Hello! I am new to multirotors and have been getting a lot of great assistance here. I'm not yet to the point where I can contribute with multirotor knowledge, but I do know a bit about video so I thought I'd post something basic about it here in order to give back a little. I know this will be rudimentary and much simplified for many here but some folks new to video might find it useful. The subject is....
RAW Video
Your still camera...
An easy way to approach this subject is from your own, digital still camera. Virtually all digital still cameras on the market produce an image file called a jpeg. Although a jpeg can look great, it is (in this context) a compressed, lossy version of the image the camera produces for you at the time you took the shot. It takes all the sensor data and, using a (usually brand-proprietary) algorithm, discards a lot of image information to produce a file that is, hopefully, a good trade-off between image quality and file size.
However, many (better) cameras also allow you to produce RAW files. These files contain much more of the sensor data your camera recorded. All that additional data allows you manipulate the image files in post, permitting ISO, white balance and exposure changes, to name a few, while retaining a high degree of image fidelity that would not be possible with a jpeg.
The trade-off is that producing RAW files takes much more (and faster) storage, and requires processing and data speeds that cost more. With few exceptions, even the best digital still cameras are able to shoot RAW at only several frames per second, with a limited amount of total frames possible.
Video cameras....
Until recently, it's been the same situation with video cameras - until just a few years ago, none could shoot RAW. Now, RED and Arri, to name two, produce professional digital cinema cameras that shoot compressed raw video at much higher resolutions than HD, and sometimes at high frame rates. This is achieved via processing power. They are essentially powerful processors with cameras attached! They consume a lot of power, have loud fans, and usually require costly storage. As of this writing a single 64GB memory card for the RED Epic and Scarlet cameras costs $725. A Scarlet brain alone costs $8K.
Lately, however, there have been two new exciting developments in this area, namely Blackmagic Design cameras and the development of third party software for some Canon DSLR's from Magic Lantern.
The three Blackmagic design cameras shoot 2.5K, 4K and 2K in RAW. The latter is a terrific point and shoot sized camera that shoots in RAW and Prores. Although it's size makes it an interesting proposition for AV work, it maxes out at 30fps, meaning no real slow motion.
Magic Lantern has, for a while, developed what is essentially an open-source hack for several Canon models that replaces Canon's built-in software with their own, permitting great features Canon doesn't offer. Recently, though, they have been able to include RAW shooting in some cameras, which is a major development.
Conclusion...
Shooting RAW video has been around for a few years but has largely, until recently, been affordable only to professionals. Recent developments are making it smaller and more affordable and, thanks to Magic Lantern, a (relatively) affordable air-worthy camera that shoots RAW is arguably already here. Video camera technology in general is moving very quickly now and it will be interesting to see what the future brings us.
A note about resolution...
One hears the term "4K" a lot nowadays. How does that compare to HD? I had a moment of trouble when I first learned about this and here's why: HD has always been characterized by it's vertical resolution (1080), but we now express it in terms of horizontal resolution.
This means that since HD is 1920 x 1080, it is just under 2K. Obviously, this also means that 4K has considerably more resolution. The RED Epic Dragon shoots 6K!
RAW Video
Your still camera...
An easy way to approach this subject is from your own, digital still camera. Virtually all digital still cameras on the market produce an image file called a jpeg. Although a jpeg can look great, it is (in this context) a compressed, lossy version of the image the camera produces for you at the time you took the shot. It takes all the sensor data and, using a (usually brand-proprietary) algorithm, discards a lot of image information to produce a file that is, hopefully, a good trade-off between image quality and file size.
However, many (better) cameras also allow you to produce RAW files. These files contain much more of the sensor data your camera recorded. All that additional data allows you manipulate the image files in post, permitting ISO, white balance and exposure changes, to name a few, while retaining a high degree of image fidelity that would not be possible with a jpeg.
The trade-off is that producing RAW files takes much more (and faster) storage, and requires processing and data speeds that cost more. With few exceptions, even the best digital still cameras are able to shoot RAW at only several frames per second, with a limited amount of total frames possible.
Video cameras....
Until recently, it's been the same situation with video cameras - until just a few years ago, none could shoot RAW. Now, RED and Arri, to name two, produce professional digital cinema cameras that shoot compressed raw video at much higher resolutions than HD, and sometimes at high frame rates. This is achieved via processing power. They are essentially powerful processors with cameras attached! They consume a lot of power, have loud fans, and usually require costly storage. As of this writing a single 64GB memory card for the RED Epic and Scarlet cameras costs $725. A Scarlet brain alone costs $8K.
Lately, however, there have been two new exciting developments in this area, namely Blackmagic Design cameras and the development of third party software for some Canon DSLR's from Magic Lantern.
The three Blackmagic design cameras shoot 2.5K, 4K and 2K in RAW. The latter is a terrific point and shoot sized camera that shoots in RAW and Prores. Although it's size makes it an interesting proposition for AV work, it maxes out at 30fps, meaning no real slow motion.
Magic Lantern has, for a while, developed what is essentially an open-source hack for several Canon models that replaces Canon's built-in software with their own, permitting great features Canon doesn't offer. Recently, though, they have been able to include RAW shooting in some cameras, which is a major development.
Conclusion...
Shooting RAW video has been around for a few years but has largely, until recently, been affordable only to professionals. Recent developments are making it smaller and more affordable and, thanks to Magic Lantern, a (relatively) affordable air-worthy camera that shoots RAW is arguably already here. Video camera technology in general is moving very quickly now and it will be interesting to see what the future brings us.
A note about resolution...
One hears the term "4K" a lot nowadays. How does that compare to HD? I had a moment of trouble when I first learned about this and here's why: HD has always been characterized by it's vertical resolution (1080), but we now express it in terms of horizontal resolution.
This means that since HD is 1920 x 1080, it is just under 2K. Obviously, this also means that 4K has considerably more resolution. The RED Epic Dragon shoots 6K!
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