[0:01] [music]
[0:02] >> Continuing our side-by-side look of the
[0:04] Canon C50 and FX3, it's now [music] time
[0:07] to shift our focus to video codecs
[0:09] because having a variety of different
[0:11] video codecs and formats [music]
[0:13] is the backbone of what makes
[0:14] video-focused cameras like these the
[0:16] right choice as a professional tool for
[0:18] video work, whether it be for broadcast
[0:20] work, documentary, narrative short
[0:22] films, content creation, long-form or
[0:24] short-form, having access to the right
[0:26] codecs and formats makes all the
[0:28] difference in giving you the
[0:28] flexibility, performance, and quality
[0:31] you need. [music] With that in mind, we
[0:32] wanted to take a look at the codecs on
[0:34] offer on the Canon C50 and FX3. Let's
[0:37] start with the Sony FX3A. There are
[0:40] three codecs available. Sony's XAVC HS,
[0:44] which is their H.265 HEVC format. Then
[0:47] there's their XAVC S, their long GOP
[0:50] H.264 format. And then there's their
[0:52] XAVC SI, which is their industry
[0:56] standard intra frame all I H.264 base
[0:59] codec.
[1:00] Let's start with XAVC HS. As stated,
[1:04] this is Sony's implementation of their
[1:06] H.265 HEVC format. And when using this
[1:09] format on the FX3A, you only have the
[1:12] option to shoot in 4K UHD
[1:14] >> [music]
[1:14] >> with no FHD option and no DCI 4K. It's
[1:18] also available only in 10-bit with two
[1:22] options of either 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 color
[1:24] space. There's some other limitations
[1:27] here with Sony's XAVC HS. When shooting
[1:31] in PAL mode, you only have 50 and 100
[1:34] FPS with no 25 FPS option. If you happen
[1:37] to be in an NTSC region, then the option
[1:40] is 24, 60, and 120 FPS, but there's
[1:43] still no 30 FPS option, so just
[1:45] something to consider. Overall, HEVC as
[1:48] a format is very efficient when it comes
[1:50] to the quality you can capture with
[1:52] minimal storage space taken up, and with
[1:54] the correct supported computer and
[1:56] hardware, playback and editing with it
[1:58] works great. Now let's look at XAVC S.
[2:02] This is Sony's H.264 long GOP format.
[2:05] You can record this in both UHD 4K and
[2:08] FHD, but again, no DCI 4K. You get the
[2:11] choice of 4:2:2 10-bit and 4:2:0 8-bit.
[2:16] This also applies the same in 1080p.
[2:19] This format sits as a nice in-between
[2:21] choice. It's not as high quality as
[2:23] their XAVC SI, and it's not as efficient
[2:27] as their H.265 base XAVC HS, but you can
[2:31] access all the frame rates when in PAL
[2:33] at 25, 50, and 100, and also in NTSC,
[2:37] which is 24, 30, 60, and 120 FPS when
[2:41] shooting in 4K UHD and FHD, and it will
[2:44] work better on older computers than
[2:47] compared to the XAVC
[2:49] HS. Last is XAVC SI. This is Sony's
[2:54] high-performance, high-quality all I
[2:57] H.264 format, and it's widely regarded
[2:59] as the industry standard when it comes
[3:02] to broadcast and commercial work, which
[3:04] says a lot about the quality and
[3:05] performance that is associated with
[3:07] Sony's XAVC SI as a codec. You can
[3:11] choose between 4K UHD, DCI 4K, and FHD.
[3:16] So, for those that need that DCI 4K 17:9
[3:19] aspect ratio, this is the codec and
[3:21] format to use on the FX3A. Do note in
[3:24] the DCI 4K mode, you are locked to 24
[3:27] FPS only, and the camera does do a
[3:30] system reboot. For the recording
[3:31] setting, you are locked down to just one
[3:33] option of 4:2:2 10-bit with no 8-bit
[3:36] option or 4:2:0. Even down to the
[3:39] bitrate, that is also locked down to
[3:41] match the frame rate and resolution that
[3:44] you're using, so it shows the intent of
[3:46] the codec for acquisition to be as high
[3:48] quality as possible. This is the largest
[3:50] option in terms of sizes, but the
[3:53] performance is very smooth when working
[3:54] in post-production. Now with the Sony
[3:57] FX3A covered, let's move over to the
[4:00] Canon C50's internal codecs and formats.
[4:03] There's a lot happening here with the
[4:05] Canon C50 with four internal codecs
[4:07] available, including a raw video format.
[4:11] Let's first start with XF AVC S. This is
[4:14] Canon's H.264 AVC codec, which is based
[4:18] around an MP4 container file. It's
[4:21] available in DCI 4K, 4K UHD, DCI 2K, and
[4:25] FHD. The color space option available is
[4:27] 4:2:2 10-bit and 4:2:0 10-bit. Now in
[4:31] the 4:2:2 10-bit mode, you have the
[4:33] option to select between long GOP or all
[4:36] I compression. For the 4:2:0 8-bit, this
[4:39] is purely long GOP only. A nice added
[4:42] extra flexibility and touch is that when
[4:44] recording in the 4K UHD or DCI modes,
[4:47] the all I compression gives you three
[4:50] bitrates to choose from at 500, 375, and
[4:54] 250 megabits per second. This is great
[4:56] to see because usually when recording in
[4:58] all I, there isn't an option to scale
[5:00] the bitrate to manage your storage for
[5:02] longer record times if it's something
[5:04] you need, so the flexibility here is a
[5:06] nice touch to give you control over your
[5:08] file sizes at the same time as giving
[5:11] you the post-production benefits of an
[5:13] all I codec.
