Apple and RED will bring support for Metal GPU acceleration for R3D files. They finally completed the SDK which is now being implemented by major NLEs. The support will come soon for FCPX, DaVinci Resolve, and later for other NLEs as well. Apple and RED announced Metal GPU acceleration for R3D. Image source: Jarred Land Some time has passed since RED’s patent for RED RAW internal recording whitstand Apple’s challenge by the US patent court. Apple’s aim was to make ProRes RAW internal recording available for all camera manufacturers, but they did not succeed, so ProRes RAW internal recording would still have to be licensed from RED. Metal GPU R3D Acceleration Integration Apple and RED announced Metal GPU acceleration for R3D. Source: Reduser As Jarred Land said after the Apple vs RED challenge, RED and Apple are continuing working together. It seems the next step of their cooperation is the integration of Metal GPU acceleration for R3D files. On December 12 2019, Jarred Land posted on Reduser: We have finally completed the Metal GPU accelerated support for the SDK which will be rolling out in the next 24 hours. 3rd parties can start integrating into their apps and FCP should get in the next major release. Getting the Metal SDK done took priority over re-writing REDCINE-X to support metal so somewhat ironically you will likely see all the NLE’s support it before REDCINE-X does. And for the windows folks don’t worry you have some CUDA love coming your way over the next 24 hours as well…. This is certainly good news for Apple users. Simply put, Metal is a new technology from Apple, which enhances GPU encoding capabilities. This should make things significantly smoother when working with high resolution high bitrate video files, like R3D from RED. More on Apple Metal can be found here. Jarred also posted the same information on his Instagram account. RED and Apple have finally completed Metal GPU accelerated R3D support in the SDK which will be rolling out to 3rd party developers over the next 24 hours. View this post on Instagram RED and Apple have finally completed METAL GPU accelerated R3D support in the SDK which will be rolling out to 3rd party developers over the next 24 hours, as well as integrated into the next major FCP release. #macpro #R3D. P.S…. I don’t care what anyone says… the monitor stand is worth $999. It’s a piece of engineering art. A post shared by Jarred Land (@instajarred) on Dec 12, 2019 at 2:08pm PST The R3D support will be integrated into the next major FCP release. Jarred said that Blackmagic already works on integrating the support into DaVinci Resolve. Other NLEs should follow soon. The support for Apple Afterburner card is still somewhat unclear. Jarred stated in one of the comments on Reduser, that he is not allowed to talk about it yet, but the card will not be used to only accelerate ProRes (what some users speculated already). For Windows users, there should be some CUDA-related news soon as well, according to Jarred. What do you think of the new Apple Mac Pro and the Metal R3D support? Do you use RED cameras and Apple computers for your work? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

The Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 have been around for quite some time but now it’s getting a new life. Something that will greatly elevate its performance thanks to the collaboration with Atomos. While Nikon is bringing to the table a full frame sensor camera, 12 bit RAW output via HDMI and a flat picture profile recording option (N Log), Atomos is contributing to this duo its external monitor/recorder expertise together with the built-in Apple’s ProRes RAW 12 bit recording option. There are many “industry firsts” in this exciting combination, including transferring the information between the camera and monitor/recorder on a consumer HDMI protocol interface. Now, openly speaking, is offering full frame, up to 4K, 12 bit ProRes RAW external recording option, enough to bring Nikon back to the center of attention of the aspiring filmmakers and content creators? Please read on. Nikon Z 6 and Atomos Ninja V combo – Image credit: cinema5D The answer might hide in the above footage or at least in the article below…Please bear in mind that my current findings and opinion are based on working with a beta version firmware of the Nikon Z 6 and Atomos monitor/recorder. It can be that some functions or operational modes will be different when the final firmware version is introduced. Nikon Z 6 and Atomos Ninja V – Grabbing the Opportunity to Film It’s Friday afternoon. Dan from Atomos is on the line. The first Nikon Z 6 equipped with Atomos ’s Ninja V running on a beta firmware is ready to be tested and he is kind enough to offer us the opportunity of having a short test ride. We have decided on London as a meeting location  and agreed on who is bringing what. Dan the Nikon Z 6 camera, lenses, Ninja V monitor/recorder, and accessories, (namely batteries and SSD). And me? Well, whatever is needed for a small “run&gun” production. Small tripod, basic light and sound equipment but most important, patience. Since both camera and monitor/recorder are running on a beta firmware, nothing guarantees a smooth ride. And even farther, as it is London, there is absolutely ZERO guaranty to have a stable weather during December – and indeed, right after meeting each other for a short camera/monitor/recorder introduction and a much-needed coffee, we ran out just to enjoy the last sunshine rays before the dark skies took over and made us change our plans (more on that later). While listening to Dan highlighting the benefits of running with this combination, I already assumed that it is not going to be easy, because of the single reason of being “forced” to work in a way that I’m not used to on a normal basis. I’m an old school documentary operator. I need my viewfinder stuck to my eye in order to help me judge exposure and as a bonus, act as an additional secure grip point to my body. On top, normally I don’t carry an external monitor/recorder with me as it translates into additional weight when traveling. (Of course, the plus sides of using such an external device can not be ignored as the flexibility to record in various robust codec(s) can serve many very well depending on the production they do). But anyway, to cut a long story short, from what I can see in the field, an external monitor became a must for many and I salute Atomos for doing a great marketing job in this respect. Wait, my rambling is not over yet, but the story does take a twist… Getting used to work with a monitor – Image credit: cinema5D Nikon Z 6 & Atomos Ninja V – In the Field Turning the camera on and spending a few minutes with it on the streets of London made it very clear to me. This combination is NOT a camera with an external monitor recorder but rather a monitor/recorder with a camera attached to it… I hope it makes any sense as I’m trying to translate a “feeling” to a thing that can be understood. Here is a summary of what’s happening when connecting the Z 6 to the Atomos recorder: The Nikon Z 6 EVF is disabled while using the Ninja V in ProRes RAW mode (this fact alone forced me to use the monitor only while shooting) Proper accurate exposure can be judged on the Ninja V only! As we are talking about recording moving images in RAW, the signal is being taken directly from the sensor. Now, remember that with true RAW, de-noising is not applied, so the video output tends to be noisy and an elegant way to overcome this is by exposing to the right, meaning, overexpose your images in around 2 stops (And make sure  your highlights are OK). Alternatively, one might decide on using the built in denoiser found in FCP X, or Neat Image.  