combatentropy
Veteran
Netflix requires 4K. 8K is just around the corner. S35 is so last year. FF is the new hotness. DPAF and IBIS FTW!
Therefore I thought it would be a good time to clarify my camera requirements and see if anyone else is interested in such a thing. I'm not saying that this should be the only model a manufacturer makes. I just wish it was one of their models. This camera can be made today. It could have been made last year.
IMX420. Sony released this image sensor two years ago. Here are its specs:
Cineform. Go ahead and debayer in camera, and save it as Cineform Intermediate (1920x1080 4:2:2). Its quality and file size is basically the same as ProRes, only it is open source.
SD Cards. Since your bandwidth is only about 12.5 MB/sec. (and even at high frame rates like 120 would still only be about 60 MB/sec.) SDXC cards should be able to handle it. They're cheap and sold everywhere.
DSLR Body. Panasonic seems to make the most ergonomic DSLRs, with their flip-out screens and compact XLR shoes. I would prefer the screen be 4" instead of the usual 3" or 3.5". That happens to be the exact size of a business card. I think 5" is too big for what we're talking. It needs to be high-resolution, but it still will need focus peaking to nail focus. (I actually don't care for autofocus. If this camera were made by a major player, I guess autofocus would be easy. But I say that as a concession if the next Ikonoskop or Digital Bolex wants to provide me this camera
4/3 mount. I like this mount, because it is not proprietary (sort of the principle of it, doing my part to encourage open standards). It also has a very short flange distance, so other mounts can be adapted. So with S16 and 4/3 mount, we're talking the same system as the original Blackmagic Pocket.
USB-C charging port. I don't know, I'm tired of all the weird charging ports on laptops, phones, and cameras. Let's just standardize on USB-C! It may seem a small convenience, but just wait until you lose your camera charger and find out you can use your phone charger to charge your camera
2-hour battery life. The one thing I don't like about the DSLR is that there is no room for anything but those tiny batteries, which means short battery life. But I have heard that Panasonic ekes out up to two hours in some of its DSLRs. So yeah, the more the merrier, but at least two hours.
Fanless. No moving parts, please. This is all about long-lastingness, tolerance of extreme temperatures (within reason), low maintenance, etc.
Instantaneous boot. It's an ergonomic thing. The camera should feel like an old Leica, not an Acer desktop PC.
$1,500. Actually I think it can be done for $1,000, but I wanted to be generous. I've seen industrial cameras with this sensor I think for around $500. Those are basically sensors in a metal box. So I'm allowing triple the price for all the ergonomic conveniences. Seems doable.
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So actually S16 is not necessarily my absolute favorite sensor size, don't get me wrong. But I think it is a very flexible format. You can get shallow focus for head-and-shoulders shots, and you can get deep focus for run-and-gun shooting. Plus it is the only sensor I could find that meets all of my requirements.
Therefore I thought it would be a good time to clarify my camera requirements and see if anyone else is interested in such a thing. I'm not saying that this should be the only model a manufacturer makes. I just wish it was one of their models. This camera can be made today. It could have been made last year.
IMX420. Sony released this image sensor two years ago. Here are its specs:
- global shutter (absolutely required by me, don't tell me about rolling shutters that are "pretty fast" and "good enough for most situations." For me, it is binary. It is either global or it's not.
- 12⅔ stops (76 dB)
- 172 fps (though I'm fine with at least 60)
- 3208x2200 pixels, 14.4x9.9mm --- but I'm hoping you can crop it (with the Region of Interest [ROI] function?) to 2880 x 1620. This is the exact resolution of the Arri Alexa. It is also exactly 1.5x HD. It seems to be a resolution where you usually no longer get moire. And of course it would be easier to debayer than some odd multiple. Also when you crop it to 2880x1620, the size is almost exactly Super 16. It is 13x7.3mm. The diagonal is less than half a millimeter more than Super 16. So I would hope S16 lenses would still cover it.
Cineform. Go ahead and debayer in camera, and save it as Cineform Intermediate (1920x1080 4:2:2). Its quality and file size is basically the same as ProRes, only it is open source.
SD Cards. Since your bandwidth is only about 12.5 MB/sec. (and even at high frame rates like 120 would still only be about 60 MB/sec.) SDXC cards should be able to handle it. They're cheap and sold everywhere.
DSLR Body. Panasonic seems to make the most ergonomic DSLRs, with their flip-out screens and compact XLR shoes. I would prefer the screen be 4" instead of the usual 3" or 3.5". That happens to be the exact size of a business card. I think 5" is too big for what we're talking. It needs to be high-resolution, but it still will need focus peaking to nail focus. (I actually don't care for autofocus. If this camera were made by a major player, I guess autofocus would be easy. But I say that as a concession if the next Ikonoskop or Digital Bolex wants to provide me this camera
4/3 mount. I like this mount, because it is not proprietary (sort of the principle of it, doing my part to encourage open standards). It also has a very short flange distance, so other mounts can be adapted. So with S16 and 4/3 mount, we're talking the same system as the original Blackmagic Pocket.
USB-C charging port. I don't know, I'm tired of all the weird charging ports on laptops, phones, and cameras. Let's just standardize on USB-C! It may seem a small convenience, but just wait until you lose your camera charger and find out you can use your phone charger to charge your camera
2-hour battery life. The one thing I don't like about the DSLR is that there is no room for anything but those tiny batteries, which means short battery life. But I have heard that Panasonic ekes out up to two hours in some of its DSLRs. So yeah, the more the merrier, but at least two hours.
Fanless. No moving parts, please. This is all about long-lastingness, tolerance of extreme temperatures (within reason), low maintenance, etc.
Instantaneous boot. It's an ergonomic thing. The camera should feel like an old Leica, not an Acer desktop PC.
$1,500. Actually I think it can be done for $1,000, but I wanted to be generous. I've seen industrial cameras with this sensor I think for around $500. Those are basically sensors in a metal box. So I'm allowing triple the price for all the ergonomic conveniences. Seems doable.
---
So actually S16 is not necessarily my absolute favorite sensor size, don't get me wrong. But I think it is a very flexible format. You can get shallow focus for head-and-shoulders shots, and you can get deep focus for run-and-gun shooting. Plus it is the only sensor I could find that meets all of my requirements.
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