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Meaning is a normal 16×9 clip the whole time? Of so, yes. It's just cropped to a 9x16 at the end

Absolutely! Glad it was helpful

Also N-Log is not synonymous with N-Raw. I use N-Log with ProRes 422 HQ for most of my projects. Unless I know I need tons of flexibility in post, it’s overkill for most of my workflows. If you’re using N-Raw then yes you want to use Rec2020. If you’re just using N-Log in one of the other formats then the Rec709 conversion is correct. And yes, N-Raw is only fully compatible with Resolve. I primarily work in Final Cut Pro, so if I capture in raw, I convert it in Resolve, and export it as ProRes for FCP.

First off, thank you for the long explanation. A big reason I make YT videos is to open discussions with other people and share what I have learned as well as hearing for other people. Also, I would agree that there isn't a "right" way to expose Log, but my goal here was to give people are starting place if they are new to it. I have spent a lot of time experimenting and since Nikon has done very little to give us material to go off, I am trying to help with the questions I had when I got started. As far as what you are referring to here, I'll be honest, I'm a bit confused. When making the video, I was assuming most people would be using the conversion LUTs that Nikon has provided. And as far as exposing goes, I feel like when getting started with N-Log, trying to expose it the way Nikon intended is a good starting place. And as you start to use it more, you can start to expose by just looking at the screen. At least I have started doing that. But that is because I have gotten familiar with how these conversion LUTs interact with the clips. Personally, I have had really satisfying results with the method I showed in this video. And I use H.265 for everything. I haven't noticed any kind of noticeable improvements with ProRes. Even even though H.265 is a deliverable codec, our computers still handle it just fine. But again, everyone needs to take the time to learn what fits their workflow the best. I just made a new video talking about working with N-Log in PP. I know everyone hates it, but I still enjoy it and I know I'm not the only one. And there is very little info out there about it. But PP color management is drastically improving. It got better with the new update and beta has a TON of new features coming. So now you don't necessarily need conversion LUTs at all, just take advantage of PP color management. It may terrify some people, but I like it. As far as exposing for middle gray quickly, I just use zebras. Since I want to make sure my shots with people in it have the skin tones exposed correctly, I use the mid tone zebras and just make sure my subjects are exposed at that. For light skin tones, set mid tone zebras to 115, for medium skin tones, 95, and for dark skin tones, 65. And I give it a 15% range. It isn't perfect, but it gets you pretty close.

Glad to hear it!

N-Log is rec.2020, but when you change the color space in PP, it looks terrible. I have been told that this is because PP doesn't read N-Log correctly compared to other log profiles. Every bit of info that Nikon provides when dealing with N-Log is talked about in Resolve. Which i am aware is better for color management. In PP beta right now, there is an improved color management system, so maybe premiere will finally handle it correctly

Thank you! Appreciate it. Are there any other type of videos that you might be interested in?

are you setting 2 sets of key frames? you have to set key frame anchor points where you want to start the transition, and then go to the point that you want it to end and then set new anchor points. there should be a little circle in between that arrows that are next to the motion and rotation areas.

Works really well

Absolutely!

You're welcome!

Since making that video, I haven't had an issue with either camera over heating. I will get the hot card warning, but that's it. And I didn't mention the body make up differences since that is a pretty niche area of interest. My goal with the video was to help buyers that want the Z 9, but feel it is too expensive and were wondering if the Z 8 would work. For sure there are still differences that make the Z 9 better, but for a majority of consumers, those aren't the things that make it worth the extra 1500. But your points are valid

@@spielermediaproductions Since the Z9 is a video-centric mirrorles camera made for professionals, I would assume most people willing to drop $5500 on one are working pros who will use it for video work primarily. That is its niche. The Z8 has been over-stated as the little brother that can do everything the Z9 can do, but imagine finding out that you needed it to shoot weddings but it might die in the middle of the ceremony. The heat issue to me is a huge problem & removes it from consideration for anyone who needs to be certain they can shoot continuously for more than a few minutes. Given that I could make up the cost differential on a single job, it's a no-brainer to get the Z9 for me.

