Rai & Markus' "Drake" HD camera

[Christian Schmitt]

@Rai
Which magazine should we read?
Kameramann? Digital Production? US/English ones?
You said the Drake is ready for sale, so when and where?
I don't know how Drachenfeder will turn out, but at least when it comes to marketing strategies you guys could't beat Hitchcock in creating suspense ;o]
keep on keeeping on!
XXX

[Rai Orz]

<<<-- Originally posted by Steve Nordhauser : Rai,
I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers - I'm impressed that you have a completed project and have gotten the best from an IBIS-5A. -->>>

Thanks Steve.

<<<-- My take on the FPN is that if you do it on chip, on the analog side of the sensor, you can maintain most of your dynamic range. We do it digitally - both offset and up to a two point gain correction.... -->>>

Right, we do it also digital but not only a 2 point gain correction. We use a complex realtime software solution. For your inside understanding: We can also eleminate completly the 10times more FPN from the LUPA4000 sensor.

<<<--We have found that the electronic global shutter leaks - maybe 1.5%. We have seen some smearing during readout if you have a bright spot in the image. -->>>

Leaks, yes a little bit. Smearing, no. Other you use a to long cable between sensor and MC board. Okay, we also had smearing on hot spots with our first bad sensor plate layout. After we change it, its okay.

...

<<<--As you have said, doing a feature film is a great test. One question to ask is "how much of the film is shot with a solid understanding of the differences of this camera from other cameras?" Meaning, you understand the limitations and differences and compensate - have you made it automatic enough for a filmmaker without that understanding? -->>>

Oh, i must clear this: At the beginning, we started with setups like frankensteins laboratory. The programmer wrote codes while mechanical people make mouts etc.. All on set. After that, it was a learning by doing time. Mechanic, electronic and software build day by day a better system. Than came the time, we stand in the backgroung while other people start work with it, without ever see the system before. Its just easy now, because the development time is over.

<<<--I have no problems with your suceeding - indies need all the breaks they can get considering the ways the large camera manufacturers have treated them. I think that I am just explaining why we have been shipping IBIS-5 and 5A cameras for two years and don't like them for this application. You have provided the first commercial option. Again, congrats. -->>>

...pictures are the answer... As i siad: We testet mutch more than only camera heads with IBIS sensors and the IBIS5 produced the best movie pictures, but only after changing the hardware.
And be shure, we go on with sensor testing, because our hardware is ready to change sensors. We will also test altasens. But all i know, it will be not my longtime future favorit, because at the end of this year i see a 1080p solution with real 35mm size (no details, till it is ready).
But at the moment, we see no better sensor for our camera.

Thanks again.

[Juan M. M. Fiebelkorn]

Just my two cents about professionals understanding their tool's limitations:
Cinema cameras are not automatic in any way, or at least if they are that is as an option to the operator (who 98% of the time won't use it).
Professionals Do understand and know the features and limitations of the camera and lenses they are using.That is why they are called professionals, need years of experience and get well paid for it :).
So when you start shooting a feature length film, you have decided about all the equipment you will use knowing what are the pros and cons of it.

[Les Dit]

Rai, I have been 'out of touch' with this thread for quite some time. Have you posted any high bit rate of footage from this camera yet? Perhaps media9 at 10 megabits per second?

You must have a lot of memory onboard to do multi-point. Fix pattern noise correction!

-Les

[Wayne Morellini]

I have just been comparing figures between the Altasens and Ibis again (yet to figure out their FFQE vs QE of Altasens).

On paper it appears that the IBIS is quiet good, and better than the Micron 1300, but various pictures (posted by Ben before Drake came along) appear quiet noisy, dull, murky and washout a bit, compared to the vibrant, detailed, colourful pictures from the Micron 1300 chip (which I think is only better than a PD170 in real picture quality (to me, looking past the brightened colours).

So the question is, are those figures quoted at Fill factory for internal or external ADC circuits, or is it the filter?

Looking at the Lupa 4000 as well, interesting.

