Now there are THREE ways to view the latest issue of HIGHDEF MAGAZINE:

VIEW THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE

VIEW THE PRINTABLE PDF

And ALL the articles are here on highdef.com. Post your comments, tweet your favorite article, and share it with your facebook friend!

The Sony PME-EX3 Camcorder.

by Robert Primes, ASC

During the past few months I’ve had the pleasure of demonstrating or speaking about 3 different cameras from 3 different companies, Canon’s 5D Mark II, Panasonic’s Varicam 3700 and Sony’s EX-1/EX-3. I happen to love all three cameras so I felt no conflict of interest. But I’m impressed that all three of these major companies trusted me to present their cameras and allowed me to remain an objective voice speaking from my real world experience.

I believe this ecumenical spirit comes from the many years competing vendors of cinematography products shared a stage speaking to the American Society of Cinematographers as educators rather than rivals. There is something noble about the way competing cinematographers share their secrets and wish each other success. Miraculously, the higher purpose of advancing the art form seems to supersede individual ambition. The manufacturers seem to have caught the same bug. Hallelujah! But I’ve been asked to write this article about the EXes. So here goes.

Sony’s EX-1 and EX-3 are cameras that I might never have considered. They’re small and at first glance look like fancy consumer cameras. Most of my life’s work has been shot in 35mm and when the EX-1 came out I had recently shot a movie with the excellent Sony F-23, a camera system that cost over a quarter million dollars.

A team from Sony came to the American film Institute, where I was teaching, in the winter of 2007/2008 to show us one of their first EX-1 cameras. The lights were out in the classroom and a weathered multi colored brick wall stood perpendicular to a large exterior window. The monitor was at about the same color temperature as the daylight coming through the window. The little EX-1 was aimed roughly toward the brick wall. It looked like a toy to me until they turned it on. Man, did that little camera make those bricks rock!

I kept looking back and forth between the monitor and the brick wall and the density and color tonalities were reproduced exactly the way I was seeing them with my eyes. That’s not at all what I had expected. Further, when we backlit a subject against the hot window and then had them turn to allow the window light to gradually flow into their profile, it was stunning! Lush blacks and gorgeous shadow detail . . . like a Dutch master! No one there knew the ISO of the camera or how it was set up. We just saw those gorgeous images and totally flipped out. This wasn’t supposed to happen in this price range!

The Sony PMW-EX1 Camcorder.

Shortly after our AFI experience, Sam Nicholson of Stargate did a series of exhaustive tests comparing most of the high-end cameras of the day. He threw in an EX-1 seemingly as a wild card. When the results were shown, it seemed like every geek in town was prattling about the quality of the EX-1 images. At the 2008 NAB show, the EX-3 was introduced and it was the essence of the Ex-1 with a highly expert makeover that included interchangeable lenses, a hooded, magnified LCD finder with controls attached rather than buried in the menus, better ergonomics, external paint-box connections, Genlock, a more user-friendly speed control etc. Love at first sight! We ordered a bunch of EX-3s for AFI and Sony lent me one of each camera to test and generate some diverse footage.

Since then I’ve shot quite a few production with the EXes. I learned the menu system while shooting time-lapse clouds and sunsets in British Columbia. Then we shot a little drama called ‘Etude in Black’ in San Francisco. We used the Picture Profiles, particularly the various preset Gamma curves. All the paint or image manipulation tools are found conveniently in the ‘Picture Profiles’ menus. You can store 6 completely different looks in the camera at a time. We could walk into a hotel ballroom or sunlit interior or night exterior and quickly find the stop and specific gamma curve that would best hold the highlight and the shadow detail. The cameras have roughly 11 stops of exposure latitude and are so quiet they look pretty damn good at an ISO 0f 1000, so you can capture almost any ambiance. Instead of having to light a room from scratch or having to treat all the practical light sources or finding a place to hide fill light, generally all we had to do was either find or create a space for the action and add or take away a little light for portraiture and we were done!

