Video settings, in depth
What are the right video settings on a Nikon Z5 II — N-RAW, the 4K 60p crop, N-Log and the limits that actually end a take?
The working file — and the RAW above it
H.265 10-bit (MOV) is the everyday file: tone modes SDR, HLG and N-Log, at manageable sizes; the 8-bit file types are SDR only. N-RAW 12-bit (NEV) records true RAW video internally with an 8-bit MP4 proxy alongside — capped at [FX] 4032×2268 30p, roughly 420 Mbps at its largest, with V90 cards recommended. There is no ProRes recording on this body.
4K 60p is a crop — know before you shoot
3840×2160 at 30p/25p/24p records from the full FX width (about 35.9 mm). At 60p/50p the image area is fixed at DX (about 23.7 mm, roughly a 1.5× tighter view); [DX crop alert] in the Image area menu flags it in the display. Full HD reaches 120p, and the dedicated slow-motion sizes (30p ×4, 25p ×4, 24p ×5) run about three minutes and record no sound.
N-Log: a tone mode with a floor
N-Log is a tone mode inside H.265 10-bit (MOV) or N-RAW — not a file type of its own. Nikon rates its dynamic range at 13+ stops (1300%) at the lowest available ISO, which is 800; the expanded Lo settings below that reduce highlight data. Custom Setting g11 [View assist] simplifies the preview's colours for contrast while the recorded footage is unaffected.
Two clocks and a card
Each shot can run up to 125 minutes, but an EN-EL15c gives about 85 minutes of video — the battery is the practical limit, so plan spares or USB power. Heat ends takes too: warning icons progress to a countdown, and Auto temperature cutout (Setup Menu) set to High delays the stop, with the camera growing hot to the touch. Videos record to the slot chosen at Video Recording Menu → Destination, independent of the stills slot settings.
Shoot one scene three ways — 4K 30p SDR, 4K 30p N-Log at ISO 800 with View assist on, and 4K 60p — and compare the colour work and the framing each one chose. Then set Destination and your temperature policy before the next real take.