Camera by camera
Nikon Z8 export settings
for client review.
The Z8 records six file types in three colour spaces. A browser shows your review file exactly as it was encoded, so the tone mode you shot decides what has to happen before export. Here is what plays where, and the export to send.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated September 2026
What the Z8 records
Six file types,
three colour spaces.
Every Z8 video file type has its own container, bit depth and list of tone modes. The tone mode sets the colour space: SDR is BT.709, HLG is BT.2100 and N-Log is BT.2020. That single mapping decides most of what follows.
12-bit
N-RAW and ProRes RAW HQ
The two RAW file types
BT.2020
N-Log colour space
Must reach Rec.709 before a browser review
~5,780 Mbps
8K N-RAW 60p, High
8256x4644, Nikon's approximate figure
1920x1080
RAW proxy
H.264 8-bit MP4 recorded alongside RAW
Source: Nikon Z8 online manual (Video File Types; Video Frame Size and Rate Options), written for firmware 3.10, read 19 September 2026. Data rates are Nikon's approximate figures. The two RAW types also record an H.264 8-bit MP4 proxy at 1920x1080.
For a grading master, the two RAW types record at 12 bits, against 10 for the best non-RAW files. Nikon’s manual is plain that RAW video can only be viewed and edited in computer software that supports the RAW video format, so confirm your editor opens it before a job depends on it. Of the non-RAW files, ProRes 422 HQ is 10-bit 4:2:2 All-I, which every frame decodes on its own, while H.265 10-bit is 4:2:2 long GOP. H.265 is the only non-RAW family that reaches 7680x4320, and of its two depths only the 10-bit keeps 4:2:2 and offers N-Log. In either, N-Log is the tone mode to shoot when a grade is planned, SDR is ready to watch, and HLG is for an HDR finish. The fuller Nikon RAW picture is on the N-RAW workflow page.
What plays where
The browser,
the app, or neither.
Your client opens a link. Whether that link can show a given Z8 file depends on the codec, and even a file that plays is shown as encoded: a log file plays flat.
Browser playback uses your uploaded export without another platform re-encode. Codec, device and connection requirements still apply.
The uncompressed.io macOS app plays N-RAW and ProRes up to 8K 4:2:2 HQ at 60 fps natively. 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. ProRes RAW HQ is the one Z8 file with no playback path through us at all: review it through an export.
Uploading an H.265 10-bit camera file straight from the card can work for a quick look, but an N-Log clip will look grey and an 8K long GOP file is heavy for many viewers. The details of 4:2:2 decoding are on the HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 page. For anything a client will judge, export.
The review export
Get to Rec.709 first,
then encode.
A browser applies no look. What your client sees is the file you exported, so the Z8’s colour space has to be dealt with on the timeline, before the encode.
Colour space per tone mode from the Nikon Z8 online manual, Video File Types, read 19 September 2026.
HLG deserves its own warning. A browser review of an HDR file depends on the viewer’s browser, display and settings, and we do not promise it displays correctly; the reasons are in does HDR video play in a browser. Send the SDR version for notes and keep the HLG master for the HDR delivery.
Then encode with the recommended review settings: H.265 Main10 (10-bit), MP4 or MOV, constant frame rate, 2-pass VBR, AAC audio at 320 kbps. Size the file to what the Z8 shot, not to what the sensor can do.
uncompressed.io recommended review bitrates. One starting number: 80 Mbps HEVC 10-bit covers 1080p through 4K; calm frames such as interviews sit at 40 to 50, busy frames (snow, rain, water, foliage, heavy grain, fast pans) at 100 to 120.
High frame rate Z8 material, such as N-RAW at 4128x2322 120p or ProRes 422 HQ at 1920x1080 120p, is usually conformed to a slower timeline for slow motion. Export at the timeline’s rate, and treat the camera’s capture rate as a source setting, not a delivery setting. Why a 4K review of 8K material is normally the right call is covered in 8K video hosting. Free export presets for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Media Encoder and Compressor are on the NLE tools page.
