redcode 28 vs redcode 36

[squarerootofnine]

so, i'm new here and have been trying to glean as much information as possible. i really appreciate the wealth of information available.

whether it's my inability to search effectively or it's just not there, i can't find a clear cut definition of the differences between 28 and 36. i get that 36 is higher quality, that it will take up more space on a flash card, but from a quality standpoint, what do you lose going to 28 or gain going to 36?

i'll be shooting on a build 15 Red One to CF and then, ultimately, we're cutting in Final Cut.

 

[Adam Glick]

My understanding is that RedCode 36 simply uses a lower compression ratio of 9:1 - whereas Redcode 28 runs about 12:1.

This obviously increases the datarate and indicates that Redcode 36 retains more of the original sensor data than does RC28.

The assumption is that this is a better mode to use if you plan to be generating uncompressed frames for VFX-heavy sequences in post.

Arguably, this is because "visually-lossless" compression schema such as the wavelet compression used in the RED One have been thought, in certain instances, to be troublesome for some multi-layer FX shots.

There are many who say that REDCODE holds up just fine for VFX...

There are valid arguements on both sides but I let the folks choose for themselves.

There may well be other reasons to shoot in RC36 beyond the one I mention...I'm sure somebody will chime in who's more knowledgeable about this than i...

 

[Noah Kadner]

It's the tradeoff of all codecs- space vs. quality. 28 is solid for most applications but if you find yourself wanting more go up to 36. But be careful at the higher datarate you can encounter codec errors if the compression gets overwhelmed- especially in 16:9 4K.

Noah

 

[michael L]

how much space is saved using 28 vs. 36?

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

i get that 36 is higher quality, that it will take up more space on a flash card, but from a quality standpoint, what do you lose going to 28 or gain going to 36?

i'll be shooting on a build 15 Red One to CF and then, ultimately, we're cutting in Final Cut.

You can shoot 28 to CF in 4K 16x9 - in 36 you must shoot on the drive to get 4K 16x9.

Based on all of our tests - better to take the extra resolution at 28 than less resolution (4K 2:1 cropped to 16x9) at 36.

From a "quality standpoint" you don't really "loose" anything shooting 28 vs. 36. It's VERY, VERY hard to see the difference - it only really matters in scenes with extreme high detail.

 

[squarerootofnine]

thanks all.

the advice to take the extra resolution at 28 seems very appropriate - however, we've been forced into shooting 29.97, which limits us to shooting 2k to CF (from what I can tell we have to go 2k - or could we go 3k?). from what i've heard, a lot of people are having to shoot 2k, why is no one talking about an appropriate workflow in less than ideal conditions?

even though this project demands 2k capture, we will be grabbing several things at 4k for our own use - so all hope is not lost.