Archive for: cinema eos
Dual Pixel technology more than just AF?
NL reports that they’ve been told to expect even more new features from Canon’s Dual Pixel technology other than autofocus. Currently the tech appears in the EOS 70D and will also appear in an upgraded EOS C100. Will the C300 get a similar upgrade?
Apparently dual pixel design will need the latest generation of processing (DIGIC 6/7?) technology to realize its full potential. The benefits of this alongside new CODECS will be seen in the next Cinema EOS cameras and possibly in new high end DSLRs.
The video and stills segments of the professional lineup will get upgrades in 2014. Cinema EOS will get it first, and possibly be shown in April at NAB 2014 in Las Vegas. DSLRs will get it in the second half of the year and will most likely be shown at Photokina 2014 in Cologne, Germany.
Source: [NL]
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Newsshooter talks C100 Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Canon’s Mr Onda
Dan Cheung sits down with the head of Canon’s Cinema EOS product line to talk about the C100 dual pixel CMOS AF upgrade that was recently announced.
Mr Onda clarifies that the update to the Cinema EOS C100 is firmware and a “service adjustment”, as it and the EOS C300 already have Dual Pixel CMOS AF capabilities at the hardware level.
They also talk about lenses and RAW video and why they think the “lower range” cameras don’t need the RAW video capabilities that the C500 has. It’s also fun to watch Mr Onda discuss Magic Lantern and the actual hardware capabilities of their cameras like the EOS 5D Mark III.
An interesting point is Mr Onda says they plan to introduce STM technology into “L” lenses. Although he mentions that developing an L lens takes a lot longer to do than the current STM lenses.
Source: [Teradek]
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An EF mount 4K cinema camera
For the second year in a row, the biggest buzz from the show has come from Blackmagic Design (you’re a close second Freefly).
Last year they launched a 2.5K cinema camera that has been plagued with availability issues. People that have got their hands on one seem to genuinely like the camera. Although there are still a lot of people that have been frustrated by their inability to get one.
This year Blackmagic Design launched two new cameras, a compact cinema camera for $995 and the very exciting 4K camera for under $4000. The camera itself has a Super 35 sensor and has a global shutter, which eliminates the rolling shutter frustration.
From Blackmagic Design
“Shoot Ultra HD TV or 4K feature films with the new Blackmagic Production Camera 4K. You get a large Super 35 size sensor with professional global shutter combined with precision EF mount optics, high quality visually lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW and Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)™ file recording for a complete self contained solution. The built in touchscreen lets you monitor, change settings and enter metadata directly on the camera!”
I spent a half an hour or so with Blackmagic Design along with my friend Mitch from Planet5D. It was a good talk and has changed my view of Blackmagic Design and how successful I think they can be.
First up, the production issues of the first camera. The company feels those are behind them, they’ve learned a lot from the issues. The first camera had issues with sensor production, one of the only a handful of parts inside the camera that Blackmagic Design doesn’t manufacture themselves. For the last year, they have had an abundance of camera bodies without sensors inside them. The new sensor comes from a new supplier and they’ve made sure they are going to be able to meet demand. Blackmagic Design wouldn’t tell us who that manufacturer was at the time of writing this, as they don’t feel it matters to consumers where the sensor comes from. As long as they can produce them, and the camera gives good results, who cares? I agree with that point, but I do appreciate the passion of camera lovers.
That being said, the speculation is the sensor is made by CMOSIS , as it shares some physical similarities to the Leica M sensor. CMOSIS also makes a Super35 sensor that is in the Apertus camera.
The camera will only be available in EF mount, as the distance to the sensor prevents a PL mount version of the camera. The image circle is also too big for Micro 4/3 lenses.
The camera is slated for release in July, so there should be decent stock of them in August if what were told today about product was true.
This may not be the only cinema camera you own, but it’s shaping up to be one a lot of people with add to the kit. At under $4000, it’s almost a no brainer. One may appear in my camera bag, so I can continue to make bad movies, but at 4K resolution!
