This is your capture codec, (also called the “camera native codec” or “acquisition codec”).
Generally speaking, you should aim for the highest-quality codec that your camera (or your budget) can capture. When I say “highest quality”, I mean that you want to capture as much information as possible, so you want less-lossy codecs: less compression, higher bit-depth, and less chroma subsampling. The more information you have when you capture, the more flexibility you will have later, especially in color-grading and VFX (if you’re doing that).
Of course, you also have to consider a lot of other, practical factors in this decision, otherwise we would always be shooting 8K raw, right?
1. Cost
The first consideration is obviously cost. Generally speaking, the more expensive the camera, the higher quality codecs are available on it.
2. Storage
The second factor to consider is storage space. High-quality codecs tend to be higher bit-rate, which means that the files are larger. You need to be prepared to store and back up all of those files as you’re shooting, and you may also have to upgrade your memory cards in order to be able to record the high-bitrate data. If you’re shooting solo, then you may end up choosing a lower-quality codec because it allows you to change memory cards less often and focus on the story instead.
3. Finishing
Another factor to consider is how much color-correction and VFX (collectively referred to as finishing) you plan to do. If you’re going to be doing very minimal color-correction and no VFX, then you can probably get away with lower bit-depth, chroma subsampling, and macro blocking that come with lower quality capture codecs.
4. Editing Hardware
The last factor to consider is your editing machine, because most capture codecs are not well suited to editing without a high-performance computer. H.264 and some raw files require a powerful CPU/GPU to edit smoothly, and very-high-bitrate codecs may require high-speed hard dry have to transcode your files to another codec before editing, which can take time. For most people, transcoding the footage isn’t a huge issue because it can be done ives or data servers. Unless you happen to be shooting an edit-friendly codec, you maovernight or on a spare computer. If you’re working on very tight turn-around times, however, you may choose a codec that will allow you to start editing immediately after a shoot, even if that means a higher cost or a sacrifice in image quality. I explain which codecs are best for editing in the next section.
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