CineD Asks Question Answered A Decade Ago

CineD’s piece, “Has RAW Video Finally Gone Mainstream?,” is baffling: did they just wake up from a coma? RED introduced the RED ONE, which recorded their proprietary REDCODE RAW format, back in 2007. Canon’s been offering raw in their cinema camera lineup for nearly a decade. Blackmagic defined affordable raw cinema cameras starting in… 2012! Atomos made external raw recording mainstream ages ago, and the ability to record high-quality raw internally or to affordable external media has been a standard feature—even in low-cost mirrorless cameras—for years.

“The tide may be turning toward mainstream acceptance” – CineD

Claiming that raw is only now approaching mainstream status is like saying that smartphones are finally starting to catch on. For well over ten years now, raw has been the baseline expectation for professional cinema cameras, broadcast-grade documentaries, high-end commercials, and serious independent filmmaking. Publishing nonsense like that seriously undermines CineD’s credibility as a trade publication – not that it had any to begin with.