Log profile

Photo / Video

A flat, low-contrast video gamma curve — examples include Sony's S-Log, Canon's C-Log and Panasonic's V-Log — designed to record the widest possible dynamic range so you keep detail in both shadows and highlights for grading later. By design the footage looks washed out and desaturated straight off the camera; that flat look is the trade for editing latitude, and it's meant to be color-graded before delivery. Concrete example: a log clip will look dull on playback but can be pushed to a punchy final grade without clipping the sky. Buying impact: log is a major plus if you do serious color work in post, but adds a grading step — so for quick turnaround you may prefer a standard or 'natural' profile that's closer to finished out of camera.