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 ←
The Chronos 1.4 team has been hard at work on firmware improvements. The latest pre-released software patch shared with HSC improves the h.264 file quality at the pixel level by using a new demosaic algorithm to better match the real camera output. We did a few sample tests to see how big an improvement it is and also to maybe ditch the slow and space eating RAW 16bit workflow which is our preferred file saving format as it retains all the sensor information.
The new improvements are already available to the community as a beta in this post. It is very stable it should immediately improve the way you work with the camera. Also, a new roadmap of upcoming firmware releases was shared in the forums which include HDMI monitoring and a complete OS change to Debian Linux from the current Arago distro for the camera which should improve development and speed in implementing features.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Nikon has either gone crazy or has analyzed a market that is actually alive and well when it comes to all in one prosumer compact cameras. The P900 was a best seller for several years in the segment with an 83x optical zoom formula of 24-2000mm equivalent. Now the new P1000 increases that range by 1000mm to do a previously ludicrous spec of 24 wide-angle to 3,000mm telephoto range or 125x optical zoom.
The sensor is tiny at 1/2.3″ the same as small compact cameras and just slightly larger than the typical phone sensor of 1/3″. This is what makes it possible for the camera to create such a zoom range without the lens being larger than a Napoleonic war artillery cannon. The video modes are decent with 4k 30p but the high-speed modes are lackluster which is a shame considering this camera could be used effectively for extreme wildlife shots in super slow motion.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Chronos 1.4c Team has released the latest v0.3 RC2 software for testing. Be aware that this is not mission critical stable software so only use on your own private testing and not for recording mission critical shoots. The Interface can now be flipped to the left side though we would love to see an option to be concentrated on the lower part for better screen real-estate distribution.
We have tested over the last few days and are happy to report that the software has been stable and rock solid with no lock-ups and no sluggishness. The Color science was improved since the first v0.3 RC1 release to render the red colors among others more faithfully. In our testing, there was a definite improvement but we would like to see better treatment of the deep blues and magentas. We are happy to see White Balance is now supporting built-in presets!→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
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 ←
The Chronos 1.4c Team has been ramping up software releases with the latest v0.3 RC1 being dropped just a few hours ago. Be aware that this is not mission critical stable software so only use on your own testing and not for recording once in a lifetime events. The big fixes are in the color pipeline and how the camera handles pixel color especially red tones which were a little pinkish in previous software releases. It seems the entire color acquisition pipeline has received an overhaul. This should improve the color rendition on all objects plus the added benefit of less tweaking in post.
There are also several UI improvements like the ability to clear some warnings, move the button layout pane around the main interface screen and the ability to auto-save clips after shooting. HSC will be testing the new software and report back when we get some new images. We are preparing a color test to see before and after the software update and how much color has improved with the release.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