Card to client
From the Z8 card
to a review link.
Six steps. The camera originals stay originals; the client reviews a file made for a browser.
Offload
Copy the card into your project as you already do: .NEV or .MOV originals, plus the 1080p proxies if you shot RAW.
Grade or transform
N-Log footage gets a grade or a transform to Rec.709. HLG gets an SDR version. SDR footage is ready for the job's grade.
Export
H.265 Main10, constant frame rate, 2-pass VBR, AAC 320 kbps, sized from the table above. 8K sources usually go out at 4K.
Upload
Drag the export in. Uploads are resumable and there is no codec allowlist. Originals can go up too, up to 5 TB per file.
Share
The share link is the access; the client needs no account. Add a password per video if you want one. Original downloads stay off until you switch them on.
Pull notes into the NLE
Comments carry author and timecode with red or green status, and drawings sit on the picture. They come back as markers via a Resolve script, a Premiere Pro panel or a one-drag Final Cut Pro bundle.
When a new grade replaces the first export, replacing the file keeps the link, views, embeds, settings, notes and approvals, so the client reviews version two in the same place. Each film plays from one file with no lower-quality rendition: a slow connection buffers rather than dropping resolution.
When this is the wrong tool
Questions
Frequently asked
Can my client watch Z8 N-RAW in a browser?
No. Nikon's manual says RAW video can only be viewed and edited in computer software that supports the RAW video format, and no RAW format plays in a web browser through us. The .NEV file plays natively in the uncompressed.io macOS app on compatible Macs. Supported camera originals and Vault playback use the compatible macOS app; they are not universally playable in web browsers. Test a short clip on the recipient's Mac first; playback is hardware-dependent.
Why does my Z8 footage look flat and grey on the review link?
It was shot in N-Log, which the Z8 records in the BT.2020 colour space. A browser does not apply a grade or a look; it shows the file as encoded. Grade the clip or apply a transform to Rec.709 in your editor, then export the review file from that graded timeline.
Should I send the Z8's HLG file as the review copy?
HLG is recorded in BT.2100, which is an HDR path. Whether it looks right depends on the viewer's browser, display and settings, and we do not promise that HDR displays correctly for every client. For a review where colour notes matter, send a Rec.709 SDR export and keep the HLG master for the HDR deliverable.
Can I just upload the proxy the Z8 records next to the RAW file?
Yes for a content check. When you shoot N-RAW or ProRes RAW HQ, the Z8 also records an H.264 8-bit MP4 proxy at 1920x1080, and H.264 in MP4 is a browser codec. It is ungraded and 8-bit, so use it to confirm takes, framing and performance, not to judge colour, noise or fine detail.
How much data is an 8K N-RAW take?
Nikon lists about 5,780 Mbps for N-RAW at 8256x4644 60p in High quality, which works out to roughly 722 MB per second, or about 43 GB per minute of footage (computed at 8 bits per byte). Uploads accept files up to 5 TB each and are resumable, but plan storage around your selects rather than whole cards.
Let your client see the film you exported
Upload a short browser-compatible export and share it with one client. Check the picture, collect feedback and choose a paid plan when you need room for more films.
Sources
- 1.Nikon Z8 online manual, Video File Types (file types, bit depth, sampling, tone modes, colour spaces, proxy; read 19 September 2026)
- 2.Nikon Z8 online manual, RAW Video (N-RAW is .NEV, ProRes RAW HQ is .MOV, RAW needs supporting software; read 19 September 2026)
- 3.Nikon Z8 online manual, Video Frame Size and Rate Options (frame sizes, frame rates and approximate bit rates per file type; read 19 September 2026)
- 4.Nikon Z8 online manual, Specifications (N-Log, HLG and dual-format proxy recording; read 19 September 2026)
- 5.Nikon Z8 online manual, home page (instructions written for camera firmware version 3.10; read 19 September 2026)