Christian Schmeer wrote:Sorry, you are right, otherwise recording in ProRes would always result in an even larger crop factor than 2.3x. I guess recording in RAW and cropping in post is the way to go then, at least until different crop modes become available via firmware updates (which may never happen).
I know for some people raw processing may not be desirable due to time constraints or budget constraints or other factors, but where it is feasible, I think people will find recording in raw gives them greater flexibility not only in terms of grading but also the occasional reframing or motion tracking for a shot. But generally speaking in my opinion: you crop, you lose.
I'm sure when the community has more experience using ProRes from the camera and uncompressed raw from the camera, each person will be able to judge which situations benefit each option. For example, most commercial and narrative work and any visual effects really deserves raw; event recording like a sports event or music concert may be fine with compressed footage. Weddings are harder to judge but the bride will want raw if she knows it is an option.
That does run contrary to some of the very experienced people who have said words to the effect: "I challenge you to see the difference between the uncompressed raw and ProResHQ 4:2:2." I agree on final output there may not be much difference, but I am convinced (in my ignorance) that working with raw as long as possible will still produce the better look during the edit and grading process and for the final deliverable. Storage does become an issue and I think there may be merit in compressing the original raw via Cineform just for long term retention. Although when I think about it, at the rate hard disks continue to fall (like $129 for a 3TB Western Digital My Book and cheaper for the bare hard disk), and considering how timeless and valuable your creative efforts are, it may even be worth keeping the raw... Just try not to have 10:1 shooting ratio! Documentarians shooting 100:1 better shoot ProRes!
Rick Lang
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