Filmmaking Simplified: Finding Rhythm Between the Nikon Z 8 and the Nikon ZR
For me, filmmaking has never just been about the camera. It’s been a way of exploring how we live — how we work, connect, and create meaning in the short time we get here.
Early in my career, I built a production company that was thriving on paper. We were landing big contracts and producing work that, from the outside, looked like success. But I wasn’t lit up by it. I was saying yes to everything, chasing revenue over resonance, and running on fumes.
That season forced a hard question:
If I only get one shot at this, why not design a life — and a creative practice — that actually matches who I am?
I realized I couldn’t keep measuring success by revenue alone. I needed a model where energy, presence, and meaningful work became the true metric. That shift took me down some unexpected paths — a self-funded doc series, a brick-and-mortar shop, a home renovation project, and even making and wholesaling concrete home goods.
None of it was linear, but all of it pointed toward one truth:
The people who feel most alive are the ones who do the hard, often “irrational,” thing — the thing that gives them energy back.
That philosophy became my compass.
And it naturally bled into the way I approach filmmaking.
Filmmaking, at Its Best, Is About Presence
Over the years, I’ve chased that moment where the gear disappears and you’re fully immersed in the experience — the kind of shoot where you forget about everything because you’re completely there with your subject and what is happening.
The reality is, not every setup supports that. Even to this day.
Sometimes the tools you rely on add friction. Before moving back to Nikon, that friction was so frustrating that I knew there had to be another way. Whether friction during production - or friction in post - I wanted a solution that balanced both the experience as well as cost.
Here is where the real discussion begins.
There’s always a balance when it comes to gear — between cost, capability, and practicality. You can spend a fortune chasing a camera that does everything, but the more you add, the more complicated the process becomes.
Higher resolutions and better codecs are great until you’re buried in storage costs and post-production headaches. At some point, the real value isn’t in having everything, but in having enough. Something that delivers a beautiful image, clean sound, and reliability without making you afraid to carry it all the time or too precious to use.
For me, that’s the sweet spot — a tool that disappears when you’re in the flow, that does a ton for a little, and keeps the experience simple. In the end, all brands make incredible cameras. The real question is: what are you willing to put up with, and what do you actually need to create your best work?
For me, the Nikon Z 8 has been an incredible hybrid workhorse — powerful, reliable, and beautifully built. It’s the camera that gave me confidence to show up for anything, from commercial campaigns to intimate doc shoots.
But here is the thing. There is no perfect camera for me YET.
Its close to the perfect thing but missing a few key features I’ve had to work around.
Let’s start here.
Audio.
The Nikon Z 8 is fine when you use an external recorder for audio. It needs 32-bit float. Period. I currently patch the Rode Wireless Pro into the Tascam FR-AV2 and send that signal into the Nikon Z 8. This gives me 32-bit float when I need it.
Portability. Flexibility.
Sure. It is a small camera but to use it how I need to use it, it is never stripped down. I run this camera rigged up at all times. I rarely strip the camera down, which means I only bring it with me on productions. So the question is, how is this camera different than any cinema camera? For me, it is the fact I can strip it down when I need to for photo or timelapse. Can’t do that with cinema cameras. That said, I want a camera I can strip down and always have with me.
That gap is where the Nikon ZR enters the story.
The ZR: Designed for Flow
When I first picked up the ZR, I wasn’t sure what to think. It felt too small to be a “cinema” camera. But once I started shooting, it made sense.
The ZR is built for presence.
It’s light, balanced, and simple — no viewfinder, no bulk, just the essentials. You can move from gimbal to handheld to tripod without tearing down rigs or fighting cables. It’s quiet and responsive, letting you follow curiosity rather than setups.
That’s what makes it so powerful: it invites you back into the experience of filmmaking.
On paper it is a very unique offering. RED’s R3D NE codec, and 6K 60p recording, 32 bit float audio with a 4” LCD — specs that mean flexibility without over-complication. In practice, it feels like a camera designed for rhythm.
Everyday Carry Without Compromise
The ZR’s biggest strength is its form factor. It’s small enough to slip into a jacket pocket yet delivers uncompromising image quality.
It’s become my true everyday-carry camera — the one that’s always with me. My daily kit is simple: the ZR, a fast prime, a spare battery or two, a small ND filter, and a compact mic. That’s all I need to capture spontaneous, cinema-grade moments without feeling weighed down.
When a larger production calls, that same camera scales effortlessly — rig it out with monitors, wireless transmitters, and external power, and it holds its own next to the Z8.
Professional Audio Made Simple
On set, sound can be fragile: too quiet and it’s lost, too loud and it clips. The Z R’s 32-bit float audio captures everything—from whispers to sudden peaks—without distortion or the need to ride levels. It’s essentially RAW for sound, letting me stay focused on the story and set the final volume later, confident the audio will stay pristine.
Recording Formats for Any Workflow
The ZR’s internal recording formats are another quiet strength.
R3D NE for high-end projects, ProRes RAW and Nikon RAW for flexibility, or the efficient H.265 flat profile for most of my day-to-day shooting — I can match the workflow to the project instead of forcing one tool to fit every job.
For me, the H.265 SDR flat profile hits the sweet spot: beautiful dynamic range, easy to grade, and light enough on file sizes to keep the process efficient.
Autofocus and Stabilization That Disappear
The Z R’s fast autofocus locks onto subjects with precision, while its advanced in-body image stabilization keeps handheld footage rock steady. It never feels like I’m shooting with a small camera; I can move from handheld documentary work to smooth cinematic motion without extra gear or worry.
Configurations for Every Scenario
Equally at home in a stripped-down kit or a fully rigged production setup, the Z R is a dream for solo operators and larger crews alike. I can run it light and unobtrusive for one-person documentary work, or build it out with monitors, follow-focus, and external power for a full crew—always with the same rock-solid performance.
The Nikon Z R embodies the filmmaking philosophy I value most: experience first, gear that disappears. It’s the camera I trust to be there—whether I’m documenting a quiet moment, chasing an unpredictable scene, or leading a commercial shoot with a full team. For me, the Z R isn’t just another tool; it’s the camera that fits into any kit and keeps the focus exactly where it belongs—on the story.
Where the ZR Falls Short
But it’s not perfect — and that’s important to say.
The ZR isn’t built for photographers first. It trades the EVF for a large, bright screen — a great move for video, but it can take some getting used to for photos.
Where it really shows its limits is when you start to rig it up. With only a single USB-C port, you can’t run a side handle and power the camera externally at the same time. The port placement can also interfere with monitor mounting, and the limited mounting points make it trickier to build out a clean, reliable setup.
These aren’t dealbreakers — they’re just reminders that the ZR is built to be used stripped down.
Z8 vs ZR: The Anchor and the Spark
If the Z8 is the anchor — the reliable foundation you can trust for anything — the ZR is the spark that reignites curiosity.
The Z8 gives me control; the ZR gives me flow.
I now run them side by side: the Z8 for structured, hybrid, or client-driven work; the ZR for the in-between moments — the ones that make filmmaking feel alive again.
But it’s the energy that’s different.
The Z8 feels like production.
The ZR feels like play.
And when you combine the two, you get something closer to creative balance.
What It All Comes Down To
Filmmaking, at its best, is about connection — between you, your subject, your environment, and yourself.
The Z8 gave me consistency. The ZR brought me back to curiosity.
And somewhere between the two — in that balance of reliability and freedom — I rediscovered the way I want to work.
It’s not about specs. It’s not about upgrading for the sake of it.
It’s about choosing tools that support presence — that let you stay close to the story, to the people, and to the experience itself.
Because when the gear disappears, that’s when the magic shows up.