Tag Archives: ARRI

DJI Ronin 4D Delivers Cinematic Stabilized Slow Motion!

In what could be called a new paradigm or class of camera, DJI the drone maker has launched a couple of cinema full-frame cameras geared to professional productions that merge their Ronin gimbal products with their Drone pro Zenmuse cameras to create a massively appealing system for pros and enthusiasts that want no compromise stabilization with enough image quality to be able to use them in professional productions for TV and film.  The pricing at just over 11.5k for the 8k version and 7.2k for the 6k version is small potatoes for movie and TV studios but might put off some buyers. 

It is of note that a fully working system bundle is assembled at that price which is much better than other options. It includes the Gimbal, camera and body, 1TB SSD M.2 card, battery, touch screen and cabling. In cinema systems like RED and ARRI this is just the brain or camera body with everything else being added on top as ancillary costs. The frame rates on these cameras are limited to 120fps as the highest at 4k and 75fps at 8k.  They might not be huge but the quality and stabilization should make them quite useful.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fran 8k Camera by Cinemartin First Manufacturing Sample!

Fran 8k Camera

The people at Cinemartin have publicly released new specs and images of the first industrial prototype of the cinema camera.  There are some killer features like 8k RAW video at 24p and up to 96fps RAW recording in both 4k DCI and1080p HD. Some other frame rates include 48p and 60p in a variety of resolutions which are needed for cinema production in either higher fps or just as a shooting necessity like 48p to get the Hobbit look.

One of the most impressive features listed is the ability to shoot in true Vista Vision format at 7920 x 6024 pixels for 8k at 24p that turns out to be 47.7MP; also the Dual ISO recording feature which will be available by August 2019 which allows dual recording capability for an extreme Dynamic Range improvement.  Other features include: Global Shutter, Internal full sensor downsampling, and in-camera electronic image stabilization.

Fran 8k Frame Rate Table:

As you can see from the above table, frame rates will cap on the high end at 96fps for both 4k and Full HD 1080p.  These will be activated in the Spring 2019 update after the camera launches.   The camera will probably be shown at IBC 2018 in Amsterdam this 13-17 of September. By that time pricing and pre-orders should be available.

Fran 8k More Specs List:

  • SENSOR – FRAN GS 47.7 MEGAPIXEL CMOS SENSOR
  • EFFECTIVE PIXELS – 7920 x 6024
  • SENSOR SIZE- 37 mm x 27 mm (Diagonal 46.2 mm)
  • LENS MOUNT: EF and PL by (2019)
  • DYNAMIC RANGE -15+ stops
  • MAX DATA RATE -2500 MB/s using FRAN (media) M.2 1TB -2300 MB/s using FRAN (media) M.2 2TB
  • PLAYBACK FPS 24, 25, 30, 48 frames per second
  • REC. FORMATS: RAW BAYERED / DE-BAYERED
  • POST FORMATS: LOSSLESS PNG, DNG
  • POST ENCODER: TO PRORES / TO AVID DnxHD DNxHRTO H.264TO HEVC H.265
  • HDMI Clean 4K 60p output
  • Thunderbolt 3 To connect high-speed external drives
  • mini Jack
  • Audio mic. input (mono) and output (st)
  • USB 3 To connect high-speed external drives
  • SD card
  • Load and Store LUT’s and camera settings
  • Power: Idle 25W   Max 60W

The camera will also be programmable which makes it possible to allow object recognition and automation of recording and archiving tasks.

“Fran can be reprogrammed to suit many needs. Stabilization is a featured provided by OpenCv architecture. Third parties or c++ developers can develop plugins for Fran. The programmable architecture option allows users to use their own software, or write a new one based on Fran default software.
The programmable architecture option includes the stabilization and a few examples of object detection, as well as documentation in order on how to program the camera.”

While the Fran 8k camera is overkill for many uses it may become a compelling option for production houses looking for RED and ARRI alternatives that deliver extreme image quality at a more affordable price to competitors.  We have seen this trend with the advent of cameras like the Kinefinity cameras which offer a lot of value for money while delivering superb image quality however teh Fran Camera will offer 8k images. We have high hopes for the Fran camera to go head to head with the best of them and deliver a true 8k RAW image for cinema production. 

The body is similar to modular cinema cameras and offers enough control and expansion for production users.  Large Standard battery modules ensure continuous operation and easy on-set continuous power solutions.  The LCD should provide most shooting information at a glance.

We will continue to cover the evolution of the Fran 8k camera and will share video samples of higher frame rates when available.  Expect the quality to be excellent at all frame rates.

For more information and updates on the camera visit the official site at:

Fran 8k Official Site  http://www.fran8k.com

Kinefinity Terra 5k & 6K Offer up to 225fps!