An example is a night exterior walk and talk we shot at the end of a very long pier jutting out into San Francisco Bay. Two characters would walk and talk in a hand-held two-shot master and then we’d shoot matching singles. The shot began with the Bay Bridge in the background and showed a lot of dark bay water. Of course we wanted to see details in the water so it wouldn’t look like black velvet. Then as the couple continued to walk, the San Francisco skyline would come into frame along with the long row of Sodium Vapor luminaries lighting the long pier. We didn’t want to distract from the quiet mood of the scene by blowing out those luminaries. We chose the softest gamma curve of the EX-3: Cine 1, and opened the lens to f/1.9, set the shutter speed to 1/32 sec (about 240°) and added 6 db of gain, netting roughly 1000 ISO. Now the dark water had reflection and life, the city lights were brilliant and the eye of the pier luminaries showed a lovely orange color. We had turned off the Sodium Vapors at our end of the pier because their light was butt ugly. I auditioned a large Chinese lantern with a 150-watt globe. Too bright! We dimmed it down. Too orange! We switched to a 75-watt globe. Aah! Perfecto Garcia! We fish-poled the Chinese lantern to create a soft flattering ¾ light that followed the couple around and it was flat out gorgeous. I asked San Francisco’s finest lighting and grip crew if they’d ever shot on that pier using only 75 watts of light. They laughed.

If you have to run and gun and those nasty people you’re shooting for take away your calibrated picture and waveform monitors, don’t sulk. There is a way. Turn on the color bars, put your eye to the finder, reach behind the LCD and set the contrast almost all the way up, set the brightness to see only one pluge (picture line up generation equipment – grayscale test pattern), kill the bars, frame up, set the iris where you like the picture, press the Go button and shoot the sucker!

A reasonable question is whether all this sophisticated technology and opportunity for instant gratification makes for better or for worse cinematographers. I don’t really know, but at AFI we hedge our bets by teaching arduous control of film gamma, density, printer lights etc. along with complete and deep excursions into the digital image manipulation tools available in camera. Hopefully the rigorous craft discipline will add gravitas to the newly more bearable lightness of shooting.

On location with Robert Primes, ASC.

Another new widget that extends the EX’s power even farther is the brilliant Jon Thorn designed AJA Ki-Pro box. This little battery-powered box can ride along under your camera and convert almost anything to almost anything else in real time. I’ve used it with both the Canon 5D Mark II and the EX-3. It can handle HD/SDI, HDMI, Component, etc and convert to almost anything including down-converted SD and Apple’s mighty ProRes 422 HQ compression. It includes a removable 250G hard drive cartridge and 2 SxS card readers that will be actuated when Sony finally agrees to their use. The greatest benefit is that instead of being limited to the EX’s excellent looking 8 bit 4:2:0 long GOP compression, you now have Apple’s far better 10 bit 4:2:2 compression, an improvement you might not notice on the tube but you’ll almost certainly be affected by on the silver screen.

Now the specially designed 14:1 and 8:1 Fujinon lenses are excellent, especially for the remarkably low price, but when you put really good (read expen$ive) glass on the camera and then tap its uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2 output, O Lordy does that baby sing!

And it is this song that I hope is heard by more and more people. I hope this because I want to kvetch about two troubling trends. The first is the trend toward using media as a way of passing time rather than as an enlightening experience. The ipod and iphone are decent enough music players but to my spoiled eye they’re far too tiny for you to experience the visual textures of a well-made drama. And unless you’re in Kobe’s league, gaming and interactivity are an unsatisfying substitute for the immersive experience of a huge screen reflecting the profound work of master storytellers. I want to be touched deeply and made more aware of the glories of our universe and the mysteries of the human condition. I want the full power of Cinema!

The second trend is for entertainment corporations to try to feed us junk food. There are great films made every year but they seem harder and harder to finance. It seems to be financially safer for many networks and studios to feed us crowd pleasers than to challenge our intellects.