To each their own I suppose. My Z 8 has given me very little issues for what I use it for, including any overheating. I still take my 9 over the 8, but it certainly isn't necessary for a vast majority of cases.

Thanks for the engagement!

For sure! Glad I could help

It just feels right ya know? I kid. I don't really have a good answer. Just found that it works well

Awesome! Glad I could help

If you know you are going to want/need a grip a lot, I would go with the Z 9 as well. Last time I looked, it is still cheaper to go Z 8 w/grip, but there are definitely some draw backs

Thanks for your engagement!

I still use this lens all the time for different things. It is still very useful for a variety of things

Which Nikon channel? The USA one or a different one?

@@spielermediaproductions Yes the Nikon USA search for “How to Color Grade Nikon N-RAW with N-Log in DaVinci Resolve” then Generate the lut cube64. Generate 2 luts see long answer below. Nikon footage is: Rec2020 with N-log Gamma Long answer: Sorry got a bit carried away something in here may be new to you. Check whether you have generated a lut Full Range or Video Levels. Make a lut for both and maybe clearly label them. The one you would use in premier with N-log ProRez video levels and the other use with N-Raw Full Range. This can be set in resolve on the media page right click the clip > Clip attributes > video > full range / limited. Both N-Raw and ProRez N-log are the same Rec.2020 but Premier interoperates the N-Raw as Rec 2020 full Range and ProRez it assumes Rec.709 Video Levels. In Premier as you have discovered you should put the lut on the track above in the timeline or in last luminentry in the chain of luminentry effects so you are grading with the dynamic range of log and converting after your grade. I recently switched to resolve from Premier, I edit in custom colour managed rather than the CCT node method as shown by Nikon so my clips show the right gamma in the bins. I've noticed grading with resolve colour Managed as apposed to using a lut is more robust. My first N-log project a year ago was in premier and I had the same issues as you except the rec 2020 was interpreted as limited rec709. Premier assumes all footage is Rec.709 video levels not Rec2020 full range. The Nikon lut assumes rec.2020 Full range. Premier reads raw files correctly. In Premier sequence settings have you tried “Maximum bit depth” “Maximum Render Quality” and “Composite in Linear Colour” options? If you ever decide to edit N-log in Resolve here are my resolve custom colour project settings on the Colour Management Tab: Colour Science : Davinci YRGB Colour Managed Deselect “Automatic colour management” Colour Processing Mode: Custom Select: Use Seporate colour space and gamma Input colour space: Rec.2020 - Input Gamma: N-Log Timeline colour space Rec.709 Gamma Rec.709 Timeline working Luminance: SDR 100 Limit Output Gama to: Rec.709 Input DRT: Davinci Output DRT: Davinci

@@spielermediaproductions Yes the Nikon USA search for “How to Color Grade Nikon N-RAW with N-Log in DaVinci Resolve” then Generate the lut cube64. Generate 2 luts see long answer below. Nikon footage is: Rec2020 with N-log Gamma Long answer: Sorry got a bit carried away something in here may be new to you. Check whether you have generated a lut Full Range or Video Levels. Make a lut for both and maybe clearly label them. The one you would use in premier with N-log ProRez video levels and the other use with N-Raw Full Range. This can be set in resolve on the media page right click the clip > Clip attributes > video > full range / limited. Both N-Raw and ProRez N-log are the same Rec.2020 but Premier interoperates the N-Raw as Rec 2020 full Range and ProRez it assumes Rec.709 Video Levels. In Premier as you have discovered you should put the lut on the track above in the timeline or in last luminentry in the chain of luminentry effects so you are grading with the dynamic range of log and converting after your grade. I recently switched to resolve from Premier, I edit in custom colour managed rather than the CCT node method as shown by Nikon so my clips show the right gamma in the bins. I've noticed grading with resolve colour Managed as apposed to using a lut is more robust. My first N-log project a year ago was in premier and I had the same issues as you except the rec 2020 was interpreted as limited rec709. Premier assumes all footage is Rec.709 video levels not Rec2020 full range. The Nikon lut assumes rec.2020 Full range. Premier reads raw files correctly. In Premier sequence settings have you tried “Maximum bit depth” “Maximum Render Quality” and “Composite in Linear Colour” options? If you ever decide to edit N-log in Resolve here are my resolve custom colour project settings on the Colour Management Tab: Colour Science : Davinci YRGB Colour Managed Deselect “Automatic colour management” Colour Processing Mode: Custom Select: Use Seporate colour space and gamma Input colour space: Rec.2020 - Input Gamma: N-Log Timeline colour space Rec.709 Gamma Rec.709 Timeline working Luminance: SDR 100 Limit Output Gama to: Rec.709 Input DRT: Davinci Output DRT: Davinci

