Tag Archives: ois

Lumix GH6 will do 120fps 4k & maybe more!

Lumix GH6 Panasonic

Panasonic unveiled in May the GH5 Mark II which is a slight refresh of the venerable m4/3rds GH5 with live streaming, better dynamic range in video, better AF algorithms, and slightly better IS on a very similar body with just a few cosmetic red buttons and rings for refresh purposes.  The slow motion remains at 180fps VFR at 1080p and 60p at 4k on the GH5 II since it is using the same sensor and imaging engine. It is a better overall camera than the original but a mild refresh nonetheless. 

That brings us to the pre-announced GH6 which is an in-development camera that aims to refresh the entire Micro 4/3ds line in Panasonic and aimed at professional video users.  It sports a new sensor, new imaging engine, new body and new technologies yet to be disclosed.  According to rumors, this camera should be able to keep micro 4/3rds alive for another five years delivering an array of video and photo features that will set it apart much like the original GH5 carved a place in camera history. We have also received rumored specs that may or may not pan out regarding frame rates which we find somewhat credible.  → 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

Panasonic Camcorders CES 2018 WXF1K & VX1K

Panasonic Camcorders CES 2018

Panasonic besides formally announcing the GH5s Lumix camera at CES 2018, also introduced 3 new camcorders that will replace their current offerings, in what could be a dependable yearly occurrence.   Panasonic seems to avoid the fact that camcorder sales are probably as rare as Blackberry devices these days but whatever their motivations are, it seems Panasonic, Sony & Canon are keeping the flame alive.

With every introduction, Panasonic seems to improve steadily in image quality and features with continued innovation especially in the areas of HDR imaging and O.I.S Optical Image Stabilization which now sports a hybrid system that uses three technologies to create what might be the best stabilized camcorder ever produced. The demo is certainly impressive and should make every high zoom fan excited about the possibilities of this technology in higher end gear.

  • HC-WXF1K – Premium Model 4K Camcorder features professional-level functionality including EVF and Manual Ring Operation $999.99 USD
  • HC-VX1K – provides performance without compromise with 4K picture quality and new 4K cropping functions $799.99 USD
  • HCV-800K – Full HD Camcorder features newly developed Leica lens and new large MOS sensor

HC-WXF1K Main Features:

  • 4K Cinema-Like recording experience with advanced in-camera capture and button control options.
  • LEICA DICOMAR 24X optical zoom lens (25-600mm, F1.8-4.0), and large 1/2.5” BSI MOS Sensor for impressive capture even in low light.
  • Three Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) technologies work together for impressive stability under many shooting conditions; 5-Axis Hybrid O.I.S. Plus, Ball O.I.S., and Adaptive O.I.S.
  • Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) and manual control ring that emulates a professional recording experience.
  • For a more natural looking image, a new Active Contrast feature equalizes contrast, and the HDR Movie mode enables a wider dynamic range between dark and bright areas.

4K High-Precision AF

Enjoy high-speed, excellent tracking performance and stability. With Custom AF, you can also choose from three focus modes.

Active Contrast

Automatically equalizes the gradation in response to the brightness distribution within the image. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Galaxy S8 Slow Motion Underwhelms!

Galaxy S8 Slow Motion

It seems the entire internet was taken for a ride to rumorville with the supposed spec leak of 1000fps slow motion on the Galaxy S8. The final phone is not only not including the spec but it is still lower when it comes to higher frame rates than the iPhone 6s, 7, Google Pixel and Xperia XZs and XZ Premium. The phone maxes out at 720p 240fps which is so 2014 when it comes to high speed.

When it comes to 4k the rumors also touted 4k at 60fps, even some sites out there still list the phone as a UHD 60fps capable handset. It is only in the end a 4k UHD 30fps phone with 1080p 60fps and 720p 240fps.  The Galaxy S8 does look like a beautiful and extremely capable phone with an impressive screen and voice features.

Galaxy S8 Camera Specs:

[FRONT- Selfie Camera]

  • 8MP AF
  • F1.7 Aperture
  • Pixel size: 1.22µm
  • Sensor size: 1/3.6″
  • FOV: 80
  • Wide selfie

[REAR Main – Camera]

  • Dual Pixel 12MP AF
  • OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
  • F1.7 Aperture
  • Pixel size: 1.4µm
  • Sensor size: 1/2.55″
  • FOV: 77
  • Max Zoom: 8x (digital)
  • Pro mode
  • Panorama
  • Slow motion
  • Hyperlapse
  • Food mode
  • Save as RAW file

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 launch event in 10 minutes by The Verge:

Camera Specs Shared by Front & Back modules!

  • VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization)
  • HDR (High Dynamic Range)
  • Selective focus (Bokeh effect)
  • Virtual shot
  • Motion photo
  • Filters
  • Stickers
  • Stamps
  • Grid line
  • Location tags
  • Timer
  • Quick launch
  • Voice control

Galaxy S8 Slow Motion & Video Recording:

  • 4K video recording at 30 fps
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization)
  • Digital Zoom 8x
  • High CRI LED Flash
  • Slow Motion video support for 720p at 240 fps
  • Hyperlapse video with stabilization
  • Continuous Autofocus video
  • Face Detection
  • Tracking AF
  • Take 9-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video
  • Playback Zoom
  • Video Location tags

As you can see the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are beautifully refined phones with a lot to offer for the high end phone enthusiast. Sadly by dropping the ball on the higher frame rate aspect; it just lost all of our interest in covering it as a competitive option for the high end of mobile slow motion solutions.

720p 240fps on the Galaxy S8:

 Samsung galaxy S8 slow motion test by Ihthisam Ali:

In the sample above at 720p 240fps by Youtube Channel Ihthisam Ali you can see that the quality is more than acceptable in this mode but hardly competitive with the Sony Xperia XZ phones doing 960fps at 720p today.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Camera test Slow Motion by Ihthisam Ali:

You can see some aliasing and detail loss compared to true 720p video but it is a step up in quality compared to other phones in this mode. It should yield comparable results to the Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 in this mode.  Sadly 1080p does not do frame rates above 60fps which for a phone that aims to be the best out there; falls flat on it’s curvy edges.  The bare minimum flagship phone spec for 1080p is 120fps nowadays and Sony has the slow motion crown with the Xperia XZ.

We will post more slow-mo video samples as they become available from the phone but rest assured the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will not be in the running for slow motion phone of the year 2017 due to the weak spec in this category.

Galaxy S8 Pricing and Availability:

Both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available for pre order on March 30th tomorrow and will be in stores by April 21st.

Price:

  • Galaxy S8 : $750 usd MSRP
  • Galaxy S8+:  $850 usd MSRP

There is no question these will be expensive phones and should provide a very capable device aside from slow motion. The phone will be the one to beat feature wise in 2017.

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More information about the Galaxy S8 along with in depth specs can be found at these sites:

Galaxy S8 1000fps Rumor!

Galaxy S8 1000fps

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the most anticipated Android phone announcement of 2017.  The latest rumors suggest that the phone will feature fast DRAM attached to the camera module sensor package in a similar way to Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium announcement last month. This is the same technology that is present on the Sony RX Camera series.

It is unclear if this sensor will be the same one in those Sony phones since it probably uses similar technology. Also unknown are the final imaging specs when it comes to higher frame rates but we have some guesses.

*Update March 29th 2017: The Galaxy S8 >>>will not have 1000fps mode see here<<<*

Galaxy S8 1000fps Spec?

Sony’s implementation of the technology allows for up to 1000fps 1080p capture from the sensor into their DRAM package on the SoC. Therefore the maximum implementation of current technology has to be that limit.  If Samsung is using the Sony DRAM imaging sensor package for the Galaxy S8 we could see 1080p 1000fps for the high end phone. See videos below of it in action!

Girl blowing bubbles by Xperia XZs 960fps by mobile01:

There is a problem however and that is the Xperia XZs and XZ Premium from Sony that were announced at MWC this year. Those phones have the technology built in but with a limit on resolution and record time. Both phones have a 1 second recording limit along with only 720p resolution at 960fps.   Not ideal but still pretty impressive. Still we don’t see Samsung releasing more capable Sony hardware that will steal sales away from Sony using their own technology on the XZ Xperias.

Xperia XZs 960pfps super slow motion 720p by mobile01:

Possibility #2:

If Samsung is not using the Sony Sensor and they are instead using their own Samsung  Exynos 9 Series 8895 Chipset couples with another sensor; then the phones could theoretically shoot 120fps at 4k and 1000fps at 1080p.   This is part of the rumor also since the Galaxy S8 sensor will be 12MP instead of the Sony’s XPeria XZ Premium’s 19MP IMX400 chip.

S8 Rumored Camera specs:

  • 12MP imaging sensor Main Back Camera!
  • 1000fps Video recording
  • Propietary Sensor and DRAM Module.
  • 8MP Front camera
  • Second 3.7MP IRIS Frontal Scanner Sensor

We are extremely interested in what Samsung will bring to the forefront here and if they release a 1000fps capable phone and in 1080p resolution then there will be shock-waves across the higher frame rate market for a long time. Competition is heating up!

The Galaxy S8 will be unveiled March 29th in New York and London simultaneously.  We’ll see if these rumors are true and we finally have a 1000fps quality phone in our hands. -HSC

Samsung Galaxy S8 Product Image Was Posted by Evan Blass at: https://twitter.com/evleaks

GoPro Hero 6 What will it Take?

GoPro Hero 6

It is no secret that GoPro had a pretty bad 2016 in terms of sales performance and the Karma Gate battery off incident. The company is loosing money but still shows signs of life. In the 4th quarter of 2016 GoPro was profitable on a non-GAAP basis with income of $42 million.  With the stock closing price today of $8.90, a far cry from the nearly $90 it was worth in October 2014, there needs to be a change of epic proportions if the company is expected to remain viable.

