Hi everybody,

I'm new here but I've been a lurker for a long time. Specially since I started with my little project.

First of all let me tell you I was planning to make my first post when I could actually show you my first images, but I came to a point where I need professional advice.

Now, let's start with the basics: what's my project all about?

I'm planning to build a very simple low cost DIY HD Cinema Camera. It'll be able to shoot Academy 2K (1828 × 1332 / 1.37:1), Digital Cinema 2K (2048 × 858 2.39:1) and 1920x1080 real progressive @ 24fps / 48Hz using 5MP Micron sensors (just like the Elphel 353). Of course, lower resolutions (720P) will lead to higher frame rates.

Let me tell you I already know this is not a perfect solution. All I want is to be able to shoot my own footage with my own camera. I don't want to spend $4k-$8k on something that doesn't give the image quality and motion feeling I really want, which is basically the closest to film I can possibly get. It'll probably have image artifacts due to the rolling shutter and it won't be able to shoot very long takes cause I'll be capturing raw bayer to the laptop but hey, I'll have real progresive, filmlike motion blur, shallow DOF, 4:2:2 compression and an image closer to film than any HDV camera and everything for about $2k.

The basic structure will be very simple: Optics - ground glass - achromat - Micron 5MP Demo Board and my laptop capturing 10bit raw bayer footage with Micron software. I've been talking with Micron and they include several debayering filters within their software.

I already have a couple (just in case) of nikon D focusing screens, I'll buy the achromat and GG holder from http://www.jetsetmodels.info/ and the demo board from Micron will arrive within the first days of July.

Now this is it. Those are the basics. I'll start a new thread talking about my first problem: lenses.

Of course if anyone wants to know more about my project, don't hesitate to ask.

I know lenses are the most important choice for a project like this but unfortunately I'll be spending most of my budget in the demo board so that leaves little money for the lenses, that's why I want to make the right choice. What's good about that is that once I choose a mount, I'll be able to upgrade my lenses when I have more money.

Choosing a lens for this camera is basically the same as choosing a lens for a DOF adapter, so I want a fast fixed focal lenght manual focus lens. In fact I was thinking about buying three of them: 28mm, 50mm and 135mm.

The real problem is what kind of lens to buy. Nikon? Canon EF? Canon FD? I know FD and Nikon (manual focus ones) have manual iris control which would be the way to go but I also was thinking about using an old second hand EOS body as part of my camera so I could autofocus and use the electronic iris control. EF would be the perfect lenses for that purpose but I'm not too sure I want autofocus and I really like old fixed focal lenght manual canon lenses better than the new ones.

I have seen three FD canon lenses at KEH.COM (28mm, 50mm and 135mm) for $125. They're not new and they may not be the best choice but they're fast (one 1.8F and two 2.8F) and may be a good starting point. I could also buy an old canon body and I'd have the actual FD mount system (one of the bests ever) and also a prism which would be useful to get a correct image before capturing. Anyway I'm not too sure about the FD mount (because of the lack of compatibility with others) and if you say it'll be way better to spend like $150 on a single very high quality 50mm Nikon lens, I'll buy it.

What do you think?

Thanks.

Just something I forgot...

I like to think of this camera as something that's "alive" and will remain alive once it's built, cause it'll be upgradeable from the ground up. If Micron or another company develops a low cost global shutter 12MP sensor in about two years that's able to deliver 4k@24fps and I have enough money to buy it, I'll do it. The camera will also have better lenses and ground glasses in time. Computers will be faster and will be able to capture larger frames at higher rates. It'll all come in time, but the best of all is that nowadays it's possible to build a very simple yet powerful camera which will be the base for everything else.

Hi Jose,

I'm very interested in reading more about your project. I have 2 questions.

How much does the demo board cost?

What knowledge and skill is required to do what you are attempting? Do I need to be a programmer or electrial engineer?

Thanks and good luck.

Hi Paul,

The demo board costs 900 euros, that's about $1200 and it comes ready to plug, install the software and start capturing. It has an USB 2.0 interface so you don't have to be an electrical engineer to plug it to your computer. Of course it depends on your computer speed if you can or cannot capture 1080p at 24fps.

Now, this' not a simple camera. You don't hit "record" and that's all. You must configure everything before you can start. Configurations can be saved but you must determine resolution, fps, shutter speed, gain, binning (if needed) and so on... and after that you get a raw bayer sequence which can be filtered and converted to any standard format.