I know that you want to go a different path Rai, but at Tomshardware's report on the Linux desktop summit, I saw a dual (? core) VIA processor, in small case. This would be 2W fro 2Ghz, and I would not be surprised if it didn't turn up on a Nano ITX board soon. That might be interesting for the Drake.

What is the name of the movie again, and where can I download your trailer?

Don't worry about my rantings, just going stir loopy a bit to pick a camera.

[Rai Orz]

Wayne,
yes, Ben had posted bad pictures form a SUMIX IBIS5 camera. At that time, we also made tests with exact the same camera, but with the new ISIS5a version. And we also made tests with cameras with MICRON chips. Look at bens clips (if they are online?) The fist thing you see is the dramatic bad thing with rolling shutters. You must know, IBIS can work in rolling and in global shutter mode, but SUMIX cameras support only rolling shutter. Next thing are colors. Basic thing on bayer filters are one red pixel, one blue, but two greens. You must correct this 2 time greens. Some sensors do it more ore less good on chip, the IBIS need external hard or software. Next point are on chip gain controll. Most sensors have only one gain controll pin. IBIS have a lot of it, but mostly cameras dont support this pins. Dont ask me why. And the list go on...
This means not, IBIS is our sensor to the end of time. No, this means, we will do more tests with other sensors (on sensor levels, not only with camera heads).

LUPA4000: lets talk about it, but in your Home Made HD Cinema Cameras - Technical Discussion thread

[Rob Lohman]

Rai: I'm wondering how you guys are doing with audio sync. There
always seems to be lots of problems when recording audio on a
different system like DAT to keep it in sync on longer shots etc.

How are you guys recording audio? Does it stay in sync?

[Rai Orz]

@Rob,
DRAKE dont record audio. We use external DAT.
Because we triger the sensor by a simple quartz clock, each picture snapshoot is exact on time. So it run absolute synchronized with audio, also on longer shots. Its the same like movie cameras do it.

[Rob Lohman]

Hmmm, interesting. Thanks for answering Rai!

[Andreas Frowein]

<<<-- Originally posted by Christian Schmitt : @Rai
Which magazine should we read?
Kameramann? Digital Production? US/English ones? You said the Drake is ready for sale, so when and where? I don't know how Drachenfeder will turn out, but at least when it comes to marketing strategies you guys could't beat Hitchcock in creating suspense ;o] keep on keeeping on! XXX -->>>

@Christian Schmitt
You can read it in the April issue of "CUT - das Broadcastmagazin"

[Christian Schmitt]

@Andreas
Wie konnt ich nur die CUT vergessen... Immer wieder gern gelesen! Bist du da nicht Redakteur? Dein Name kommt mir zumindest bekannt vor...

And when will the english speaking audience get their sneakpreview on the DRAKE...?

[Wayne Morellini]

I thought it was in a latter magazine? If anybody can post a link we can google translate it.

Rai, a good idea for your system is to put a reprint of the article on the Drake website for promotion.

Thanks

Wayne.

[Markus Rupprecht]

Hi folks!

long time, no see.
We were busy, doing our homework and preparing for Cannes. I think you might like DRAKE V2, so I post some pictures of it. The size is half of the original prototype, it now can be operated with a small or a big screen, or both (preview and menue windows scaled in realtime to both screens), battery goes into the case and a ton of new featuers have been included.

The webpage should be online by end of next week, hopefully in english, too.

www.drachenfeder.com/int/Drake1_s.jpg
www.drachenfeder.com/int/Drake2_s.jpg

Cheers
Markus

[Gary McClurg]

Markus, are you going to put in a viewfinder?

When I operate a camera I like looking through it. To me it shuts out the rest of the world so that I can just get into shooting and not see any outside distractions.

[Ivan Hurtado]

It looks awesome Rai! Like one of the big machines! Hell, it´s a big machine to play in the high leagues!

Gary i know to have a viewfinder and look inside is like the moment of concentration for tennis players when they bounce the ball a couple of times. But it doen´t have to be there, specially if it increase the price. It´s question of practise a little of trascendental meditation before framing and ask for the help of camera spirits to have a good take.

Has the article come out yet? is there any translation to english somewhere?