Nikon D4 video

[Rob Manning]

John,

Is HDMI directly out, less compressed than h.264 via the CPU?

If so, what format is that, or, is it an iteration of h.264?

Many thanks,

Rob

[Andrew Somers]

Is HDMI directly out, less compressed than h.264 via the CPU?

If so, what format is that, or, is it an iteration of h.264?

HDMI is always uncompressed – the question is, is there any interim compression between debayering stage and the HDMI output.

Nikon;s press release states:

“Uncompressed HDMI output: for those who need the purest video output for professional quality editing, the D4 offers the possibility to output the uncompressed live view to external recorders and monitors. The first time this has been possible in an SLR camera, data is output at 1080i (Full HD) at the designated image size and frame rate. Data output can be scaled down if necessary and is clean of the information overlay that can be simultaneously displayed on the camera’s TFT monitor.”

[Roy Simon]

It would be nice if camera manufacturers would all talk apples to apples.

Nikon states;

https://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d4/pdf/d4_12p.pdf

video is (H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding)

For Canon;

https://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/professional_cameras/digital_slr_cameras/eos_1d_x#Specifications

Video specs are;(MOV (image data: H.264; audio: Linear PCM)

Further;

https://wideopencamera.com/just-the-cut/canon-1d-x-what-the-compression

(The biggest change to the movie shooting is the ability to choose from two different compression methods — IPB or ALL-I — depending on your needs. The EOS-1D X still records movies using the H.264 codec but it is the compression type within this codec that has been changed.)

So how do these compare? Is Nikons claim of HDMI different than Canons claim of ALL-I uncompressed HD video? Some direct comparison would be nice!