I say this because in the first post everything sounds very simple and easy. I'd suggest everyone thinking about going for this particular solution to wait for me to start testing everything before buying because there're lots of things that can go wrong. I've emailed other companies like Omnivision and Cypress asking for demo boards just in case the Micron sensor doesn't give me what I want. That's exactly why I wanted to start posting after getting the first images. Nowadays the project is at very early stages of development and I can't really know if something will go wrong, but I really needed advice with the lenses. I need all the optics to be ready when the sensor arrives.

Thanks for posting, Paul. I'll keep you (and everyone who's interested) updated with the project.

Thanks Jose, I'm really interested in your progress and appreciate your posts.

Some questions:

Is is too simplistic to say that with the demo chip, computer, control/calibration software, a housing and lens, plus optionally a 35mm adapter, you've got yourself a 1080p/24 camera?

Is USB inherently fast enough for the transfer needed?

Is this the same chip that is made for cellphone cameras? If so, why is the demo board so expensive?

Why the Micron? Is it better than other alternatives?

I'm very non-technical so I can't really help much at all in that respect, but I'm fascinated with these type of projects
I do have a question, is there a way to do it without doing the whole adapter thing? so that you dont' have to have all that light loss etc? like instead of having a c mount like the elphel you have something that will directly work with a nikon or canon lens?

Paul:

First question: That's the main idea, yes.

Second: I asked the same to Micron. They told me it's possible. Anyway I've got two weeks to test it myself. If it doesn't work I can get my money back.

Third: These chips are used for still cameras and HD security cameras and one single sensor is just about $30. The demo board is able to deliver all the sensor features directly to the computer through USB, software included, and it's made specifically for Micron megapixel sensors so I guess that's why it's so expensive (if you consider 12bit 1080p@24fps for $1200 expensive).

And fourth: Till the day, Micron is the cheapest and most balanced (quality/price) 1080p solution I've found. I'm very interested in Omnivision chips as well, like I said. I'm waiting for an answer from them. Of course Altasens chips are better, but they don't support small projects.

Of course if anyone knows of a better solution...

--------------------------------------------------------------

John: Of course it's possible to use the board "out of the box". I wouldn't recomend using 35mm lenses without a ground glass though simply because of the sensor size. 1/2.5" is way too small for 35mm.

Re: if you consider 12bit 1080p@24fps for $1200 expensive.


LOL, I guess if you put it that way. I was just thinking that it is just a $30 chip. Nonetheless, it's worth it. Maybe we should form a cosortium to research and build these.

You could eliminate the DOF adapter, but I guess if you need 1080p/24 you want the depth of field control too.

Well, I said it in the first post. I know it's not perfect but I want something very close to film. As close as possible.

Appart from that, if you think about it, without the adapter, you get a very digital image (you can see some 5MP samples at www.micron.com) and I think the ground glass plus 35mm lenses will soften the picture, giving it a much more filmic look.

In fact I see the ground glass and achromat more like part of the whole camera than an adaptor. They're there because the sensor's not larger.

I might have some lens adapter parts (or even a unit) that I could loan to you for research, if the timing worked out, and we could make the neccesary arrangements.

I'm looking forward to your test results.

Thanks for posting

Thanks Daniel,

I'll contact you if I need something but at the time I'm focused on trying to decide what kind of lens to use. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have lens mounts to add to my project would you? I'm trying to decide between Nikon F and Canon FD.

By the way, I know of www.keh.com and I also know eBay is a no-go for lenses but, does anyone know of other sites to buy used photography equipment?

Jose -- great to see another DIY HD camera thread.

I’m experimenting with two Sumix cameras: an M73 (3 mgp) and M72 (2 mgp). These cameras record an uncompressed 8-bit Bayer clip to a laptop’s RAM, before automatically saving it out to the HDD. Like you I wanted to do more work before starting a thread here; everyone naturally wants you to "show us the pictures" (I’m glad I didn’t post my early stuff because I wasn’t using the exposure controls as well as I am now!). The two cameras have the same size sensor, which means the M72 has better sensitivity (bigger pixels) and in using the whole sensor width (a respectable 1600 pixels), the field of view I get with C-mount lenses isn’t too bad. I currently have a 10mm Schneider and 15mm Angenieux and usually shoot 1.85:1 or 2.39:1 in various frame widths (between 1600 and 1400) at 25 fps. Depending on frame size and aspect ratio, the recorded clips (using a laptop with 2 GB of RAM) last between 25 and 45 seconds each. Using an 35mm adaptor is beyond me for this project, though the mature look of the uncompressed image is sufficently different from interlaced video for my purposes.

