What is actually the best? ProRes RAW, ProRes 422 or H.265? (w GH6 Firmware 2.0) 

Much appreciated! Glad to hear my videos are improving :) Thank you so much for your support Lance!

hi Chris, thank you so much! Really appreciate that :)

Thank you very much!

Thanls for watching ❤️

You are welcome. If you have questions please drop a message and I can try to answer

Thank you for watching and support @Obed Brinkman :)

Thank you very much Keith! :)

Your presentation was so well scripted snd densely packed. It really was very helpful and you have a very well honed review skill. No fluff or filler. Verrrry professional. Thanks again.

Thank you very much and i'm glad to hear the video helped :)

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks @ZEPHAN Y !

Thanks for watching Cameron

Thank you! The way how V-Log record video is by recording the brightness in log scale, so that means the dark area would have tonnes of information, while the highlight would have a lot less, so usually it's the highlight area that you may see more artifacts like banding and i would imagine, there may not be too much differences if i compare the H.265 and ProRes 422 V-Log footage with the ProRes RAW footage. But this is just my assumption, i would write down your suggestion and see if i can get around to do more testing in the future!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Glad it was helpful!😁

The original plan was just to talk about the ProRes RAW and ProRes 422, then I thought I should talk about how is it different from the non ProRes format. I did consider whether i should pick H.264 (GH6's 10bit 422 All-i) or H.265, or both and maybe include the mp4 format output too. But in the end i choose H.265 because it is the newer codec which the industry is moving to as it provides smaller file size than the H.264. But i agree there are many users shooting with the h.264 output formats with the GH6 too. Re BRAW, yes let's see. But Panasonic is really quiet about this so I wouldn't put too much hope on it (at least not yet)

Depends on what you're filming, in another reply I stated that with my GH5, HEVC works great when you are C4K 24fps with a lot of camera movement, something about motion interpolation is great with it. Slow motion in 1080p60 422 10bit ALL-I is cherry, it maintains a lot of fine detail vs Long-GOP, especially since my GH5 can't do 4k60 ALL-I. I do my critical detail non-slowmo in C4K in ALL-I

Glad it was helpful!

thanks for the feedback!

@@TheRealRichardWong I did find out something interesting when talking to an engineer that works for Panasonic today. Apparently VLOG-L was designed for a sensor that had only 12 stops of dynamic range. No data is recorded above 80 IRE or below 4 IRE. It’s one of the reasons that the GH5/6 are not Netflix approved. Netflix tested and found their was not enough dynamic range in the VLOG color profile. This is just what I was told so I may take to verify for myself but if true it’s sort of a bummer. So even though a chosen codec on the GH5/6 is capable of 10 bits or more, once VLOG-L is applied it cripples whatever DR could have been down to the 12 stops that IRE range is capable of containing. The Panasonic BGH1 is Netflix approved even though it uses the same sensor as the GH5s. Apparently it uses different processing and a 12bit readout along with an updated VLOG L profile to extend the luminance limits beyond what’s included in the GH series of cameras. I wonder if the impact of the standard VLOG L profile ( if you used VLOG L in your tests ) may have essentially put upper and lower limits on the tests dynamic range essentially compressing it to the same DR no matter what codec you used. If this is true it may have crippled what ProRes RAW was capable of when it comes to highlight recovery etc?

you are correct the V-LogL profile was created for cameras that doesn't quite reach the full V-Log profile, so the "light" profile is created to allow capture the tonal changes better for sensors that has lower dynamic range. But the GH6 has better dynamic range so Panasonic changed to the full V-Log, not V-LogL Re GH6's dynamic range for V-Log vs Prores, from the information i received from Panasonic, it suggests the dynamic range is identical when record using either of these formats, and that's also what I found from my controlled comparison test.

haha thanks Peter!! That means you watched the whole video!

Hi Alan, Thanks for watching! Panasonic's ProRes RAW implmention is always direct pixel to pixel to gives you best image quality and the real RAW. Unfortunately it does mean there is a crop if you want the ck4 120p footage on the GH6 as it doesn't match the sensor resolution. Some company chooses to do line skipping RAW output instead, which allows you to use full sensor width, downside is compromise in image quality. I've touch on that topic a bit at around 16:07 with a diagram to explain why there is a crop. As a Davinci Resolve user myself, i would love to see ProRes RAW supported in Davinci Resolve too too and definitely happy to pay extra for that. But seeing ProRes RAW/Atomos is direct competitor to their own BRAW/BlackMagic Video Assist, i really don't think it would happen anytime soon. It is really another big pain point for anyone want to shoot in ProRes RAW.

Yikes! Thanks for mentioning that. That really sucks. That's exactly the reason I was going to get the V+: 120fps with the GH6 in ProRes Raw. And the people who make the Ninja recorders don't mention it either.

