Nikon’s New Z6 III Firmware Appears to Fix N-Log Flickering Issues
Nikon released firmware updates for its Z6 III and Z8 cameras this week, adding an assortment of new video-centric features and improvements. One of the changes added to the Z6 III in firmware version 1.10 is “Reduced noise in dark areas of N-Log videos.” While just a single line in the firmware notes, this is a huge deal.
When the Z6 III launched, multiple users, including Robert May on YouTube, noticed that there were issues with noise performance in shadow regions when recording RAW (N-Log) video.
PetaPixel confirmed this during the Z6 III review process:
“One final thing I wanted to look into was brought to our attention by Robert May, which is an exposure “flickering” that can be seen in some situations. This is most noticeable in RAW video, but can even be seen in the 10-bit h.265 capture at the highest ISOs in N-Log, too. At ISO 51,200 it is quite noticeable and would certainly ruin footage, but it would be quite rare for filmmakers to be shooting RAW or log at such high ISOs,” PetaPixel wrote last summer.
“That said, the flickering is still visible at ISO 6400 (the camera’s second native gain setting in video) in the deepest shadows. These shadows are already so noisy I would never use them, but in extremely low light shoots, this could pose an issue. We have engaged Nikon about the situation but at the time of publication, we had not heard from the company whether this is a software or hardware issue. We’ll update this review as we get more information.”
Nikon was aware of the issue, but a fix proved challenging. It appears Nikon’s engineers have resolved it, though.
Adam, of the YouTube channel TestCams, who has published many in-depth videos testing the Z6 III across multiple parameters, including the N-Log noise performance, has tested the Z6 III with firmware version 1.10.
The test gets into the nitty-gritty details, and the evidence shows that Nikon has significantly improved N-Log video performance at high ISOs. While the footage is not entirely stable — there is still a bit of jumping, especially when looking at vectorscopes — it is much better.
TestCams will continue to test the Z6 III’s new firmware to see if there are any unforeseen consequences of Nikon’s flickering solution, but he says the update “looks great” so far.
Image credits: Featured image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.
