Bitrate

Bitrate measures how much data a video file contains per unit of time, expressed in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). A higher bitrate means more data is allocated to represent each second of footage. This reduces the aggressiveness of the compression codec, preserving more of the original sensor data and resulting in footage with finer detail, smoother gradients, and less compression artefacts in high-motion scenes or areas of fine texture.

In practical terms, bitrate matters most when shooting for post-production rather than direct delivery. Low-bitrate footage — typically under 50Mbps — compresses heavily and may show blocking or smearing artefacts in challenging scenes. High-bitrate footage at 200Mbps or above retains more of the original image data and handles colour grading, exposure adjustment, and noise reduction better in editing software. Cameras like the Panasonic GH7 can record All-Intra video at up to 800Mbps internally, which is near-lossless compared to what the sensor captures.

Bitrate should be considered alongside codec and colour depth. A high-bitrate H.264 file may still be less grading-friendly than a lower-bitrate ProRes file, because ProRes uses a more efficient compression approach that preserves more usable image data. Similarly, 10-bit footage at the same bitrate as 8-bit footage contains more colour information per channel. For M43 video shooters, the most practical choices are determined by the combination of codec, bit depth, and bitrate together rather than any single figure alone.