It is encouraging to see that as cinematography technology evolves, there seems to be a general shift from directly comparing film and digital imagery to the focus instead being on the individual merits of each technology. That certainly seemed to be the direction that the industry had taken last month at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, and at subsequent events in the Los Angeles area.
NAB 2004 produced developments in the areas of both film and digital cinematography. Eastman Kodak, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., continued to raise the bar on film imaging with its newest Vision 2 films, which were unveiled in February. Additionally, the company earned high marks from the cinematography community with its new Look Management System, which is designed to help keep the cinematographer’s intended look intact as a project goes through the digital post process (SHOOT, 4/30, p. 1).
In the area of digital imaging, Thomson’s Grass Valley, with U.S. headquarters in Nevada City, Calif., Sony Broadcast and Production Systems, Park Ridge, N.J., and other camera makers focused on workflow. For instance, Thomson’s Viper FilmStream camera is capable of capturing a 4:4:4 RGB unprocessed and uncompressed image directly to a hard drive, giving a production a significant amount of latitude for color correction and digital post. So at NAB, the demonstration included the ability to move the recorded imagery directly to Thomson’s Specter Virtual Datacine, which would manage the materials throughout post, color correction and for final mastering. Also, Newbury, U.K.-headquartered Quantel has demonstrated that Viper footage can be recorded directly into an iQ, which could accommodate post, color correction and mastering in Quantel’s resolution coexistent work environment. This workflow would save time, offer flexibility, and has already been applied to commercialmaking in Europe.
In its NAB booth, Sony introduced its next generation of Cine Alta camera systems—which use HDCAM SR (super resolution) to obtain a 4:4:4 RGB image with what Sony bills as "light" compression. The system components currently include the SRW-F950 camera, the SRW 5000 studio deck (both are now available), as well as the SRW1 portable deck, which will be available in September. This technology is the next generation of Sony’s F900 Cine Alta camera, which was used for three series of "Dreams" shorts that were produced by Sony and Young & Rubicam, New York. Several of the most recent shorts were screened during Sony’s annual Cine Alta Night at NAB.
At its booth, Sony demonstrated the HDCAM SR systems’ advantages in the area of compositing, a key benefit for the commercial production community.
Rick Harding, marketing manager for Sony’s HDCAM product line, relates that HDCAM SR offers a "superior ability to composite in RGB as opposed to 4:2:2 because you have the full sample of the color channels, and you have 1.6 gigs in the signal going to tape at 440 Mb. Compare that to [standard] HDCAM, that’s three times the information. … And with the algorithm that you are using—MPEG-4 Studio Profile—you have all that headroom up to two gigs. So when you are putting 440 Mb to tape … that gives you artifact-free recording. Therefore, when you are compositing, you do not have to take out things that have been induced by the algorithm. It makes [compositing] very clean."
Specifically addressing commercialmakers, he adds, "They’re all working in most cases with RGB systems anyway—SGI, Quantel. … The ability to work in these full bandwidths is something that is going to improve their product."
Secaucus, N.J.-headquartered Panasonic continued to promote the expanding use of its VariCam system. At NAB, Panasonic introduced its compact AJ-HD1200A DVC PRO HD VTR, which looms as pivotal in terms of facilitating real-time desktop and mobile laptop computer editing for HD images captured by Panasonic’s VariCam. Billed as the world’s smallest HD recorder, the AJ-HD 1200A can import HD material sans generation loss via FireWire directly into Apple’s Final Cut Pro for HD, which also debuted during NAB (SHOOT, 4/23, p. 1).
"With high definition now available on the desktop with Power Mac G5 and the AJ-HD1200A, the investment necessary for HD editing is dramatically reduced," says Stuart English, VP of marketing, Panasonic Broadcast.
The AJ-HD 1200A with an optional FireWire card lists for $25,000. This is the latest outgrowth of an ongoing collaborative three-year relationship between Panasonic and Apple.
