Recording modes, the source line and the Provisional badge
Each camera lists its recording modes by the size of the area they record. Under each mode, a short line names the maker, how the size was found and the day it was read. A Provisional badge marks a mode whose figures are still waiting on a human cross-check.
The frame comes from the active area of the mode you record, so the mode matters as much as the lens. The same camera at 4K 16:9 and at an open gate mode gives two different frames on the same lens.
- Open Setup and choose the camera. The mode list opens straight after, with "Now choose how the camera records."
- Pick the mode you will shoot, by the camera's own name for it.
- Read the line under it, for example `ARRI · published · 2026-08-04`.
The source line
- published: read from a published figure for the recorded area, most often the maker's own documents, sometimes a rental house, a retailer or the trade press.
- derived from pixel pitch: worked out from a published pixel size and the mode's resolution.
- matched to the maker's field of view: for cameras such as drones and action cameras whose makers publish an angle rather than a sensor size.
- derived: worked out by another route the source does not name.
The line is text only; the app does not open the source page. Lens series carry no such line. On November 2, 2026, 958 of the 2,309 modes were published figures and 1,245 were derived from pixel pitch.
The Provisional badge
A Provisional badge beside a mode, or beside a camera in the picker, means its figures still need a human cross-check. It says nothing about how a figure was found. 108 modes carried it on November 2, 2026. Give a Provisional mode a little more room on the day.
If that didn't work
Settings, About, How accurate this is explains what the frame rests on: it is as accurate as its sources. The sensor size guide explains why the mode matters, and the Cameras and lenses page lists every mode.
Related
Updated November 2, 2026