As a starting point, I needed to know the base ISO for recording video with this camera. As Nikon did not supply this information, I decided  to concentrate on filming in ISO 100 and 400 as to my eyes, those values obtained the cleanest images throughout initial tests. Just too be clear here, one can surely choose higher ISO values and still get perfectly fine images! I tried shooting in up to ISO 2000 and had no issues what so ever.  So far so good? So how should one judge the correct exposure when recording with the Nikon Z 6 together with the Ninja V in N-Log picture profile and ProRes RAW codec mode? For the actual visual monitoring, tune your Ninja  V monitor to HLG mode. In this mode, the “overexposed” images will look correct. (Remember, we are filming in 1.5 to 2 stops over in order to combat noise especially in the darker parts of our images). Use the monitor’s waveform and keep peaks around the 400 IRE (In HLG). Bright sky and other highlights should not go above the 800 IRE. Expose over this value and you are risking losing your image beyond recovery. Now I hope that my comment regarding a monitor that has a camera attached to it is clearer, as monitoring the image and exposing it correctly is ALL done on the Ninja side. In fact, the camera exhibits additional limitations while filming in the highest quality possible recording mode. (N-Log/ProRes RAW). High frame 4K recording is not available (Above 30p) No 4K DCI mode Autofocus functionality becomes very sluggish. Did I use the wrong autofocus settings? It can be as I’m not a dedicated Nikon user, but it seems as if the autofocus system can leave a lot to be desired. On the positive side, the camera IBIS worked rather well and the HDMI lock (comes together with the camera), is doing a good job keeping that consumer-grade cable intact and securely connected to the camera. On top, the camera LCD is functional and has a pretty good simulation of correct exposure on the back that looks almost like the Ninja’s native HLG settings. Remember its’ started raining a few paragraphs above? Call it luck, call it destiny, but that made Dan call Joy his friend who immediately volunteered together with Ellen, her Jiu-Jitsu “sense” to be in front of the camera and help me execute a short story that helped me to feel, work and test the camera/monitor/recorder combination. Thank you, ladies. Spending three hours together with you guys was indeed a pleasure! Can I say the same about working with that camera combo? And what about editing, is ProRes RAW ready for primetime? Nikon Z 6 and Atomos Ninja V – Image credit: cinema5D Editing ProRes RAW In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to work with the Ninja V. The monitor is bright enough to be used outdoor (at least in London). And for a moment I did not feel that it slowed me down during my short filming day. I wish I could say the same about the Nikon Z 6. I truly hope that Nikon’s engineers will try and somehow support the Atomos Ninja V in the most absolute way by allowing working with their camera with the EVF as if the monitor is not connected. When it comes to editing, well, your best  bet is Final Cut X (Mac) and EDIUS (Windows). Despite having earlier announcements, currently, this recording format is not widely supported (yet) and to put salt on the wound, no other third-part plug-in or software allows conversion to other high quality editing codecs. Apple ProRes RAW Log Conversion/LUT workflow Luciano, our dedicated talented editor needed to move away from his comfort zone (Adobe Premiere/ DaVinci Resolve), and with Dan’s suggestions, took the footage into FCP X and edited a nice short piece. Here is Luciano’s workflow in case you will find yourself in the same exact position soon… “Before importing any footage, you must open a new Library and change the Color Processing setting. To do this, select the Library, and then click “Modify” in the Inspector window. In the Color Processing Setting dialogue box, click the “Wide Gamut HDR” setting. After importing, the footage will still look as if it is overexposed, with blown-out highlights. So, to convert the footage to a log profile, you must select a clip — either in the browser window or on the timeline — and, in the Inspector window, click on the Information tab, go to the “RAW to Log Conversion” drop-down menu and select “Sony S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine”. This will make the footage look flat, just like a regular Log footage. (When we edited this Apple had yet to put the Nikon RAW conversions into Final Cut Pro X, but this is expected shortly),  but until then, we had to come up with our own method and as we are assuming that Nikon is using a Sony sensor, we choose the Sony preset). We could’ve graded the footage from here, but we decided to add a LUT to it to get it to the Rec.709 color space and grade it from there. For this we used the Sony Venice Looks LUTs created by Alister Chapman (you can check them out by clicking here). These LUTs are specifically designed to be used with S-Log3 and SGamut3.cine. To apply these LUTs, go to the “Camera LUT” menu in the Inspector window of your clip and select the Venice Look LUT of your choice. Different lighting conditions in the footage require different LUT settings, so in this step, I used the one that best represented the exposure values of each clip. You can then copy/paste the LUT settings to clips with similar lighting conditions to streamline the process. After this, we just made additional adjustments to the footage using the FCPX color correction tools”. At the Gym – Image credit:  cinema5D Conclusion I have to divide my observation and thoughts to sections as we are dealing here with some different “components”: Atomos Ninja V: Nice and easy to work with. Maybe it will not “convert” me personally to start using external monitor/recorders, but who am I to stop others from investing in high-quality monitor recorders that can serve them well in different working scenarios. Needless to say that the ability to record ProRes over HDMI is alone a unique selling point. Nikon Z 6: Well, with so many full frame cameras around, I find that the only uniqueness of this particular camera is its ability to output a high-quality 12 bit RAW signal out of it. Now the question is what will happen when more manufacturers jump on this wagon. Will the Nikon Z 6 still be able to keep its place as a desirable filming tool? Actually, if this ever happens, Nikon will have to move on and find a way to record some sort of high-quality RAW internally and maybe by being equipped with future proof internal media slots, it will accept the challenge.  