Nikon Z9 export settings
for client review

Audio follows the container: Linear PCM at 48 kHz, 24-bit in the .NEV and .MOV files, AAC at 48 kHz, 16-bit in the MP4. N-RAW has two quality settings, High quality and Normal; at 8.3K, Normal runs about 3,470 Mbps at 60p and 1,740 Mbps at 30p, against 5,780 and 3,470 Mbps for High quality.

The macOS app plays N-RAW and ProRes up to 8K 4:2:2 HQ at 60 fps; the Z9’s ProRes 422 HQ tops out at 3840 x 2160 60p, well inside that. It does not play ProRes RAW, so a Z9 shot in ProRes RAW HQ has no native review path through us. Supported camera originals and Vault playback use the compatible macOS app; they are not universally playable in web browsers. Playback is hardware-dependent, so test a short clip on the recipient’s Mac before the session.

Even the files a browser can open are the wrong thing to send for sign-off. Anything shot in N-Log looks flat until it is graded. The H.265 10-bit file is 4:2:2, which plays only where the viewer’s device decodes it; the HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 guide covers which devices that is. The H.264 proxy recorded with both RAW types plays everywhere, but it is an ungraded 8-bit 1920 x 1080 file: fine for checking that a take exists, not for approving a picture. And every camera file is uncut. The client should review the edit.

For latitude in the grade, record one of the 12-bit RAW types. N-RAW at High quality runs about 5,780 Mbps at 8.3K 60p, against about 400 Mbps for H.265 10-bit at 8K 30p. Between the two RAW types, the review question settles it. N-RAW records the full 8256 x 4644 frame and plays in the macOS app; ProRes RAW HQ does neither. ProRes 422 HQ is the lighter 10-bit All-I choice when 4K is the delivery and the client may want to see originals in the app. N-Log is available on N-RAW, ProRes RAW HQ, ProRes 422 HQ and H.265 10-bit. HLG requires H.265 10-bit; if you deliver HLG, read whether HDR plays in a browser before choosing the review export. The N-RAW workflow guide covers the RAW side in depth.

Three Z9-specific points. First, grade or apply Nikon’s N-Log 3D LUT (from the Nikon Download Center) before export: a browser shows the file as encoded, so an untransformed N-Log file looks washed out. Second, match the export frame rate to the timeline, not the card. The Z9’s 24p is 23.976 fps and its 60p is 59.94, so a 23.976 timeline exports at 23.976, and 120p material shot for slow motion exports at the timeline rate. Third, 8K review is a decoder question before it is a bitrate question; the 8K hosting guide explains why 4K is usually the right review size. Each film plays from one file with no lower-quality rendition, so a slow connection buffers rather than dropping resolution. Ready-made presets with these values for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Media Encoder and Compressor are free on the NLE page.

Each comment carries its author and timecode with a red (to do) or green (applied) status, and approvals are red or green per version. When you replace the file with a new cut, the link, notes and approvals stay. Downloads of the original stay off until you switch them on for that video.