And this is where the EX-3 comes in. Here is a device capable of providing big screen visual immersion, yet can also help smaller film makers afford to bring their ideas and values to the screen. With commercially sponsored messages bombarding us everywhere, our very ability to rise above junk thought may depend on the effectiveness of thought-provoking, independently produced media.  

Marc Levin, James Adolphus, and Forest Whitaker sit for an interview in the Mayor's office.

by Tom Davidson

A documentary that premiered recently on The Sundance Channel was shot entirely with Sony XDCAM EX series cameras (the PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3). Brick City, the nickname for Newark, N.J., is about the fight by Mayor Cory Booker and other city leaders against gang wars, corruption and poverty. In the five one-hour episodes, Booker and Police Director Garry McCarthy work with “Jayda”, a Blood gang member turned youth mentor, who lives with her Crip boyfriend “Creep.”

The movie was executive-produced by Oscar®-winning actor and producer Forest Whitaker. Filmmakers Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin and their director of photography James Adolphus chose the EX cameras for their size, image quality and HD resolution, as well as the use of ExpressCard-based SxS PRO™ recording media, which presented the team with the perfect solution in the field.

Like many documentaries, they were shooting with a low light “run-and-gun” style. The team shot more than 600 hours of EX-1 and EX-3 footage, and did not use a tripod or a light during a year of shooting.

Mark Benjamin said, “We were on the move constantly, from bright sunlight to extreme low-light at night. I didn’t want to ruin a mood with too many lights. With this camera, you can achieve very interesting moods.” He added that the camera’s memory-based recording format – specifically the SxS PRO™ cards – significantly enhanced his work on location.

Marc Levin and crew conduct an impromptu interview on the street.

“The production would not have turned out the way it did without this camcorder,” Benjamin said. “We were able to discreetly capture even the smallest details that make the footage come alive on the screen.”

Benjamin noted that Peter Abel, of New York City-based dealer Abel Cine Tech, played an invaluable role in helping him and his team choose the right cameras. “He got us the first EX cameras that were ever available in New York, and worked with us to determine the right workflow.”  

Ki Pro Portable Disc Recorder from AJA Video.

by Leslie Parks

Everyone know, from broadcasters to indie filmmakers, how daunting the possible choices for image acquisition can be. Various cameras, formats, recording media and compression schemes can be confusing even to veteran video pros, leading many of them to ask, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to simplify acquisition so that virtually any camera could record the same format and resolution?”

First introduced at NAB 2009, the Ki Pro portable disc recorder from AJA Video may just be the answer, attracting a lot of attention among HD professionals and winning five major industry awards, as well as endorsements from camera manufacturers including Arri, Canon, JVC and RED. AJA also conducted a 24-city global tour in support of Ki Pro’s launch this past summer, which kicked off in Paris in May, and traveled throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, ending in Sao Paulo in July.

Ki Pro is a portable tapeless video recording device that records files to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera, providing a new way of connecting production and post. With its extensive analog and digital connectivity, virtually any video and audio source can be fed into Ki Pro to record pristine 10-bit ProRes 422 media that is then immediately available to edit within Apple’s Final Cut Studio. Because Ki Pro features SD/HD-SDI, HDMI, and analog inputs, users can interface with virtually any type of camera, and numerous simultaneous outputs provide flexible monitoring options, connecting to both professional and consumer monitors.

Core Ki Pro features include the ability to record hours of pristine Apple ProRes 422 QuickTime media to a removable storage module that offers built-in FireWire 800 for immediate editing and file access on OS X, as well as bridging proprietary compression schemes by recording to the edit-friendly Apple ProRes 422 codec. Ki Pro can connect to any digital camera via SDI or HDMI, or any analog camera with multiple input options, and can convert real time from SD to HD, or 720 to/from 1080, in full 10-bit quality.

The Ki Pro Exoskeleton for mounting between camera and tripod is also available.