@@spielermediaproductions my reply keeps getting deleted not sure what's going on

It looks like it posted twice for me which is fine. That all does look pretty helpful, I'll have to dive into that more soon. Thank you!

Yeah, still been playing with it and haven't found a great use for it at the moment.

That's interesting to hear about the stabilization in the Z9. And as far as USB-C charging on the Z8, the 15b, 15c, and 3rd party batteries all charge with mine. But my buddy with a Zf is saying that he has to have the 15C for it to charge. I guess Nikon changed something with the Zf, but I don't really understand all of that.

@@spielermediaproductions It's interesting that the 15b battery charges in the Z8. I thought it did not have the circuitry for in-camera charging.

Absolutely! Glad I could be helpful!

Thanks for the engagement!

Absolutely! Glad I could help!

I would be open to doing a video like that. Is there a particular question you are trying to answer? Or are you just more curious to see if there is a difference?

Interesting. That's the first I've heard of that being the case. I know it is brightness for compressed codecs, but it's true for RAW as well?

Sorry to hear that. I know the cards slots can loosen up some over time. Otherwise you may have to send it in for repair unfortunately.

You're right, that makes it much better...

It was new. None of my bodies or lenses have ever had seals. Do yours?

@@spielermediaproductions Nikon does sealing sticker in China. Not sure why they don’t in the US? Without sealing, hard for customer to identify the camera is completely new or someone used/returned.

i apologize, but I am not sure about what you are talking about. what are Tornado NKN cameras?

@@spielermediaproductions Original software for Nikon cameras

It is nice that they still included the modern control wheels and not just lock you into using the dial. My buddy likes the dial, but he is usually shooting in very controlled environments and not in a rush.

Thanks! Nikon keeping a standard of high quality.

Very interesting take. Most people just want to talk about specs and brand loyalty, but it sounds like you have a more educated view on things. Most of the comments I have seen have to do with people still pushing this narrative that "Nikon sucks" or "this will save Nikon". I think it is very clear why this happened. Nikon was going to be able to beat RED in court over this compressed RAW patenet. They had an Article 41 dismissal which makes me think that RED knew that was the case. But it probably goes even more into what you are saying about them losing money in general. I'd imagine a company like Nikon was well aware of this and I have a conspiracy theory that they added NRAW to the Z 9 literally to make all of this happen. Nikon clearly has been taking video more seriously with these mirrorless cameras. And instead of putting all this time and money into R&D and marketing for a Nikon cinema line, why not just buy a well known cinema company that is failing. RED gets to "stay in business" and Nikon can become an instant competitor in the cinema market. Especially in the $10k and less space for budget consumers. That's my theory anyways. Suppose we shall see

@@spielermediaproductions When Jim Jennard was running the show, the RED lot had 3 Lamborghinis and a loaded special edition Hummer parked there all the time. Jim bought a private island and a mansion in Hollywood Hills. When Jim and Ted left RED, Jarred became the CEO and owner and things started going downhill from there despite they were trying to keep up the hype with new models. Also they offered me for $11K to upgrade for a RED with Helium sensor and give the Red One body back since I was one of the first 500 buyers and a believer in RED and they screwed me AGAIN!!! They did the upgrade in 3 stages and I was placed on stage 3. I kept calling them every 2 weeks and they kept telling me they are on stage 2 and suddenly one week they told me that stage 3 ended 6 months ago. Total lie, since I was calling them twice a month. Screw RED.

