12-bit. There is a lot more color information is being stored,
after all.
There’s another drawback to the 14-bit mode that some may
find quite objectionable. The maximum frame advance rate in
CH mode—continuous high on the Release mode dial—drops
from the normal 6 or 7 frames per second to only 2.5 frames
per second. It takes a lot more time to process all that extra
color information. If you’re a sports or action shooter, you
might not want to use the 14-bit mode. If you’re a nature
shooter and don’t need high-speed frame rates, 14-bit is best
for the image.
Channel and Bit Depth Tutorial
What does all the 8-bit, 12-bit, and 14-bit talk mean? Why
would I change my camera to 14-bit depth instead of the
default 12-bit? Here is a short tutorial on bit depth and how if
affects color storage in an image:
An image from your camera is an RGB image. RGB stands
for red, green, blue. Each of the colors has its own “channel”.
There is a red channel (R), a green channel (G), and a blue
channel (B).
If you’re shooting in 12-bit mode, your camera will record up
to 4,096 colors for each channel. So there will be up to 4,096
different reds, 4,096 different greens, and 4,096 different
blues. Lots of color! In fact, almost 69,000,000,000 (69
billion) colors.
However, if you set your camera to 14-bit mode, instead of
4,096 different colors per channel, the camera can now store
16,384 different colors in each channel. Wow! That’s quite a
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