With simultaneous recording to camera and the device, Ki Pro also extends client review capabilities, and can prolong the productive life of existing cameras while embracing future workflows with powerful conversion capabilities. Even better, Ki Pro has built-in 802.11 wireless and Ethernet for complete control via web browser or iPhone.

Developed in conjunction with longtime AJA partner Apple, Ki Pro marks the company’s first foray into the acquisition side of video production, bridging the gap between lens and post. The device, which provides significant workflow efficiencies for everyone from cinematographers and filmmakers to editors and post professionals, began shipping in September, and will continue to receive regular firmware updates with increased features and support for new ProRes formats.

Ki Pro allows filmmakers, broadcasters, video professionals and prosumers to skip the process of re-rendering to an editing codec by giving immediate access to full raster edit-ready Apple ProRes 422 files directly from camera. Ki Pro records hours of media to a removable storage module. The device is a small, portable unit that can sit on a table, in a bay or mounted between a camera and tripod. Ki Pro is also ideal for on-set monitoring, providing instant access to multiple display devices simultaneously.

Priced at $3,995 US MSRP, the standalone unit includes the Ki Pro recorder, HDD Storage Module and an AC adapter. Also available is the Ki Pro Exoskeleton made from aircraft-grade aluminum for mounting between camera and tripod, SSD Storage Modules, a Rod Accessory Kit which adds endplates to the exoskeleton, and an AJA Lens Tap Cable Accessory allowing Ki Pro to connect between a camera body and the lens tap control connector.  

Lee Lusby’s E.T. 3D Rig Time Lapse video from Keslow Camera on Vimeo.

by B. Sean Fairburn, SOC

I had the chance to get trained on the new series of 3D Rigs from Element Technica intended for sale in the exploding 3D market. They manufacture three sizes. “QUASAR,” the largest, for full size Sony F23-F35, 1500, F900R or the Red One, and Phantom cameras equipped with prime or zoom lenses. The mid-sized rig, “PROTON,” mounts box-style Scarlet, Epic and the SI-2K. The small rig, “NEUTRON,” is for the tiny 2/3” or 1/3” imager cameras sporting C-mount lenses such as the SI-2K MINI, Iconix and Cunima. All three incorporate a lightweight rugged frame with user ease of operation.

The Technica 3D rigs are now available for purchase or they can be rented from Keslow in LA, OffHollywood in NYC, and Panavision UK. The companies provide the opportunity to rent fully functional 3D Rigs to Shoot live action 3D projects.

B. Sean Fairburn, SOC and Element Technica's 3D Rig.

T3D Rigs easily change over from the “beamsplitter” configuration to “side by side,” keeping all the same patented user controls. Element Technica has also developed a series of intuitive hardware/software tools to automate stereo calculation. These tools will be available as add-in modules for the core systems to enable the director or DP to intuitively control how much or how little the subject comes off of the screen. IO, CONV and standard lens zoom, focus and iris control can be coordinated through the company’s patented Stereo Assist feature.

I predict that just as HD had a strong impact with significant penetration in the market, 3D will follow a similar path at a much faster rate of speed. I highly advise training on these systems to insure you are ready when the time comes. 

For more information about these groundbreaking 3D tools or to learn about Element Technica’s 1-day camera assistant training for the Technica 3D, please contact Joey Romero at Element Technica
TEL: 323.641.7327
joey@elementtechnica.com
www.elementtechnica.com.

Claire Danes (in overalls), Ivan Strasburg, BSC (far right) and Steve Shearer (center) prepare to shoot a scene.

by Bob Fisher

Temple Grandin is the story of a real-life heroine by the same name who has made a difference in the world. Born in Boston, she was diagnosed as brain damaged at 2 years old, but it turned out she was autistic. Grandin didn’t speak until she was 4 years old. She was subsequently mercilessly teased by her middle and high school classmates who thought that she was retarded. Grandin went on to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, earning a doctorate degree, and becoming a professor of animal science at Colorado State University.

