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Witch Codec for DaVinci (4k) ?

A

ALAIN

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2025
Messages
43
Hello,
After many years of photography (street, landscape, reproduction, etc.), I'm now interested in video, particularly for creating 4K films of around 20 minutes about my travels.

Until now, I've been combining photos (exported as approximately 12MP JPGs from high-resolution 60 or 100MP files) with footage shot on my iPhone 15. All of this is then edited in DaVinci Resolve for 4K viewing on a TV screen or video projector.
Having an S1 II / 24-70mm f/2.5 Art II lens (originally for wildlife photography with a Sigma 500mm f/5.6), I'd like to use it to create the video sequences, of course.

I'm looking for information on choosing the most suitable codec(s) that will get the best performance from the camera, with the best possible stabilization, and ideally, the ability to achieve roughly 2x slow motion (either from a single codec or by quickly changing a parameter).

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.
 
Nice camera! (Mine is a S5iiX). I have a few questions: Are you in a PAL or NTSC (television standard) country? What's your preferred delivery frame rate (such as 24p, 25p, 30p, 48p, 50p, 60p)? Do you typically present your videos in horizontal (wide screen), or vertical (portrait) mode? Will you "often" present your video as either wide screen or portrait (in other words, do you want flexibility to present the footage either way)? Are you recording to internal SD or CFexpress card, or external SSD vis USB-C? What is the capacity (in GB/TB) of your media?
 
Also: Are you using the free version of Davinci Resolve, or the paid version of Davinci Resolve Studio?
 
ALAIN said:
I'm now interested in video, particularly for creating 4K films of around 20 minutes about my travels.
Click to expand...
DaVinci Resolve can handle any format the S1 II can throw at it, especially if you have the Studio version and a capable computer. For 4K with Lumix cameras I mostly use 422 All-I. Sometimes I use ProRes 422, but usually All-I. In general I don't use ProRes RAW (unless there is really really a good reason). With non-RAW video you get the benefit of in-camera lens compensation, and full-frame cropless stabilization (for Lumix lenses).

Don't underestimate the value of the iPhone 15 for shooting video. It's hand-held stabilization can't be matched, even though Lumix has the best stabilization for mirrorless cameras. For shooting on a tripod or with a gimbal it doesn't matter, but much of the time the convenience of an iPhone can't be beat.

Happy shooting.
 
Thanks for the valuable advice, and for the necessary questions too ;)
- In France, the network operates at 50Hz; PAL is generally used, and I use frequencies of 25, 50, 100... frames per second.
- My videos are horizontal and edited in 16:9 aspect ratio.
- I record onto a 512GB CF Express card, 1750/1300MB/s
 
Page 152 in the S1 M2 user manual is where the "fun" begins. :) I'll have more comments about this soon.
 
ALAIN said:
Thanks for the valuable advice, and for the necessary questions too ;)
- In France, the network operates at 50Hz; PAL is generally used, and I use frequencies of 25, 50, 100... frames per second.
- My videos are horizontal and edited in 16:9 aspect ratio.
- I record onto a 512GB CF Express card, 1750/1300MB/s
Click to expand...
On page 152 in your S1 M2 camera's user manual ... the camera has two "Rec. File Format" options to record 4K UHD 3840x2160 resolution video, 16:9 aspect ratio, in 10-bit, full-frame, at 25p & 50p frame rates. An advantage of the modes on this page are the relatively low data rates, requiring relatively less storage space. However, subject to your testing, you may not be satisfied with the visual quality resulting from these data rates. I recommend recording a few brief test clips, using camera technique (handheld/tripod/etc.), you expect to use during your typical shooting to see if you like the result. The 50p recording mode could be used in a 25p editing timeline to produce a slow-mo effect.

On page 158 in your camera's user manual ... there are two options to record 5.9K 5888x3312 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 10-bit, full-frame, 25p & 50p frame rates. Note the higher data rates. Subject to your testing, you may like the visual quality these modes afford, but the video will require more storage space. It also requires more computing processing to edit. But again, a few brief "representative" test clips should let you know if your computer can handle it. Again, recording at 50p could be used in a 25p editing timeline to create slow-mo. In a 4K Davinci Resolve editing timeline, the relatively hi-res 5.9K 16:9 footage gives you flexibility for cropping, and over-sampling for higher-quality 4K UHD 16:9 final renders.

On page 159 ... there's an option to record 4K UHD 3840x2160 resolution video, 16:9, 10-bit, full-frame, at 100p frame rate. An interesting mode to test (for producing slow-mo in a 25p or 50p editing timeline).

There are other recording modes you might experiment with, such as aspect ratios 17:9 and 2.4:1, subject to your preference and testing. Likewise, ProRes 422, ProRes HQ, and ProRes RAW, and ProRes RAW HQ are very good, high-quality formats, but require substantially more storage compared to HEVC & AVC.
 
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This concise summary of the "huge manual" is fantastic! Thanks so much Peter !
I'm noting these settings to compare them objectively.
I like the idea of filming in 50 or 100p with the understanding that we can edit with slow motion later.
 
ALAIN said:
This concise summary of the "huge manual" is fantastic! Thanks so much Peter !
I'm noting these settings to compare them objectively.
I like the idea of filming in 50 or 100p with the understanding that we can edit with slow motion later.
Click to expand...
Filming at a high shutter speed comes with a major downside: you’re letting less light hit the sensor, which forces you to increase your ISO and introduces more noise. Ofcourse this is not a problem outside on a sunny day.

In general, it’s best to shoot in the framerate you actually need, not in whatever might be useful occasionally. Most video is still produced at 25p/30p depending on the region, and cinema sticks to 24p for a reason. Higher framerates like 48p/50p/60p can make sense for fast-moving action, but the vast majority of older films and videos shot at standard framerates still look great—just don’t pause on a single frame.

It’s also worth reading up on the 180-degree shutter rule; it explains a lot about why motion looks natural.
About the codecs: for most videos, all Panasonic codecs inside the .mov container are perfectly fine. Just avoid the .mp4 container, because the bitrate is heavily restricted there.

Before jumping into ALL-I or ProRes (Standard, HQ, or RAW), take a good look at 10-bit recording, V-Log, grading, and the correct base ISOs. These factors have far more impact on your overall image quality than the difference between different codecs. Once those fundamentals are solid, the codec choice becomes meaningful.

Finally, DaVinci Resolve Studio has excellent frame-interpolation tools. I use them regularly, and they deliver very good results in most cases, so in a pinch that is good solution for slowmo.
 
Excellent advice once again! Thank you!

I just programmed this, all in LOG:
C1: 4K 25p 422/10 L
C2: 4K 50p 422/10 L
C3: 4K 100p 420/10 L
C4: 5.1K 50p Open-Gate 420/10 L
C5: 5.9K 50p 16/9 420/10 L

I was already using circle-angle for my brief experience with an SL2S; I like this way of thinking about exposure time. The tradition is to film in M mode, isn't it?
(But then, you can't use the +/- buttons on the rear dial, which isn't a big deal.)
 
I mostly film in 4K 25p 422/10 log. The only exeception is when I shoot in church the worship or a concert with just 1 camera.
Than I shoot Prores in 5.9 K on a tripod and afterwards I make 'virtual' camera's of parts of the recording, and use these in multicam. But make sure you have enough depth of field otherwise this trick won't work. And ofcourse you wil get lower resolution shots - but better than no recording right ;-)

Here an example how this can turn out:
 
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