[5:14] Next is XF HEVC S.
[5:18] This is Canon's professional H.265
[5:20] codec. With this format, it only shoots
[5:23] in 10-bit color with the option of 4:2:2
[5:26] and 4:2:0 sampling, so no 8-bit option
[5:29] here. For the Canon C50, this is a long
[5:32] GOP compression technique being used,
[5:34] and in fact, for us here at ProAV, this
[5:36] is now our most widely and regularly
[5:38] used codec for recording when making
[5:40] these videos. We almost exclusively use
[5:43] XF HEVC S on our Canon C80 and C50 cuz
[5:47] it gives us all the quality we need for
[5:49] relatively simple videos like this while
[5:52] being very friendly on storage. On the
[5:54] Canon C50, the XF HEVC S can be recorded
[5:57] in DCI 4K, UHD, DCI 2K, and FHD, so very
[6:02] flexible options here.
[6:04] Now because the C50 supports open gate
[6:06] full sensor 3:2 recording, you can tap
[6:09] into the full 7K resolution of the
[6:11] sensor whilst still using XF HEVC S,
[6:14] using it either in 4:2:2 10-bit or 4:2:0
[6:17] 10-bit, which is great. You will be
[6:20] limited to a max frame rate of up to 30
[6:22] FPS, but this is still impressive
[6:24] nonetheless. With modern chipsets in
[6:26] computers being so efficient in how they
[6:28] handle HEVC, using it has been such a
[6:31] benefit to our workflow. Now let's look
[6:33] at XF AVC. Now it may sound like we've
[6:36] been here before, and it does sound very
[6:37] similar to the XF AVC S, but regular XF
[6:40] AVC uses a .MXF container rather than a
[6:45] .MP4 container. You still get the same
[6:48] option of long GOP and all I compression
[6:50] with resolutions of DCI 4K, 4K UHD, DCI
[6:54] 2K, and FHD. Now the .MXF container or
[6:58] wrapper was designed specifically to
[7:00] give you easier playback and editing
[7:02] performance in post-production and other
[7:04] benefits such as being able to use
[7:06] interlace scan formats rather than
[7:07] progressive. So, this is more broadcast
[7:10] friendly, but it does still mean that
[7:13] you can't see thumbnails and quick
[7:15] playback for your video clips without
[7:16] bringing it into some post-production
[7:18] software. Last, but by far not the
[7:21] least, top of the food chain is raw.
[7:23] Yes, with the Canon C50, you have
[7:25] internal raw recording using Canon's
[7:27] Cinema Raw Light codec. This is a 12-bit
[7:30] raw format which uses a .CRM container
[7:32] and allows you to shoot the maximum
[7:35] resolution of the sensor mode that
[7:36] you're in. For example, in full frame
[7:39] 3:2 open gate and full frame, you get
[7:42] the maximum 7K resolution of the C50
[7:44] sensor. When you go down to Super 35 mm
[7:47] and Super 16 mm, then it goes down in
[7:50] resolution to 5K and 2.5K, respectively.
[7:53] Raw comes in three flavors: LT, ST, and
[7:56] HQ. When you shoot in LT and ST, this is
[8:00] when the C50 has the option of 7K 60
[8:02] [music] FPS in full frame mode. This is
[8:05] a major benefit of shooting internal raw
[8:07] on the C50 because [music] this is the
[8:09] only way to get the full resolution and
[8:11] frame rate of the sensor together. 7K 60
[8:14] FPS is not available on the other more
[8:16] compressed codecs we've already looked
[8:18] at. The performance of Cinema Raw Light
[8:20] in post-production can be more
[8:22] demanding, and you will get slightly
[8:24] more noise in your image straight out of
[8:26] camera because there is no noise
[8:27] reduction in the camera being done to
[8:30] this codec at that time, but raw formats
[8:33] like these are all about enabling you to
[8:35] get the best possible image quality in
[8:37] your grading suite with control over
[8:39] things like your white balance, ISO, log
[8:41] format, sharpness, tint, and more. As
[8:44] long as minimal compression is a thing,
[8:46] which is designed for performance in
[8:49] your grading suite. So, that's codecs on
[8:52] both the FX3A and the Canon C50. For a
[8:55] lot of people and the work that they'll
[8:57] be doing, both these cameras will
[8:59] definitely have you covered when it
[9:00] comes to the codecs you need for
[9:02] acquisition during capturing and
[9:03] recording, post-production in the
[9:05] intermediate [music] reprocess, and also
[9:07] for final delivery for the platforms you
[9:09] need for your work [music] to be seen.
[9:11] That said, it's clear to see the added
[9:13] options that are available here on the
[9:15] Canon C50 [music] from very modern
[9:17] codecs like HEVC up to the top internal
[9:20] raw codec, which truly unlocks the
[9:22] maximum recording capability of the C50.
[9:25] If you want to buy any of these cameras
[9:27] yourself, [music] then head over to
[9:28] ProAV, and we'll be more than happy to
[9:30] help. Like, subscribe, and turn on the
[9:31] notification. Thanks for watching, and
[9:33] we will see you next [music] time.