Ever felt your videos could use a boost in sharpness and colours on HDR screens? A 10-bit colour depth video recorder is a go-to for videographers who aim to create videos that stay vivid and lifelike, even on the highest-resolution displays, and here is why.

For beginners, digital images and video frames are composed of pixels which are essentially points of colour, and each pixel contains colour information made of a combination of 3 primary colour channels, red, blue and green. The colour depth or bit depth determines the number of colours that can be stored and represented in each pixel. A 10-bit colour depth gives you 1,024 possible shades of each primary colour, and when the colour channels combine, each pixel could display approximately 1.07 billion possible colours. For comparison, an 8-bit colour depth allows for approximately 16 million possible colours in each pixel.

Our eyes are known to be capable of distinguishing approximately 10 million colours, which 8-bit colour depth can achieve. So why would video producers turn to 10-bit colour depth video recording?

10-bit colour depth, first and foremost, benefits data processing. In video post-processing, stretching the saturation and adding white balance often cause colour banding and would require heavy dithering by the end. A 10-bit colour depth recorded footage is largely free of the issue as a greater range of colour data is available for reproducing the scene in fine details.

The emergence of HDR screens also poses as a great opportunity for video content shot in 10-bit colour depth technology to shine. As HDR screens are capable of displaying a wider colour range at a higher contrast ratio than the average screens, 10-bit colour depth video files make the best out of the hardware with a colossal amount of graphic details to be shown on screen, making for the most vivid and realistic video displays.

Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 embraces the technology to empower video creators keen on producing professional-quality video content. With 4K UHD 10-bit output, extensive colour depth range allows you to record rich gradation information in a wide dynamic range, capturing every detail and providing flexibility in post-processing like never before.