There are threats from new technologies like AR, VR and Snapchat Glasses among others that threaten to impede the company going forward. How can a camera company evolve overnight to survive in such a market.  We believe the answer is by innovating it’s way out of the whirlpool that it finds itself in.

GoPro Hero 6 has to do more:

We are big fans of GoPro and they have built great cameras that for many years, were the de-facto standard for sports and action footage with no real quality competitor. That all changed with the introduction of the Sony Action Camera like like the X1000 and X3000. GoPro was no longer the only game in town and Sony entered the game with better image quality and optical image stabilization for about the same price.  Then came Xiaomi with the Yi camera which for all intents and purposes is a direct clone of the GoPro Hero with now performance that exceeds it with 4k 60fps.

After that a plethora of other options from Garmin, Nikon and other clone manufacturers came into the market; further eroding GoPro’s share.  Many use the same exact SoC components from Ambarella which is the GoPro electronics partner. In order for Ambarella to grow they licensed their technology to anyone that wanted it and that is the free market you cannot fault them for that.

Nick Woodman on how GoPro is moving forward after an eventful 2016 by Engadget Subscibe here!

Where we believe GoPro dropped the ball was with the introduction of the Hero 5 Black.  It is essentially the same camera as the Hero 4 Black but with a smaller footprint, cosmetic changes and a touch screen.  It has a new interface but capability wise it was a sideways move instead of up.  GoPro upgrading the camera to lofty spec heights was the main reason people upgraded. The Hero 5 is not a product that warrants an upgrade if you own a Hero 4 Black.  The market is pretty saturated with similar options and the way you move ahead of the pack is to force innovation forward with a camera that has technology ahead of it’s time.

The innovation step that GoPro needs to take with the Hero 6 has to be big and that means leapfrogging the competition.  However we don’t really know what that will be aside from being hinted by Nick Woodman:

“Nick Woodman here. Yes, we can confirm there will be new cameras and other accessories released during the year and new camera namely being HERO6. But we’re not going to share any information as to the timing or any other details around the release of those new products as you can imagine.”

So with that said what will it take in our view to make the GoPro Hero 6 Black a must buy camera again?

Our GoPro Hero 6 Wish-list Specs:

  • 4k 24p/25p/30p/48p/60p Continuous!
  • Time Limited 4k Bursts at 96p/120p
  • 1080p at 240fps
  • 720p at 480fps
  • Reduced lens distortion + Improved Sharpness
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • Low Cost VR Rig Solution
  • Longer Battery Life than Hero 5
  • RAW Photo Mode
  • Continue Pro-Tune Support
  • Compatibility with Karma and Other Drone Gimbals.
  • $499.99 Price

Nick Woodman already hinted at a 360 degree VR rig for the GoPro that clearly aims at establishing a footprint in that market. But will VR video continue to grow in spite of the lack luster sales and low usage % of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vibe?  Augmented Reality AR seems to be the big next step forward with companies like Apple, Google & Microsoft pouring billions into it’s development and research.  VR seems to be taking a back step to AR due to the not really ready nature of the technology.  Nausea, headaches and complicated rigs are needed to make it work and the screen-door effect still takes away from the experience. It will get much better in the coming years but for now AR is where the hotspot for innovation is centered.

GoPro seems ill equipped to make AR a part of their platform at this juncture; hence why they have to revert to the basics and innovate hardware wise in the camera spec department if they wish to stay relevant.

The Karma drone battery power off debacle seems to be fixed now which created a flurry of business for rival DJI in the holidays.  We really hope the Karma continues to be an option in consumer’s minds and that a Karma 2.0 drone with competitive specs to the DJI Mavic Pro is released. That means sensors, better flight options and in order to beat it the ability to fly a Hero Black 6 with killer specs.

GoPro Karma vs DJI Mavic & Osmo Mobile — In Depth Review and Complete Comparison [4K] by iPhonedo:

We found the image quality of the DJI Mavic Pro to be below the Hero 5 Black but DJI iterates really quickly and we expect that to be improved this year with a new Mavic release. GoPro needs to move faster with a Karma 2.0 with not only competitive specs but superior image quality.

What will GoPro Do?

In all honesty we feel GoPro will get 4k 60fps as a  spec on the Hero 6 Black but not much else in the way of spec increases. We really wish that it will go ahead and leapfrog competitors but we doubt that will be the case. The Company will do a good enough camera to compete with Sony and Xiaomi this year with maybe the possibility of Optical Image Stabilization. Other than that we can’t be sure of any new increases.

With Sony now showing their 1000fps phone sensor it would make sense for GoPro to use that component in the Hero 6 Black in order to stay at the forefront of the game but the power requirements may be too harsh for a small battery action camera.

We will continue to follow GoPro’s evolution going forward and wish for the company to stay not only relevant but at the crest of the innovation wave to come. They have a bunch of work to do and many people to bring back to the platform, as an American brand it has a lot going for it with the new US government, lets see where the camera company evolves from here. -HSC

Disclaimer: This article is an opinion piece and contains speculative specs that have no substance or corroboration. Do not base your purchasing decisions based on this post’s content.

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