Hi there. I've bought Nikon Z6ii due to its claimed cool capabilities to shoot in dark places. And Atomos Ninja V to record NLog 10 bit.I was surprised when I saw the output results! I've shot at 25 fps, 1/50 shutter speed, iso 3200, NLog on, 10 bit. The output video was extremely noisy! As if I was shooting with 10 years old 2Mpx cell phone! This noise can be seen on Nikon's lcd as well as on Atomos screen (so it's not the issue with HDMI cable etc.) Turning off NLog reduces noise significantly, but still a bit noisy. Switching to 8 bit color reduces this noice even better.What's the hell?! I've considered to use Nikon Z6ii exactly in low light conditions and exactly with the help of Nlog and 10 bit color. But now I've discovered that the best result can be obtained just with 8 bit color without any recorder. What a shame! Maybe I'm doing something wrong?Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Untied wrote:Hi there. I've bought Nikon Z6ii due to its claimed cool capabilities to shoot in dark places. And Atomos Ninja V to record NLog 10 bit.I was surprised when I saw the output results! I've shot at 25 fps, 1/50 shutter speed, iso 3200, NLog on, 10 bit. The output video was extremely noisy! As if I was shooting with 10 years old 2Mpx cell phone! This noise can be seen on Nikon's lcd as well as on Atomos screen (so it's not the issue with HDMI cable etc.) Turning off NLog reduces noise significantly, but still a bit noisy. Switching to 8 bit color reduces this noice even better.What's the hell?! I've considered to use Nikon Z6ii exactly in low light conditions and exactly with the help of Nlog and 10 bit color. But now I've discovered that the best result can be obtained just with 8 bit color without any recorder. What a shame! Maybe I'm doing something wrong?Any suggestions would be appreciated...FWIW I find the high ISO performance on the internal 8bit of my Z6 to be quite good. Are you only seeing the noise on screens while shooting? Or in the final video? What are you using to process the N-Log files?

Untied wrote:Hi there. I've bought Nikon Z6ii due to its claimed cool capabilities to shoot in dark places. And Atomos Ninja V to record NLog 10 bit.I was surprised when I saw the output results! I've shot at 25 fps, 1/50 shutter speed, iso 3200, NLog on, 10 bit. The output video was extremely noisy! As if I was shooting with 10 years old 2Mpx cell phone! This noise can be seen on Nikon's lcd as well as on Atomos screen (so it's not the issue with HDMI cable etc.) Turning off NLog reduces noise significantly, but still a bit noisy. Switching to 8 bit color reduces this noice even better.What's the hell?! I've considered to use Nikon Z6ii exactly in low light conditions and exactly with the help of Nlog and 10 bit color. But now I've discovered that the best result can be obtained just with 8 bit color without any recorder. What a shame! Maybe I'm doing something wrong?Any suggestions would be appreciated...I know exactly what you are talking about. You can especially see it when you put the Ninja V in monochrome display mode. I either shoot 8-bit internal or ProRes RAW.

24Peter wrote:FWIW I find the high ISO performance on the internal 8bit of my Z6 to be quite good. Are you only seeing the noise on screens while shooting? Or in the final video? What are you using to process the N-Log files?The final result contains the same noise as well. It can be seen very well especially at dark areas. To process the video I use Adobe Premiere Pro and Nikon's official NLog LUT.My final result is far-far away from something that is showed on Nikon's promo videos on NLog footage. And looks exactly like cheap cell phone footage from 2000-s.

Untied wrote:24Peter wrote:FWIW I find the high ISO performance on the internal 8bit of my Z6 to be quite good. Are you only seeing the noise on screens while shooting? Or in the final video? What are you using to process the N-Log files?The final result contains the same noise as well. It can be seen very well especially at dark areas. To process the video I use Adobe Premiere Pro and Nikon's official NLog LUT.My final result is far-far away from something that is showed on Nikon's promo videos on NLog footage. And looks exactly like cheap cell phone footage from 2000-s.Sorry you're having those issues. I hope you get it sorted out. I assume you've checked YouTube videos for tips on how to overcome this?

You need to do it in post.

robertfel wrote:You need to do it in post.Can't speak for the OP, but I had difficulty getting critical focus with NLog through all the noise.

They are not the king of low noise sensor, they are the king of noise reduction algorithms.https://youtu.be/lq8UqQlO7I8?t=779Open in new window or jump to 12:59.

So your opinion is that it's the normal situation?Oh my goodness! Don't think that this ugly noise can be removed on the post.

