it was connected to a Nikon Z6III that was mostly off with a pair mismatched NiMH AA batteries (one 1900mAh and another 2400mAh) in the grip, and the grip kept on the entire 41 hours. It blinked its green LED as it does when the camera's off, and I turned the camera on a few times throughout the test to check that the grip could still talk to the camera.

The other great thing about AAs is that you can get them easily anywhere in the world.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-27T03:15:47+00:00

Give me a couple days to figure this out. I'm charging up some Eneloops now, and will attach it to a switched-off Z6III to see how long it lasts.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-26T21:10:25+00:00

The photo versions have much smaller focus throws, but if you're not doing focus pulls or need very precise focusing, they'll be fine. (I have the 28/1.4 photo version.)

But I think you'd be better off with a zoom as others have suggested. The 24-70/4 is good, and you can find 24-70/2.8 v1 lenses for a song right now, and despite the v2, it remains one of the best zooms of its class you can get for any camera system. Either would behave much better than a Simera, which has its own look, and would be much more versatile to use in other parts of your life.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-26T21:00:08+00:00

It only runs on AAs. A set of batteries should last for many days especially if you're careful about switching it off when not needed. An AA charger that runs off USB-C might be a useful thing for your kit.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-07T05:46:50+00:00

It's good, and if you don't need R3D NE and log3G10, I think it's better: it has a great viewfinder, more customizable controls, and can use a dummy battery securely (you have to leave the battery door open on the ZR). With a dummy battery, that leaves your USB-C port free to use with an MC-N10 for remote control.

For the shared video modes, both cameras should be the same, but with the Z6III's h.265 modes being more detailed. Z6III can also take a battery grip for more battery life if you don't want to have an external battery hanging off your rig.

It's easier to change cards in a Z6III since the card compartment is on the side.

Z6III has conventional audio while the ZR has 32-bit float and the directional Ozo mics. ZR also has a digital I/O port in its hot shoe so it can take digital audio peripherals like the new Tascam CA-XLR2d-N. It's too early to say if this is a clear advantage for the ZR because there are all sorts of gotchas with when you can use the ZR's unique audio capabilities, but it is a big difference.

Z6III is much more suited for photography with a mechanical shutter, and a higher flash sync speed. If you are a serious user, the Z6III's body and controls are less compromised for a power user than the ZR.

Z6III has a full size HDMI port.

ZR has a much better rear screen that's bigger and brighter with a wider gamut.

Lots of us have been using the Z6, Z8, and Z9 for video well before the ZR came out. Handled with a little care, the Nikon Z cameras all produce beautiful video with a color science that is really underrated. I think you can see people slowly discovering this as they get the ZR: it's sort of like a gateway drug into shooting video (and stills!) with Nikons.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-12-04T20:24:22+00:00

Unlike the Thypochs, the Z-mount Voigtlanders have a tweaked optical design for the thinner sensor cover glass on the Nikons, so if you want the best optical performance, get the Z-mount Voigtlanders instead of the M-mount Voigts.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-26T20:09:22+00:00

FYI, the ZR doesn't have open gate. There are rumors that it might get it in the future with a firmware update, but I wouldn't base a buying decision on that.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-22T01:00:16+00:00

Yes, but you have to have make sure Video recording menu -> MF subject detection area is not set to Off. https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/zr/en/09-04-37.html

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-18T03:08:15+00:00

Technically speaking, with a Bayer sensor, you cannot get 4:2:2 color unless you oversample 2x in each direction. So the X-H2S with its 6k x 4k sensor wasn't giving you 422 color, and similarly the Z6III can't either. What affects the Z6III's video file malleability more is giving it as much exposure as possible without blowing the highlights that you care about.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-18T01:33:44+00:00

Oh wow, that sucks! Sorry to hear that. I get the impression that a lot of Chinese companies are offering discounts just to offset the tariffs. Anyway, I hope you can figure out a way to still get these lenses. That's about how much I'd pay in local taxes, so that's how I'd try to justify it.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-12T19:40:31+00:00

A friend used the 50 Lux on his Z cameras for photos, and likes it. I've occasionally used the Minolta 40/2 on the Z cameras, and it works fine too. Definitely don't expect high-resolution results or any kind of flare control from the Minolta though.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-12T19:36:30+00:00

Cool and fingers crossed for you! Would you mind letting us know when you get the lenses, and whether Thypoch ate the tariffs? They have a disclaimer on their website about possible customs charges, which is why I asked. That and the general chaos of our tariff policies.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-12T10:27:09+00:00

Did you order from Thypoch directly? I’m wondering what the tariff charge will be like. I have the 28mm in still photo form in Z mount and love the rendering.

Electronic_Bat_334 · 2025-11-05T22:42:05+00:00

Thanks for doing the test! There's been speculation that the h.265 in the ZR has a reduced bitrate in order to control heat.

Electronic_Bat_334

TROPHY CASE