The combination of Nikon Z 6 and Ninja V: If i’m not mistaken, this is the smallest stabilised full frame camera that can output 12 bit RAW over HDMI to the Atomos Ninja V. The combination is affordable and can become even more attractive during the end of the year special sales. ProRes RAW: Personally, I’m in favor of compressed RAW (over an uncompressed RAW), as it offers a sensible balance between quality, storage space, and workflow. In this regard, the current Achilles Hill of the codec is the fact that it is not widely spread and supported. Promises and announcements aside, it is already one and a half years since this high-quality robust codec was announced and for whatever reason, its acceptance is rather slow. (AVID and Adobe Premiere support is supposed to come in 2020, let’s see)…. Music courtesy of MusicVine.com – Get 25% off any Pay-Per-Use license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). Grade with Alister Chapmans’ LUT. Useful Links  Update your Ninja V with the free AtomOS 10.2 to enable RAW recording from HDMI by clicking here. Watch Z6 and Ninja V setup for RAW shooting here. Please note that Customers who wish to have the RAW video output capability installed on their Nikon Z 6 or Z 7 can bring or send their camera to a Nikon service center. The Nikon RAW video output capability upgrade will incur a fee, but will be included free of charge as part of Nikon Z 6 filmmakers kit and Z 6 essential movie kit bundles. Those customers in the Americas and Europe who have already purchased a Nikon Z 6 filmmakers kit and Z 6 essential movie kit will be eligible to have the fee waived (proof of purchase required). What do you think, can your see yourself working with this camera external monitor/recorder combination? Are you a Nikon user? if yes, are you looking forward for the opportunity to update your kit? Please share with us your thoughts in the comment section below

Our friend Ollie Kenchington used to be a regular cinema5D writer until recently, but since his day job at his production company KORRO is keeping him extremely busy, he is now an irregular contributor to the site. In this post, he tells us about his first experiences with the new Canon C500 Mark II in low light. Full disclosure: Ollie is not a Canon Ambassador, though he does occasionally do paid work for them as a trainer/speaker. Back in September, at IBC, I had the opportunity to have a play with some 6K raw footage captured with the C500 Mark II. It occurred to me then that it would be great if more people could have the same opportunity to experiment with this powerful codec. I therefore proposed to Canon that they send me a unit prior to release, with the intention of capturing content that could be made freely available for interested users to download and play with at home. I finally got the chance to do just that last week. 6K Raw Demo You can see the short sequence I cut together from the 6K raw footage here: I only intended to capture the sunrise and the tree, so the rest was just me killing time between the sun coming up, and when it eventually hit the tree. You can download the raw shot of the tree (pictured below) from here. FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY. © KORRO LIMITED 2019 This is the camera original file. Please note, all cameras apply noise reduction internally when not shooting raw. If you haven’t seen raw footage before, you may be surprised with the amount of noise you see in low light areas. This is normal and a consequence of capturing a completely unadulterated image. Noise reduction can (and should) be applied in post when processing raw footage. Filmed at Shearwater Lake, Longleat Estate, Wiltshire, England Dec. 2019 with a pre-production* model Canon EOS C500 Mark II. Technical Details: Codec – Canon Cinema Raw Light (CRM) Frame Rate – 25fps Resolution – 5952 x 3140 Bit Depth – 12bit Chroma Subsampling – 4:4:4 White Balance – 5600k Daylight Preset Colour Matrix – Neutral Gamma – Canon C-Log2 Gamut – Canon Cinema Gamut ISO – 800 Lens used – Canon 16mm-35mm f2.8L Low-Light Demo You can see the short sequence I cut together from the low-light footage here: This was completely unplanned; just me wandering around the Christmas market for around 40 minutes. There were some shots I assumed would be unusable when I got back to my computer, like the shot of Pulteney Weir, at the start, and the wide shot of the city at the very end. Both of these were captured at ISO 12,800! The point isn’t that they are noise free, they are obviously noisy, the point is that the amount of noise is similar to what I get on my C200 at much lower ISOs. Understanding the limits of a camera is crucial, and now I know that, with the C500 Mark II, I can shoot in very low light situations without having to worry if a shot will be salvageable or not. You can download the ungraded sequence from here. FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY. © KORRO LIMITED 2019 Filmed in Bath, Somerset, England Dec. 2019 with a pre-production* model Canon EOS C500 Mark II. Technical Details: Codec – Canon XFAVC (MXF) Frame Rate – 50fps Resolution – 4096 x 2160 Bit Depth – 10bit Chroma Subsampling – 4:2:2 White Balance – 5600k Daylight Preset Colour Matrix – Neutral Gamma – Canon C-Log3 Gamut – Canon Cinema Gamut Lenses used – Canon 24mm-70mm f2.8L & Canon 85mm f1.4L IS One of the unexpected pleasures during this test, was the new in-camera digital stabilisation. All shots were handheld, with the camera stripped right back to the bare essentials. The vast majority of it was shot on the Canon 24mm-70mm f2.8L which isn’t even an I.S. lens! There are shots that, if I hadn’t captured them myself, I’d have sworn must have been acquired using a tripod. The close up shot of the briefcase on the floor, with the CDs for sale, looks like it was shot with a gimbal. As someone who loves to shoot handheld, I was blown away by this aspect of the camera. Make sure you download these demo files using the links above, then let us know your thoughts in the comments below. *Hardware and/or firmware may be different to shipping models. Purchase decisions for camera equipment should never be made based on demo footage alone. Canon did of course not pay me or cinema5D to shoot this content, or have any input in the writing of this article. How do you feel about the Canon C500 Mark II? Has Canon finally gotten it right again? Let us know in the comments below!