Totally normal. Look how bad the noise is the YouTube link I posted on the Sony.

The Z6 native ISO shooting N-Log is 800.  Going to 3200 does not add analog gain or make the sensor more sensitive to light, it just changes the exposure curve  between shadows and highlights.  Anytime you underexposed a sensor shooting video, you are going to get video noise in the image, the more you underexpose, the more noise you will get in N-Log video, which is minimally processed, so you are seeing the noise that is there.  You can use noise reduction filters in your NLE when grading the file.  Shooting N-Log is similar to shooting Raw or negative film, it needs to be processed. Shooting in 8-bit video, is similar to JPEGs, in that the image receives more processing in camera, including noise reduction, so you are not seeing the noise in the image, same in phones that shoot video, the image is digitally processed on the fly.   That said, your best solution to reduce noise, is not to underexpose in the first place, but shoot at ISO 800, to get the best image results.  Video shooting needs light, as does any form of photography, you are using light topaintan image on the film or sensor.  Low light shooting, under exposing by one stop is one thing, but trying to shoot in thedarkand expecting good results is unrealistic.  If you are shooting in low light situations, you need to add light to get the minimum exposure needed by the sensor.Cheers

It sounds like you're underexposing. Noise may be more visible before the N-log LUT, but after applying the LUT, the noise should be comparable to what you get from the internal 8-bit mode.There are lots of ways to meter for the right exposure, depending on what you're doing. For me, since I use the Leeming LUT, I expose until 95% zebras show up on the highlight detail I want to preserve, then I back down the exposure until the zebras just disappear. This is on the Ninja V with the Leeming LUT loaded onto to it so the zebras are measuring the final rendered image rather than the flat N-log footage. I've shot up to ISO 12800 and the noise is far from smartphone quality.Other people expose for the midtones in straight N-log to appear at some level on their histogram or zebras. The key is not to use your eyes only, but to use the meters and if necessary, a preview LUT for the metering. How do you find the right levels? By running your own tests for your shooting style and lighting, and seeing what works for you.

Two objections.1. No LUT can remove noise from video. LUTs correct the curves: brightness, contrast, color channels etc. They cannot remove that dizzy particles from the footage.2. It's too obvious suggestion: "You are underexposed, just shoot outdoors and you'll be fine". For instance I want to record an interview when my interlocutor is exposed well and the background is faded in darkness. I don't want more light to brighten the background. The idea is just as is: a well exposed person and a mysterious dark background. So with NLog turned on I get a well exposed person and the noisy-noisy-unbelievable noisy background.Actually I didn't expect to get this result! I even cannot lower the iso settings 'cause the allowed minimum for NLog is 800.

Untied wrote:1. No LUT can remove noise from video. LUTs correct the curves: brightness, contrast, color channels etc. They cannot remove that dizzy particles from the footage.My thinking is that the shadows are raised in a log profile showing the noise more easily, and the LUT curve will push them back down into the shadows where they will be less visible.2. It's too obvious suggestion: "You are underexposed, just shoot outdoors and you'll be fine". For instance I want to record an interview when my interlocutor is exposed well and the background is faded in darkness. I don't want more light to brighten the background. The idea is just as is: a well exposed person and a mysterious dark background. So with NLog turned on I get a well exposed person and the noisy-noisy-unbelievable noisy background.I've done such shots, and have not seen objectionable artifacts in the shadow areas, and the videos have been projected and viewed on large screens. I suppose this will depend on how many stops of brightness difference there is between your subject and the background. Bringing the curve in the shadow region down can make whatever is going on in the shadows less visible here as well. Some times compression settings or preview settings can exacerbate such artifacts as well.

Not sure if this will help you out or not, but I have been messing around with codecs, LUTs and NLog piped through a Ninja V from my Z6ii for just over 6 months now. Meaning I’m no expert, but here is what I have gotten outstanding results from workflow wise, as I haven’t had bad experiences with the Z6ii and grain.-Z6ii set to 10-bit, NLog (which looks good to me from the floor at 800 up to about 3200 given the subject matter) and whatever resolution and frame rate that’s compatible with the above (4Kp30 etc).-Atomos set to either ProRes HQ 10-bit 4:2:2 (BIG files) or more recently I’ve been messing around with H.265 HQ/MQ 10-bit 4:2:2 (HQ is 1/4 the size of ProRes HQ, and MQ is 1/2 of that!) both of which look really good and well worth the $100 add on.-Be sure to NOT set your exposure from the Ninja’s screen, but from the waveform. Search out the Nikon NLog recommended targets for flesh tones, 18% gray card (37 I believe) and blacks, then stick to it. You need to set the white balance on the camera at this step, or previously, as well.-Edit per your choice of programs and add the Z6 LUT (not as the capture LUT, but as a creative LUT), then adjust it down to your taste, I’m usually around 50%). Tweak the contrast, and other minor adjustments you find needing addressed. Now that I have this worked out, it’s cut my cc down to minutes.-Here’s the big one, DO NOT render/export your final cut in H.265! It looks super bad. Lots of artifacts and it looks like crappy 8-bit gradients, like over sampled jpegs used to. H.264 looks amazing, ironically enough, and is my choice for now.Sorry for the long reply. Not much Nikon info out there, so I hope this can help you or someone else in some manner. I’m finding out that one thing can derail you four moves ahead and not be apparent up front. Good luck!