The HBO movie tracks Grandin, played by Claire Danes, from the age of 15 through her early 60s. The project was a collaboration between cinematographer Ivan Strasburg, BSC and director Mick Jackson. Originally planning to only shoot flashbacks in Super 16, the two decided to use it to capture the entire film and then transfer to HD.

Cinematographer Ivan Strasburg, BSC and Director Mick Jackson confer and review a scene for Temple Grandin.

Temple Grandin was mainly produced at practical locations in Texas with just a few scenes filmed on sets in empty buildings. Strasburg generally covered scenes with two ARRI 416 cameras and a range Zeiss Ultra Prime and Canon zoom lenses. The cameras were usually handheld to create a “slight” feeling of visual tension.

Images were primarily recorded on KODAK VISION2 100T 7212 film, which Strasburg occasionally overexposed in glaring sunlit scenes in order to render a lush look. KODAK VISION3 500T 7219 stock was used for night scenes and in darker interiors.

Front-end lab work was done at FotoKem in Burbank, California. Postproduction was done at Deluxe Digital Media in the Sherman Oaks suburbs of Los Angeles. The film was scanned and converted to a digital file at HDCAM SR 4:4:4 resolution in 16:9 aspect ratio. Strasburg kept dailies timer Sam Tirado apprised of his intensions for different scenes. For instance, the cinematographer wanted “a slightly desaturated” look for scenes where Grandin is visiting her aunt on a ranch in Arizona. Painterly touches were added during timing sessions with colorist Kevin O’Connor.  

Guadalupe Island, Mexico: A shark being lifted onto a boat after it has taken a buoyed bait. The crew will take measurements and attach a tracking antenna to the dorsal fin before returning it to the water unharmed.

by Dara Klatt

A hundred sixty miles off the coast of Baja California, science and sport fishing join forces for an unprecedented research effort. A team of world-class anglers will land one of the most challenging fish imaginable: the great white shark.

Unlike any other catch ever attempted, they’ll lift an SUV-sized shark out of the water onto a platform, mount a long-lasting tracking tag by hand, take measurements and DNA samples while pumping water into the shark’s mouth to keep it alive and release it unharmed … all within minutes, like a NASCAR race pit stop. It’s all captured in high definition for the National Geographic Channel special Expedition Great White.

A great white shark dragging buoys after taking the bait.

Marine biologist Dr. Michael Domeier uses advanced tracking devices to help uncover how this predator lives, how it mates and where it roams, with the ultimate goal of conserving and protecting this endangered species. “Ecosystems are changing fast today with the amount of overharvesting. We don’t want to see them wiped off the face of the earth,” Domeier states in the film. But he can’t do it alone. He’ll rely on the fishing expertise of expedition leader Chris Fischer and crew members, including actor Paul Walker (Fast and Furious), who jumped in as a deckhand and quickly earned the crew’s respect. With more than 1,000 hours of high-definition footage culled into 10 upcoming episodes, NGC will broadcast a sneak peek of the 2010 series on their EXPEDITION WEEK.

Director of production Jeff Lubsen and senior creative director Rick Lloyd of Fischer Productions faced many challenges filming the largest predatory fish on earth underwater with the Panasonic HPX-2000 Camera. “Keeping the shark in the shot, the boat out of the frame, and following the action sounds a lot easier than it really is,” says Lubsen. “Oh, there’s also that slight chance that at any moment the shark could potentially attack the camera or operator.” Luckily, the camera and the operators were spared — however, one great white opened up on the camera and bit one of the inflatable boats.

Members of the crew attach a tracking tag to a great white shark's dorsal fin, it's least sensitive area.

