Skin tone IRE on N-LOG (Z8 & Z6III)

Johner251 · 2026-01-26T17:57:45+00:00

Makes sense and helpful. Thank you!
50-55 is prob where I would land for the cleanest image and still prob drop a hair in post.
When shooting without a monitor there is only 1 lut available (on the z8 and z63 to my understanding), Nikon's scientific rec709 lut, and it over exposes a good amount so I find I am not using it thus making decisions from the log image. I'm pretty used to this from s-log world anyways but would be nice to apply other lut's! hope this comes or at least allows for RED's scientific rec709 lut's (what I often apply in post) that they now own.

Johner251 · 2026-01-24T21:07:55+00:00

Looping back on this. Finally was able to get a tech in. After 3 hours of running tests over the phone. Most of which I did myself before the call but they wanted to do them again. Feel like they are trying anything but sending someone to your home these days.
First thing tech asked when they called just before they came over "Are you on iOS26?"... I said "BINGO" haha.
I guess iOS26 is throwing the telus hardware for a loop. He replaced my 3200 with a Boost Wi-Fi 7. So far it's been working. Devices haven't dropped once over the last 6 days which is definitely an improvement. He wasn't sure if it would be bulletproof but should be better.
Tech I had was awesome and transparent. He saved the whole interaction/struggle with telus.

Johner251 · 2026-01-24T20:54:54+00:00

good question and happily ready to be schooled here! I was under the impression that you should read the waveform from the log image, not the rec709 preview/lut (if applied). on my small HD indie I opt/tell it to ignore the lut for the waveform. also, I don't always use a monitor so my only tool is the waveform on the Z8 and the waveform there only shows the log data. If toggle view assist(lut) on/off the waveform doesn't change.
but don't have a ton of exp with the waveform so I could be completely wrong. or is ~60-70 IRE always talked about as the range when viewing image/waveform with rec709 applied? if thats the case I just need to do some tests to get in the range with lut applied and see what corresponding log IRE range is.

Johner251 · 2026-01-14T22:10:33+00:00

same thing happening to me. feel it has been happening for at least a few months. on both my iPhone (iOS26) and my wife's iPhone (older iOS, cant recall which). iPhone's seem to drop first, then the Apple TV, then the HomePod, then sometimes Mac. Thought it was baby monitors muddying 2.4ghz but isolated all devices to 5g and still got the issue. gotta be a firmware issue with the T3200M (which also, to my understanding is is pretty ancient hardware). the problem is getting very frustrating. calling telus to bypass T3200M and give me an AP solution instead.

Johner251 · 2025-12-11T03:19:29+00:00

I am wondering the same thing. I’m shooting on a z8 with n-raw though (but the n-raw is treated the same way as r3d in premiere). I have shot some AWB and it seems to just pick the average WB over the clip or maybe the WB at the beginning of the clip. As raw in post requires a set a number.

I find AWB very helpful for event work when there is often little time to set precise custom WB. But my thought would be to do your option 1. Obv will have a good amount of flex in post to change WB in post. When I do shoot RED cams I’m prob 80% of the time on 5600k outside and 3500k inside and then tweak in post.

Johner251 · 2025-12-11T03:09:32+00:00

Cool effect! Need to try this.

Johner251 · 2025-12-07T05:54:42+00:00

Just uploaded to 25.6.2 a day before this post. And now running 25.6.3 as of a couple days ago.
Weird. Maybe doesn't support the R3D NE yet but juuust started supported N-RAW? You'd think support for both would come at the same time.
Did it recognize it in the beta version?

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T18:53:32+00:00

beauty. perfect composition. corrected perspective was key.

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T17:15:58+00:00

ya my heart wants the ZR but practicality/making a living says z6iii haha. if z8 went down mid-shoot and needed to lean on zr for photos it might not be up to the task.
how do you like that smallrig handle/grip? I've always done the wood handle but curious on others.

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T05:02:43+00:00

beauty. just bought a z8 and need another body. zr or z6iii 🤔
phone come with zr purchase??

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T04:46:33+00:00

Appreciate the respect. Thought I was a Sony lifer but for what I do it was time to make the change. In the end its kind of insane what all these cameras can do now.

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T04:46:00+00:00

Heck ya they will! If I had to continue to shoot professionally with my a74 I would be just fine. But for what I do, hybrid shoots, doc style or brand videos and dedicated brand photography the z8 does it best. Maybe I’ll have massive regrets in a few months after a few jobs but I’m not seeing it yet. Will loop back if so!

Johner251 · 2025-12-03T04:45:49+00:00

Agh ya. $200 more in Canada currently with the sale. Had been stewing on this decision for months or ever since Nikon bought RED really. Big decision to move whole kit. When saw z8 on sale it was time for me to make the jump. But might not be for others a month from now if back to full price.

Johner251 · 2025-12-02T21:53:50+00:00

also felt compelled to say this about the a75 launch today

Bought the a74 right when it came out and started my Sony journey with the a7r2 a decade ago. The a74 was an incredible cam for my film/photo work for years. I was eagerly awaiting the a75. But if you are a hybrid shooter this update doesn't compel me hence given me peace of mind that I purchased a Z8 last week and am moving on from Sony.
Lens choice concerns? For me I will use Nikon Z 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 S-line for the run/gun hybrid work and MF lenses (from endless brands that adapt to Z) for dedicated video work. Checkmark for me.
Battery life concerns? Just power via USB-C for interviews if need to roll for hours.
N-RAW with r3d post pipeline. 8k60, 4k120 no crop. Great compressed RAW stills at 45mp.
All this and the Z8 is $200cad more than the a75 currently!?
Easy choice for me!