At NAB ’04, there was also some maturing of portable recording devices that would benefit various camera models, including those from aforementioned Thomson, Sony and Panasonic. Notably, San Francisco-based Baytech Cinema and Digital Video Computing (DVC)—the European Distributor for Baytech, based in Herrsching, Germany—announced new features for CineRAM, Baytech’s uncompressed, solid-state, HD digital cinematography recorder and network bridge. CineRAM records numerous HD formats, including those used by the Viper, Sony Cine Alta F-950, Sony F-900 and Panasonic VariCam. CineRAM can also be used in postproduction to transfer data to and from digital VTRs and computer editing and special effects equipment. As a result of CineRAM’s large RAM buffer, bi-directional transfers are possible without the need for specialized hardware capture cards or disk RAIDs.
The system is compact and battery powered—meaning that it enables a cinematographer to work untethered, for instance with a Steadicam. With RAM sizes up to 32 GB, a single CineRAM can record up to 2.7 minutes of HD RGB 4:4:4 uncompressed dual-link (Viper or Sony F-950) or 10 minutes of HD single-link (VariCam) camera output at 24 fps.
PROTOTYPES
Meanwhile, a series of prototypes of developing cameras from additional manufacturers created significant interest from the community. For instance, Munich, Germany-based Arri displayed a working model of its D-20 digital camera, which made its initial appearance at last year’s International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Since its IBC unveiling, the D-20 has been improved through the implementation of better image processing algorithms, and optional gamma curves for different looks, according to Arri’s Marc Shipman-Mueller, who heads technical marketing for cameras. The D-20, he contended, now has better color saturation and overall improved image quality as compared to its output at IBC ’03.
The D-20, which represents Arri’s first foray into the digital camera arena, is slated for delivery in ’05. Recently a test classical music video was shot with the D-20 by film cinematographer Graham Minassian. The DP reported that the D-20 has the same functional look and feel of a film camera, which makes for an easy transition for film artisans.
Right after NAB, Shipman-Mueller was scheduled to begin a series of focus group sessions internationally with DPs and rental houses about the D-20. Plans call for there to be six D-20 prototypes in the field for work on pilot projects later this year.
At NAB, Toronto-headquartered Dalsa Corp. screened the first tests lensed with its prototype Origin digital cinematography camera, which is being developed to offer eight million pixels for 4k digital capture and at least 12 stops of exposure latitude. The camera is scheduled to become commercially available Nov. 1.
As it is recording data, Dalsa, like other camera makers, recognizes a need to develop the workflow for using the Origin camera, and so the company is collaborating with a number of different vendors to establish a 4k process. For instance, Dalsa is working with Mountain View, Calif.-based SGI to develop a multi-terabyte capacity data recorder. The companies reported that the data recorders would feature gigabyte per second data transfer capabilities, taking full advantage of the 4xInfiniband protocol used by the Origin camera. A released statement notes that SGI plans to provide a digital infrastructure with the bandwidth, throughput, storage and processing power needed to handle 4k data at every stage of postproduction, including editing and compositing, color grading, animation and effects, distribution and archive.
Dalsa plans to establish a Hollywood-based partnership to distribute Origin cameras, storage equipment and related accessories. Although specific partners have not yet been finalized, Dalsa announced that it has established target pricing of $3,000 per day for the camera and data recorder, to enable studios and directors of photography to plan their productions around the availability of the camera.
JVC, headquartered in Wayne, N.J., came to NAB with a new initiative—"Affordable HD for Everyone." As well, it showed a prototype of a three-chip, HD/SD professional camcorder that uses the new HDV recording format. The camera uses three 2/3-inch CMOS imagers each with a native resolution of 1920x 1080 pixels. A built in MPEG-2 encoder is in place in order to provide quality, bandwidth efficient recoding of native HD images. The camera will be capable of recording 24p, JVC reports.
LENSES
A must-visit for many at NAB was Woodland Hills, Calif.-headquartered Panavision, which debuted its 300x HD Lens with Compound Zoom technology—a high-performance lens system with an unprecedented 300:1 zoom ratio. Panavision asked visitors to stretch their minds and imagine new possibilities, such as shooting the coin toss of a football game from a blimp.
In addition to the 300x zoom ratio (from 7mm to 2100mm), the Panavision 300x HD Lens with Compound Zoom technology offers a very wide field of view at the short focal length, as well as other value-added performance features previously unavailable, including continuous zoom (without the use of image degrading drop-in extenders); continuous focusing through zoom; instantaneous optical breathing control at short focal lengths; and low distortion over virtually all of the zoom and focus rangers.
