Photos of new design and NAB Press Releases

[Jason Rodriguez]

Hello Everyone,

Here is the first salvo in our NAB 2007 press releases:


Silicon Imaging Announces Availability of SI-2K Digital Cinema Camera Powered by AltaSens ProCamHD™ CMOS Sensors
Next-generation design combines 12-bit CMOS sensor technology with CineForm RAW™ direct-to-disk recording to revolutionize film and HD television production.


Jennifer Sciole Goes for Blood
A Hollywood fresh face and up-and-coming star Jennifer Sciole will star in the visually inventive, highly stylized, thriller-horror that will be the first in the Horror genre to have the look and feel of 300 and Sin City.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Some more exciting new announcements:

Silicon Imaging and P+S Technik Launch Strategic Partnership to deliver Modular SI-2K™ Digital Cinema Cameras, Optics and Production Equipment

P+S Technik enables new ergonomic modular form-factors and universal lens mount system for Silicon Imaging SI-2K™ cameras including the 2K-B4™ lens adapter, 2K-35™ 35mm lens converter, and cinema-optimized Zeiss 35mm prime lenses.

Silicon Imaging Integrates SpeedGrade Color-Correction and Green-Screen Keying into SI-2K™ Cinema Cameras

IRIDAS’ color-correction and keying toolset allows for intuitive color manipulation with live feedback in the camera interface.

[David Newman]

I'm posted more body pictures on my blog here : http://cineform.blogspot.com/

[Brian Drysdale]

The camera looks great, a big improvement on the early prototype. Will the NAB pictures have a viewfinder fitted and a typical shooting rig?

What's the angled mount on the rear, behind the handle for?
I assume the inputs/outputs are on the far side.

This market sector is being extremely well served with the new cameras being introduced at this years NAB.

[Mike Testin]

What is the situation with the viewfinder for this camera (where is it and where does it go). Also, is this able to do 150fps in 2k or is it windowing down to some smaller res? Is able to do any speed in between?

[Jason Rodriguez]

There will be a viewfinder *prototype* for display in our booth at NAB. We're still working on it, and don't want to delay the release of the cameras themselves. But yes, a high-resolution 1280x720 viewfinder is on the way.

As far as 150fps, the press-release mentions this is though windowing . . . specifically it's at half-HD resolution, so 960x540. We figured that temporal speed is harder to fake that scaling the picture . . . i.e., nothing beats actually capturing the temporal resolution of a shot a slow speeds. Optical flow algorithms are great, but they often lead to unwanted "heat-wave" artifacts where objects interact with each other. Frame-blending also adds odd ghosting artifacts. Scaling algorithms on the other-hand do not have as objectionable a result on the final image, and you can get away with more. So capturing the true temporal resolution is the first priority.

And yes, the camera also supports other frame-rates besides 150fps, although there is no ramping.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The camera looks great, a big improvement on the early prototype. Will the NAB pictures have a viewfinder fitted and a typical shooting rig?

Definitely . . . but again, as mentioned above, the viewfinder will be a prototype, and we're looking for feedback.

[Teodor Miljevic]

By looking at what is included I can't get an idea if the control/viewing monitor is included in the kits. Is it included in any of the kits both or only the big one?
If not what will it cost extra?

[Jason Rodriguez]

There's actually a couple options for monitoring now . . . the SI-2K has a hardware pointer built-in now, and as a result, you don't need the touchscreen anymore . . . so it's now an option rather than a requirement. As noted, a HD viewfinder is on the way as well. Rather than force you to purchase gear that is not needed, the packages include gear that you will need to shoot, and you can add accessories like monitors, viewfinders, etc. from there as you see fit, and as you shooting conditions require.

[Jason Rodriguez]

One more note . . . we plan on shipping the viewfinder this summer . . . it's not a huge delay on the viewfinder. It just won't be available right now to coincide with the cameras that are either shipping in the next two weeks (the MINI), or the next 45 days (SI-2K).

[Mike Testin]

Jason, thanks for info. Will you be posting any more photos of this like the built in pointer and the DVR interface.

[Brian Drysdale]

Are you planing to use a zebra or a histogram style exposure indicator in the viewfinder?

[Teodor Miljevic]

Sorry but here's some more questions.

I rather liked the combined monitor/interface is it possible to get that and what would it cost?.

Do you have any small monitors (small ones used for camera operating) that you will be offering as an accesory for the si.

Are there any other monitoring outputs than vga and hdmi? (hd-sdi, component).

Have you set any price for the viewfinder?

What is the approximate weight with battery and lens(I know it varies but is it lighter or havier than a fullsized eng camcorder?

This may be a stupid question but what is the hardware pointer. Is it like a joystick or touchpanel so you can manouver the menus on a monitor(any monitor that you attach) or is it something else?

Last question. Will it be possible to power the camera with v-mount batteries or is it only anton bauer mount?

Sorry for all the questions I hope there are more then me that have the same or similar questions.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Are you planing to use a zebra or a histogram style exposure indicator in the viewfinder?

Hi Brian, sorry, lack of screen-shots, but we've had those features incorporated for quite some time now.

I rather liked the combined monitor/interface is it possible to get that and what would it cost?.

Hi Teodor, Yes, it's still available, and a price list will be posted shortly.

Do you have any small monitors (small ones used for camera operating) that you will be offering as an accesory for the si.

In addition to the touch-screen, no. There are other monitors on the market that you can accessorize with though if you'd like.

Are there any other monitoring outputs than vga and hdmi? (hd-sdi, component).

No. But also remember that VGA is component with sync-on-green, so anything that can accept that should work as well.

Have you set any price for the viewfinder?

No. It's going to be a protype, and we will be getting pricing feedback at NAB. You can also tell us what you'd like to see in it as well here on this forum as well. All feedback is greatly appreciated.

This may be a stupid question but what is the hardware pointer. Is it like a joystick or touchpanel so you can manouver the menus on a monitor(any monitor that you attach)

Yeah, basically . . . but it's not a touchpad, and it's completely weather resistant. It can also be operated with gloves on. You can see it in the pictures on the operator side of the camera.

Will it be possible to power the camera with v-mount batteries or is it only anton bauer mount?

Yes, but you'll need an adapter (which is sold at B&H or other pro video stores).

[Cliff Etzel]

Will there be adapter mounts for Nikon/Canon Lenses? Similar in concept to the Redrock M2? Or am I missing something in the technology that doesn't allow this to happen?