All Activity

In the longer term, I am also watching small LOFIC sensors, because for this kind of digital Normal 8mm camera the real limitation may be highlight latitude rather than resolution. A compact 1/2.8" or 1/3" RAW sensor with better single-exposure highlight handling could be very interesting. Another related experiment would be using spectral filters, possibly with a monochrome sensor, to approximate the response of color negative film layers — so the “film look” would start partly at the capture stage, not only later as a LUT in post.

Thanks Clark, this is extremely useful. La Faux Bolex is exactly the kind of reference I was hoping to find. I had not looked seriously enough at the machine-vision / GigE route before. The idea of using an existing industrial camera with a proper C-mount is very appealing, especially if it avoids the nightmare of designing the sensor mount, power rails and MIPI/libcamera side from scratch. Your warning about lens-to-sensor distance is probably the most important part. I was tempted by the “bare phone sensor” experiment because damaged phones are now very cheap here in Poland — for example a Motorola Edge 50 Pro with a broken corner can be found for around 100$ — and the phone already gives you screen, battery, storage and potentially RAW video recording. But I agree that mechanically it could become a nightmare: flange distance, dust, IR filter, sensor cover glass, alignment and destroying the camera module. So maybe the phone route is only worth trying as a cheap destructive proof-of-concept to see whether the Pan-Cinor / Normal 8mm look is interesting enough digitally, not as the final camera architecture. The C-mount machine-vision route sounds more “correct” for a real build: industrial camera with known sensor position factory C-mount alignment DNG / raw frame recording Raspberry Pi / Compute Module control then adapt D-mount lenses mechanically My only concern is the D-mount to C-mount adapter. Since D-mount has a shorter flange distance than C-mount, the adapter needs to recess the D-mount lens enough to reach infinity. Have you tested whether the Fotodiox D-to-C adapter actually gives infinity focus with D-mount lenses, or is it more of a macro-only solution? For my project the ideal sensor size would be close to the Normal 8mm gate, around 4.5 × 3.3 mm or slightly larger. That is why I was looking at sensors like AR0234 or IMX900. But your point makes sense: a slightly larger industrial C-mount camera that already works may be much more practical than a theoretically perfect bare MIPI module with no adapter board and no driver. The pistol-grip form factor is also very close to what I have in mind — more like a digital Regular 8mm camera than a normal modern video camera. Thanks again. I’ll study La Faux Bolex more carefully.

I'm currently building a variation on the Faux Bolex project. https://github.com/lafauxbolex It's meant to recreate a Digital Bolex so it uses a machine vision camera with the same sensor (Basler Aviator avA2300-25gc Gig-E) which is 2K and has a Super16 sensor size but because I want a smaller camera, I'm using a different industrial camera whose sensor is a tiny bit more than 8mm. The Basler Ace acA1300-30gc. The DNG files it makes are 1280x960 pixels. So between 720p and 1080. I'm keeping the 4:3 aspect ratio. I'm thinking of something that you hold like a pistol as most 8mmm cameras were designed like. The FB project uses a regular size Raspberry Pi but to be smaller I'm using a Raspberry Pi Compute Module coupled with a Waveshare Nano Baseboard B for the IO. If you did something similar the machine vision camera likely would have a C-mount. You could easily put in a C to D adaptor and use D-mount lenses. https://fotodioxpro.com/products/d-c-p?_pos=1&_fid=d8b00a026&_ss=c This project saves to CinemaDNG files. A single raw file for each frame. There isn't audio implemented (yet). You can use a separate audio recorder if you want sound then sync it up later. There are some camera tests on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@LaFauxBolexDigitalCinemaCamera Having said that I haven't got it up and running yet. I don't have a background in programming so many things are new to me and I have other projects on the go and other cameras I can shoot with so this isn't urgent and I've set it aside for now. It involves both Python and C++. I don't have the experience to debug things properly. (I might just hire somebody to do that.) Being a passion project by an individual who is doing this on the side from working (in the film industry) and raising a family, he doesn't have time for much support. (Last I heard he had his prototype working and is out making a movie with it.) Check it out, but it is very DIY. This might not be the right project for you and one of the other Raspberry Pi camera projects like CinePi might be easier to set up and get running. The FB connects with Ethernet. Some of the dedicated cameras for the Pi connect differently and are easier to get up and running. The Raspberry Pi Global Shutter camera has a global shutter and connects to the CSI connector on the Pi. https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-global-shutter-camera/ So, warnings: A critical finicky thing is the lens to sensor distance. One micrometre can make a big difference in your focus. I recommend not messing with that. Get a camera that already has a C-mount and add a D-mount adapter. Don't try to create your own lens mount on to a bare sensor. It can be done but you'll spend weeks trying to get it right and it won't be fun. The other thing would be the sensor's physical size. It should be the size of the old 8mm film gate (which is 4.5mm x 3.3mm, 5.58mm diagonally) or a bit larger. Post on here how you're going with this. It'll be interesting to many people.

