Category Archives: Hardware Development

Announcements, Development, Hardware Development, Science

4k Global Shutter Sensors From On Semiconductor!

2 Comments
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!

4 Comments
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?

Leave a comment
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!

Leave a comment
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 ←

Announcements, Availability, Camera News, Firmware/Software, Hardware Development, Media Showcase, Slowmo Samples

Chronos 1.4 RAW Video Frame Samples!

2 Comments
Chronos 1.4 RAW

We received a set of Adobe DNG image samples from Krontech to check the resolution, dynamic range and grading potential of the camera when using the  RAW recording mode. As of now the utility to convert the raw data is still being tested but we were impressed by the results the camera was able to achieve by offloading the de-bayering process to a more capable converter like the Adobe Camera RAW module.

The Chronos files were already good when properly exposed but did suffer from some aliasing and moire in fine detail while resolution also took a hit by saving in a compressed H.264 format.  Now with the DNG RAW capability, we are glad to see that the camera image quality made an enormous improvement in the resolution, color fidelity, and dynamic range. It really brings out the real potential of the camera for a variety of applications, also creating a cleaner result in the noise department when processed correctly. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Development, Hardware Development, Rumors, Slowmo Samples

Samsung Exynos Camera Rumor With Super Slow Motion!

Leave a comment
Samsung Exynos Camera

The folks at Mirrorless Rumors have a new story based on an anonymous source that claims to know information about a super camera being tested at Samsung’s labs that can do among other things 480fps at 1080p resolution.  Its also claimed to be 4k 120fps ready and using the Exynos 9810 SoC which is reserved for their high-end phones up to now.

These claims are too detailed and too extraordinary to be believed but the Exynos Chip should be able to process all of that data.  The Rumor also states that it will be an APS-C chip with ISOCELL Technology on a stacked design capable of 30.1 Megapixels or 6720*4480px at 30p frame rates. The camera is a prototype according to the source and it is not known if it will be released as a real product in the future. → Continue Reading Full Post ←