I started using the camera either on a tripod or with a pistol grip (which needs to be held smoothly to avoid obvious rolling shutter), though I never really got used to looking to one side to view the laptop in order to see what I was shooting. So my current project is making a shoulder rig to combine laptop and camera, including a quick release plate to put it on a tripod.
Regards,
John.

I think I'll go for Canon FD. Nikon is too expensive for me now mainly because F lenses can still be mounted on new DSLR cameras but prices for FDs are really low. I just found 3 (or 4) lenses at www.keh.com. They're VERY cheap but they're fast and may make a good starting point.

The lenses are:

·28mm F2.8 FD (52)
·50mm F1.8 FD (52)
·85mm F1.8 FD (52) (I may not buy this one)*
·135mm F2.8 FD (52)

Everything for just $145. I know it's VERY cheap but they're used lenses ("bargain" at keh.com) with the obsolete FD mount so I guess that's why they have such a low price.

Anyway I'll buy better lenses in time or I'll change the mount. This is just a start.

(*) The 85mm lens is the only one with "UG" (Ugly) quality. "Bargain" quality is acceptable but according to KEH, "UG" quality lenses may have marks which may affect picture. I may change that one for a 35-105 zoom (3.5-4.5F) to have a bit of everything.

What do you think?

what i do not understand about building the camera, as with the Ephel, it will be not sync on camera sound, which in most cases is good, you know film is shot like that, blah dee dah, but would there be a possible way to hookup some sort of sync sound with it?

John, it seems that we were both posting at the same time.

Let me tell you it's great to know of other DIY projects. I thought they were all in a standby status (all but the Elphel). I'm looking forward to watching some of your material as well. M73 was also one of the first possible choices for my project and still is if the Micron board doesn't end up working as expected. How's image quality with that camera? Are rolling shutter artifacts very noticeable? Even shooting at 1/48?

Appart from that, let me say I'm very surprised to see everyone that has posted in this thread very interested in the camera but not in the adapter, which I consider the main piece to give filmic look and image quality. I know these cameras give a look and motion feel that's totally different from any other pro (or prosumer) camera just by themselves but for me that's not enough. As I said, I don't consider the achromat/ground glass an add-on. For me they're part of my camera.

Zac: Sound synchronization can be done just like in movies, with a marker. But just in case you're interested in other solutions, one of my first ideas for this project included a mic attached to a MP3 recorder modified to start/stop recording with the camera. You still have to join picture and sound in post but this way you don't have to synchronize.

Earlier I shot a short film with the Elphel 333 with external sound and everything went great. I used a digital recorder and a makeshift clapper board.

What I really want is some sort of remote I can plug into the digital recorder with an LED and a push button. Something that sends a beep to the recorder and lights up on camera simultaneously when you hit the button for easier and more precise sync in post.

Thanks Daniel,

I'll contact you if I need something but at the time I'm focused on trying to decide what kind of lens to use. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have lens mounts to add to my project would you? I'm trying to decide between Nikon F and Canon FD.

By the way, I know of www.keh.com and I also know eBay is a no-go for lenses but, does anyone know of other sites to buy used photography equipment?

BH Photo has used lenses, a little more pricey, but trustworthy and quick.

Thanks Daniel, I'll take a look.

Today I requested a demo board from Omnivision. One with a 5mp sensor and USB 2.0 interface. I'm waiting for an answer now. I'll let you know what happens.

Hello Daniel,


What I really want is some sort of remote I can plug into the digital recorder with an LED and a push button. Something that sends a beep to the recorder and lights up on camera simultaneously when you hit the button for easier and more precise sync in post.

This is called a "bloop light", it is not used much anymore as everyone is using timecode slates now. But you may be able to find a manufacturer that still makes these.

Cheers,
Take Vos

I have buy all my lenses on ebay. They are all for my Brevis and my home made adapter. All lenses came very quick and are in good condition. I have Nikon 28F2.8, 50F1.4, 85F1.8 i 105F2.5. There is couple of very good sellers on ebay: betteroffblu and shutterblade. There is also another good used lens resurse: adorama. All those are not cheap as your FD. There is always also a few good people that will send you what you pay for. Dont rush as you see good offer. Contact them first. My 85F1.8 cost me like all your four. So if you wanna start cheap yust take 50F1.8 FD. Get away from slow zooms. If you have an adapter and is not Brevis slow zooms are nono. With Canon mount you can always go Nikon with an adapter from FD to Nikon mount. Daniel jetsetmodels site is full of great info on this. Biggest problem in your project is actualy good ground glass and USB speed and monitoring. Here is my comparsion pictures with Canon Ee-S and Brevis. They are done with Canon G7 digital photo. But when you put this adapter on biger camera like Z1, you get vigneting from this gg. So if you can focus (with help of an achromat) on gg, and distance betwen gg and your imaging element is under 10cm you are good to go with Ee-s for start. Here is also picture of my adapters so you can see how can you make case for it.

