FS5: Frame Rates

[John Gilmore]

I've just got my FS5 and I was wondering about what frame rate to use.

I intend to shoot XAVC HD, as QFHD gives only 4:2:0.

My question is what frame rate will give the best quality?

I have seen recomendations which state that 1080/25p 50Mbps will give the best quality.

So I have two questions.

Firstly, should I use the NTSC or PAL frame rates? As I'm based in the UK, I assume that the 50Hz (PAL) frame rates would be the natural choice, although you do seem to get more options with the NTSC 60Hz frame rates.

Secondly,assuming a bit rate of 50Mbps, will I sacrifice image quality by using the higher frame rates (60p/50p) or will I obtain better quality by using the lower frame rates (24p/25p)?

 

[Viddovation]

I've just got my FS5 and I was wondering about what frame rate to use.

I intend to shoot XAVC HD, as QFHD gives only 4:2:0.

My question is what frame rate will give the best quality?

I have seen recomendations which state that 1080/25p 50Mbps will give the best quality.

So I have two questions.

Firstly, should I use the NTSC or PAL frame rates? As I'm based in the UK, I assume that the 50Hz (PAL) frame rates would be the natural choice, although you do seem to get more options with the NTSC 60Hz frame rates.

Secondly,assuming a bit rate of 50Mbps, will I sacrifice image quality by using the higher frame rates (60p/50p) or will I obtain better quality by using the lower frame rates (24p/25p)?

The primary consideration when choosing frame rate is the intended final viewing format you'll need to deliver to. Being in the UK, sticking with PAL rates is most likely the best course of action. If you do shoot content for producers of 60Hz markets like the USA, then they are likely to want the footage to match the NTSC standard used in the rest of their footage. For the web I expect 25p is going to make the most sense - web displays are typically progressive, so 50i doesn't make sense, and 50p content over the web means twice as much bandwidth. If you're shooting a movie in the UK, 25p is still a good choice - it's native format will work for television broadcast in the UK, and there is a well established process to slightly slow down 25p to 24p or 23.98p, for distribution abroad in NTSC markets.

With codecs rated Mbps, yes, the lower number of frames per second means there are more bytes to allot to each frame. Don't over think that part though.

I'm guessing 25p should be your goto - but be careful if you have foreign clients.