By 1.4 crop, do you mean that with a lens with the 35mm equivalent of 20mm, you would get a crop to the equivalent of a 28mm?

@@keithsanborn8508 A 20mm (35 mm full-frame) lens has a 40mm equivalent field of view in M43 cameras. Then record in 4k raw120p externally and your lens now has a 56mm equivalent field of view.

Thanks. I was factoring that in: with a 10mm lens you get a 20mm equivalent, so 28mm equivalent with a 1.4 crop factor. I guess depending on how wide your lens goes, this might or might not be a deal-breaker. Super-helpful you pointed that out. In anamorphic (shot flat) you would get the most sensor real estate to play with but not at 120fps.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for watching! :)

My understanding is ProRes is easier to edit than All-Intra, with the downside of larger file size. But by how much? sorry i have no compared

@@TheRealRichardWong thanks RIchard. Yes of course the file size but still if it's easier to edit I'll use it. I'm gong to test. Thanks again. As you know I think you videos are gold.

R6 or GH6? I think it's not very easy to answer as i see both cameras has certain pros and cons. for the R6, the pros would be it's really good autofocus system, the full frame sensor advantage like high ISO, shallow DOF. for the GH6, it;s really impressive list of video features like all the additional tools, high quality output video formats, prores, unlimited recording and virtually doesn't overheat.. Also it would be a smaller setup and it's IBIS is great too. So i think it really depends on what you need the most. i think for most people it would be whether GH6's autofocus is good enough for you or not. For me, i think GH6's autofocus while not perfect is good enough for me, I use that for most of my recent youtube videos and a bit of other work too, and i rarely have any issues with it. But if you need to shoot someone running towards you with shallow depth of field, the Canon is definitely much more reliable. But overall i would choose GH6 as it is really more a video focus camera and there are many things that the R6 just can't offer me if i use it as a video camera. Re astro night time lapse, I'm not aware of any limitations, i think if you use it with a fast lens like the Leica 10-25 1.7 or even one of the cheap manual focus f/0.95 or other fast lens, it would be really capable. It may not be as clean as R6 due to the smaller sensor size, but it is surely better than the GH5.

@@TheRealRichardWong thank you for the detailed answers! Same thoughts, I am a little bit worried by the mtf in the long run but the overcompressed 4k on r6 is clearly a redflag for me :)

Can't really guess what will happen in the long future but i'm quite sure micro four thirds will be around for many more years as both Olympus and Panasonic as still planning to release many more cameras, not to mention many other companies are still releasing new lenses and even cameras for this format as well.

hi J. S. from memory, it is still ISO800 min for D.R boost for ProRes RAW. but i don't have a GH6 with me right now to check for you. Sorry what do you mean by "Best quality" video setting? if you mean the absolute best quality it would be record in ProRes RAW HQ using Atomos

Glad the video helped:)

I’m also having the same dilemma on whether to wait for the s5iix or not. My computer handles h.264 pretty good, but I want the highest quality I can get internal without going RAW. Either of y’all have suggestions between getting the s5ii now or waiting for the s5iix this Summer?

@@VisionOneCreatives you mean H.265 i suppose. Because S52 only shoots H.265 mostly. X shoots Prores 422 Lt I think because someone said its 800mb/s at 6k on ssd and its allintra

@@guardianlillebi8139 @RichardWong I meant h264 because that’s what my r6 shoots now and my computer handles it well in 1080p and 4k isn’t that bad. Asking because I like the s52/x for the more video centric features. If there’s a big difference in quality of the footage between h264/265 versus prores (all options being 10 bit 422), then I’d wait for the s52x. But if the only noticeable advantage is edit times then I might get the s52 now. I don’t do this for a living; it’s a side hustle so longer editing time spent isn’t a huge concern for me.

@@guardianlillebi8139x shoot ProRes 422HQ

Thanks for watching. Samsung was definitely a bit ahead of it's time when they release the NX system. I really wish they decided to stay for a few more years to build up their lineup and reputation as they have made some really interesting products even back then External RAW recording is a bit cumbersome, unfortunately the current patent issues mean most company won't be able to implement internal RAW recording. Maybe USB SSD RAW recording could be the best solution in the foreseen-able future (assuming it is not affected by the patents)

It's not relevant enough in my opinion. Personally ALL-I 422 10bit H.265 in 200-400mbps would be highly competitive to most raw formats at 1/4 or even 1/6th the file size.

@@TheRealRichardWong Patents can be a good thing protecting intelectual ownership. On the other hand, from a consumer's perspective it's not so great for as we can see, is hindering other companies to implement great inovations into their systems, too. Other's these companies are willing to pay license fees if the inovations are even licensed out, that is.

