The New Sony X-OCN Codec: Sample Footage, Comparison, and Details

We got our new Sony AXS-R7 RAW recorder for the F5/F55 cameras recently and we were eager to get it onto our F55 and test out the new Sony X-OCN codec. We shot some X-OCN sample footage which you can download below.

The X-OCN codec is a 16-bit compressed codec and comes in two flavors, ST and LT.  The benefits of using the X-OCN codec vs the RAW available on the R7 are primarily space related.  The X-OCN ST codec uses about 33% less media than the RAW, and the LT version uses roughly one third of the space.  When compared to the ever popular ProRes codecs the X-OCN offers greater bit depth while still offering space savings. The ST codec uses less space than ProRes 422 HQ, and the LT codec uses less space than ProRes 422. Scroll down to the see our Sony X-OCN sample footage.

At the present time, the number of software applications able to read the X-OCN codec is pretty limited, but hopefully expanding soon.  I was able to read the footage with Sony RAW Viewer 2.3 and DaVinci Resolve 12.5, but was not able to read it with either Final Cut Pro X 10.3.1 or PremierePro CC 2017.  I did encounter an issue when working in DaVinci Resolve where when trying to open the Camera RAW Codec Settings in the menus DaVinci would crash.  You can still work with the footage in DaVinci, but that one function will cause the program to crash.

UPDATE: The latest version of Baselight will work with the X-OCN clips.

The little bit of playing I have done with the footage we captured has proved the X-OCN codec to be very flexible once you start pushing the colors and exposure around.  I tested the codecs latitude for recovering from over exposure and for correcting from an improper white balance.  You can see the results in the images below.

Sony AXS-R7 RAW Recorder with Sony X-OCN Sample Footage

You can also try out the footage for yourself by following the links provided to download the files as they appear on the media cards.  I included a RAW file so you have an example of that to work with as well.

UPDATE: More footage has been added comparing X-OCN ST, X-OCN LT and XAVC 480 footage at regular speeds and at high frame rates.

Base Test Files

• Sony RAW
• X-OCN LT
• X-OCN ST

Exposure Latitude Test Files

• X-OCN LT 2 Stops over Exposed
• X-OCN LT 2 Stops under Exposed
• X-OCN LT 0-4 Stops over Exposed
• X-OCN ST 2 Stops over Exposed
• X-OCN ST 2 Stops under Exposed
• X-OCN ST 0-4 Stops over Exposed

White Balance Latitude Test Files

• X-OCN LT Camera WB 3200 Lights 6500
• X-OCN LT Camera WB 5500 Lights 2800
• X-OCN ST Camera WB 3200 Lights 6500
• X-OCN ST Camera WB 5500 Lights 2800

24 FPS Tornado Lamp

• X-OCN LT 24 fps
• X-OCN ST 24 fps
• XAVC 480 24 fps

240/180 FPS Tornado Lamp

• X-OCN LT 240 fps
• X-OCN ST 240 fps
• XAVC 480 180 fps

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