Canon video settings for Photographers: RAW / Gamma, Gamut, Encoding, and When to Use What

[TimHughes]

Prompted by an earlier question, I was reminded that the whole topic of video settings can be quite confusing, so I thought I'd put this together to help photographers moving into video to understand why these settings exist and how to know what settings you need. If you already shoot video regularly and know your gamma from your gamut, this won't tell you anything new.

For me, the confusion comes from different sources. The terminology is overloaded. For example, different things can be described as "709". Canon's menus aren't consistent across camera bodies and generations. Some bodies expose individual choices quite clearly, while others present ready-made Custom Picture combinations.

So here's how I currently understand it. Canon-focused, checked mainly against the R1 and R5. I hope this helps, and any corrections welcome.

RAW or Compressed? (Think Like a Photoshoot)

The first decision maps almost exactly onto something every photographer already does.

RAW video is the video equivalent of shooting RAW stills. The sensor data goes down largely unprocessed; white balance and tone are decided later, and you can push it around in a grade with far more room before things fall apart, much like developing a RAW photo rather than committing to a JPEG at the point of capture.

Compressed video is the JPEG equivalent. The camera's already made decisions on your behalf and baked them into the file. And like photos, it has the benefit of much smaller file sizes.

But compressed video isn't one bucket, any more than JPEG is. Think about the difference between shooting JPEG with a flat, neutral Picture Style versus shooting JPEG with Standard or Vivid baked in. Same RAW-vs-JPEG decision, but a second decision underneath it about how much of the final look gets committed in-camera. Video works the same way:

• Compressed + finished (Canon 709, BT.709 Standard, PQ, HLG) is the Standard or Vivid JPEG. It's meant to look right as it is, no further work assumed.
• Compressed + Log is the flat, neutral JPEG. It looks washed out straight off the card, and it's expecting you to do something with it.

So really there are three outcomes, not two:

1. Compressed + finished: it's ready straight out of camera, including the case where there's no "after" at all, like a livestream, where it has to look right the moment it's recorded.
2. Compressed + Log: you'll still be tweaking it in a video editing package, just starting from a smaller, already-processed file with less room to push.
3. RAW: you'll be developing it properly in a video editing package, same as developing a RAW photo.

Gamma and Gamut (Brightness and Colour)

Gamma and gamut are key concepts, and if you choose the compressed option, you will need to select them in the camera, as you can’t change them in the edit:

• Gamma = how brightness is mapped; think of it like a tone curve in Lightroom
• Gamut = how wide the colour space is

What the Gamma Options Do

• Canon 709 is designed to give a finished-looking image that works well without much post-processing. It's the sort of choice you make when you want something that looks right quickly. It's only available on the newer Custom Picture bodies (R1, R5 Mark II, R6 Mark III). Older bodies don't have it as a named option; you'd use a Picture Style instead for the same finished-look-fast idea.
• BT.709 Standard is another conventional Standard Dynamic Range (SDR)-style response, again intended to produce something close to a finished image. This one's available across the whole range. SDR is the normal world of web video on standard TV, older devices and monitors.
• Canon Log 2 is a very flat tone curve designed to preserve as much dynamic range as possible. It compresses highlights strongly and redistributes darker tones so more scene information fits into the recorded signal. The result looks low contrast until transformed or graded. This is the choice when maximum latitude matters and you're prepared to do proper post-production. As far as I know only on R1, R5 Mark II, R6 Mark III and Cinema cameras.
• Canon Log 3 is a milder Log curve. It still preserves a wide dynamic range, but it's easier to monitor and grade than Log 2. For general event, documentary and run-and-gun work, it's probably the more practical Log option. This one's on every Log-capable body.
• PQ, or Perceptual Quantizer, is an High Dynamic Range (HDR) transfer curve designed for precise brightness mapping to HDR displays. HDR is designed for displays capable of showing a much greater brightness range, particularly brighter highlights, i.e. web video on modern TVs, devices and monitors.
• HLG, or Hybrid Log-Gamma, is another HDR transfer curve, designed to be more broadcast-friendly and more tolerant of mixed HDR and SDR viewing environments.

