Tag Archives: cinema camera

Fran 8k Camera Line is Announced!

Fran 8k Camera

The Spanish company Cinemartin known for their camera monitors is now officially launching the Fran 8k line of cameras in three flavors. The Fran 8k LT at an introductory price of €7,920 Euros or $9,000 USD which shoots 8k at 24p and up to 96fps in 2k resolution in either DNG RAW, PNG or ProRes while sporting a 37 mm x 27 mm (Diagonal 46.2 mm) sensor size slightly larger than a Full Frame 35mm. The LT version will not sport features like Programmability and image stabilization which the other higher cost models will support.

The cameras are built to order and require a 10% deposit when reserved. They are geared at the commercial and cinema markets which require the utmost image quality and 8k resolution on a very large sensor. The frame rates at 4k max out at 60p and at 2k max out at 120fps on the two higher-end models.  The introductory prices will only be available until 31st of December 2018. looking at the video samples released it is clear the quality of the image will be cinematic and contain extreme detail. The file sizes will also be enormous but that is to be expected with a frame size of 7920px * 3024px or 24Megapixels on the LT and 47MP on the Plus! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Z Cam E2 Starts Shipping To Customers!

The Z Cam E2 has finally started shipping and is now available for direct order at their site. The camera caught our attention for its low price of just $1999 and the high frame rate features of 240fps 1080p and 120fps 4k.  It seems to be using the same 4/3 sensor as the great Panasonic GH5s but with extended features.

The camera company ZCam has also released some samples in a variety of scenarios so you can see what the camera is capable of. At first inspection, it is clear this camera is a clear step up from the Z Cam E1 which had some image quality issues. The E2 seems to go out of the box ready to produce class-leading imagery and offer some very nice high frame rate action. There are also some rumored comments that suggest the team is testing 300fps at 720p as an added bonus for future software. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Blackmagic RAW Codec Opens the Future!

Blackmagic RAW Codec

Blackmagic Design may have just solved the problem of RAW video capture for any camera and every type of user. In essence, it gives the benefits of RAW capture while allowing flexibility in file size depending on production needs.  It is a compressed format but by using a clever demosaic algorithm that happens in-camera, it shrinks the file size much more than other formats while preserving quality and RAW features like White Balance, ISO,  exposure,  NR, clarity and color bit depth.

For Slow motion cameras, it may be the codec of the future as it will allow the best quality without the enormous file sizes associated with image sequences like DNG or other RAW formats.  Being open source and free of licenses it aims to be adopted by the entire industry faster than other formats and will be free of the platform-specific nature of codecs like Apple’s ProRes which only works on Mac OS X.  The Blackmagic RAW beta is already available here! → 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. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

FRAN​ Camera by CINEMARTIN Promises 8k and High Frame Rates!

FRAN Camera 8k

The newly announced CINEMARTIN FRAN 8K Camera claims some huge numbers in terms of resolution and performance.  Up to 8K (8000×6000) RAW / Uncompressed 12 Bit video capture at 24fps and up to 96fps in 2k & 1080p for high frame rates but more on that later in this post.  There is only one image of the camera we were provided with and that is the RED Brain like rendering above which sports a mounting port which in the lab is fitted with a Canon EF Mount which is preferred among cinema oriented users especially if it is an active one.

FRAN also offers in the spec sheet 15.5 stops of dynamic range at 12 bit which competes directly with the best cinema cameras out there. CINEMARTIN claims the camera will come in below the competition in price while offering a true global shutter sensor with no rolling shutter distortion.   Using a 4/3 sized sensor at 50MP with 48MP being used for 8k Capture it may seem overkill when it comes to low light performance. It may be able to deliver resolution levels never before seen on cinema cameras but low-light will surely be a hurdle for the camera to overcome. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Z Cam E2 Best Value 4k Slow Motion Cam?

Z Cam E2

Z Cam the relatively new Camera company from Shenzhen, China has announced the Z Cam E2 at NAB 2018 MSRP $1,999.00 USD. It is not a direct replacement for their ambitious but half-baked Z E1 m4/3 camera which costs $399.   The new camera is a beast specs wise with up to 120fps 4k  and full HD 1080p at 240fps.  The codecs will be H.264 and H.265 at 10 bit but no RAW support so far which might be acceptable if the codec is clean enough and their promised Log Flat curve preserves the estimated 13.5 stops of dynamic range.

The camera is still being developed for a June 2018 estimated ship date. It lacks a back screen and relies on a Wifi or Gigabit Ethernet link to their dedicated control application. They intend to support iOS devices and or a PC client. No mention of Android support or Mac which should be included in order to maintain the widest compatibility.  We feel lacking Android control is a big deal and should be promised in a future update. It is also unclear if the camera will be possible to use by using a touch screen field monitor which probably will not be the case. Using an iPhone or an iPad as the control interface is probably the best use case. → Continue Reading Full Post ←