Equipment failure in the wet and unpredictable conditions was also a constant problem. They stuck to slightly underexposing in daylight situations, using polarizer/matte box and filtration to help with light contrasts and shooting dark water against white boats. Following these standard techniques, details such as the surface of the sharks’ skin, their serrated arrowhead-like teeth and the incredibly rich blacks of a great white’s eye became amazingly clear. The wider 16×9 aspect ratio allowed for more of the 15- to 20-foot shark in the frame and helped capture the magnitude of the magnificent creatures. And when combined with Dolby E 5.1 surround sound, the viewer may just feel the need to run for cover.

Lloyd also points out the obvious: “Always make sure to pull perfect focus! Anything less is highly noticeable in HD and could potentially ruin an otherwise perfect take. And when shooting documentary style, there are no retakes. Our entire team is under the pressure of a do-or-die situation where everything has to happen right the first time. There will be no asking the shark for a second bite!”  

Geyser nicknamed Old Faithful.

by Bob Fisher

Yellowstone: Land to Life was produced for display at the renovated theater in the Canyon Visitor Education Center at the national park. The 20-minute film premiered on Memorial Day in 2009. The poetic imagery ushers audiences on a journey through the ecosystem that created the park, which stretches over some 3,400 square miles of Wyoming, including mountain ranges, the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful and animal life. A 30-minute version aired in HD format on PBS in September.

The project had special meaning for John Grabowska, who has been producing films for the Harpers Ferry Center of the National Park Service since 1991. His parents visited Yellowstone on their honeymoon and took him camping there during his youth. Grabowska and his wife also spent part of their honeymoon at the park.

The project was funded by a grant from the nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation. Grabowska began preproduction planning by scouting with the park geologist. “He told us that during the glacial period, the ground was buried under 4,000 feet of ice,” Grabowska says. “The volcano which erupted 600,000 years ago created the geysers, hot springs and hot spots. The single-celled micro-organisms which emerged from acid hot springs like those at Yellowstone were the beginning of life on Earth.”

“The geologist also explained that when the glaciers melted after carving the valleys, they created a perfect environment for grasslands, which attracted bison, moose and elk,” he says. “That attracted wolves and other predators. I decided to make those connections clear in a lyrical, poetic way rather than creating a science textbook on film.”

Grabowska took his 16-year-old daughter Hilary on hikes through the park. She took photographs at places he selected to feature in the film and he used her pictures to augment notes about places, times and his vision for telling the story.

Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park

He also recruited Jeff Hogan, who has specialized in shooting still and moving images in the region since he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1980. Hogan offered suggestions. “For example, I told John about a canyon where ice is squirting through cracks in the ground,” Hogan says. “It’s a fascinating example of geology in action.” Additional cinematography was done by Bob Landis, another local cameraman who specializes in shooting nature films.

“Their eyes lit up when I told them that we would be producing this project on Super 16 film,” Grabowska recalls. “I prefer film for natural history projects, because of its organic look. It is also a proven archival medium. That is particularly important on a project like this because geology isn’t static. Future geologists, historians and filmmakers will be able to see what Yellowstone was like in our time.”

Hogan shot film during all four seasons over a two-year period in virtually every type of weather, including rain and snow, and cloudy and sunny days with temperatures ranging from 25 degrees Fahrenheit below zero to more than 85 degrees above. He carried a lightweight ARRI SR camera, an Angenieux 11.5:138 mm zoom lens and an ample supply of KODAK VISION2 7201 50-speed film, which is balanced for daylight. The camera was modified to enable him to shoot slow-motion effects.

“I shot when and where the light was right,” Hogan says. “You can perform magic in postproduction, but it begins with painting natural scenes with light on film.”

The film was processed at NFL Films in New Jersey, and transferred to HD format for postproduction by colorist Jim Coyne. Mike Majoros at Boston’s Northern Light Productions edited the digital master file with Grabowska, who narrated the script.

“Jeff and I created a detailed log about the archived footage, describing when and where it was shot and other details for scientists, filmmakers, historians and anyone else with a need to know in the near and distant future,” Grabowska concluded.  

