Professional productions rarely consider smartphones. They lack ergonomics, reliability, and lens flexibility, and often process images in ways that destroy useful data before it ever reaches postproduction.We usually avoid “smartphone” news unless the device breaks into workflows in a meaningful way. But the legends at epic tutorials found something!
The Pixel 10 Pro may qualify. Unlike marketing claims around “computational photography,” this development deals with sensor-level access to true 12-bit video, a technical unlock that places this handset in a different category. The magic word here is Dual Conversion Gain (DCG), a hardware feature that has existed in many image sensors but has rarely been available for video capture outside cinema-grade gear.
What is Dual Conversion Gain?
Dual Conversion Gain (DCG), sometimes branded as Smart-ISO Pro by Samsung, allows a sensor to simultaneously capture high-gain and low-gain readouts of the same pixel exposure. The two signals are then merged before digitisation, producing a RAW output that preserves highlight headroom while also retaining clean shadow detail.
In practice, DCG produces one single file with:
- Higher dynamic range than standard single-gain readout.
- Finer tonal separation in shadow and midtone regions.
- Lower visible noise in dark exposures.
- Reduced artefacts compared to frame-stacked HDR video.
Conventional HDR modes, particularly in smartphones, often stack multiple exposures across frames. That introduces motion ghosting and temporal artefacts. DCG, by contrast, works at the pixel level and requires no stacking.
Why is this important in the Pixel 10 Pro?
Previous Pixel devices, as well as Samsung Galaxy phones using similar sensors, already shipped with DCG capability. But manufacturers locked this functionality away. It was inaccessible to standard camera apps, and even advanced third-party software could not invoke it without root-level hacks.
The Pixel 10 Pro is the first mainstream consumer smartphone to expose DCG for RAW video capture directly to third-party apps. That means filmmakers, VFX artists, and technical directors can now record true 12-bit RAW video from a phone without voiding warranties or tampering with the operating system. Orjust ghavcing to deal with the shit-ton of work that is rooting a device these days. This change is not a marketing flourish, it is a concrete technical unlocking of a sensor feature that has been sitting dormant.
Testing and confirmation
Testing performed by developers using MotionCam Pro demonstrates visible improvements. Comparisons of waveform plots and histograms show increased usable dynamic range and visibly cleaner shadows when DCG is enabled. Noise levels in underexposed shots are drastically reduced. Blacks hold structure instead of collapsing into blocky artefacts. Gradients appear smoother, avoiding the typical banding that plagues 10-bit smartphone video.
Independent reports confirm that only the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL models support this feature in video capture. The non-Pro Pixel 10 lacks the sensor bandwidth required.
Professional use cases
Let’s be clear: this is not a replacement for cinema cameras. But there are credible, professional-adjacent use cases.
BCAM/CCAM utility: For secondary angles, reference slates, or onset inserts where a lightweight, inexpensive camera suffices. The ability to record 12-bit RAW ensures that even imperfectly lit material has enough data for correction. But you have to consider how COlors and Contrasts land in, for example, Resolve – there is very little documentation, and you would need to test your footage to have a confident pipeline.
Photogrammetry capture: Tools like Meshroom rely on full-fidelity image data for reliable geometry reconstruction. Having decent video from a compact device could make mobile scans easier without elaborate lighting setups. Now, a LIDAR Scanner would be prefreable, but, in a pinch, with enough pictures, this should do as well.
Reference footage: VFX supervisors, colourists, or continuity staff may need to grab quick visual notes. Normally such reference clips suffer from baked-in compression and tone-mapping. A 12-bit file avoids this somewhat. And we are not talking about ProRes!
This makes the Pixel 10 Pro more of a pipeline tool than a narrative camera. Its footage can fit into established dailies or VFX workflows without breaking colour pipelines.
Cost vs. capability
By professional standards, the Pixel 10 Pro is inexpensive. A dedicated RAW-capable BCAM costs multiples more. That affordability opens opportunities: every team member could carry a RAW-capable capture device without straining budgets.
That said, ergonomics remain a limitation. Phones lack ND filtration, proper I/O, monitoring options, and reliable thermal management for long takes. Professionals should see this feature as an additional tool in the box, not a cost-saving substitution for proper gear.
Industry implications
The larger story here may be about smartphone manufacturers finally unlocking pro-grade sensor features. For years, hardware has been capable of higher-fidelity capture, but consumer apps and OS restrictions kept that potential hidden.
By making DCG and 12-bit RAW accessible, Google signals a shift. The Pixel 10 Pro may not replace cinema cameras, but it demonstrates that latent features can be delivered to professionals if vendors choose to. If this sets a precedent, future handsets may become more reliable companions in production environments.
The bottom line
The Pixel 10 Pro’s 12-bit RAW DCG capture is an interesting tidbit for professionals. Not a final-frame tool, not a marketing gimmick, but a useful side camera with real production/photogrammetrry/documentation utility. Treat it accordingly: a supplement for reference, technical, and capture workflows—not a substitute for your Alexa, Venice or URSA. And we ignored the questions of thermal stability, variable Framerate, standardized colour profiles, and so many more things that make a professional camera and a smartphone two different beats entirely.
A reminder
Innovations like this should always be tested thoroughly before use in production. Smartphone footage may now hold up in a certain few workflows, but reliability and stability remain critical factors.
