In this video I wanted to highlight the differences between RAW and Prores, and my thoughts on Blackmagic RAW as well:
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In a nutshell, here is what I recommend:
| Types of work | Codec | Dynamic Range (Gamma) |
| Best image quality, VFX Work, Chroma Keying | Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | Film (log) |
| Straight to web, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. | Apple ProRes 422 LT | Extended Video (or your favorite LUT) |
| General shooting | Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | Film (log) |
Here’s a quick chart of the data rates for each codec:
| Codec | Variant | Data rate at 30 fps 4K DCI* |
| Blackmagic RAW | CB 3:1 | 135 MB/s |
| Blackmagic RAW | CB 5:1 | 81 MB/s |
| Blackmagic RAW | CB 8:1 | 51 MB/s |
| Blackmagic RAW | CB 12:1 | 34 MB/s |
| Blackmagic RAW | Q0 | 81 to 203 MB/s |
| Blackmagic RAW | Q5 | 21 to 58 MB/s |
| Prores | HQ | 117.88 MB/s |
| Prores | 422 | 78.63 MB/s |
| Prores | LT | 54.63 MB/s |
| Prores | Proxy (PXY) | 24.25 |
*The Pocket 6K cannot record 6K Prores, the comparisons are only within the scope of 4K DCI, and are similar to both Pocket 6K and Pocket 4K cameras.
It is pretty clear there’s no point shooting Prores HQ when CB 3:1 is pretty close and gives you a lot more possibilities. As far as picking a codec for direct-to-YouTube, Prores LT is a great option without sacrificing quality. YouTube accepts Apple Prores, but not BRAW.
