Nikon ZR firmware 2.00: Log3G10 in H.265, adjustable noise reduction, and when R3D NE still wins

Nikon's firmware 2.00 for the ZR adds RED's Log3G10 gamma and REDWideGamutRGB to H.265 recording, so you can get RED colour in files about a fifth the size of 6K R3D NE at 25p, and about a ninth at 59.94p. It also lets you pick one of four noise reduction levels in H.265 Log, keeps focus peaking on with a 3D LUT while recording R3D NE, and sends a LUT over HDMI. Nikon confirmed the list on 3 November 2026 and says the update arrives "before the end of the year", with no exact date yet.

Open gate and an anamorphic desqueeze display aren't part of it. Nikon still targets 2027 for both.

What's in Nikon ZR firmware 2.00?

Nikon announced the update in September with three items. The 3 November statement, reported by Newsshooter and Nikon Rumors, filled in the rest.

RED is also updating RED CONTROL and RED CONTROL PRO to run the ZR remotely. Nikon mentions it in the September release and gives no date for the apps.

Log3G10 H.265, N-Log H.265 or R3D NE: what's the difference?

Before 2.00 you had to shoot R3D NE to get Log3G10. In H.265 your log choice was N-Log, which needs its own LUT or transform, so matching it to R3D NE clips takes extra work in the grade. The new mode puts both formats on the same gamma and gamut.

Nikon hasn't said whether Log3G10 in H.265 uses the same bitrates or ISO floor as N-Log. In N-Log the ZR starts at ISO 800 and lets you go about 0.3 to 2 stops lower. R3D NE has two base ISOs, 800 and 6400. Check both numbers in the manual once the firmware is out before you build an ND kit around them.

How much footage fits on a 1 TB card?

We worked these out from Nikon's published bitrates at 25p and 50p, the frame rates most of us deliver in Europe. Log3G10 H.265 should land near the H.265 rows if Nikon keeps the same bitrates.

On a two-day documentary or a wedding, you'll feel that gap in the number of CFexpress cards you pack and the time you spend offloading every night. For us that's the strongest case for the new mode. You keep the RED look and stop paying for RAW on interviews and B-roll that will never need it.

Will the NR setting fix soft H.265 footage?

It should help, but nobody has tested it yet. CineD's lab test of the ZR (October 2025) measured 12.5 stops at SNR 2 for H.265 N-Log, more than its 10.2 stops for ProRes RAW and 9.7 for N-RAW. CineD put that down to a "massive" amount of internal noise reduction that also wiped out fine detail. The noise spectrum of H.265 N-Log dropped to about 0.1 at high frequencies, against about 0.3 for R3D NE.

Owners on the FredMiranda and EOSHD forums say the same thing about soft H.265 Log, while SDR footage looks fine to them. Four NR levels give you a way to trade a cleaner image for more texture. Expect more visible grain with NR turned down, so plan to denoise in Resolve if you go that way, and keep your exposure up so the shadows don't need lifting.

How do you grade Log3G10 H.265 in DaVinci Resolve?

Nikon's ZR technical guide covers Log3G10 for R3D NE. For H.265 you'd use the same colour management, with one difference: an H.265 file has no RAW tab, so you tell Resolve what it is.

If you're still picking an editor for the RAW side, our Nikon ZR R3D NE workflow guide covers Resolve, Premiere and Final Cut, plus the trimming problem that still makes R3D NE expensive to archive.

Which format should you shoot after the update?

Pros and cons of Log3G10 in H.265

Our view: if you own a ZR and shoot long jobs, we think this is the ZR's most useful update so far, and the storage table above is the reason. Keep R3D NE for the shots where exposure or white balance might go wrong. If you shoot outside in log, our variable ND filter guide explains how many stops you'll need at ISO 800.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Nikon, Nikon is developing firmware version 2.00 for the Nikon ZR (8 September 2026), for the original feature list, the 2027 open gate target and RED CONTROL
• Newsshooter, Nikon ZR Firmware Version 2.00, and Nikon Rumors, the Nikon ZR firmware update version 2.00 will be released soon (both 3 November 2026), for Nikon's full list of changes
• YMCinema, Nikon promises to release ZR firmware 2.0 before the end of 2026, for the NR levels by format
• Nikon, ZR product page, for bitrates, chroma, ISO ranges and base ISOs
• Nikon, ZR technical guide: R3D NE and Log3G10, for the Resolve colour management settings
• CineD, Nikon ZR lab test, for dynamic range and noise reduction measurements
• Luminous Landscape, Nikon ZR Firmware 2.00: RED Color in a Lighter File; forum reports on H.265 softness from FredMiranda and EOSHD
• Storage figures: 4FILMMAKERS calculation from Nikon's bitrates. Cover: "Nikon ZR 27 nov 2025e" by 昼落ち, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, graded by 4FILMMAKERS