Untied wrote:Hi there. I've bought Nikon Z6ii due to its claimed cool capabilities to shoot in dark places. And Atomos Ninja V to record NLog 10 bit.I was surprised when I saw the output results! I've shot at 25 fps, 1/50 shutter speed, iso 3200, NLog on, 10 bit. The output video was extremely noisy! As if I was shooting with 10 years old 2Mpx cell phone! This noise can be seen on Nikon's lcd as well as on Atomos screen (so it's not the issue with HDMI cable etc.) Turning off NLog reduces noise significantly, but still a bit noisy. Switching to 8 bit color reduces this noice even better.What's the hell?! I've considered to use Nikon Z6ii exactly in low light conditions and exactly with the help of Nlog and 10 bit color. But now I've discovered that the best result can be obtained just with 8 bit color without any recorder. What a shame! Maybe I'm doing something wrong?Any suggestions would be appreciated...Hey there,This is a problem I've been trying to figure out ever since I got a Ninja V for my Nikon Z6 to record 10 bit video. After searching what feels like the entire web, I can't find any answers. When I search up "Nikon Z6 10 bit video with Ninja V Test Footage" I get beautiful 4k or HD videos that have no issues at all with this. What I'm starting to believe, is maybe it's my HDMI cable. I bought the 20 or 30 dollar Atomos cable and not the 80 dollar one that I had seen around.What does everyone think? Could this potentially be it?Cheers.

Recording video from a digital sensor to any recorder, requires some light, you need to properly expose the image, to get enough light on the sensor to create an image.  The more youunderexposea sensor, the more noise you will have in the recorded file.  Internal 8-bit recordings in low light look better, because the image has in camera noise reduction being applied to the image.An N-Log recording on a Ninja V or other recorder is going to look noisy and flat, until the image is processed and appropriate noise reduction has been replied.  But the bottom line is, you still need enough light on the sensor to create an image to start with.  You will not be able to get a good image in dark, underexposed situations.Cheers

Denny Smith 16 wrote:Recording video from a digital sensor to any recorder, requires some light, you need to properly expose the image, to get enough light on the sensor to create an image. The more youunderexposea sensor, the more noise you will have in the recorded file. Internal 8-bit recordings in low light look better, because the image has in camera noise reduction being applied to the image.An N-Log recording on a Ninja V or other recorder is going to look noisy and flat, until the image is processed and appropriate noise reduction has been replied. But the bottom line is, you still need enough light on the sensor to create an image to start with. You will not be able to get a good image in dark, underexposed situations.CheersWill Z6III internal 10bit 422 solve OP's issue?

I don’t think so, the as the OP was shooting a dark scene, three stops underexposed (setting a Z6 to ISO3200 does not increase the sensor gain, as it does on older video cameras) and shooting in NLog, one step,above shooting Raw, both of which are in-corrected images, that will show more noise than the corrected output of an iPhone or consumer video camera.As I previously noted, the Nikon NLog file needs to be de-noised, underexposed areas recovered and color corrected, like processing a “Raw” still photo in Lightroom, vs shooting a JPEG. In camera video on the Z6 is de-noised, processed and some color correction applied, giving you a video version of a JPEG. Shoot any camera underexposed by 3-stops, and you will ad noise to the underexposed image.The advantage to getting 10-bit, 422 N-Log video in camera on a Nikon Z6III, you no longer need the external Ninja recorder to capture the image. Same sensor is going to give you the same results.Cheers

I didn't buy the Z6ii for video.I am happy with the low-light shots I get, up to about 25699iso.I use DXO PL 4 for PP, and, shoot with a 24-200mm.Just a random comment, but, I'd have hoped that vidoe was a lot easier than it is sounding here