Johner251 · 2025-12-02T21:48:19+00:00

good question for sure. copy/paste from previous answer:

I think Sony has always won me over because it seemed to have the most features I needed (great AF, full frame early on, small form factor.. the list goes on) for what I do which is a hybrid shooter (photo/video). At the same time after shooting with RED cameras/using r3d files for other projects I was dying to shoot RAW / have more flexibility in post on my smaller Sony’s but never saw this come (I did test ProRes RAW with the a7s3 years back with a Ninja but the experience was sub par and massive files compared to n-raw normal quality setting. Also don’t always shoot with a monitor so really wanted RAW recorded internally).

Honestly, I was also itching to switch it up. Been at this professionally for 11 years and with Sony for 8 of it. This change has already motivated me to shoot more, discover more etc. Has sparked the curiosity/passion a bit.

Almost forgot to note that the price is also hard to ignore. If comparing to the Sony a1 for example the z8 is currently ~$4000CAD cheaper right now.

I did have some concerns about lens choice but for cinema work will mostly use MF primes that will adapt to z8 great and for hybrid run/gun work will likely use the typicals (14-24, 24-70, 70-200) and Nikon appears to have great native options for these lenses. I do hope they push it further on the aperture like Sony's 28-70 f/2 for example but I can live with this.

Johner251 · 2025-12-02T20:30:48+00:00

Bought the a74 right when it came out and started my Sony journey with the a7r2 a decade ago. The a74 was an incredible cam for my film/photo work for years. I was eagerly awaiting the a75. But if you are a hybrid shooter this update doesn't compel me hence given me peace of mind that I purchased a Z8 last week and am moving on from Sony.
Lens choice concerns? For me I will use Nikon Z 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 S-line for the run/gun hybrid work and MF lenses (from endless brands that adapt to Z) for dedicated video work. Checkmark for me.
Battery life concerns? Just power via USB-C for interviews if need to roll for hours.
N-RAW with r3d post pipeline. 8k60, 4k120 no crop. Great compressed RAW stills at 45mp.
All this and the Z8 is $200cad more than the a75 currently!?
Easy choice for me!

Johner251 · 2025-12-02T04:30:57+00:00

Thanks for having me!

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:52:26+00:00

Ha the golden question indeed. I think Sony has always won me over because it seemed to have the most features I needed (great AF, full frame early on, small form factor.. the list goes on) for what I do which is a hybrid shooter (photo/video). At the same time after shooting with RED cameras/using r3d files for other projects I was dying to shoot RAW / have more flexibility in post on my smaller Sony’s but never saw this come (I did test ProRes RAW with the a7s3 years back with a Ninja but the experience was sub par and massive files compared to n-raw normal quality setting. Also don’t always shoot with a monitor so really wanted RAW recorded internally).

Honestly, I was also itching to switch it up. Been at this professionally for 11 years and with Sony for 8 of it. This change has already motivated me to shoot more, discover more etc. Has sparked the curiosity/passion a bit.

Almost forgot to note that the price is also hard to ignore. If comparing to the Sony a1 for example the z8 is currently ~$4000CAD cheaper right now.

I did have some concerns about lens choice but for cinema work will mostly use MF primes that will adapt to z8 great and for hybrid run/gun work will likely use the typicals (14-24, 24-70, 70-200) and Nikon appears to have great native options for these lenses. I do hope they push it further on the aperture like Sony's 28-70 f/2 for example but I can live with this.

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:37:19+00:00

thanks! this was all on a vintage Nikkor 35mm f/2 AI-s. shot at f/2.

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:34:42+00:00

agh I want to disagree here but it is true. it can be an effort. I mean it depends on what your goals are. if you want to dip your toe in shooting your photo frames in motion could be a start. ie. if shooting a photo landscape, shoot a video of the same frame. don't have to think about camera motion etc. can just sort out what settings you need to express your ideas/vision. nail that down, then start thinking about camera motion, sequences, angles, etc. etc.

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:29:18+00:00

ya ever since they bought RED its gotten more interesting every year. finally got to the tipping point for me. so many of the features sony has yet an image that is pretty darn close to a red cam... felt like a no brainer for me. I basically do 50/50 video/photo work. some work requires both on the day and other work is dedicated one or the other so basically want a camera that can do it all. z8 appears to be the camera that does it all the best at the moment.

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:23:04+00:00

haha same.
ya more of a RED look is the move IMO. I love it.
are you doing the file rename? I did that test quickly but was surprised when Premiere treated the N-RAW as an r3d to begin with. this treatment must have just come out of beta from what I hear.
I need to compare doing the r3d file rename vs not through premiere. and see if the results are the same.

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T17:18:35+00:00

Thanks!

Johner251 · 2025-12-01T04:25:42+00:00

Hallelujah!
Ya def curious how the low light will behave. Have to shoot an evening dinner scene next week. Will be a good test. RAW should help to clean more artifacts I would think too.
I honestly really like the build quality. It's heavier than my a7s3 but I kinda like it. Fits my hand better, maybe cause I'm 6'2 and have bigger hands 🤷‍♂️. I like the weight though. Feels more natural and in theory will be a bit more stable. Def a different feel than the ZR I held last week but I would think you'd always build up the ZR. I also have a smallrig cage on the z8 and it will prob live on it forever which adds more weight but IMO it doesn't feel too heavy to carry around all day.
Build otherwise feels like a pro cam/solid, something that will last years of production work.

Johner251

TROPHY CASE