Thanks for your time Blackmagic Design.
Visit Blackmagic Design | Preorder the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K $3995
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From B&H Photo
There is an instant savings of $1000 off the Canon EOS C100 cinema camera. The price is good until April 11, 2013.
Canon EOS C100 at B&H Photo $5499 (save $1000)
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MELVILLE, N.Y., April 3, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc. a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today new firmware and application software upgrades for the Company’s Cinema EOS System lineup of cameras. New ACES compatibility software for the Cinema EOS C500 and Cinema EOS C500 PL Digital Cameras will be available as a free download expected in June 2013. Additional Cinema EOS firmware upgrades, including a new 1,440 x 1,080 pixel recording mode at 35Mbps for the Cinema EOS C300 and Cinema EOS C300 PL Digital Cameras, are expected to be available as free downloads starting in October 2013, all from thewww.usa.canon.com.
In response to strong demand from professionals working in the fields of motion picture, commercial and television production, the firmware and application software upgrades will offer enhanced color management efficiency and camera functionality, contributing to improved video production workflow efficiency.
ACES Compatibility for Greater Production Workflow Efficiency (EOS C500/EOS C500 PL)
Cinema EOS C500 and Cinema EOS C500 PL camera users will be able to download a new version of Canon’s Cinema RAW Development Software for working with 4K RAW data. The new version provides support for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) color management standard, as defined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and standardized by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE). Compatibility with ACES helps make efficient workflows possible, enabling color management using a uniform color space – even when handling video captured using multiple cameras with different color characteristics.
Automatic Functions (EOS C300) and New Recording Mode (EOS C300/EOS C300 PL)
A new firmware upgrade for the Cinema EOS C300 Digital Camera adds Push Auto Iris and One-Shot Autofocus (AF), two outstanding automatic functions incorporated in the Cinema EOS C100 Digital Camera (released in November 2012). These functions enable users to automatically adjust lens aperture and focusing through a simple one-touch operation, which can be particularly useful for cinematographers and videographers shooting without the support of an assistant.
In addition, a firmware upgrade for the Cinema EOS C300 and Cinema EOS C300 PL Digital Cameras adds a 1,440 x 1,080 pixel recording mode at 35Mbps, a resolution widely used in terrestrial digital television broadcasting. This new mode will expand the versatility of the XF codec and can be a useful addition for broadcast applications where the reduced bandwidth requires less transmission time while still maintaining a high level of image quality.
Shifting Display Location during Magnified Focus Assist (EOS C100, EOS C300/EOS C300 PL, EOS C500/EOS C500 PL)
Firmware upgrades for the EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL, EOS C300, EOS C300 PL, and EOS C100 Digital Camera models enable the Magnified Focus Assist function’s magnified view area within the viewfinder and LCD monitor to be shifted to locations other than the center of the screen, allowing users to confirm focus across the entire display area.
About ACES
Professionals in the cinema, television and other high-quality digital production industries commonly make use of multiple cameras when shooting video. As these cameras employ different sensors, each offers varying color characteristics. In addition, users can select from a diverse range of camera settings during image capture, such as aperture, focus position, frame rate and recording format, and because of this, images shot for a single scene can produce different results in terms of color and gradation, depending on the camera used.
Furthermore, when inputting, editing and outputting video, professionals may use various displays, each with its own color space, resulting in differences in how colors appear depending on the device used, even when viewing the same footage. For example, the viewfinder of a camera used during filming, the PC display used to edit the images, and the projector or television for viewing the video each offer varying color characteristics, causing the colors in the video to appear differently.
Therefore, color management takes a great deal of time and effort to correct for camera- and display monitor-related color differences.
ACES is a color management architecture developed by AMPAS, and standardized by SMPTE, that aims to improve efficiency among complex color management workflows by delivering uniform color expression through a standardized color space used during the video production workflow. Through compatibility with ACES, video captured using different cameras and settings can be aligned with the ACES color space, which offers a wide color range and high dynamic range. ACES provides an archive-ready file format, and also delivers high workflow efficiency by allowing users to confirm images with the same appearance even when using display devices with varying color characteristics during input and output.
