Monthly Archives: March 2018

Announcements, Camera News, Hardware Development, Media Showcase, Slowmo Samples

Canon C700 FF and RED EPIC-W Dual ISO do High Frame Rates!

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With NAB 2018 getting near, new announcements are starting to trickle in.  The two newest are the Canon EOS C700 FF Full-Frame Cinema Camera & the RED DIGITAL CINEMA EPIC-W BRAIN with Gemini 5K S35 Sensor.  These two are serious cinema cameras aimed at recording in high-end codec formats and supporting RAW codecs.  Both cameras support higher frame rates but do not offer extreme high speeds like dedicated slow-motion cameras.

In the case of the RED EPIC-W with Gemini S35 sensor, it is the first time RED has used a dual Native ISO sensor like the ones seen on the Panasonic EVA1 and GH5s which have two different native sensitivities to deliver extremely clean footage with the widest dynamic range. Witha claimed 16.5 stops of dynamic range in standard mode & a gain of approximately two stops of light, from 800 to 3200 ISO without increasing the image noise. DPs of all kinds will savor these advances to shoot in dark situations knowing the output will be dependable. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Development, Hardware Development, Science

4k Global Shutter Sensors From On Semiconductor!

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4k Global Shutter Sensors From On Semiconductor

On Semiconductor has launched two new 4k ready CMOS global shutter sensors with new technology for reduced noise and improved image quality. The parts are geared to surveillance, automotive, consumer devices and industrial applications.  Both sensors are able to do high frame rates at 4k at full resolution.

The XGS 8000 is an 8.8 Mp (4096 x 2160) 4k / UHD resolution Global Shutter CMOS image sensor in 1/1.1 inch optical format capable of 120fps at full 8.8MP resolution. This first one geared for smaller devices. The XGS 12000 is a 12.6 Mp (4096 x 3072) CMOS image sensor in 1″ inch format, supporting up to 90 fps readout at full 12.6MP resolution. This sensor is better for higher resolution solutions. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Action Cameras, Camera News, Development, Hardware Development, Media Showcase, Rumors, Slowmo Samples

Z E2 Camera Rumor of 4k 120fps!

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Z E2 Camera

The Z Cam E1 which delivered excellent quality 4k footage from a tiny package and was able to do 720p 240fps frame rates “at less than ideal quality”, however,  a new Rumor from 4/3 Rumors here shows a Twitter message that hints at a new Z E2 m4/3 camera that is able to do 120fps at full 4k resolution.  If this turns out to be true it could yield further performance improvements in 1080p and 720p along with higher quality that could be usable.

As far as linear specs go a 120p 4k pipeline could in theory yield 480fps 1080p and 960/1000fps 720p without going out of spec. As we have come to know over the years, however, it is usually wrong to extrapolate these specs to the maximum possible metric as the sensor or memory could be bottlenecks that limit the performance. So this rumor could have some legs to it and NAB 2018 could be the show that makes 4k 120p a regular feature for cameras. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Articles, Development, Firmware/Software, Hardware Development, Media Showcase, Questions and Answers, Science, Slowmo Samples

Are Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered?

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Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered

Recent advances in computation, simulation, and real-time rendering have become so advanced that some visual effects artists are opting for rendering everything with CGI instead of filming it outright.  In making-off featurettes, we have seen the VFX teams scrap explosions, fluids, car crashes and actor stunts with CGI inserts that offer precise control over lighting, debris, motion, and quality which are all a crap shoot when filming with a real camera.

NVIDIA just released some demos of real-time ray tracing that surpass the best quality renderers of the 1990s with playable frame rates and ambient occlusion that in the right hands could be indistinguishable from many special effects in a film. The new RTX technology in their Volta architecture GPUs can do area shadows, true multi-level depth reflections, refraction and global illumination in real time 30+fps on a personal computer. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Camera News, Hardware Development, Media Showcase

MAVO Kinefinity Does 100fps at 4k!

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MAVO Kinefinity

Kinefinity the company behind the pretty capable and high-quality Terra cinema camera has announced in preparation for NAB 2018 the new MAVO 6k cinema camera in s35 and Large Format sensor options in the LF version.  Along with the new body design and expansion options the camera will include ProRes 422HQ, ProRes 444 & ProRes 444XQ recording.

Kinefinity also has a RAW format “.KRW” and this has been updated to version 2.0 to support the new camera. This is akin to REDCODE RAW as the .KRW format can compress in RAW anywhere from 2:1 best quality lossless to 10:1 with more quality loss while maintaining the benefits of RAW like dynamic range, white balance, and higher bit-depth color.  It also offers the possibility to record on cinema-DNG format In-Camera at 3:1, 5:1 and 7:1 compression. The camera has several high frame rate formats depending on crop resolution. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

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Slow Motion News March 2018!

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Slow Motion News March 2018

After several camera announcements where slow motion was a main feature instead of an afterthought, things have been calming down until the next wave which will break closer to NAB 2018 from April 7th to 12th in Las Vegas.  There will probably be quite a few announcements in the professional space which is mainly where things heat up when it comes to higher quality resolution at higher frame rates.

We expect Sony to steal the show with probably the a7s Mark III which by any measure will probably retain the low light king title for the foreseeable future. If the a7 III released recently is any indication then a lower megapixel sensor anywhere between 12-16MP Full Frame with the same technology in a stacked sensor will give us a camera so capable that room for improvement will be mainly on the ergonomics, interface and higher frame rates going forward. → Continue Reading Full Post ←