Plugable, a leading manufacturer of USB, Thunderbolt, and Bluetooth devices has released a fast portable SSD capable of eye-popping speed aimed at the filmmaker on the go. With Thunderbolt 3 and NVMe technology, they are pushing past previous limits on storage speed. A Blazing Fast Portable SSD for Filmmakers Internal SSDs in computers have been getting faster and faster, but external drives have fallen behind. That’s because until very recently, external SSDs haven’t taken advantage of NVMe technology. Ask anyone who has built a custom PC in the last couple of years – when it comes to fast and reliable storage, NVMe is the good stuff. When SSDs were first introduced, they were built to fit seamlessly into working environments designed for standard spinning-disk drives. They connected through a SATA connection, which works fine for hard disks but wasn’t designed to keep up with increasingly-fast solid-state drives. Enter: NVMe storage. The old SATA connection suffers from latency (a lag between input and output) because of its indirect connection to the CPU. You can think of it as basically travel time. Newer NVMe drives with an M.2 connector have a straight shot in with almost no latency. But more than that, they aren’t bottlenecked by the slower SATA connection. To give a sense of scale, SATA connections can only carry about 550 MB/s (source). The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Drive clocks in at 2800 MB/sec read and 1800 MB/sec write. That’s about 4x the speed of a traditional SATA drive like the popular Samsung T5. Capacity The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Drive comes in 1TB and 2TB models, perfect when shooting with larger codecs and higher resolutions. A 1TB drive is capable of storing 155 minutes of ProRes 422 HQ 4K video, or 175 minutes of DnXHR HQ 4K video.  Make no mistake, the cost per GigaByte on the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Drive is fairly high. But keep in mind that you’re paying for speed, not capacity. This drive works best as a scratch disk for an active project, or a portable backup for high-speed footage dumps on the go. It’s formatted as exFAT out of the box, which works well on both Mac and Windows machines.   Portability Weighing in at 6.1oz, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Drive is about the size and shape of a modern smartphone. It is encased in anodized aluminum, and the full metal body is acting as a heat sink to dissipate heat and keep the SSD cool while also protecting your data. And, as a nice little bonus, the Plugable drive comes with a plush velvet carrying case, so you can go from shoot to shoot without damaging it.  Price and Availability The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 NVMe External SSD is available now for $299 for the 1TB version and $499 for the 2tb version. How could you use faster on-set storage? What are your biggest footage bottlenecks? Does the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Drive solve them? Let us know in the comments below.  

When we released our review of the SIGMA fp on October 18th, we noted some issues with the implementation of CinemaDNG. Well, the SIGMA fp firmware has officially been updated to version 1.01 to address these and other problems. The SIGMA fp – a full-frame pocket camera (Image source: cinema5D) What Is It? For those unfamiliar, the SIGMA fp is a tiny, modular, full-frame mirrorless camera. It is designed to be powerful and highly-customizable for every application. The small, boxy camera can be built out with everything from viewfinders to handgrips. That’s before even talking about cages! Its backlit sensor makes it very capable in low-light situations, and it shares the L-mount found on Leica and Panasonic full-frame cameras. What’s in the SIGMA fp Firmware Update In our review, Johnnie found that the SIGMA fp had some bugs when shooting in Cinema DNG, an open RAW format designed by Adobe. SIGMA has quickly patched the simplest of these in firmware version 1.01. From their press release: ・The firmware will correct the phenomenon when the recording to the external SSD drive. Regardless of the recording bit and frame rate part of the first and second frames of playback will be enlarged as well as the thumbnail images when the recording format is set to Cinema DNG and the resolution is set to UHD. ・The firmware will correct the phenomenon whereby shooting in the Cinema DNG format, depending on the ISO sensitivity the level of the dark area changes for each frame. ・The firmware will correct the phenomenon whereby some parts of the recorded video become disordered. ・The firmware will correct the phenomenon whereby the camera freeze when the lens firmware is updated through files downloaded via Mac. The SIGMA fp – a full-frame pocket camera (Image source: cinema5D) Takeaways While these changes seem small, the big picture is more important. The hardware of the camera is locked in at this point, but there is plenty of room in the firmware to make fixes. This SIGMA fp firmware update demonstrates that SIGMA is listening to feedback from users and reviewers, and working to solve problems as they arise. At the end of our review, Johnnie listed a number of small frustrations SIGMA could address, like 25fps recording in 12-bit cDNG. He also noted the lack of a log profile for filmmakers. This firmware update, so soon after launch, gives hope that these other features could also be in the works. While you’re waiting for that update, check out our tour of the SIGMA factory! And let us know what you’d like to see in the next firmware update!  