Thanks for your help with the lenses Igor. I'll start with cheap but fast FD lenses: A 28mm F2.8, a 50mm F1.8 and a 100 F2.8 to change them for something better when I have more money.

I just can't wait to order the demo board!

Personaly, I have give up of doing what you doing. I have just got my self HV20. & Brevis. Exellent combo. I am in a progress of making rail system for hendheld, run&gun, stedicam use with HV20 upside down.(you dont need flip module in your project, just do it like this).
I admire your courage and I will keep my fingers crossed! Good luck with your project! I will keep my eye on your posts.

Hi Igor,

Well, personally I'm way too excited with this project to consider the possibility of giving up. Besides, there's been few obstacles or big problems for now appart, of course, from money.

I supose something will happen. My computer won't be able to capture such big frames at 24fps, grain in the gg will be too noticeable to be acceptable, way too much light loss... I'm not saying this is an easy task. If it was, everyone would be building their own home made cameras, but I'm ready to face those problems. The best thing about my project is that I've got many different options for each part, even for the cmos. If none of the possibilities work, the Elphel is an already working high quality solution, it uses the same micron chip I want for my camera and it's even cheaper than the micron demo board!

Why then spend more money on the board? Well, I guess it's just a matter of testing an unaltered solution and then mould it to do exactly what I want. Windows, possibility of saving configurations and USB interface are also a plus. But I supose if I don't find any real advantages I'll probably end up buying the Elphel. Anyway I want to test the demo board first.

Igor, just curiosity... What made you give up?

Jose, I was wondering how extensive the manual is for the software,whole setup, or how much technical know how is needed to tweak the chip?

Hi Paul,

Extract from the demo board online manual:

"Several software applications are provided with the demonstration system, which allow the user to display the data from sensor on the host computer, and to change some basic settings of the sensor for evaluation purposes. A Software Development Kit (SDK) is also available for customers who wish to write their own software applications which access the sensor on the Demo System. More information on the software applications and SDK is available in the software installation CD that is distributed with the Demo camera system."

That's all I know for now. Basically you have a program to configure everything, capture and filter sequences and a SDK to create your own apps.

I've got another question:

I need all measures in the adapter to be as accurate as possible, so a 50mm lens gives almost exactly the same field of view as it would in the still camera. I've searched for measures here and in dvxuser.com but I don't know if the ones I found are for canon FD or nikon and if they are correct, cause they vary from 40mm to 42mm or even 45mm.

Is there any way to get a measured canon FD camera blueprint or a datasheet?

Thanks.

Hi guys,

just a thought.
Wouldnt it be easier to find a solution how to capture the HDMI output from an HV-20 to tape or HDDs or USB-Sticks. The HV-20 isnt that bad.

Something like cineporter did with the HVX200 but due to cheaper prices for the P2 cards the cineporter product is dead.

best regards
Daniel

Well, that's another option but just the camera costs $1200-$1400 depending on the store. Besides that you need to invest more on that HDMI output (I don't know how much would it cost) and also on the adapter to get a final solution that shoots 60i/24f on full HD or DV.

With the Micron board you can even shoot digital cinema 2k (2.39:1) at real progresive 24fps (not "interlaced->progresive simulation half vertical resolution->interlaced again") and you can also get 60fps at 720p and even more at DV resolution. Appart from the fact that you get full RAW 4:4:4 frames.

Besides all that Daniel, you have to know better than anyone the feeling you get when shooting with something you've actually built yourself. That's a very important part of this project.

Ok, so according to wikipedia and for everyone who wants to know, Flange Focal Distance or distance between mount and film (or GG in this case) for canon FD lenses is 42.0mm and 44.0mm for EF lenses.

I finally got a 28mm F2.8, a 50mm F1.4 and a 100mm F2.8 all Canon FD. Keh.com says that 50mm F1.4 FD is probably one of the best canon lenses ever, very bright and sharp. I can't wait to test them!

