As image-quality requirements bump up against bandwidth-based reality,
it’s more clear now than ever that when you select a camera you’re
already starting to determine your optimal post-production process.
Working in cooperation with the codec experts at CineForm (they’re the
guys who first brought you HDV editing in Adobe Premiere Pro), Silicon
Imaging has a new camera that defines your entire workflow from the
moment you hit record. The camera itself uses a single 2/3-inch CMOS
chip with a 12-bit A/D converter and has four hours of recording (to a
hot-swappable 160 GB USB 2.0 notebook HDD) on board. What’s radically
different here is that it records files using a 10-bit wavelet-based
codec (running at 96 Mbps) from CineForm that maintains RAW Bayer data
all the way through the render process — the color matrix is handled as
metadata in the stream, so the codec won’t allow you to make any truly
destructive color-space changes as you work. The camera records 1080p
at 24, 25 and 30 fps, and 720p up to 72 fps. Lens options include
PL-mounts as well as F- and C-mounts, and the camera head can even be
detached and linked up to the rest of the system vie Gigabit Ethernet.
Maybe the best part? It’ll be less than $20,000. Look for it as early
as the third quarter.
Access to the last 90 days of content is always free. Paid subscribers can access older stories as part of their membership.
Post your comments below