I think the closest thing to what you're looking for is the cinepi project. That or there was at least some project recently where somebody removed the glass from a smartphone and juryrigged a lens mount to it. That'd be another place to start.

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone here has tried to build a small digital RAW camera specifically around Normal 8mm / Regular 8mm cine lenses, especially D-mount zooms like the SOM Berthiot Pan-Cinor 8–40mm. The idea is not to make another action camera or phone rig, but something closer to a tiny indie digital 8mm camera: small sensor matched to the Normal 8mm image circle D-mount flange distance RAW10 / RAW12 capture global shutter if possible simple HDMI preview recording to SSD film-like color pipeline: linear matrix, log curve, gentle highlight roll-off maybe later: piezo micro-shift or a controlled “organic” sensor/optical movement to reduce the fixed digital feel I have been looking at sensors/modules such as Sony IMX900 and AR0234. The IMX900 seems more realistic as a ready Raspberry Pi 5 camera kit, but the AR0234 is very attractive because it is cheap, global shutter, 1920×1200, RAW10, and available in color and monochrome versions. The problem is the usual one: MIPI carrier board, Raspberry Pi compatibility, V4L2/libcamera driver, power rails, initialization registers, etc. The goal would be around 1080p or 2K rather than fake “4K”, because these old Normal 8mm lenses have their own character and don’t need a huge modern sensor. I’m more interested in a compact RAW camera with a real vintage 8mm optical look than in maximum resolution. Has anyone here tried something similar? I would be especially interested in: D-mount digital camera experiments Normal 8mm lens coverage on modern sensors Raspberry Pi / Jetson / RK3588 MIPI RAW capture AR0234 or IMX900 RAW workflows custom small camera bodies monochrome sensor + RGB filter experiments piezo sensor shift / film gate weave simulation I’m currently trying to understand whether it makes more sense to use a ready IMX900 Raspberry Pi kit, or to go deeper with a cheaper AR0234 OEM module and somehow solve the carrier board / driver problem. Any experience, links, warnings, or crazy ideas welcome.

The Ronin 4D can be great, but it can really make you crazy. It is definitely my favorite gimbal. If you go used, you can get a usable 6K setup for around $5,000 which, while still expensive, is a lot more affordable than $10,000! The Flex really makes the system interesting.

Right now I’m working on a GPU-accelerated H.265 mode, with the goal of getting video that is as close to RAW as possible while maintaining stable IT8-based color calibration. In RAW mode I’m currently limited to around 22 fps (Motorola Edge 50 Pro). To push beyond that, I’ll probably need to rewrite a significant part of the capture and processing pipeline in C++/NDK and reduce the amount of work done on the Kotlin side. Over the next few days I’m planning to register as a Google Play developer and try to publish an early version of RawLogCam on the Play Store. I’m also considering releasing it first as a closed or open beta. If anyone here has an Android phone with decent Camera2/RAW support and is interested in testing it, I’d definitely appreciate feedback — especially on dropped frames, sustained recording, external SSD recording, RAW compatibility, and color calibration across different sensors. If you have a better idea than going directly through the Play Store for the first public builds, I’m open to suggestions.

@eatstoomuchjam by "Pro" version, I meant the $10,000 Ronin 4D cinema camera, not the Pocket 4 Pro.

Hi, you are not being rude at all 🙂 happy to have a convo as we all use our gear differently. Unfortunately where I failed was assuming the H265 was normal, at the time of purchase it seemed like a perfect camera for most projects where for higher end stuff you could shoot red code and for more lower-end project (talking heads/ social content) you could shoot H265. The 2 surprises once we started shooting with it was just how massive the red code is compared to other red cameras (we also have other reds with other DOPs on projects) and how unusable the H265 is So camera was sold and we're back to using Lumix's / Sony FX for lower end projects and Pyxis 12/Komodo for higher end projects. This is just my use case in my little world..... I know we all have different wants and needs 🙂

Looking good!

I have very simple needs and if I was forced, I could shoot ML Raw in 1080p on my 5Diii for the foreseeable future. I posted a video here a while ago from some Nordic guy that mixed 5Diii/ML Raw with Osmo Raw drone footage and I was blown away by the Osmo Raw. At the time, the camera by itself was too rich for my blood, but I couldn't deny the image. On the complete opposite scale, I recently used my friend's Pocket 3 and I must say that it reminded me of my camcorder days, where you just collect footage in as interesting ways as possible to tell the most important thing... the story. That said, I would be an instant buyer of a $2000 raw video version of the Osmo Pocket camera... preferably with a larger sensor, but I would be okay with the 1" too if need be. I can only imagine how much fun the pro version is... even with its headaches?

