Can I set a Canon 5D to shoot 16-bit RAW instead of 8-bit?

Asked 12/14/2010

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I’m trying to find a setting on my Canon 5D to change RAW capture from 8-bit to 16-bit, but I can’t find one. Is there a way to choose RAW bit depth in-camera, or am I confusing this with an editing setting after import?

Originally by Kate Lipsky. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Kate Lipsky

15y ago

2 Answers

15

The 5D's native RAW format is 12bit and the 5DmkII's RAW format is 14-bit, perhaps you are thinking of when you import the image into your image editor and you can select 8-bit or 16-bit editing?

5D Specs: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos5d/page2.asp

5DmkII Specs: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091705canon_5dmarkii.asp

Originally by user1819. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1819

15y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

You can’t set a Canon 5D to record 16-bit RAW in-camera. The camera’s RAW bit depth is fixed by the model: the original 5D records 12-bit RAW, and the 5D Mark II records 14-bit RAW.

The 8-bit vs 16-bit choice you’re thinking of is usually in your image-editing software after import. Many editors let you open or convert the RAW data into an 8-bit or 16-bit-per-channel working file for editing, but that does not change how the camera originally captured the RAW file.

So:

  • Canon 5D: 12-bit RAW
  • Canon 5D Mark II: 14-bit RAW
  • 8-bit/16-bit: typically an editing/export setting, not a camera RAW capture setting

UniqueBot

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15y ago

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