Since Nikon announced the acquisition of RED Digital Cinema back in March, we’ve been eager to see how these two esteemed brands would work together to create the next generation of filmmaking technology. Today, we get to see some of the fruits of that union, with Nikon bringing four of the most popular creative LUTs and one technical LUT from the RED ecosystem into their mirrorless and DSLR camera lineup. Shooters will now be able to convert Nikon N-Log footage to stylized Rec.709 color by utilizing RED’s Film Bias, Film Bias Bleach Bypass, Film Bias Offset, and Achromic LUTs.
Nikon has really stepped up their video feature offerings in recent years, and the ability to shoot in the proprietary N-Log color space is now a regular feature on most popular Nikon models. Expect these LUTs to work well with current Nikon mirrorless offerings like the Z9, Z8, Z7 II, Z6 III, and Zf, plus select DSLR models like the D780. Check out Nikon's website for the full list of compatible cameras.
All of the LUTs were developed in collaboration with colorist Eric Weidt (Mindhunter, Gone Girl, Mank) and are designed to help video shooters expand their creative potential, reaching into the tones and contrasts of classic cinema. Film Bias helps you achieve a warmer, less contrasty look akin to older 35mm, with golden hues and soft skin tones. Film Bias Bleach Bypass ups the contrast and desaturates colors, still maintaining warm hues but also bringing in colder tones. This look is seen in movies like Saving Private Ryan. Film Bias Offset desaturates with a warm finish and split tones, with the “offset” in the name signaling a shift of the exposure to the right to bring up the shadows. The Achromic LUT will give you a smooth, flattering low contrast black and white look, ideal for scenes set in the past or projects going for a throwback feel. It saps all the hue and saturation from your image, exclusively featuring white, gray, and black tones.
The LUTs won’t be saved on the camera, but rather loaded onto external monitors like the Atomos Shinobi II or Atomos Ninja during production, as well as popular editing programs like Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro in post-production. The workflow will be familiar to anyone who’s used a LUT before, as you’ll simply download them from Nikon’s website and load them onto your monitor and NLE of choice.
These LUTs have been available on RED cameras for several years now, gaining traction in the film and television industry, and it’s exciting to see them now make an appearance outside of the RED ecosystem. This is an extremely rare video-only announcement from Nikon and should signal the start of a strong comingling between their products and the RED brand.
For more information about the Nikon cameras that can utilize these LUTs, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out their detailed product pages. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all of your comments and questions.