Nikon is First to Offer HDMI Raw Output with the Z Line | No Film School

2018 was a big year for raw. Between ProRes Raw and Blackmagic Raw, the once proprietary format (if you don't count the unwieldy Cinema DNG, with files too big for most of us to bother) is now approachable to the mass audience. However, other than the Blackmagic Pocket, which does raw for $1,295, you needed to spend at least $5,000 to get your hands on a camera that would output raw, primarily over SDI.

When Atomos first announced ProRes Raw with Apple at NAB 2018, CEO Jeromy Young made it clear that Atomos was ready for raw over HDMI; it was just up to a manufacturer to do it. With today's announcement, it appears Nikon is going to be first out of the gate with HDMI raw output from their Z cameras, including the filmmaker-focused Z6.

This move from Nikon is a major step forward in comparison to Cannon. Both the Nikon Z and Canon R cameras were announced around the same time, and while Nikon obviously has a market share, Canon has a deep existing customer base in the filmmaking community (going back a decade to the original 5D Mark II that Nikon has to work against).

Conveniently, the switch to full frame mirrorless is a great time to switch brands, since it's a new lens mount that can be adapted to a variety of older lenses, the "lock-in" of your lens investment doesn't keep you committed to your DSLR brand as you go mirrorless. Raw over HDMI is a key feature that can help filmmakers give Nikon a serious look as they get ready to move to the format.

Nofilmschool_nikon_filmmaker_kit

Nikon also announced a filmmakers kit built around the combination of a Z6, kit lens, F mount adapter, Rode microphone, the Atomos Ninja V, and a Moza Air 2 gimbal, all for a package price that saves you $600.

Nikon Z7 Tech Specs:

45.7 MP
493 AF Points
ISO 64-25600
9 FPS
5-axis stabilization
4K UHD 30p, FHD 120P
4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output
Raw to Atomos V over HDMI
N-Log color profile

Price: $3,396.95

Nikon Z6 Tech Specs:

24.5 MP
273 AF Points
100-51200 ISO
11 FPS
5-axis stabilization
4K UHD 30p, FHD 120P
4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output
RAW to Atomos V over HDMI
N-Log color profile

Price: $1,996.95

nikon raw HDMI output CES 2019

What's the Hype With 'Interstellar' Revisiting Cinemas After a Decade in 70mm IMAX?

Here's Why You Need to Revisit 'Interstellar' in 70mm IMAX

Celebrate the love and hope at the center of Nolan's space epic in the format it was meant to be seen.

If we know anything about Christopher Nolan, he likes to go big. Nolan started with smaller-scale stories (as many of us do) with early noir adjacent works like Following, Memento, and Insomnia, then started going and staying big with his illusionist drama The Prestige. Since then, the scale has been various degrees of massive, with the biggest scope in his time-and-space sprawling epic, Interstellar.

While Interstellarmight not be everyone's favorite Nolan outing, there's no denying it's an impressive feat of filmmaking and his most emotional—if watching Matthew McConaughey's Cooper desperately try to reach his family through quantum space-time doesn't make you cry at least a little bit, what's going on, dude?

With Interstellar'sIMAX release, it's a great time to shed some tears in a public setting in one of the most prestigious film formats around. As we mentioned in our film gauge piece, Nolan loves shooting on film and utilizes 65mm intentionally to provoke a tone of massive scale. In that regard, Interstellar was made for 70mm IMAX. That goes without saying, dawg. That being said, other factors make Interstellar a perfect movie to revisit in theaters while you can.

Let's break down the release further below.

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