I have not found a way to change this. As far as I know, it always shows the LOG IRE values. If you have the view assist turned on, it shows the SDR values that the v2 LUT will apply to the image, but not the waveform. And if you have zebras on, it is showing you which highlights are about to lose detail. It doesn't really bother me anymore since I have gotten used to it, but I do wish that was something that you could change

It has 4 advantages on paper. Moiré/color fringe reduction, improved color reproduction since the pixels don't have to interpolate, higher resolution, and noise reduction. Of course noise and resolution are the two features that will grab attention first, but I think each component has a purpose for specific scenarios. With that said, I would agree with you that the benefits often times do not outweigh the rewards. And with nearly 1 gig file sizes, this isn't a feature that I will be using often.

Thanks for the feedback! Always appreciated. This video was honestly born out of haste and not quality. The Z 8 received the firmware update and my buddy has the Z f, so I figured the sooner I could get a video out about it, the better it would do on RUclips. And due to some technical and personal issues, it took much longer to publish then originally planned. Also, neither of us did any research or planning before this experience. We just went and did it, but little did we know that we weren't really doing things correctly. Since all of this happened in real life, I decided to still post this video out of honesty and I figured someone still might benefit from it. I do have plans to make an updated version as well as a "all you need to know" about pixel shift style video here soon. I have read nikons guide quite extensively and there are a lot of things I could do better now that I understand it more.

It feels solid. I'm used to the Z 9, so of course it isn't as beefy as that, but I think that is a pro for most people and not a con. All of my fingers fit on the grip and it has the same build components as the Z 9 on the outside. Pretty solid to me!

@@spielermediaproductions Thank you for replying

Absolutely haha

For sure! I think we are going to do something similar. But now that we know a bit more about it, we can do it a little better I think

My guess is an FX3 style body with the Nikon name and Z mount with some of the RED cinema tech packed in. It sounds like the companies will stay separate, but Nikon will have access to RED's cinema tech which will help them immediately be a competitor in that market, while RED will get access to Nikon's money and infrastructure which will help them accelerate their growth and capabilities as well. It definitely seems like a mutual gain, but a lot of people only look at gear and not business. I personally love the current N-LOG, but I think they need more than one type for different shooting environments. I know a lot of people aren't really sure how to use N-LOG and it is quite different from the other brands, but I think this will help them with that front quite a bit. Not to mention the compressed RAW situation which is what I think lead to this happening in the first place. Nikon playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. Nikon AF is also fantastic when used correctly, but I know it is considered to still be behind the curve. While RED does support AF with certain lenses, they don't recommend it, so I don't know how much they will help them with that, but again that could be a mutually beneficial area for sure. People have dogged on Nikon for a minute now, but they will have been around for 107 years come July. It is quite bold to assume they are a company that is going out of business or that they don't understand how to be relevant. They are just in no rush to impress RUclipsr's like some other companies. And when they make products or big moves, it isn't on accident. Super excited where this goes from here and how it will effect the industry as a whole!

for sure man! I'm very excited to see where this goes

It is a little tricky since the screen on the Z 9 is small. If you have an external recorder then it helps. But the waveform monitor on the Z 9 has 5 lines. The bottom one is 0 IRE, the next one up is 25, then 50, then 75, then 100. So I do my best with the waveform set to large to put my grey card in between the 25 and 50 IRE lines, staying closer to the 25 since 35 is closer to 25. I wish they had an actual line that represented where they recommend grey cards to be set at, but maybe that is something they will do soon.

@@spielermediaproductions Hi Aaron. thnkz a lot but i didnt know abot the grey card. i thought that was for white balance?

