mtol

I was previously feeling a bit cynical about Panasonic, debating trading in my S1 for an S5 but not wanting to give any more money to the company, and I take it back.

Looking forward to this next update, though I wonder if there's a real jump in quality from 4k to 5.9k. What's the real use value of that?

On 11/4/2020 at 11:53 AM, Thpriest said:

Really? Is it worse than the GH5 which I find to be fine?

Has anyone else got any experience of the peaking?

I've gotten used to the focus peaking on the S1 but I find it not as good as the GH5. Color options seem more limited and it doesn't feel as precise.

3 minutes ago, herein2020 said:

You could have a device like this one in your pocket and no memory cards in the camera or dummy ones that will look empty to law enforcement, the only missing piece is a camera that will write to USB-C but I'd imagine one exists: https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-is-the-worlds-most-versatile-hardware-encrypted-usb-flash-key-with-prices-starting-at-59/

Definitely Black Magic Pocket Cinema 4k, among others. This a really cool device I wasn't aware of.

4 minutes ago, herein2020 said:

But your encryption workflow involves a multi-GHz CPU, SSD or faster hard drives, and no other processes really clogging up the processing pipeline.  Also, it sounds like we are still talking mainly about images. Encrypting a video feed in real time regardless of its final destination is no simple feat even for specialized equipment that is designed to do it. We are talking about tiny camera bodies here whose internals are optimized to move data from the sensor to the storage device very quickly. 

It's more that entire drives are encrypted and function without a major speed loss, and these include slow 5200 rpm drives and portables.

 

6 minutes ago, herein2020 said:

UncleBob's public key approach still has the problem with verifying the written file prior to clearing the buffer and does not account for video.

It looks like Magic Lantern worked on this a bit, but for .jpg and .cr2 only, and not for video.... https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=10279.0

On 9/28/2020 at 3:52 AM, herein2020 said:

Data corruption - do you have any idea how long it takes to encrypt large files that are already compressed? The camera would have to stay on for the process which would eat into the battery life and the media would have to be very reliable. I can see a much higher chance of data corruption during the encryption process due to the time it takes to encrypt compressed files. 

My entire workflow requires me to encrypt files the minute they are out of camera. I think if it happens at the storage device level, the loss of speed is usually quite trivial. There is no practical solution I can imagine that would require a password to be entered for every single photo or video instance - likely just when the camera is powered on.

On 9/28/2020 at 6:50 AM, Geoff CB said:

does the OP think governments who would seize your camera wouldn't just break the memory card if they can't see what you recorded?

I'm talking about protecting the materials on the card, but no, I don't think (based on experience) destruction of materials is a guarantee. Unfortunately cloud based backups are not really an option when I'm working remotely.

On 9/28/2020 at 4:39 AM, UncleBobsPhotography said:

The camera doesn't need to know the private key. Give the camera a public key the first time you set it up. To view the content, decrypt the material with a private key from the safety of your home on your home computer (or through a cloud based system).

The main hassle would be that you would never be able to review your material from your camera, but neither would the authorities/whoever you are encrypting it from.

This sounds ideal!

In the feature race, there's something that's always missing from the spec sheets of 'professional' cameras and camcorders.

Professional journalists and filmmakers urgently need in-camera encryption to protect the materials we record and to be able to work ethically and safely.

I'm not alone, as a freelance filmmaker who frequently documents police conduct (and associated protests), in recognizing the real risk to myself and my subjects if police seize my gear. In 2016, a group of 150 filmmakers and reporters wrote to Canon, Olympus, Sony, Fuji, and Olympus (but not Panasonic or Black Magic!), and outlined the urgent need for encryption: https://freedom.press/news/over-150-filmmakers-and-photojournalists-call-major-camera-manufacturers-build-encryption-their-cameras/
 

They wrote:

Quote

"Without encryption capabilities, photographs and footage that we take can be examined and searched by the police, military, and border agents in countries where we operate and travel, and the consequences can be dire.

We work in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, often attempting to uncover wrongdoing in the interests of justice. On countless occasions, filmmakers and photojournalists have seen their footage seized by authoritarian governments or criminals all over the world. Because the contents of their cameras are not and cannot be encrypted, there is no way to protect any of the footage once it has been taken. This puts ourselves, our sources, and our work at risk."

It's a pitiful reflection of the camera industry that we have 8K Raw cameras within reach, but a $100 cell phone with a password lock and built in encryption is actually more capable of documenting events and keeping materials secure. I would argue that encryption would help with commercial camera applications and in feature filmmaking too, and is just good practice anywhere privacy is concerned.

Security camera systems rely on encryption. Every operating system offers a form of hard drive encryption. Why not cameras, if they are truly aimed at photojournalists or other professionals?

I know a lot of camera industry representatives read this forum, and ambassadors / reviewers with the eyes and ears of manufacturers. I urge you to take this seriously, and to look at how to implement these features. It would be profitable and it would help sell cameras. It could be implemented via firmware to existing cameras in order to buff up the current spec sheets and help stand out in a crowded marketplace.

I know a large number of reporters who are ready to switch systems in order to access in-camera encryption. So why isn't this a thing?