When Nikon announced its forthcoming Z9 camera, it confirmed it would be able to shoot 8K Raw video at up to 60 frames per second (fps) with a firmware set to be released in 2022. At the time, Nikon didn’t specify how it had achieved this, but we now know it’s being done with the help of TicoRAW, a compression technology from intoPIX that Nikon is licensing for its Nikon Z9 camera system.
In a press release, published today, intoPIX says Nikon selected its TicoRAW technology for use in its Z9 camera system to achieve 8K Raw recording at up to 60 fps. According to intoPIX, TicoRAW captures the full quality of the sensor data while reducing the bandwidth and storage needs through its patented compression technology. Tico stands for ‘Tiny Codec’ and is named as such because it uses minimal resources and doesn’t require any external DRAM.
TicoRAW works with color filter array (CFA) Raw data captured on 8-, 10-, 12- or 16-bit Bayer sensors up to 200 megapixels. intoPIX says its patented compression technology is ‘mathematically lossless and visually lossless down to 1 bit per pixel,’ depending on the compression rate used for its line-based processing. The latency of TicoRAW is just as low as just 0.1 millisecond.
A chart showing the amount of 12-bit 60 fps video you can expect to be able to record at 1080p, 4K and 8K resolutions using different versions of its TicoRAW compression technology.
Based on charts provided by intoPIX, TicoRAW can capture up to 11 minutes of 8K (7680 x 4320 pixel) mathematically lossless video and up to 54 minutes of visually lossless video on a 1TB solid state drive (SSD) when shooting with 12-bit video at 60 fps.
Although the press release only refers to video, the Z9 is the first Nikon camera to offer two new ‘High Efficiency’ Raw compression options, so it’s possible intoPIX’s TicoRAW technology also underpins these. We have contacted both intoPIX and Nikon for clarification on this matter andhave inquired with intoPIX as to whether the partnership is exclusive to the Nikon Z9 or whether Nikon licensed it for future camera systems as well.
Press release:
intoPIX TicoRAW Technology Added with High-Efficiency RAW Recording of Nikon Z 9 Flagship Mirrorless Camera
A smart strategic move that will allow camera professionals to benefit from higher resolution with still & movie RAW format, while significantly reducing storage
Nikon made the bold strategic move to select the intoPIX TicoRAW technology: leapfrogging existing camera limitations to meet all advanced and upcoming requirements of imaging professionals, whether in live sports, film, wildlife documentaries or other challenging environments. Thanks to this addition, the new Z 9 camera offers High-Efficiency RAW recording up to 8K and 60fps (available through the 2022 firmware update), preserving all the benefits of the RAW format, while ensuring very low power processing and very fast transfer speed.
With TicoRAW, the full quality of the captured sensor data is preserved while reducing the bandwidth and the storage needs. It can be used for both Still pictures and RAW movies. This patented technology offers high image quality, and the capability to manage very high resolutions, high frame rates and high dynamic range workflows. TicoRAW is the world’s first RAW codec that can offer compression efficiency with such low complexity. It also has the advantage of retaining this very fast format for editing, regardless of resolution and/or frame rates used.
“intoPIX is really proud to work with Nikon. Together we share the same ideals and passion: offer ever more beautiful images and videos, at anytime, anywhere in the world. Experience image-making like never before.” explained Gael Rouvroy, CEO at intoPIX.
With this latest revolution, intoPIX and Nikon invite all camera enthusiasts to enter this fantastic world of limitless imaging.
The two companies welcome everybody to contact their respective teams to sample the intoPIX TicoRAW technology solutions and the new Nikon cameras.
This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the year winds down, we’re highlighting some of our standout products of the year. Check out the winners of the 2021 DPReview Awards!Want to learn more about the Nikon Z9? Do you have a burning question you haven’t seen answered anywhere else? Join us for a live Twitter Space on Thursday, November 11, and be part of the conversation. Click through for details.The Nikon Z9 offers the kind of features that only a mirrorless camera could provide, yet it’s among the most DSLR-like of its peers. In this article, DPReview Reviews Editor Carey Rose explains what this means (and why it’s a good thing).On the eve of the Z9 launch, we spoke to Naoyuki Murakami, Executive Fellow and Sector Manager of the Development Sector in Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, to learn more about the new camera, and what it means for Nikon’s future.Nikon is hoping that the new Z9 represents a ‘D3 moment’ in the life-cycle of its mirrorless Z-mount lineup. But what does that mean? To explain, we need take a trip down memory lane to 2007 – a time before mirrorless (and hashtags!)
The Great Joy 60mm T2.9 offers full-frame users an affordable option for 1.33x anamorphic shooting, while the 1.35x adapter can squeeze that to 1.8x, or turn your regular spherical lenses anamorphic for an even more budget-friendly solution.Apple’s flagship M1 Max MacBook Pro offers a combination of performance, efficiency, build quality, and screen quality that you cannot find in any PC on the market, full stop.The DJI Action 2 is an innovative action camera that captures great video and supports with a variety of magnetic accessories. Packing this much technology into such a tiny form factor is an impressive feat, but it comes at a cost. Read our review to get all the details.Exposure Software’s latest release, Exposure X7, offers impressive editing performance and great image quality along with a solid feature set that gives Adobe Lightroom a run for its money (but without the monthly subscription). Get all the details in our review.The new Dell XPS 17 (9710) is a solid laptop with a sleek design language, great build quality, and a color-accurate 17-inch display. But we’re not sure Dell has done enough to differentiate it from its little brother, the XPS 15.
If you’re looking for the perfect drone for yourself, or to gift someone special, we’ve gone through all of the options and selected our favorites.What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.Most modern cameras will shoot video to one degree or another, but these are the ones we’d look at if you plan to shoot some video alongside your photos. We’ve chosen cameras that can take great photos and make it easy to get great looking video, rather than being the ones you’d choose as a committed videographer.Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we’ve chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.Whether you’re just sharing clips with friends or you’re launching an online on-camera career, vlogging matters. We looked at cameras with selfie-friendly screens, wide-angle lenses, microphone inputs and great video quality, and selected the best.