Honestly, I am a little confused. Why buy the ZR if you want an h.265 codec camera? The ZR will probably be my next camera purchase but I am buying it for the RedCode Raw/n-raw and 32bit float audio. I wish there were better 4K raw options but that doesn't exist so I'm going to deal with it, I won't buy it and then say... Nikon needs to fix the lack of 4K raw options in the camera that I already knew didn't have good 4K raw options. If I decide to shoot 4K for "lesser" projects, I'll just use the ProResHQ with n-log or even Nikon Flat for certain things. I don't mean to be rude, but there are so many cameras on the market that shoot great full frame h.265. Raw video isn't for everybody, nor should it be.

The FX5 is 5599€ here, the ZR is 2449€. I think most customers understand the ZR is not meant to be an FX3 or FX5 at half price.

As a person who is waiting for used ZR prices to drop a bit more before picking one up, this all sounds good to me. 😅

True, however I know several people personally who have bounced out of the ZR due to the same issue. My local dealer was mentioning that several ZRs are being traded in for the FX5. I know a fix is coming, but I'm afraid it will come when it's no longer relevant in the market!

Here's a preview, very early days yet but the idea is to have a wiki page for every camera that draws together all the trusted resources for that model onto one single page with a clean design, no spam, no tracking malware banners, and no clickbait. Within each page: A ranking system In-depth detailed info and specs at a glance. LUTs and downloads, such as links to firmware updates, colour profiles, etc. A box with only "trusted" high quality YouTube reviews sourced per camera. Links to the top 5 best quality written reviews, manually sourced by me per camera. That will replace DPReview and Google search results for camera models, both enshitified to the point of unusable now, with so much AI and clickbait.

Nikon are in trouble. Camera sales down 22%. RED suffering in the filmmaking downturn. Patent has lost the biased ref. 1-0 down and could be 5-0 by full time.

The ZR is a smaller and lighter body and thermal management could be the issue. The Z8 and especially Z9 have a lot of mass that includes heat sinks that help keep components cool. None of them have cooling fans. The Zf (the one with the dials) is another smaller and lighter body (compared to Z8; it is not nearly light as the ZR) and it's actually quite easy to get it to get hot in stills shooting. Nikon made a choice to keep the ZR design quite thin without a built-in fan, and to make long recording times available, they seem to have compromised on the shadow noise reduction algorithm to reduce processor load, the result is a h.265 codec which in log mode is soft. They have indicated that they are working on a firmware update with a higher quality h.265 in mind.

Ouch! I thought H.265 was fixed in the last update... I was wrong.

What I don't understand is the H265 is fine in the Z6iii and Z8, so it's not like Nikon hasn't figured it out yet!

The main reason these patents have been considered legit in the US patent system despite the so-called inventions being obvious to any technical person familiar with photography, is probably that the US patent office's main purpose is to protect the interests of US-based companies, such as RED, against foreign businesses. Rational arguments don't necessarily apply, if the case involves a US vs. foreign manufacturer and the litigation happens in the US. Now, since a Japanese company (Nikon) currently owns RED, it's quite possible the US position also changes (not because of Panasonic's arguments but because there is no longer a US-owned business interest for the US patent office to protect). It is difficult see how a Nikon lawyer would defend these patents with a straight face, so their arguments may be ineffective. Anyway, most camera manufacturers nowadays seem to have some raw video capabilities in their cameras so the issue is not that pressing any more. It made sense for Nikon to buy RED to gain expertise and a presence in the mid and higher end video markets, irrespective of any patent issues. What do users complain the most about the first Nikon video camera? That the raw video files are too big. So, why was there so much fuss about the patents anyway, if people don't actually want to use raw video recording in practice?

This has to be fixed! I'll ask Jarred about this (particularly about the possibility of a lighter R3D NE option) and see what he says (E. :- )

There is one important point here : ) A Japanese decision invalidating the Japanese patent does not, by itself, kill equivalent patents in the US, Europe or anywhere else (even if they belong to the same patent family). Patent rights are territorial and each national right has, legally speaking, its own existence within its own jurisdiction. So no, compressed RAW has not suddenly become free for everyone everywhere : ) What is interesting is something else: if the claims are substantially equivalent (and that is obviously the important bit), the reasoning used in Japan may well become useful ammunition in other validity challenges. That is why, for me, the really interesting question is what Panasonic (or anyone else) does next. If equivalent RED claims start falling elsewhere too (particularly in the US), then yes, we may be looking at a very different landscape. - E. :- )

You are totally correct, however a fair bit of what I (we) shoot is delivered at the end of the the day, and TBH I can't bring myself to delete OG files when our productions are in the six digits. I ended up buying two 1TB owc cards, but still download and backing up to hard drives for a client and or producer end of a shoot day and asking them to hang around for another 40 min after a 12-15 hour day is not pleasant. Also I've seen this a few times on set where they shoot Raw and convert over to PRR LT without utilizing any of the raw capabilities and then deleting the raw, which makes me always wonder why shoot raw in the first place!!!!

At this rate they will shut down for good in very little time. That's cool. Have fun! And while you're at it maybe copy-paste your GH4 review on DPR on your new site before it's too late! 😆