Hi Jake, Yes i'm pretty sure the external ProRes 422 recording using a Ninja V would still keep the in-camera corrction/noise reduction..etc. It's only if you switch to RAW HDMI output, then all those process got skipped when output to external recorder

Thank you so much!

yes internal recording is a good safe option if you worry about external cable. I really wish GH6 has dual CFE card slots so you can record backup even when recording ProRes 422 internal

@@TheRealRichardWong Agree. That would have been amazing

Great to hear! :)

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for the suggestions Andres

Hi Evgeniy , My understanding is that vlog footage is recorded in V-Gamut, which is a wider gamut than rec709. You will need to use a LUT to convert the V-Gamut footage to rec709. And when i compare ProRes RAW footage vs V-LOG/V-Gamut footage from the same camera, they do show virtually identical dynamic range and much bigger than what rec709 can capture. Can you please tell me how do you see it's recorded in rec709 space?

@@TheRealRichardWong You can check it in mediainfo or ffmpeg. The textbox of each videofile contains "v-gamut" data, but it is textbox. Original videostream in each file packed in h265 Main 10@L5.2 into bt709 colorspace

@@TheRealRichardWong some ppl told me, this "rec709" is also tag. So, file has real v-gamut colorspace, but tagged as rec709 : 99% of each non HDR log videos tagged as rec709.

That could be. Maybe just so to allow software to play it? but yes i'm pretty sure it's not actually recorded in rec709 space

@@TheRealRichardWong Looks like that, just to see video

Hi :). There are two use cases i can think of: 1 People with old(er) computer but just bought a new camera. A lot of casual photographer/videographers i know do not upgrade their computer very often, then they bought a new camera/recorder and then realise their computer is not fast enough to handle it. Even myself, i was struggling to edit my video on my MBP for a long time 2. More serious videographer/editor that handles large projects. When you have multiple 4k+ video on your timeline + effects..etc, even a semi-decent computer would start to struggle. Prores422 would make editing a lot easier.

With the GH6, I usually shoot in 4k30 10 bit 420 or 422 internal mov. V-Log. AFC face detection

Downloaded final cut trial, don’t like it at all compared to davinci

No the camera applies noise reduction in Vlog (NR 0) and even more with other profiles. Pixel to Pixel is the only mode with less noise reduction. The pictures is not good in low light, it is clean for a M43 camera but details are smoothed, the S5 is way better.

@@aiseurnae5976 i think you are missing the fact that as gain goes up sharpness drop which has nothing to do with noise reduction. The S5 has the same identical logic is just a different sensor

@@Interceptor121 It is not only a sharpness drop, i compared with my GH5 at ISO 800, some details are not here anymore on the GH6, like if textures were smoothed. Adding sharpness in post just gives weird textures because fine details are already smoothed out. The only mode without so much noise reduction is the pixel to pixel mode, video is very noisy but looks like film grain. The GH5S and A7SIII use the same processing to give the impression of better low light performance.

@@aiseurnae5976 the opposite the original GH5 had sharpening, the gh5s has both sharpening and noise reduction, the GH5M2 and GH6 less so. I have used and run those cameras side by side.

@@Interceptor121 I also used these cameras and run a lot of comparisons. The GH5 has more sharpening but less smoothed details than the GH6, it is even more noticeable with Natural or Cine-D. GH6 details look like smeared. It's obvious when you add sharpening in post, some details are gone. It is because of the 3D noise reduction and mostly about the digital moire filter, according to Panasonic, "it eliminates the need for a low-pass filter and smooths fine details like hair and wires to minimize moiré patterns". Therefore If you want to keep the most details you need very sharp and bright lenses on the GH6 like the 25-50mm. Still according to Panasonic : " Thanks to the new High Precision 3D Noise Reduction for video,the detection capability of still and moving parts has been advanced, making it possible to optimise noise reduction while minimising afterimages". It is used even in Prores, I can see a bit more noise on Prores compared to H265 but there is still noise reduction going on because the noise still appears smoothed, skin tones also look smoothed and unnatural. The GH6 noise performance is more or less the same than the G9 in photo so how the GH6 could be so much cleaner than the G9 in video without using noise reduction and fine details processing ? It is obvious even at low ISO when the DR BOOST is off. Most people couldn't see the issue on the A7SIII and GH5S so sadly we will see more and more cameras with the same processing.

Why u sayboh no to fcpx?

I can't remember if the z6ii supports h.265, but if not I am sure it can record in normal h.264 which in a lot of way is very simialr to h.264 just less efficient in terms of file size but easier to decode

@@TheRealRichardWong you have to pay to unlock 265 on the ninja V to record with on the Nikon Z6ii

hi @SUTV thanks a lot! I use Natural too when not using V-LOG, i found it's easy to do colour grading easily to get the results i want. But I haven't really experiment with every single colour profile, just found it seems to work fine.

