CION still in the running vs FS7

S

steve phillipps

Veteran
OK, so just had another look at the CION and as long as it's in the same ballpark price as the FS7 it does still look good - 120fps at 4k option, global shutter, and while a PL mount at launch the mount sticks out well in front of the camera and is replaceable so third party mounts will be easy and cheap.
3 questions are - when will it be available, what street price, and any issues with the image.
One little thing that it also does have in its favour, for me at least, is it really does look pretty! Reminds me of an Aaton!
Steve
 
Ive liked the footage.

Personally I think it will be a great cinematography camera - better than the FS7

Lack of ND, extra mass, low ISO etc will make it less suitable for corporate/eng

S
 
I like what I've seen so far. It reminds me of the film stocks of the 90s with the inky blacks. I have seen other stuff at a demo at AbelCine after NAB on a nice monitor. At least it's easier to judge since what we've seen is ungraded and baked in. I'm looking at both these or a used Scarlet X before the years out. I'm leaning towards the CION. I just need up to ISO 1250 fairly clean, then I'm good for what I shoot.
 
Colour and detail look great. Would have liked to see more movement in the shots. Who knows what the build quality will be like?
 
I think the build quality will be better than the plasticky FS7. Global shutter is a huge plus. However, what remains to be seen is how well that sensor is implemented. It will definitely have less DR than the Sony and at the end of the day that is problematic for me.
 
All day, no problem. I think Cion is being honest about just what they're getting at 12 stops. It's kind of refreshing. Except outside in the sun, I'm fine with it and can deal with the a stop or two when the colors are so rich and the blacks are so clean. I can manage 12 stops no problem.
 
yoclay said:
I think the build quality will be better than the plasticky FS7. Global shutter is a huge plus. However, what remains to be seen is how well that sensor is implemented. It will definitely have less DR than the Sony and at the end of the day that is problematic for me.
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Well the FS7 has a magnesium body, like the F5 and the CION. The texturing still seems a little plasticky, but it's well built. I was at a CION event not too long ago and got to have a nice little hands-on with it. Feels good on the shoulder. But I shoot too much run-n-gun/documentary stuff to seriously consider it. Lots of settings are in the menus so you'll be spinning and clicking that little wheel all day to change things.

They definitely aren't messing around with their codecs, though. Internal ProRes 4444 is pretty incredible.
 
Images from the CION were incredibly underwhelming at NAB. This camera has unfortunately negative mojo to it. Having attended over 20 NAB conventions I'd say AJA isn't making a serious effort. From what I saw it is destined to become the Edsel of large sensor cameras. This may go down in history as less impactful than the Panasonic Recam. IMHO of course.
 
dp90068 said:
Images from the CION were incredibly underwhelming at NAB. This camera has unfortunately negative mojo to it. Having attended over 20 NAB conventions I'd say AJA isn't making a serious effort. From what I saw it is destined to become the Edsel of large sensor cameras. This may go down in history as less impactful than the Panasonic Recam. IMHO of course.
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Is this you general impression of the image quality? What specifically did you see that you didn't like?
 
Skin seems to have a lot of magenta in it to me (in all fairness I watched on the worst monitor I have in the house). Still a nice image but I'd be concerned that without a LOG profile you will be limited in what you can do with the footage and how many stops DR are preserved by the codec outside of raw.

I personally avoid any companies first attempt at anything. We will see. I hope AJA hits it out of the park as I'm all about adding competition and shooting options to the sub $10K market which is where my business lies.
 
Highlights were a problem across the board - actually what was on the monitors at NAB during my visit was very poor. I am surprised a manufacturer would show this. Exposure latitude is very limited. The Cion demo footage available online is remarkable more for what it doesn't show... A range of scenes under challenging lighting conditions. This is just my opinion. I have only been doing camerawork for 20 years.
 
The CION form factor is a big plus. Their thinking in this regard is way ahead of other cameras in this price range.
 
dp90068 said:
Highlights were a problem across the board - actually what was on the monitors at NAB during my visit was very poor. I am surprised a manufacturer would show this. Exposure latitude is very limited. The Cion demo footage available online is remarkable more for what it doesn't show... A range of scenes under challenging lighting conditions. This is just my opinion. I have only been doing camerawork for 20 years.
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We could benefit from seeing more stressed shooting conditions, that's for sure. The demo they put out was pretty well controlled. I think the goal was to show skin tones, which we hadn't seen till then. I thought they looked good.

I was at an event at AbelCine in NY and they brought some sunlight stuff that they shot that looked pretty good. The highlights, when blown looked bright white, without that nasty yellow fringe. The shadow detail was pretty good. I wasn't able to make NAB but others have said that they thought the highlights didn't look all that good there, as you say.

I want to see more. I like the feature set, global shutter, 4444 ProRes, great form factor. I'm pulling for it. When it comes out, we'll have a chance to push it and find out then. Image quality is paramount but I don't feel negatively about what I've seen so far.
 
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