If the SI-2K MINI captures pixel data with a 12-bit A/D converter, but only records at 10-bit, isn dynamic range lost?
No. While we are not using a logarithmic file format for saving the information off the camera head, the gamma-correction LUT we are using was designed to visually maintain the entire dynamic range that the camera head can deliver in a 12-to-10-bit conversion workflow. Also because we are capturing a 10-bit file using a high-dynamic range/low-noise sensor, there is much more room for under-exposure than other 8-bit tape-based formats and CCD-based HD cameras, so the user can maintain highlight detail by under-exposing the camera without damaging any information in the shadows. The noise floor is the only limit for dynamic range. We are not doing what is typical of the Rec. ITU-709 transfer curve that clips the highlights and throws away the over-exposure headroom of the sensor, nor are we relying on dynamic knee controls to automatically squeeze as much visual dynamic range into the recorded image. The LUT, along with its associated fixed knee, is designed to transfer the entire dynami