I just ordered the demo board! I'll have it here in 3 to 5 days. I'll post some images as soon as I can. With and without adapter!

Jose,
can you post a link to the evaluation board that you've ordered?

I can't find it on the Micron site.

In fact I didn't order it from Micron. If you contact Micron to buy any of its products, they send your request to your nearest reseller. In my case it was FRAMOS. Here's the link to the sensor I ordered:

http://www.framos.de/www.dir/en/produkte/cmossensoren/sensors/image/prod.dir/2279/index_en.html

amazing work

cant wait to see the end product

i too would like to film in 2K but its just not possible for me at the moment, plus my work isnt hitting cinemas so 1080p is pretty decent for me

Thanks David. I'll post screens and clips asap.

This is a very exciting project...can't wait to see how it comes out!

Hi guys,

just a thought.
Wouldnt it be easier to find a solution how to capture the HDMI output from an HV-20 to tape or HDDs or USB-Sticks. The HV-20 isnt that bad.

Something like cineporter did with the HVX200 but due to cheaper prices for the P2 cards the cineporter product is dead.

best regards
Daniel

There are an few threads on this already. The Intensity PCIE card is the cheapest, $249, new version has analogue capture at $349. You add to this an computer and drive. There maybe mini box computers with an PCIE slot, maybe intensity will someday come in portable solution. Otherwise, look up industrial computers, and car computers to see if any support this type of card. Mother boards can be as small as the Intensity card. Shuttle has Wii like computers, but no PCIE as far as I know (an bit of an draw back).

Are you building your own software interface for the camera? I did some stuff with the sumix M73 and its hardly a matter of having a camera that seems to match the 2k @24p specs... especially when all you have is usb. Have you checked out the micron software? Reading about your idea I thought these questions might be relevant:

-Does it support 10bit in 10bits or 16? If it stores 10 bits in 16 bits like many do, youll have trouble keeping adequate framerates and quick enough readout times.

-Does the software give you an interface for controlling vertical blanking or frame rate decimation? (important for reducing rolling shutter)

-How will you keep your framerate constant?

-How will you capture 2048x858@24fps (42MBps) over USB (~30MBps)? to a laptop harddrive (15-50MBps)?

-Is your laptop fast enough to debayer in realtime(for preview) while recording?

-are your 2.2um pixels going to be sensitive enough to light to still be useable when also losing light to a 35mm adapter?

-where does 4:2:2 come in? dont you mean 4:0:0? or arguably 4:2:0?

-are you building a chassis for the demo board? how will you make it ergonomic so you can hold it or aim it in the field?

For lenses, I say FD mount, since they have the shortest FFD so you can just buy a nikon F mount adapter which works without extra optics or FFD adjustment.

Well... To be honest, the answer to some of those questions is "I don't know". but I'll try to answer them all. I've emailed Micron many times asking if it would be possible to achieve such speeds at such a high resolution while recording and the answer has always been 'yes'. I guess they know their own products.

1: I don't know the answer to the first question. If it helps, the sensor flyer says "On chip 12bit analog-to-digital converter". I guess that means the image has a 12bit depth.

2 and 3: The software Micron provides is able to program every single aspect of the sensor. That includes gain, frame rate, exposure time, horizontal and vertical blanking and image mirroring.

4: The evaluation board has a FPGA board appart from the camera head and its internal memory stores up to 3 full frames before sending the image to the computer. Micron says that's enough to avoid frame drops. We'll see if they're right. They also include their own USB pci board and drivers for the computer and that's the point IMO. If you're building an evaluation board for all your potential customers to see what your product can actually do when going at full speed/resolution and you can choose from a variety of interfaces to work with (Gig-E i.e.), you don't build it using an interface that doesn't show the actual potential of your product. You'd think they want to keep things easy using USB cause everyone has an USB 2.0 port on their computers, but they add a pci board within the whole package so that's not the reason, cause if the had chosen Gig-E, they'd have included a Gig-E board.

5: Debayering does not take place in real time. You see a monochrome image while capturing.

6: Micron says one of the strong points with this sensor is managing low light while keeping noise low. Again, we'll see. They also say (just for the record) it has a 60dB dynamic range.

7: I'm sorry. When I spoke about 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 I was refering to the fact that you get a full RAW bayer sequence after capturing (4:4:4) and the possibility of later encoding/compressing at higher quality (4:2:2) than most prosumer/pro solutions (4:2:0).