What the Gamut Options Do

• BT.709, or Rec.709, is the standard colour gamut for conventional SDR video.
• BT.2020, or Rec.2020, is a much wider standardised colour gamut, used principally for UHD and HDR workflows. Worth being clear that BT.2020 by itself doesn't make something HDR though, it's just the colour gamut, PQ or HLG is what actually provides the HDR brightness behaviour. You can shoot BT.2020 for perfectly ordinary SDR grading too.
• Canon Cinema Gamut is Canon's very wide acquisition colour space. It's wider than BT.2020 in some areas and is intended to preserve colour information for grading rather than direct viewing. In practical terms, Cinema Gamut can contain colours your editing monitor can't display. That's not a problem. The point is to preserve the information and map it into the final output space later.

What Gamma and Gamut Combinations Make Sense?

• Canon 709 + BT.709 "I just want straight out of camera. Fast turnaround." Useful for livestreams, corporate work, same-day edits, straightforward web delivery and anything where grading brings little practical benefit. Only exists as a named option on R1, R5 Mark II, R6 Mark III, R5C and Cinema EOS, on other bodies use a Picture Style for the same idea, it's always BT.709 there anyway.
• C-Log3 + BT.2020 "Give me some latitude for post, but I already know I'm happy to work in BT.2020." You retain Log tonal flexibility but have already committed the colour workflow to BT.2020. Only selectable on the older independent-menu bodies. On R1/R5 Mark II/R6 Mark III, Log locks to Cinema Gamut, this combination isn't available.
• C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut "I want flexibility in both tone and colour. I'll decide the final output later." A strong general-purpose grading option, works well where lighting may be unpredictable or difficult to control perfectly. Available everywhere Log 3 is, it's the automatic default on the newer bodies and one of three choices on the older ones.
• C-Log2 + Cinema Gamut "The lighting situation is difficult. I'll expose as carefully as I can, but I want to preserve as much dynamic range and colour information as possible for post." Maximum grading latitude, also means more work. Same gamut logic as above, and only relevant on bodies that have Log 2 at all.
• PQ + BT.2020 "I want HDR output with minimal grading." An HDR-ready workflow where the output is intended for PQ-based HDR displays.
• HLG + BT.2020 "I want HDR output with a simpler, broadcast-friendly workflow and better compatibility with mixed viewing environments."

How to Choose Your Settings

Step 1: RAW or Compressed?

• Same question as the RAW vs JPEG one above, applied here. If you need maximum flexibility in post, that's RAW, or RAW Light if full RAW file sizes are excessive, it gives roughly 35% smaller files for a bit less flexibility. Common reasons: white balance is uncertain, exposure is difficult, Green Screen VFX or compositing is involved, or the shot is particularly important and unrepeatable.
• If you don't need that level of flexibility, compressed recording is usually far more practical, and is what the rest of this section is about.
• If you choose RAW, skip to Step 5, gamma and gamut get decided in post instead of here.

Step 2: Which Gamma?

• If you're not planning to grade and want a fast turnaround, Canon 709 or BT.709 Standard are the obvious choices.
• If you know you want HDR delivery, PQ or HLG make sense.
• If you want room to grade, use Canon Log 2 or Canon Log 3.
• Log 3 is generally the easier option. Log 2 makes sense when maximum dynamic range is worth the extra grading effort, and only on bodies that support it.

Step 3: Which Gamut?

• This only really applies if you picked Log in Step 2. Canon 709, BT.709 Standard, PQ and HLG each only pair with one gamut anyway (see Combinations above), and only some cameras give you a real choice even for Log, R1/R5 Mark II/R6 Mark III lock Log to Cinema Gamut regardless of what you'd prefer.
• BT.709 makes sense if you deliberately want to keep the workflow within the standard SDR gamut.
• BT.2020 makes sense if your workflow's already built around Rec.2020.
• Cinema Gamut makes sense if you want maximum acquisition flexibility or don't yet know the final deliverable.

Step 4: Which Encoding?

• ALL-I, or Intra, means every frame is independently encoded. That can be useful for heavy editing, frame-by-frame work, Green Screen / VFX and situations where frame independence matters. The trade-off is roughly 2 to 3x the file size of IPB.
• IPB, or Long GOP, is much more storage-efficient and is usually the sensible default for normal editing.
• IPB Light can make sense where storage, recording duration or upload speed matters more than maximum compression quality, that's the "Light" referenced in some of the examples below.