KinefinityTerra

The Chinese cinema camera company Kinefinity is adding two new models of cameras at this Year’s NAB event in Las Vegas.  The Kinefinity Terra 5k and 6k Models.  They differ in sensor and abilities with prices that just 5 years ago would have commanded much higher tiers.

Last Year’s Kinemax 6k and 4k graced our Camera Guide with a good showing now occupying 10th and 14th place but now they are aiming much much higher with better RAW frame rates up to 225fps in 2k and lower price points than most of the RAW capable competitors in the space.

Kinefinity Terra 5k Specs 200fps Max at 2k:
Camera Type S35 Film-Style Digital Cinema Camera
Sensor Type 5K S35 Format CMOS
Shutter Type Dual Shutter Mode: Rolling & Global
Lens Mount New Lock-Style EF Mount Or Steel KineMOUNT
Record Formats Codec Type Codec Format Bit Depth
Compressed RAW KineRAW

(.krw)

12bits *All Resolution
ProRes422HQ/422/422LT/Proxy ProRes(.mov) 10bits *Major Resolution
Record Resolution 5K 4K 3.6K(4:3) 2K
5120×2700 4096×2160

/3840×2160

3600×2700 2048×1080

/1920×1080

MAX FPS 60@5K Wide 100@4K Wide 130@3K Wide 200@2K Wide
Dynamic Range 15 f-stops(Rolling shutter)/13 f-stops

(Global shutter)

ISO Max Exposure Base MAX
80 800 20480

Pricing for 5k :

  1. $4,999 Body Only  with High Speed
  2. $6,499 Ready To Shoot – 120GB Kinemag SSD, HD Monitor, Battery Pack, Cable, AC Adapter, High Speed!
Kinefinity Terra 6k Specs 225fps Max at 2k:
Camera Type S35mm Film-Style Digital Cinema Camera
Sensor Type 6K S35 Format CMOS
Shutter Type Rolling Shutter
Lens Mount New Lock-Style EF Mount Or Steel KineMOUNT
Record Formats Codec Type Codec Format Bit Depth
Compressed RAW KineRAW

(.krw)

12bits *All Resolution
ProRes422HQ/422/422LT/Proxy ProRes(.mov) 10bits *Major Resolution
Record Resolution 6K 4K(4:3*) Golden 3K Golden 2K
5760×3240 4320×3240/

4096×2160

2880×1620 2048×1080
MAX FPS 25@6K 100@4K Wide 150@3K Wide 225@2K Wide
Dynamic Range 14 f-stops/16 f-stops *6K/Golden 3K
ISO Max Exposure Base MAX
80 800/1600 20480 *6K/Golden 3K

Pricing for 6k :

  1. $6,499 Body Only  with High Speed
  2. $6,999 Ready To Shoot  Basic Pack- 120GB Kinemag SSD, HD Monitor, Battery Pack, Cable, AC Adapter, High Speed!

The pricing on this gear is insane, this is Hollywood caliber camera systems that shoot RAW at 12 bits with up to 16 stops of dynamic range.  The Chinese company Kinefinity has made the RED and ARRI Alexa Crowd take a hard look at their camera pricing with these new Terra cameras. They seem ready to ship in May for the 5k and June for the 6k with a $150 deposit and savings of up to $500 if ordered soon.

The High Frame Rates:

We have to see how the 2k resolution higher frame rates quality compare and if the sensor windowing would be too severe.  The 4k 100fps and 3k 130fps max frame rates work on both the 5k and 6k cameras which is an amazing deal.  For under $7k you can get the 6k ready to shoot package.  Not too long ago you needed at least $20k for something similar from RED Digital cinema.

There is a lot to live up to from these cameras and the quality on paper has to match the real world. Many that use Kinefinity products already sing their praises. The Chinese may be onto dominating the affordable RAW Cinema market and if all pans out the competition will have to adapt and compete.

There is a huge resemblance to the RED Epic in these cameras and it is unknown how reliable they will be but from the videos below, it seems like the real deal. DSLR sized Pro Cameras that shoot RAW, Higher Frame rates and 16 stops of dynamic range is a dream come true for film makers. If you have some cash lying around, you may be shooting 6k for what a used sedan with 100k miles goes for these days.

We can’t wait to see the samples from these Kinefinity Terra Cameras. In the mean time you can check the footage below by these blogs and follow their posts and support their content.  

See more at Kinefinity Here!

Video Previews for the Terra Below:

Kinefinity Terra 5K 6K NAB 2016 by slashcam:

Newsshooter at NAB 2016: Kinefinity TERRA by Newsshooter → Continue Reading Full Post ←