8: Yes, I'm also building a case for the camera. It's basically a box with a FD mount on one end and a USB port on the other. It'll also have 15mm standard rods with tripod mount and a homemade mattebox. I'm also thinking on building a very simple steady system.

If you have further questions or think that I'm mistaken in something I said feel free to say it. Like everyone else, I'm here to learn.

And of course like I said from the beginning, I can always choose to get an Elphel 353. It captures 1080p at 24fps 4:2:0 and that's a fact.

So...once finished, what's my ballpark cost to buy one from you ;)

LOL, I didn't think someone was going to be THAT interested. I'll post the final costs and parts when I finish the camera.

We're all looking for the promise of 35mm with no film and painfully affordable. I'd love to get a RED, but my budget doesn't touch it yet.

I know what you're talking about. In fact this project started after seeing what the RED was capable of. If I was able to build something a bit closer to film than the rest of the usual cameras out there I'd be happy.

Well, that and my personal dislike for interlaced video and the lack of narrow DOF you get with prosumer/pro cameras.

After reading lots of posts here I started mailing different manufacturers expecting huge prices, and answers like "we only sell stuff to big companies demanding thousands of units" but I got replies actually telling me the prices for just one sensor, one board... Many of them were in fact expensive but there were others which I could actually pay for. Suddenly everything was possible. The world was not limited to "Hey you, get yourself a Canon/Sony/JVC/Panasonic and consider yourself lucky or sell your soul to get $20,000 and buy a RED one".

I'm very happy this is turning out so well (for now) and don't worry Cole. If everything works as expected, you like what you will see here in a couple of weeks and you're still interested, I'll build one for you.

Well, that and my personal dislike for interlaced video and the lack of narrow DOF you get with prosumer/pro cameras.

These are exactly my sticking points.

...I'll build one for you.

This thread gets better every time I read it :)!

Are you building your own software interface for the camera? I did some stuff with the sumix M73 and its hardly a matter of having a camera that seems to match the 2k @24p specs...

During the previouse projects, Sumix was aware of the USB problems and was working on software that would deliver frames on time. But followup information we often get in the projects is usually very scant. Didn't they sort this issue by the time you got your camera Noah?

Wayne and Noah, I have info that streampix has solved direct to disc recording with sumix M73, so there is no longer short clips only and recording to ram with their software (and also with sumix software).

I also hope Jose that jour software that is coming with your micron board is capable of recordind to dics instead of ram.
Jose, I have give up because this is very time consuming process (Unless you are trying to make a product that you can sell...) and I need a camera for my curent projects. (but this also hasn't stop me from making other cool stuf, and I think I will have something that you can use in your project, very soon).

Those are great news Igor. One of the worst points of the Sumix was the unability to record long clips at high resolutions.

I'm also looking forward to knowing more about that new project you mention.

If everything goes ok, I'll have my board tomorrow!

Well... The board is here!

First impressions? Good news and bad news.

Good news: Very simple to use, so programmable you can almost get lost with so many parameters, great image, low noise, the rolling shutter is almost unnoticeable at 96Mhz...

At first I got scared cause I couldn't get more than 15fps at DV resolutions and 720p was like 8fps. Then after an hour or so trying out different configurations I got to a point where 720p was displaying at 40fps or even more. Debayering takes place in real time and you can capture directly to AVI. I haven't tried capturing RAW yet.

Now, bad news: I haven't been able to stablish a stable configuration (I have been playing with it for an hour more or less, so I need more time) but the worst part of it is that capturing video slows down performance dramatically. If the camera's displaying at 30fps it goes to 7fps when capturing. I hope I can find a way to solve this but I have to say I'm already thinking about the Elphel. It may be so slow cause it's trying to capture directly to AVI. I'll try different configurations and I'll tell you.

Ok, I haven't been able to configure a fixed frame rate yet, but I've got my first clip at 720p and about 30fps.

I really like the image quality and motion feel. It's much more cinematic than anything else I've ever tested before but I still think I'll choose the Elphel after all. When shooting full HD and 2k it goes to 17-18fps. What the people at Micron told me was true. The sensor goes at about 30fps when configured at full HD but the bottleneck here is the USB interface. Besides that the only way I can capture at full speed is by choosing RAW capture or capturing to RAM, just like the M73 before the last upgrade.

The Elphel is also an upgradeable cam (I asked Andrey) and if I stay with this one the only thing I can upgrade is my computer.

I'll do a few more tests though. I have two weeks and I want to know everything I can do with this cam.