US patent court dismissed Apple’s challenge to RED’s compressed RED RAW recording patent due to the lack of relevant evidence. Their patent withstands Apple’s challenge for now, so ProRes RAW remains to be used in cameras only with RED’s permission (license). Apple’s Challenge of RED RAW Dismissed. ProRes RAW Format In August 2019, Apple challenged RED’s Compressed RAW recording patent by the US patent court. It seems the reason was Apple’s ProRes RAW codec. The Cupertino tech giant wanted to push their own developed codec further and make it available for other camera manufacturers. This codec, by the definition of it, fulfills RED’s patented compressed RAW codec recording. That’s why anyone who wants to use such a codec in their devices, needs to either make an agreement with RED (and pay for the use). Right now, ProRes RAW is only available at selected Atomos recorders. The Australian company most likely made an agreement with RED and they are licensing the use of ProRes RAW. It seems that by challenging RED’s patent, Apple wanted to find a way around having to pay the license fees. Apple’s Challenge Dismissed The new update in the case from yesterday is that Apple’s challenge by the US Patent court has been dismissed. They stated it as Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review. The 19 pages PDF document is available for download at United states patent and trademark office website. The conclusion is written as the following: III. CONCLUSION Petitioner has not shown a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail in establishing that any of the challenged claims 1–30 are unpatentable. IV. ORDER It is ORDERED that the Petition is denied and that no inter partes review is instituted for any challenged claim on any ground of unpatentability. It seems to me that if Apple wants to go further with this case, they can provide additional evidence and make USPTO open the case again. For now, however, RED’s patent withstands the challenge. Please note that this article also includes my speculations. Both companies, of course, don’t publish every bit of information concerning their legal disputes. RED and Apple have had an active business relationship for years. Jarred Land’s post. Source: RedUser RED’s president Jarred Land, of course, reacted to this by posting a short comment in the new thread on RedUser. I pasted the full version here: We are pleased to see our REDCODE patents withstand another challenge. To be clear, as I mentioned before, this never really was Apple vs. RED. It has always been APPLE + RED, and this was all part of the process defining how we work together in the future. RED integration with Apple’s METAL framework for realtime R3D playback is coming along well and the work that the two teams are doing together is exceeding expectations. We are very excited for the new Mac Pro and the new XDR pro display and the power they bring to the entire RED workflow. He also posted a red-apple-heart photo on his Instagram, stating that both companies will continue to work together closely in the future as well. There is no official statement from Apple about this case yet. View this post on Instagram RED ❤️ APPLE #r3d A post shared by Jarred Land (@instajarred) on Nov 9, 2019 at 8:30am PST What do you think of this case? Do you expect Apple to try to challenge the patent again or not? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Today, Canon announced they are working on their new flagship DSLR camera, the EOS-1DX Mark III. On top of the improved photography specs, the new model will offer some impressive video capability too – 4K video at up to 60fps, plus the option of capturing RAW video or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 video with Canon Log both internally to CFexpress cards. The new EOS-1DX Mark III. (Image credit: Canon) The EOS-1 has been Canon’s DSLR flagship line since the first EOS-1 was announced in 1989. That means this year Canon is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the EOS-1 line. How else can one celebrate a product line other than announcing a new addition to the line? Just today, Canon announced the development of the new Canon EOS-1DX Mark III. The last generation EOS-1 camera is naturally the EOS-1DX Mark II. Even despite being targeted mainly at professional photographers, it got fairly popular among filmmakers too. The video-oriented specs of the 1DX Mark II were and still are pretty impressive. Sure, the camera is really big and heavy, but it offered 4K up to 60fps high bitrate video, dual pixel AF, pleasing colors, and other useful features for filmmakers. You can check our previous articles about the 1DX Mark II: First impressions review, Lab test along with Canon 1DC comparison, and Second real-world review. Let’s take a closer look at the features and specs of the newly announced EOS-1DX Mark III. Canon EOS-1DX Mark III – Canon’s Flagship DSLR The EOS-1 line has always been about high image quality, ergonomics, and speed. It is very popular especially among sports and nature photographers and journalists for its unbeatable speed in continuous mode. The continuous stills capture will be really fast with the new Mark III as well. It will offer a 16fps frame rate with the optical viewfinder and 20fps using either the mechanical or electronic shutter in live view mode with full AE and AF. The new EOS-1DX Mark III. (Image credit: Canon) Talking about autofocus, according to Canon, the EOS-1DX Mark III features a brand-new AF sensor with more resolution than its predecessor, using advanced AF algorithms with deep learning technology for unparalleled focus tracking. In Live View and video, there’s the added advantage of Dual Pixel CMOS AF across approximately 90×100 percent of the sensor with 525 AF areas. The camera will offer a new full-frame CMOS sensor along with the new DIGIC processor, which will offer cleaner results in high ISO levels. In terms of connectivity, the EOS-1D X Mark III features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and GPS. It also offers double the transfer speeds of the EOS-1D X Mark II via the built-in ethernet port or through the optional WFT-E9, and with a revised user interface. Video Capability – 4K 10-Bit 4:2:2 and RAW Internally When it comes to video specs, the new 1DX Mark III looks very impressive. It will be capable of recording 4K video at up to 60fps plus the option of capturing RAW video or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 video with Canon Log both internally to CFexpress cards. It seems the camera will have two CFexpress slots. There are improvements in the ergonomy of the camera as well. It should offer improved battery life using the LP-E19 battery. It will have new illuminating buttons and an all-new AF point selection control within the AF-ON button in addition to the multi-controller. The 1DX Mark III will also have a new bright viewfinder. All these features will be packed in a magnesium alloy weather-sealed body. There is no information about the price or availability yet as this was only a development announcement. The EOS-1DX Mark II is currently selling for $5,500 after discount, so I expect the price of the Mark III to be somewhere above $6,000. According to Canon, the EOS-1D X Mark III will be on display at the Canon booth during PHOTOPLUS, the largest annual photography event in the U.S., held from October 24 to 26, 2019 in New York City. What do you think of the new EOS-1DX Mark III and its video specs? Do you shoot with the 1DX Mark II? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Update: New firmware to combat some of the flaws we found is now available to download from SIGMA’s website by clicking here. The SIGMA fp full frame camera is almost here and we were lucky enough to put our hands on a production model device. BUT, as we are so close to the official delivery date (October 25th), it means that the company is working hard on making further tweaking to the camera firmware, so the image quality you see above is NOT final as I was filming with a NON final firmware version. Eager to learn more? Hope you will find my SIGMA fp review useful.  SIGMA fp – A true pocket size camera (Image credit: cinema5D) We have been covering the launch of SIGMA’s first mirrorless camera that can shoot video since it was announced about three months ago. Personally I have a great interest in this product as this development has different aspects. To start with, it is an interesting move by SIGMA, a company which is well known for making quality lenses but when it comes to cameras, their Quattro line is aimed for photographers and those who want to explore the advantages of using the Foveon sensor for their photography leisure or assignments. Secondly, in what seems to be a crowded market, SIGMA saw an opportunity to shine by making something a bit different and I was keen to find out what it is. What can make this little (yet big) camera special? After playing with it for a few days, do I have the answer? Maybe not in full, but close enough to share with you guys my findings.  SIGMA fp – The Philosophy When Yamaki-san, SIGMA’s owner and CEO was first to introduce the camera, he mentioned “portability”, “scalability”, and “seamlessly” (the ability to change shooting modes between video and stills effortlessly). I can confirm that all those points were fully fulfilled. This small in size camera is very capable of producing nice moving images (depending on the recording mode you choose) and when it comes to scalability, I truly liked what I saw. It is very refreshing to see a manufacturer who takes the responsibility of offering a wide range of original accessories to its creation and not rely on third-party vendors. Speaking of which, the camera is being delivered with the “left side accessory” where the cold shoe attachment and HDMI protector resides. One thing that truly strikes me is the build quality of the camera and the accessories I’ve used. Both camera and Viewfinder felt like tanks and the attachment point between the two is seamless, meaning, it felt secure and robust. So much robust that one can hold and pick up the camera by holding the VF. On top, if you are in a need for a fast temporary solution for placing your external SSD, look no further. You can actually nicely gaffer tape it on top of the VF without fearing sudden drop. SIGMA fp and Samsung T5 SSD gaffered on the viewfinder. (Image credit: cinema5D) SIGMA fp – The Menu Structure Camera menus, in general, are a sore subject in our industry… I can maybe count one manufacturer who does it right when it comes to simplicity and effectiveness. In this regard, SIGMA was sticking to their Quattro camera menu and as a first time user, I have to say that I had some difficulties to adjust. In a way, the menu structure is trying to be very straight forward but in reality, so many functions are buried deep inside under sub-menus. So plan to take some time to learn how to get the best out of it (here is a challenge. Try and find where to turn the “Zebra” on/off). When it comes to SHORTCUTS, the “QS” button might be your best friend. Try and customize it for your needs. As the camera does not have so many buttons in general, I would have liked seeing better usage of assigning shortcuts to them. One sample is the back wheel keys. Only two out of the four buttons can be assigned and this is a bit of a pity. While being on the subject of the back wheel,  I find it to be much too sensitive. In my case, it was assigned to control the shutter speed and unfortunately, I found myself turning it by a coincidence too many times to the wrong shutter speed value. SIGMA fp QS menu – The easier way to get around. (Image credit: cinema5D) Camera Picture Quality The new SIGMA fp camera is capable of producing nice-looking images if shooting on CinemaDNG RAW format, no matter what bit depth you choose to record on. But let me start from the beginning. Currently the camera is capable of shooting in three different formats: MOV ALL-I (4:2:0, 8bit, Up to 420 Mbps), MOV GOP (4:2:0, 8bit up to 120 Mbps) and CinemaDNG (RAW recording format up to 2500 Mbps). In each recording format, one can choose different resolutions and frame rates. When choosing CinemaDNG, be prepared too work with a format that will “drink” the capacity of your recording media, but at least the camera is smart enough to allow the flexibility of using different bit depth externally (8, 10, 12 bit), and a single bit depth when shooting into an SD card internally (8bit). I can only hope that a more efficient RAW recording format will be supported in the near future and hopefully it will be one that doesn’t require an external recorder (the external SSD recording solution is working perfectly well and helping in keeping the small form factor of the camera too. I had great success using the Samsung T5 1TB SSD. My only griff was not buying the 2TB version)… Picture quality-wise, the outcome is mostly clean and pleasing to the eye. I write “mostly” as you never know when Moiré will surprisingly raise its ugly head. This is the result of the camera not heaving an OLPF in front of the sensor. (Optical Low Pass Filter. More information about the functionality of this filter can be found here). In addition, at times, I found the images coming out of the camera to be a bit too contrasty. This is why I chose to change my gamma settings in Resolve 16 to 2.6 while “developing” the RAW images in order to have a less contrasty image and more details in the shadows (without adding additional noise). Things get a bit more complicated when choosing to shoot in MOV format. Although ALL-I is good to have and 420 Mbps is a good benchmark (Albite 4:2:0, 8bit), the picture coming out of the camera is noticeably inferior to what we got used to in this category. Moiré can become very evident especially when moving the camera (again the absent of OLPF is very noticeable). For me personally it is a drawback as it hurts the overall flexibility of the camera. There was some discussion on the net about the logic of including 8bit CinemaDNG RAW recording option, and I guess one of the reasons for it is to allow higher video recording capability in a reduced data consumption (if comparing to 12bit), so if you find the MOV format to be not satisfying enough for your project, maybe filming in CinemaDNG 8bit will be a proper solution. Indeed I’m comparing apples to oranges, (MOV vs. CinemaDNG), but I’m raising this point as a possible, yet not perfect, solution. A frame from the timeline – Be aware of possible Moire SIGMA fp – Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths: (In no particular order) One of the main things to remember is that the SIGMA fp camera is priced at  $1899. A very aggressive and competitive price for a full frame sensor camera with RAW video recording capability.  