Alexa - Skew Test

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Arri Alexa - Skew Test from Ben Cain / Negative Spaces on Vimeo.

I was at a checkout the other day and was testing the fluid head by doing whip pans and noticed quite a bit of

sensor wobble / skew

on the Arri Alexa. This is an issue inherent to all rolling shutter CMOS sensors but there is a lot that can be done with internal image processing to correct for it. This is something that's built into the camera though and there's nothing an end level user can do about it (except not pan). On the worst side of the skew spectrum you have the HDSLR's where you really can't move the camera much without detecting it. In the case of the Alexa I'd say it's no worse than the Red MX per say but still noticeable nonetheless. You be the judge. 

On a Alexa related note -

LinkColor

is now officially available which is an excellent, affordable color correction tool that is really perfect for working with the Alexa in Log C. It only requires a computer with a USB port, the software, a HDLink Pro, and you're ready to start ripping through some on-set grades. I've been working with it this week and it's very intuitive and responsive. Definitely a great tool to have in a on-set colorist's arsenal. 

screenshots.jpeg

I'll be writing up some on-set Log C workflow options for the Alexa in the coming weeks. 

Panavision Dynamax-35 ULTRA Video Sensor

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Panavision Dynamax-35 ULTRA Video Sensor

The DYNAMAX-35 sensor is a multimode video sensor capable of operating up to 120 frames-per-second at 6x HDTV resolution and 30 frames-per-second at full resolution of ~37 Mega-Pixel. The DYNAMAX-35 is designed to capture high quality, low noise video, while consuming a modest power of 4W typical.

-High Dynamic Range (HDR) Video

-Oversampled Video

-37 Mega-pixel

-120 frames per second

-Key Features:

  • LVDS ports capable of operating at a speed of 330MHZ
  • Several modes of readout
  • Very High Gain
  • 18x HDTV full resolution
  • Low fixed pattern noise (FPN)
  • 60db dynamic range in Normal mode
  • Distributed Analog to Digital Converter
  • XtremePIX sensor technology
  • 3.3v Analog and 3.3v/1.8v Digital core
  • Pb-free package

Be sure to read the product brief for additional details.

http://www.panavisionimaging.com/imagers_DMAX.htm

The specs are pretty insane. To my knowledge there has been no official announcement of the Dynamax-35 and no one is talking about it in the blogosphere. Even as long as 3 years ago I had heard about a new Panavision digital camera in development. Could this be what's going into Genesis Part Deux?

This is what I'm talking about when I say that the market is now in the driver's seat. All the vendors want to stay in the game. Everyone wants to make the best solution and have their gear on every set around the world.

Hey Panasonic, where are you?

Mysterium-X.. mental!

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Mysterium-X.. mental!

This frame grab is from test footage Off Hollywood did with their new MX upgraded RED One's.

ISO 1600 in available light processed in Red Cine X. No noise reduction.

http://www.offhwd.com/buzz/MX/mxwalk_h264_1k.mov

(it's a big file so be patient)

Based off what I've seen so far, I'm a little speechless to be honest. Being able to shoot in available light like this has vast implications. And in an affordable camera system.

I was looking at some of my blog posts from this time 2 years ago and I'm just shocked at where we are technology wise after only a few years. About this time in 2008, the HPX170 and HVX200A had recently come out and everyone was stoked about them. RED was just getting its sea legs. I think it was NAB 2007 where they showed the first real footage from the camera, Peter Jackson's short film, Crossing the Line. That's only 3 years ago.

Today in 2010 with RED's Mysterium-X, 1080 video in SLR's, and not to mention all the other incredible new technologies like the Weisscam HS-2, Sony SRW-9000, and modern 3D.. Cameras from a few years ago seem like they're from a bygone era. It's nuts. The DVX100 came out when I was in my last year of film school. Prior to that we had the VX2000 and.. gasp. Film. I bought the DVX100A in 2004 and sold it in 2008 even though I was still shooting on it quite a bit then. Here we are in 2010 and one can only wonder what the next few years is going to look like. I've heard rumblings about a Canon RAW video codec in an external recorder..