MELVILLE, N.Y., April 3, 2013 – Canon Inc., the parent company of Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has announced the development of a 35mm cinema prime lens for large-format single-sensor cameras employing Super 35mm, full-frame 35mm, and APS-C size imagers. The 35mm cinema prime lens will look to join Canon’s line of 14mm, 24mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm EF-mount Cinema prime lenses. The 35mm cinema lens in development will look to become the sixth in the line, filling a strategic optical need between Canon’s 24mm and 50mm lens offerings. As with Canon’s precision-matched, competitively priced CN-E prime lenses, the 35mm lens under development will look to deliver 4K optical performance and inherit the professional operability of the existing CN-E prime lens line.
Canon Cinema prime lenses are part of the Canon Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products, which also include the EOS C500 4K/2K Digital Cinema Camera, EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera, EOS C100 Digital Video Camera, EOS-1D C 4K DSLR Cinema Camera, and four Canon Cinema zoom lenses. A development sample of the 35mm cinema lens will be on display in the Canon booth #C4325 during the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NV, April 8-11, 2013, and the lens itself is currently expected to officially launch sometime this year.
“Canon is committed to supporting cinematic culture and the continued advancement of tools for visual storytelling at all levels,” affirmed Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “During the past 18 months, Canon has brought our Cinema EOS product line to market, and in that time we have introduced HD, 2K, and 4K cameras, lenses and workflow solutions, as well as structured a comprehensive service and support network for professionals in the theatrical motion picture and television markets to enable customers to create and deliver exceptional imaging content and cinematic brilliance.”
Current Canon Cinema Lens Lineup
Each current Canon Cinema lens is equipped with an 11-blade aperture diaphragm, which is ideally suited to help achieve creative depth-of-field manipulation and pleasing “bokeh” effects. The Canon line of Cinema prime lenses is precision-matched for consistent and solid optical performance throughout the line, and the inner focus mechanism helps minimize focus-induced changes in the angle of view. All feature a full-frame image circle in a lightweight, compact design, and they incorporate proven Canon lens elements designed to fulfill contemporary 4K production standards. All Canon Cinema primes also deliver color tone and balance that matches Canon’s top-end Cinema zooms and compact Cinema zooms. Canon Cinema prime lenses deliver the operation and reliability required in professional film-style shooting environments.
All Canon Cinema prime lenses are fully compatible with the Canon EOS C500, EOS C300, EOS C100, and EOS-1D C digital cinema cameras. The EF-mount design of all Canon Cinema prime lenses provides communication with these cameras for such handy features as display of the ƒ number in the electronic viewfinder, recording of focus/zoom position and f number, and, later this year, Peripheral Light Compensationi.
Strategically integrated motion-picture style mechanical attributes (as opposed to those for still photography lenses) are also an important design feature of Canon’s series of Cinema prime lenses. These film-style characteristics include 300-degree rotation on the focus ring for precision focus control as well as large, highly visible engraved focus scales for convenient operation. These markings appear on the angled surfaces on both sides of the barrel, making them easy to read and to adjust the “stepless” focus and/or aperture settings of the lenses from behind or from either side of the camera for camera operators or focus pullers. Focus markings can be switched from standard labeling to metric, and control rings are engineered to maintain the proper amount of resistance with consistent operating torque and familiar tactile “feedback” for satisfying manual control. All of Canon’s current Cinema prime lenses also share the same uniform gear positions, diameters, and rotation angles, as well as front-lens diameters, making them compatible with a wide variety of matte boxes, follow focus gear, marking disks, and other third-party film-industry-standard accessories. Film crews can quickly change lenses without the need for accessory gear-position adjustments or other changes to the rig setup.