The SIGMA fp is an extremely compact camera. I love it for that reason as it allowed me to operate incognito everywhere. Built quality is very impressive and in terms of scalability, it has a masterpiece design! As an example that indicates the camera built quality, there was a night when I was running with it and a sudden pouring rain surprised me. I’m happy to report that although the camera got COMPLETELY wet, I had no issue to turn it on and start shooting after wiping it with a dry towel.  CinemaDNG RAW recording internally (SD card) and externally to a fast SSD is an extremely welcomed feature. I will always value such an option over using an external recorder whenever possible.  The lowlight capability of this camera is exceptional. With a base ISO of 100, I find it simply amazing in regards to how high I could go and how usable the images from the camera in those high ISO values are. (On minute 4:38 I filmed Mai-san in the car with only the very small door light activated at ISO 25,600. Grainy but absolutely useable ). Battery life: I didn’t measure how long one lasts (sorry, was busy filming), but it is not that I felt at any point that it is too short. Camera getting hot while recording: I tried different shooting scenarios. Indoor, outdoor, interviews, and general image gathering. I didn’t really have the possibility to take it to the extreme, so some additional testing is required. (In those normal filming conditions I had no issues at all). Nice to see that SIGMA added the ability to record audio at different levels on channels 1 and 1 if wanted. SIGMA fp – What the eye can see (Image credit: cinema5D)   SIGMA fp – ISO 6400 (Image credit: cinema5D) Weaknesses: (In no particular order) Please allow me to separate between those functions that I think are missing and those that are included but could work better. Based on offerings by other respected manufacturers and user requests, this is my list concluding some missing functions: Flip/articulated screen, In Body Stabilisation System and audio output jack. (Why SIGMA way)?, Those are all given and can not be changed now. When it comes to functions that are already included in this camera but could/should function better, I would like to highlight the following: Flickering image can be very obvious in all recording formats and frame rates. Currently the only way to combat this phenomenon is by applying a de-Flicker filter on the footage. (I had to De-Flicker many of my shots in the above video). The camera is using a contrast base focusing system and unfortunately, it is struggling to maintain constant autofocus performance when tracking moving objects. Electronic image stabilization can be better than having nothing but in our case, it can be activated ONLY when working in MOV filming format. Apparently there is a technical challenge to apply it when filming in CinemaDNG maybe due to the crop factor needed when deploying it. I’ve already mentioned my take on the MOV picture quality. I wonder if anything can be done via firmware update in order to make it more capable. The camera has a few picture profiles (let’s name them “Color Modes”), but the essential flat LOG picture profile is missing. If the menu structure can be improved it will be a treat. In addition, more flexibility to assign functions to the camera buttons is needed. There is a phenomenon that when pressing the shutter button halfway for achieving focus in autofocus mode, the LCD screen is becoming momentarily darker. This is a small thing, but one that greatly disturbs throwout the working day. If you are planning shooting anamorphic, take into account that currently, no “de-squeeze option is available. It can be that there is a technical limitation in implementing such function when filming in exposure modes other than “manual”, but as we all shooting with fixed shutter speed and given ISO at a time, maybe this function can be considered and implemented.  4K/60 is becoming a broadcast standard and it would have been nice to see SIGMA supporting this frame rate in 4K resolution at least in MOV recording.  When filming in CinemaDNG 12bit, only a single frame rate is supported (23.97 fps). To our European friends, you are restricted to choose between 8 or 10bit recordings when filming in 25 frames per second. Previewing footage from within the camera when filming in CinemaDNG (Or deleting a file if not needed) is currently impossible. According to SIGMA, the possibility of previewing video will be added at a later stage via a firmware update. When filming in CinemaDNG RAW, I would have loved to see the possibility of adding a metadata flag to the footage so when imported it to Davinci Resolve, one will have the possibility to mute the recorded color and start working on a flat image profile directly.  The camera can not be operated/charged via an external battery when switched on. Charging via an external battery is possible only when the camera is turned off. Speaking of charging, a charger is not included in the camera package. Take this into account when planning your shooting day as the camera is your charger and obviously can not be used while charging. Using “LCD touch screen to autofocus” is possible but when placing the original Viewfinder on top of the LCD screen, this functionality is of course not possible…Currently, the back wheel keys do not support focus point placement when recording. Magnification while recording for refocusing is not possible. The magnification function will work only in standby mode.  The original SIGMA VF is is a nice well-built product but a bit limited in its diopter strength. (+1 to -2). Take it into account if you are wearing glasses or contact lenses. No audio output. Monitoring the sound coming out of the camera is not possible. MOV format dynamic range is limited for 8 stops only! Additional note: SIGMA fp – frame/bit rates The current maximum recording time is up to 2 hours. SIGMA fp Camera lab Test – Rolling Shutter & Dynamic Range Gunther, the man behind our lab tests has put the SIGMA fp camera through its’ paces and here is what he had to say about the camera. (If you are not familiar how we test dynamic range than please refer to https://www.cinema5d.com/the-cinema5d-camera-lab-is-back-dynamic-range-tests/) Running the Sigma fp through our cinema5D lab to test the Dynamic Range actually left me with more questions than answers. I was very much looking forward to this camera – a small full frame filming device with RAW recording capabilities and the right mount to use all my glass – As far as I’m concerned, a dream come true! I was close to pull the trigger and get this cam but for now, let’s take a closer look at what it can do.  