Step 5: What Resolution?

• Shoot above your delivery resolution if you need reframing, stabilisation, multiple crops from one shot, or the cleaner image oversampling can sometimes give you.
• Otherwise, native delivery resolution may be all you need.

Reality Check

Any of the practical limitations below can override the theoretically ideal setting:

• Card speed matters. Can your card actually sustain the recording bitrate? RAW and high-data-rate modes may need CFexpress, while more modest IPB modes can often run happily on fast SD cards.
• Thermal limits matter. Will the camera record continuously for as long as the shot lasts? This varies a lot between bodies and recording modes. Worth testing if you're not sure.
• Rolling shutter matters with fast motion or rapid camera movement. Sensor readout speed is important here. Stacked sensor bodies such as the R1 and R5 Mark II generally perform much better, while slower-readout bodies can show visible skew.
• Flicker is a separate issue. With LED or stage lighting, shutter speed, mains frequency and anti-flicker settings can become important.
• Turnaround matters too. Does your schedule actually allow for grading? If not, don't shoot Log simply because the dynamic range looks attractive.

Examples

Ordered from least demanding to most demanding, roughly Canon 709 at one end and RAW at the other:

• Podcast / Livestream Live output plus VOD, long duration, audio priority. No RAW. Usually no Log if it has to look right live. Canon 709 or BT.709 Standard, with IPB, is the obvious starting point.
• Corporate Talking Heads Controlled lighting and fast turnaround expected. Canon 709 or BT.709 Standard with IPB will usually do the job very well.
• Social / Vlog Shot and posted quickly. Canon 709 and IPB. Keep life simple.
• Sports Fast motion, long duration and often a fast highlight turnaround. Canon 709 or BT.709 Standard with IPB makes sense. IPB Light may be useful for very long games. Log can still make sense where the footage is being properly graded rather than turned around immediately.
• Stand-up Comedy Long sets, tricky stage lighting and a high volume of footage. RAW is rarely practical at that duration. C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut is a strong option. Canon 709 can make more sense if turnaround is more important than grading latitude. IPB is likely the practical choice.
• Wildlife / Nature Harsh natural light, fast erratic motion and unpredictable duration. RAW can become impractical very quickly at wildlife shooting volumes. C-Log3 or C-Log2 + Cinema Gamut can make sense, usually with IPB. Sensor readout speed also matters significantly for fast-moving subjects.
• Documentary / Run-and-Gun Unpredictable lighting, schedule and duration. RAW may make sense for particularly important or difficult moments. C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut is a strong general-coverage option, with IPB keeping storage manageable.
• Weddings / Events Many hours of coverage, unpredictable venue lighting and sometimes same-day-edit pressure. RAW only really makes sense for selected critical material if there's a specific reason for it. C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut is a good general-coverage option. Canon 709 can make more sense for material that needs immediate turnaround.
• Theatre / Stage Shows Long takes, mixed and coloured lighting, and large brightness changes. C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut is a strong default. RAW Light can make sense for shorter or particularly demanding material, but file sizes become substantial very quickly over a full performance. IPB is likely the sensible choice for general coverage.
• Concerts / Live Music Similar to theatre, but often with even more extreme contrast and unpredictable lighting. C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut is a strong general choice. RAW Light may be useful for selected material where the extra flexibility genuinely matters.
• Indie Filmmaking Planned lighting, a proper grading pipeline and possibly VFX. RAW makes sense for hero shots, compositing or VFX where useful. C-Log2 or C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut works well otherwise. ALL-I may be useful where frame independence helps VFX or heavy editing, IPB will usually be more sensible for ordinary dialogue and coverage.
• Product / Commercial Controlled lighting, but colour accuracy may be critical. RAW gives maximum adjustment latitude, particularly for difficult colours, compositing or VFX. Otherwise C-Log2 or C-Log3 + Cinema Gamut works well. Accurate lighting, profiling, monitoring and colour management matter at least as much as the recording format itself.

Sound Is More Important Than All of This

None of the above matters if the sound isn't clear.

Seriously, viewers will forgive average colour. They will not forgive dialogue they can't understand.

Get a decent mic on your subject before worrying about Cinema Gamut.