@@TheRealRichardWong Same here Richard. LOL I am going to do some testing with the others and if I find anything incredible I'll let you know. Thanks for getting back to me.

Hi David, thanks for watching. You mentioned it is challenging for your storage, do you mean the size? I'm curious to see what Panasonic will do with the SSD External recording. Not sure if we will see ProRes LT though as if they do that, they probably would implement that for internal storage instead? I haven't compare H.264/H.265 this time, but H.265 is more compressed so file size is smaller but require more processing power to decode it. Also on the GH6, H.265 output is only 420.. if you want 422 it has to be H.264, or Prores 422

did u stop color grading or i read wrong ?

@@S9universe I still grade it a little, but definitely never shoot log.

Yes correct, free version of Davinci Resolve doesn't support 10bit video files.

Thank you

U wrong h.265 more best than h.264

oh a cooking show with camera! haha i might try that next time :D. thanks for watching

oh that's no good. Was the card listed as compatible on their website previously?

No but it formatted and worked until the update . Although looking back record duration was a little over 2hrs and not sure the calculation of time is should record per file size. Assuming i should get 4hrs internal prores 5.7k 30 hq on 4tb.?. Thank you

To counter your question, If you are going to transcode it to ProRes422, why record in H.265 in the beginning :) My point is, if you want to introduce ProRes422 to your workflow, you could simplify the workflow and minimise total storage space by just recording straight to ProRes422 at the beginning if possible Also if you are using GH6, H.265 can only record in 420 as well, so image quality won't be quite as good as ProRes422 due to the more aggressive chroma sub-sampling You need to pick your picture profile when recording ProRes422, ideally V-LOG to get maximum dynamic range.

@@TheRealRichardWong I see that the camera can shoot 4.2.2 in H.264. Does this mean that if I encode H.264 to ProRes422, I will get the same ProRes422 as when I shot it with a camera? I'm interested because I don't edit all videos, and most of the videos I don't edit at all or edit very little. Therefore, to save space, it is more logical to shoot in H.264 in 4.2.2.

@@TheRealRichardWong but I read articles that there is no point in shooting in 422 since all content distributors show movies/tv in 420

@@lnuponom2678 I haven't compare them myself so i can't answer for sure. but i would expect there would be very small difference between 10 bit H.264 422 compare to the ProRes422. If you don't edit much at all, just shoot in H.265 (or 264). But if you do a lot of editing, it is just easier to record straight as ProRes422 if possible, instead of having to transcode during post processing which takes up time and more space in your storage.

@@AlphaTroll showing being in 420 is irrelevant. All video platforms only Support 420 in the first place. But it doesn’t make recording 422 and above less valuable. It’s like saying all SDR videos are 8 bit, therefore 10 bit video doesn’t matter. It’s all about manipulating the data you do have. Then exporting as if you recorded directly with that vision in mind (420 8 bit is 100% fine if 0 edits will be applied).

Hey there, thanks for watching, but the z9 is a great camera for both photo and video

Thank you Howard!

hi there, sorry i'm not sure if the 2018 MBP has hardware decoding support for H.265 420 files, but i would guess it is still quite a bit faster/easier to edit ProRes422 files

@@TheRealRichardWong Thank you

Hmm that's no good. Have you tried do a low level format to the card using your camera? If yes I suggest report to Panasonic about it

No I didn't :P I used Final Cut Pro for that

@@TheRealRichardWong ok. I'll have to rewatch but I thought the turtle card read "Davinci Resolve" when editing Prores Raw

@@TheRealRichardWong so, at 14:4 you show that you've applied noise reduction to your Prores Raw footage via Davinci Resolve. Was it compared into another format first?

From memory, I use Final Cut Pro to convert to ProRes4444 first

@@TheRealRichardWong do you find that it reduces the versatility of your footage? Thank you for reminding btw

Thanks for watching

You could cut out the bit your want in your video editor and save it out to prores format.

No it's not waterproof. I'm not aware of any mirrorless camera that is waterproof, but the GH6 is weatherproof and i've used it under rain many times no problem at all. But it is NOT waterproof, don't splash it with sea waves, the salt in sea water is very bad to camera (any camera). Don't purposely spray it with water too.

The intro music was created by my friend for me. For the other background music, please check the video description

Thanks for watching

Can I ask if you mean ProRes RAW or ProRes 422? Currently trying to decide which workflow is best myself because as much as I would love the results of RAW, it takes up too much time to edit. One single clip of 30 seconds took about 20 minutes just to de-noise! Do you find a similar issue? Thanks in advance!

@@TheCici927 422.