Looking at the lab results it is a mixed bag. Here is why: There is no official documentation from Sigma’s side on the color & gamma settings for the cinemaDNG sequences. And most importantly, a flat or LOG picture profile is missing. Strangely, the noise floor is partially cut off by the way how the code values are distributed. For the MOV ALL-I H264 4:2:0 8bit files, IMATEST could not calculate the noise values in our signal to noise ratio of 2 threshold criterion – those lower stops simply don’t exist. The CinemaDNG footage was flickering significantly, therefore results were not fully consistent between the individual frames. So, step by step. Let’s start with the good results:  Rolling Shutter measurement As mentioned earlier we are filming a strobe light at 300Hz which leads to a series of black and grey bars due to the nature of readout of CMOS sensors. Each pair equals to 3.3 [ms] rolling shutter. In the rolling shutter department, the SIGMA fp fares quite well – at full frame 3840×2160 23.98, 25 and 29.98 fps settings, I am getting 20.8 [ms] of rolling shutter. This is a very good result for a full frame sensor. The Sony a7 series have a rolling shutter of about 25 [ms], the Panasonic S1 has a value of  22[ms] for comparison. SIGMA fp – Rolling Shutter Full frame UHD 23_98p 20_8ms   Rolling shutter halves at the full frame 1920×1080 settings for 23.98, 25 and 59.94 fps: 10.4 [ms].  This is a very very good value, but unfortunately a clear sign of skipping lines during readout of the sensor. Ideally a proper downscaling of the 6K sensor is used to get a really good 1920×1080 image – from the rolling shutter measurement, we can conclude that this is not the case. SIGMA fp – Full Frame FHD 23_98p 10_4ms Dynamic Range for 12bit cinemaDNG 3840×2160 ISO 100 (Native ISO) This mode is only available via external recording. PremierePro (latest version) does not recognize CinemaDNG files hence I moved to DaVinci Resolve. Here, we are left to speculate on the color space and gamma settings in the Camera Raw tab to develop the CinemaDNG sequence: Resolve CinemaDNG settings The picture profile we used, in this case, was NTR (neutral). There is no “flat“ or “log“ picture profile available – which is clearly limiting the potential of this camera. Let’s hope this will come in a future firmware update! Have a look at figure 1 and figure 2 for waveforms of our Xyla 21 step chart at “sRGB“ and “2.6“ gamma curve settings. For “sRGB“ the noise floor is almost nonexistent – all the lower stops are buried. For „2.6“ gamma curve settings, something similar to a noise floor becomes visible, but the lower stops are very faint and almost nonexistent. For gamma 2.6 settings the Dynamic Range reading of IMATEST shows about 11.3 stops at a signal to noise ratio of 2, see figure 3, which is also evident from the waveform at figure 2. But this result varies a bit from frame to frame as the image flickers – almost like filming neon lights (regardless of what you shoot). I have no explanation for this flickering. The lack of a noise floor also means that you will have difficulties protecting your highlights and still getting meaningful information from the shadows at the same time.  Fig. 1: Waveform plot of the Xyla 21 step chart using sRGB as the gamma setting for CinemaDNG 12 bit UHD at 23.98fps ISO100. The 11th stop starts to vanish in the noise floor – which is almost nonexistent. Fig. 2: Waveform plot of the Xyla 21 step chart using a gamma 2.6 setting for cDNG 12 bit UHD at 23.98fps ISO 100. The 11th stop is clearly visible, but the 12th starts to vanish in this faint noise line above the 0 code value line.   Fig. 3: Dynamic range result from IMATEST for UHD 23.98fps cDNG 12 bit ISO 100 at a gamma setting of 2.6 – 11.3 stops are shown for SNR = 2. However as is evident from the strange code value distribution (top graph of the 3 on the left side) the lower stops of the step chart are very faint and almost nonexistent. Strange. Dynamic Range for 12bit cinemaDNG 3840×2160 ISO 4000 I was curious if a noise floor would be there for ISO 4000. Looking at the waveform plot for gamma 2.6 settings below (figure 4), yes, there is a significant noise floor now. And the dynamic range result drops to about 9 stops. IMATEST reads 9.25 stops at SNR = 2. Fig. 4: Waveform plot of the Xyla 21 step chart using a gamma 2.6 setting for cDNG 12 bit UHD at 23.98fps ISO 4000. 8 – 9 stops are visible above the noise floor, which is very pronounced. Dynamic Range for H264 8 bit 4:2:0 MOV All-I 3840×2160 ISO 100 The first surprise for the MOV H264 recording – a very low bitrate of roughly 28 Mbit/s is encoded. Next, the noise floor is completely cut off in this mode, see the waveform (figure 5) below – 8 stops are visible before the zero code value line is crossed. IMATEST, therefore, cannot calculate the noise for the lower stops – nothing is there. Fig. 5: Waveform plot of the Xyla21 stepchart for internal UHD 23.98fps H264 8 bit 4:2:0 All-I recording at ISO100. The 8th stop barely makes it above the zero cut off line – there is no noise floor. Lab Test Conclusion: The lab test results show a mixed bag. The rolling shutter result of 20.8 [ms] for a full frame sensor at 3840×2160 readout is very good. The dynamic range results – despite having the capability of RAW recording in CinemaDNG format – leave room for improvement. I think this camera has not reached its full potential yet. Future firmware updates could certainly change the game here – for example, if a LOG picture profile would be implemented. Conclusion The fp camera is SIGMA’s first attempt to enter the saturated market of mirrorless cameras that shoot videos. In my opinion, its uniqueness lays in its compactness, mobility, sensor size and the ability to capture images in RAW file format. In regards to mobility, this camera screams “take me out and start shooting”. I hope that SIGMA will consider favorably developing a line of compact stabilized L-Mount lenses (Zoom or fixed focal lengths) to go alongside with it. If you ask yourself who is this camera for, well, it is not easy to answer. Uncompressed RAW is great for certain filming scenarios but for “every day (documentary) work” it is a REAL pain. For greater flexibility, I hope that better implementation of the MOV format can be considered. When it comes to Dynamic Range measuring vs. Images, well, charts are charts (And we should not ignore them), but at the end of the day what counts is the actual image that comes out of the camera. I’ll let you judge by yourself if you like what you see or not… I’m also happy to report that after communicating directly with the good folks at SIGMA, I heard that they are fully committed to enhancing the functionality of this camera by future firmware updates whenever possible.  EDIT: SIGMA acknowledged our findings and released an official statement. We are happy to see they are taking care of it and working hard to solve the issues.    Man at Work with the SIGMA fp camera (Image credit: Shari Lai) With Mai Watanabe-san. Image Credit: Sheri Lai Many thanks to Mai Watanabe-san for contributing with your precious time. It was truly a pleasure spending half a day with her! The above video was shot on a SIGMA fp camera. (Final hardware but not a final firmware so final images can be different). Picture mode: NTR, 23.97 fps. Recording format: Mostly CinemaDNG 12bit. (Mai-san performance was recorded in CinemaDNG 8bit) and I sneaked 2 MOV shots too…Edited on Davinci Resolve 16 latest beta version. Unfortunately, Adobe Premiere does not fully support its own RAW format files for video editing. Lenses used: SIGMA 24mm and 45mm L-mount and SIGMA 24-70 Canon EF mount. Colored with Lutify.me.  I used tripod for 95% of the shots. The rest handheld  and  some stabilised in post. All under available lighting conditions. Music courtesy of MusicVine.com – Get 25% off any Pay-Per-Use license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). You can find out more about the SIGMA fp camera by visiting the official SIGMA site.