Nikon ZR Firmware 2.0: Log3G10 in H.265 Coming by Year's End

Nikon's ZR gets its first major firmware update — version 2.0 — by the end of the year, and the company has now detailed what's actually in it. The headline for working video shooters: Log3G10 (Red's Log curve) becomes available in H.265 recording, not just in R3D NE Raw.

That's the change with real production consequences. Log3G10 is more sophisticated than Nikon's own N-Log and has considerably more LUTs (look-up tables, the color-conversion presets used in grading and monitoring) built around it. Until now, ZR owners could only record it in R3D NE Raw, a format that eats storage and demands heavier post-processing. H.265 is the storage-friendly alternative. Shooting Red's curve without paying the Raw tax should simplify workflows on long-form and multi-camera jobs.

What else ships in v2.0?

Nikon confirmed several additions beyond the Log change:

• Adjustable high-ISO noise reduction when shooting H.265 with a Log profile — control that matters for low-light event and documentary work, where aggressive NR smears detail.
• New processing that, in Nikon's words, "suppresses frame-by-frame fluctuations in black level, reducing flicker that tends to occur in low-light conditions and in dark areas of the frame." Anyone who followed the Z6III's flicker issues will recognize the problem.
• Command-dial assignment for white balance color temperature, ISO and more.
• LUT view assist on a function button, so shooters can toggle it without touching the touchscreen.
• LUT applied to HDMI output, giving a corrected preview on external monitors that lack their own LUT support — useful for client-facing monitors on set.

What does this change for ZR owners' revenue work? Mainly post economics. Log3G10 in H.265 cuts media costs and grading time on Log-based pipelines, and the black-level fix addresses a class of low-light artifacts that can otherwise force reshoots.

When can you plan around it?

Not precisely. Nikon still gives no exact release date, saying only that v2.0 is "scheduled to be available before the end of the year." The update was first announced in September, when the H.265 Log3G10 capability was the marquee item.

These are confirmed, specified features from the manufacturer — not rumors — but nothing is measured until the firmware ships and shooters test the noise reduction and flicker suppression under real conditions. Nikon's marketing language around "new processing" deserves the usual scrutiny.

Until a date appears, ZR-based productions should treat v2.0 as a likely year-end line item: worth scheduling around for Q1 shoots that need Log3G10, but not something to build a December delivery on.