I have heard some people argue that the white balance checkers and 18% grey cards aren't actually accurate. I am not experienced enough to say if that is accurate or not, but from my experience, the little collapsible one that I have has worked fine so far. On one side is just white fabric which allows you to use a pin dropper or a parade vectorscope to dial in your white balance pretty closely as long as you weren't extremely far off. On the other side is fabric that is called 18% grey as far as I know. This allows you to set your exposure to the recommended IRE for whatever LOG gamma you are using, N-LOG in this case. Depending on the rec.709 conversion LUT you are using, you can set your 18% grey to different IRE values, but that is why I brought that point up in the video. If you are able to use the 18% grey card for white balance, I am unaware of how to do so. I do know they also make color checker charts which allows you to make sure all of your colors are where they should be, not just white, but I haven't really had a need thus far to pick one up. Probably should and start learning how to use it haha

@@spielermediaproductions Thank you so much for your time to answer me ) i also have no idee how to use a gray card. foro photography it can be usefull if it has te be colour perfect i think. i also have to dive in to it. The z9 is fabelous for filming and i am learning to us davincy with Nlog .. so far so good but my monitor isnt colour accurate. maybe a rec 709 monitor in the future. again thanks a lot ... greetings from the Netherlands )

That's awesome! Glad you are enjoying it. Please feel free to let me know about any other videos you might find helpful!

Me too!!

That's quite the workflow. Do you mostly shoot in studio/controlled environments? And are you using an external monitor? I don't think the Z cameras have that built in, so I am assuming that you are. 38 IRE sounds pretty low for skin tones, even with how dark/contrasted N-Log shoots. Is there a reason you don't shoot 18% grey at 34-48 IRE? I have found that gets the best results for me, at least with skin tones present in the composition. I hardly have to correct anything at that point and skin tones sit at about 68-75 IRE once I apply Nikon's V2 3D LUT to Z 9/Z 8 footage. The Z 8 and Z 9 are ever so slightly different, but that hasn't been a big enough deal for me. Also, how did you create your own 3D conversion LUT? I would love to know more about that and if you use it for everything you shoot. Did you make it in Resolve? Does it work in every NLE? I'm so curious haha. Thanks for your comment, always love hearing how other people do things to help me learn and grow.

@@spielermediaproductions Ah my bad😂 Of course middle gray is what I meant for 38 IRE! Yeah I normally place the skin tones at the 65 to 75 IRE range!😁

Oh! Gotcha haha. That makes more since. I was like damn that's dark lol

@@spielermediaproductions I created the conversation LUT in resolve, in combination with a CST and many adjustment nodes to control color rendition. I use my LUT for everything N-Log, either as is, or as a starting point for a creative grade👍🏼😁

That's awesome! We dove into color grading last fall as our weddings became more often. So we are still very new to the process, but slowly trying to learn haha

They are now. Tmhe was referring more to when he was first looking back in October and November and he was trying to decide if he wanted to switch. We also recorded this video awhile ago and I took way too long to edit it since RUclips isn't the main part of our business. But yes, there are tons of videos now

Gotcha. Well enjoy it. Love mine. Have the 40 and just got the 85 1.8 and it really is such an easy to use family and everday camera. With 3d tracking and eye af it is like cheating haha.

@@DSG0805Glad you are happy with it! The amount of people that complain about Nikon's auto focus is baffling to me. It is really good and once you dial it in, the results are wonderful.

@@spielermediaproductions Well, I will admit Nikon really was lackluster as all hell when they entered the mirrorless world officially. The Nikon Z6 and Z7 just did nothing for me and the autofocus was noticeably behind Sony (understandable as they had been in the mirrorless game a lot longer by this point) and Canon. However, with the Z9, Z8, and Zf, they are back. It still may be third place when run through vigorous tests, but the gap is a lot narrower. The Z9 is my dream camera and I hope to get one used when its successor roles out and people start selling at low prices (I have always gripped my DSLRs so the Z9 just feels right).

I got my Z 6 back in the summer of 2019 and it was the first camera I had. I did have a little Sony Rx100, but I hated the thing. I knew Sony wasn't for me. Canon had too many handicaps, so I went with the Z 6 and never looked back. Granted I was only using it for travel and basic videos. But then I got the Z 50 and that thing was awesome too, but again, wasn't using it for anything professional. Now that I run a production business, I see where those obviously lack. I have had the Z 9 for 2 years and the Z 8 for about 8 months. Both are incredible and I can't see any reason to switch brands at this point. My buddy getting the Z f was a cool change of pace and I have been really impressed to see what it can do

Thanks! He's pretty good at photos

We'll keep em coming!