EXCITING WEEK FOR VIDEO TECH: NIKON, FUJIFILM, CANON RESHAPE FILMMAKING

The past week has been remarkable for anyone following video production and post-production. News came from Japan, the U.S., and Australia. It shows how lucky we are. Professional technologies are more accessible than ever. Workflows are multiplying. Historic brands continue exploring new territories.

NIKON ZR: A POCKET-SIZED RED?

I had already written about Nikon’s acquisition of RED Digital Cinema, and there was widespread curiosity about the direction the Japanese giant would take in professional video. The new Nikon ZR seems to provide a clear answer.

The supported codecs speak for themselves: ProRes, ProRes RAW, N-RAW (Nikon’s proprietary codec), RED RAW NE (Nikon Edition), an optimized version of Redcode RAW.

If the RED Komodo brought the RED workflow to a wider audience, the ZR takes it even further, into the pockets of independent filmmakers, thanks to its dimensions of just 134 × 100.5 × 72 mm and a weight of 630 g.
And the price? Just over €2,000, a bold challenge to Sony FX3 and Panasonic S1 II .

FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55: THE LEAP INTO CINEMA

After years of progress (think XH2s and GFX 100 II) Fujifilm takes a major step with the GFX ETERNA 55. The inspiration is the Arri Alexa 65. Fuji added its own innovations. The new F-Log 2C profile is designed specifically for filmmakers.
At around €17,000, Fujifilm brings medium-format cinematography to a wider audience than ever before.

CANON C50: THE LITTLE SISTER AIMING HIGH

Presented as the successor to the R5C and the little sister of the C70, the Canon C50 directly challenges the Sony FX3.
Key features include: Internal RAW, OpenGate 3:2

The price around €3,400 surely appeals to both indie filmmakers and those already working in a Canon pipeline.

BLACKMAGIC AND THE PRORES RAW MOVE

With a surprising move, Blackmagic Design added ProRes RAW support to DaVinci Resolve Studio and the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.

This news excites several groups of users, for example: editors who use Final Cut Pro but color grade in DaVinci Resolve, videographers using Atomos Ninja V who want to integrate Resolve, Pocket 4K users, who can now work more smoothly with Apple codecs

The move has multiple goals: relaunching the Pocket 4K, pressuring Atomos, and limiting Baselight’s growth. Traditionally for high-end productions, Baselight is gaining popularity among indie filmmakers. This is thanks to more YouTube tutorials and recent support for the Dehancer plugin, loved for film emulation.

Looking ahead, it’s important to note that ProRes RAW is an Apple proprietary codec. If upcoming iPhone Pro models integrate it natively, a closer collaboration between Cupertino and Blackmagic wouldn’t be surprising, a sort of favor exchange that could finally lead to BRAW support in Final Cut Pro.

CONCLUSION

While Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm raised the bar in hardware, the real challenge is increasingly about codecs. ProRes RAW, BRAW, N-RAW, and RED RAW NE define future workflows.
The good news? Even small creative teams can benefit today.