The lens, which will be made available later this year—provides high image quality in a wide variety of shooting scenarios by maximizing contrast at high-definition resolution. Very low veiling glare and ghosting attributes, exhibited by Panavision’s established Primo cine lens technology, are also incorporated.
Burbank, Calif.-based Pro Film & Digital premiered the Carl Zeiss DigiZoom 6-24mm T1.9 lens—the company’s first precision zoom lens developed especially to enhance the potential of HD cinematography cameras.
The new B4 mount lens—manufactured at the Carl Zeiss Optics factory in Oberkochen, Germany, and marketed worldwide exclusively by Band Pro—was designed to accurately match color and seamlessly intercut images made with the DigiPrime family.
As with Zeiss DigiPrime lenses, the Zeiss DigiZoom has been engineered for performance in low light situations with the aperture fully open. The Zeiss design provides contrast control by minimizing flare, and veiling glare and internal reflections. It also offers relative illumination and high resolution over the entire screen, edge to edge, throughout the zoom range. This 4x zoom employs the Carl Zeiss back-focus mechanism for accurately maintained calibration across the focusing range, as well as the Zeiss Internal Focusing Design.
The Zeiss DigiZoom focuses to just 22 inches from the image plane—11 inches from the front of the lens. Additionally, the optic offers the unique ability to focus tightly on objects as small as 66mm x 117mm. Even items as tiny as a business card can fill the frame in precise focus, according to Band Pro.
Canon USA, headquartered in Lake Success, N.Y., expanded its toolset for HD cinematography with six new prime lenses, a new HJ8x 5.5B KLL-SC cine zoom lens, and an innovation to support wide screen filmmaking—an anamorphic lens converter for the 2/3-inch HD image size format.
The anamorphic lens converter fits between any electronic cinematography prime or zoom lens and camera, making it possible to easily record a CinemaScope size (aspect ratio 2.35:1) image with an HD cinematography camera.
In order to offer more flexibility to cinematographers during production, Canon added to its selection of prime lenses the FJs55 lens, with a T1.6 capability and 2.4 pound weight. It joins the FJs5, FJs9, FJs14, FJs24 and FJs35 lenses in Canon’s FJs line to meet the specialized needs of HD cinematography. All six FJs prime lenses feature a focus rotation angle of 280 degrees (up from 180 degrees on the previous generation), and improved optical and mechanical performance. Other new features of the FJs prime lens series includes a new design with a standardized front-of-lens diameter of 95mm, enabling the same matte boxes or filters to be used with all lenses.
Canon also broadened its line of HD-EC zoom lenses with the new HJ8ex5.5B KLL-SC lens. It represents an affordable wide angle companion to the HJ21x7.5B KLL-SC and HJ21x4.7B KLL-SC lenses, with a focal length of 5.5-44mm, and T2.1 capability. It uses Canon’s Power Optical System for use in episodic TV, commercial and motion picture production. Focus and iris indications are engraved with large luminous scales. Focus distance is marked in feet, while gear rings are compatible with studio focus rigs, manual fluid zoom drives and motorized control systems used for film lenses.
Fujinon, Wayne, N.J., has expanded its HD cinematography lens lineup with the introduction of its new HAeF-10, 10mm prime lens for digital cinematography applications. It is designed to fill the gap between Fujinon’s existing HAeF-8mm and HAeF-12mm prime lenses, featuring a focal length of 10mm, 280-degree focus rotation, and a maximum photometric aperture of T1.5. "The new HaeF-10 prime increases the range of focal lengths in our prime set," says marketing manager Dave Waddell. "Cine style camera operators need a complete selection of various focal length primes, and Fujinon previously had a set of eight. This new lens increases creative choice with a fixed focal length of 10mm, often requested in HD studio production. All Cine Style lenses from Fujinon are designed specifically to work with the latest HD video cameras, and feature large, bright markings for zoom, focus, and iris- and cine-compatible gearing for interfacing with existing cine controls and matte boxes.
