RAW video sounds like a filmmaker’s dream. It’s like RAW files for photographers – the full image data captured by the sensor, ready to be processed and interpreted in any way you like. Forget 8-bit and 10-bit, forget log profiles, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0. Forget all the complexities of regular video settings. If you can shoot RAW video, none of that matters. So why not use it all of the time, so long as your camera can handle it?
Well, the principle is wonderful, but RAW video files are BIG. It’s hard enough to find cameras that can shoot RAW best, as many of the best hybrid cameras still need the help of an external recorder, and only a few can shoot and save RAW video internally. Although, it is becoming more prevalent. The Nikon Z5 II certainly surprised me with its ability to capture 4K 30p RAW video, internally, not bad for an entry point into the full-frame market.