1) Using the spatula, apply some Pros-Aide cream in the center of the scar.

by Bradley M. Look

Since writing the article Stuck On You (Jan/Feb 2008), that demonstrated how to apply transfer scars, many people have asked me to write how the 3-D appliances are made in the first place.

First, you will need the following items which are available in many of the theatrical makeup beauty suppliers: Frekote #1711 silicone spray, cream Pros-Aide, flocking fibers (used to color the Pros-Aide if desired), silicone scar mold (for this demonstration I am using the S.O.S. silicone molds from MEL Products), permanent marker, metal spatula, transfer plastic and paper, as well as a wooden tongue depressor.

Start by spraying a light coat of silicone on the mold. Let dry. Next, using the spatula, apply some of the Pros-Aide cream in the center of the scar. Smooth out so that material is level in mold. (Photo 1)

Using the permanent marker, make a small dot on the transfer plastic. If the marker “beads” up, you have the correct side. If not, flip it over.

2) Carefully place the plastic so the "beaded" side comes in contact with the Pros-Aide.

Carefully place the plastic so that the “beaded” side comes in contact with the Pros-Aide. Drag the wooden tongue depressor across the plastic. (Photo 2) Carefully place the silicone mold in the freezer. It must stay in the freezer for approximately one hour. Of course the larger the piece the longer it will need to be in the freezer. (Photo 3)

When the Pros-Aide has firmed up, the mold can be removed from the freezer. To remove the appliance, you can either gently peel it back from the mold as shown in the photo, or flex the mold so that the piece pops out. (Photo 4)

Let the Pros-Aide appliance cure undisturbed for one to two days. To apply, follow the steps as listed in the previous article.  

Saying NO to a dual lens 3D system, Sony recently launched a Single Lens 3D Camera at CREATE.

by Steven Sechrist

“Smoke and mirrors” never had much of a positive connotation but, sans the smoke, Sony is looking to a unique mirror technology to get beyond some of the core image capture problems with recording 3D. The company announced a new single lens 3D camera technology. They claim its “capable of recording natural and smooth 3D images of even fast-moving subject matter [by combining] a newly developed optical system for single lens 3D cameras which captures the left and right images simultaneously, together with existing high frame rate (HFR) recording technology to realize 240fps 3D filming.”

The single lens system splits the incoming light into two optical paths with pick-up sensors (CMOS) for left and right eye. This approach removes the zoom and focus issues of “existing half-mirror 3D camera systems” that use two separate lenses for the left and right eyes – the company claims.

Here’s how Sony describes the problem with existing dual lens 3D systems: “The sensitivity of the human eye, particularly to differences in the size and rotational movement of dual images, as well as any vertical misalignment or difference in image quality, has meant that complex technology has been required to ensure that each camera lens is closely coordinated and there are no discrepancies in the optical axis, image size, and focus. The introduction of a single lens system resolves any issues that may occur as a result of having different optical characteristics for each eye.”

For Sony, using mirrors in place of a second camera means “there is no difference in time between when the left and right eye images are captured.” In addition to this single lens technology, it’s this 240fps 3D that gets Sony beyond human visual acuity, the company claims, citing “optical tests” showing that speed “represents the limit of human visual perception.” Beyond this, Sony says, it’s difficult for humans to detect motion artifacts (i.e. motion blur and judder).

Diagram of the new Sony Single Lens 3D Camera system using mirrors to replace a second camera shutter.

In dual-camera rigs, the distance between the lens and the toe-in is often adjusted based upon the depth of field desired and the distance of objects for the camera. Sony claims their new single-lens camera does not allow and indeed, does not need these adjustments to achieve “depth of the 3D image.” Frankly, we are a little skeptical of this claim. We suspect the camera will have advantages in certain types of 3D capture, but it is not likely to be the best choice for all 3D shots.

The next question to ask is when will a 3D “consumer model” follow? Only Sony can answer that one. Expect 3D to continue to be a hot topic.