The versatility of image-capture options using Canon EOS digital cinema cameras can be further extended with Canon’s Cinema Zoom lenses (the CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 wide-angle and the CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 telephoto) and Compact Cinema Zoom lenses (the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 wide-angle and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 telephoto). All four lenses are available in both EF- and PL-mount versions, and the mount can be switched at a Canon service facility in the United States for added flexibility. Almost all of Canon’s EF Series photographic lenses can also be used with these Cinema EOS cameras, including Image Stabilized zoom, tilt-shift, and macro lenses.
Press Release
TOKYO, March 4, 2013—Canon Inc. announced today that the company has successfully developed a high-sensitivity 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor exclusively for video recording. Delivering high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance, the new Canon 35 mm CMOS sensor*1 enables the capture of Full HD video even in exceptionally low-light environments.
The newly developed CMOS sensor features pixels measuring 19 microns square in size, which is more than 7.5-times the surface area of the pixels on the CMOS sensor incorporated in Canon’s top-of-the-line EOS-1D X and other digital SLR cameras. In addition, the sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry employ new technologies that reduce noise, which tends to increase as pixel size increases. Thanks to these technologies, the sensor facilitates the shooting of clearly visible video images even in dimly lit environments with as little as 0.03 lux of illumination, or approximately the brightness of a crescent moon—a level of brightness in which it is difficult for the naked eye to perceive objects. When recording video of astral bodies, while an electron-multiplying CCD,*2 which realizes approximately the same level of perception as the naked eye, can capture magnitude-6 stars, Canon’s newly developed CMOS sensor is capable of recording faint stars with a magnitude of 8.5 and above.*3
Using a prototype camera employing the newly developed sensor, Canon successfully captured a wide range of test video,*4 such as footage recorded in a room illuminated only by the light from burning incense sticks (approximately 0.05–0.01 lux) and video of the Geminid meteor shower. The company is looking to such future applications for the new sensor as astronomical and natural observation, support for medical research, and use in surveillance and security equipment. Through the further development of innovative CMOS sensors, Canon aims to expand the world of new imaging expression.
Canon Marketing Japan Inc. will be exhibiting a prototype camera that incorporates the newly developed 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and sample footage captured with the camera at SECURITY SHOW 2013, which will be held from Tuesday, March 5, to Friday, March 8, at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center in Tokyo, Japan.
- An imaging element (aspect ratio: 16:9) that supports the largest image circle size possible when shooting with a Canon EF lens.
- A CCD sensor with a readout mechanism that multiplies electrons after being converted from light. Applications include nighttime surveillance and the capture of astral bodies and nighttime nature scenes.
- The brightness of a star decreases 2.5-times with each 1 magnitude increase.
- Recording of test video footage was made possible through cooperation from ZERO Corporation.
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From Adorama
Adorama is giving $2000 off of the Canon EOS C300 cinema camera. Both the PL and EF mount cameras get the instant rebate.
I think buying one of each is a great idea!
EOS C300 EF Mount $13,999 | EOS C300 PL Mount $13,999
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Firmware 1.0.8.1.00 Available for Download
Firmware Version 1.0.8.1.00 incorporates the following fixes and improvements:
- Some of the EF lens products that can be mounted on the camera can be controlled more reliably.
- Corrections to the Spanish and German language texts in the View Assistance function (View Assist).
- Efforts to correct image color fringing when a subject is of high contrast have been made.
Download Here | Canon EOS C300 at B&H Photo
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More coming for Cinema EOS?
There have been numerous mentions of a camera coming in under the Canon EOS C100, an EOS C50 if you will. What could be removed from the EOS C100 to make another cinema EOS camera a lot cheaper? Currently a C100 costs about $6500, and we’ve been told numerous times that Canon thinks they’ll need a cheaper camera to get more people into the system and in turn, the upgrade path.
We’ve had two mentions of prototypes existing out in the wild, but no word yet as to whether or not they will become a consumer product.
For me, a dunce of a filmmaker. $6500 is too much money to spend just to show my family bad films on Vimeo. I’d really like a video camera that costs about half that with an EF mount. I could be in the minority on that one, but I much prefer to shoot video with a video camera as opposed to a DSLR.
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