Atomos has announced a firmware update to their flagship 7″ monitor/recorder. Atom OS v8.3 finally bringsthe Dual and Quad-link SDI support promised upon the initial release of the Shogun Inferno, in addition to a new Secure Erase feature and 120p 4K raw burst recording for selected Sony cameras.  The Atomos Shogun Inferno was announced around NAB last year, a new flagship model that brought in 4K 60p and quad/dual link support over its predecessor. Now, a year later we finally see the latter USP fulfilled in this latest firmware update. This means you will finally be able to put all those BNC ports on the back of the Shogun Inferno to good use. And not only this, but if you’re a Sony FS5/FS700 owner you’ll also benefit from a new Sony FS Raw to ProRes 4Kp100/120 burst recording feature. The new Secure Erase is self-explanatory: If you shoot sensitive data that really needs to be wiped then you have an extra level of security with the new feature. Not that formatting a drive previously was deemed unsafe, but data recovery software could in theory be used in these cases. This new feature will work with Sandisk Extreme Pro drives as well as Atomos-branded G-Tech and Angelbird media. More on that new quad & dual link feature: the Shogun Inferno will now offer some support to the following cameras via 2 or 4 SDI streams in ProRes/DNx: Quad-Link (Squared & 2SI): AJA CION Canon C700 Panasonic Varicam 35 RED DCSM1 with REDCast Module – Epic & Scarlet Dragon (Mysterium X not supported) Sony PMW-F55 Sony PMW-F5 + CBKZ-55FX 4K expand option Sony F65RS + CA-4000 + SKC-4065 + BPU-4000 (for studio camera configuration) Sony HDC-4800 (4K studio camera and CCU) Sony HDC-4300(4K studio camera and CCU) Toshiba IK-4K Dual-Link: Canon C500 2Kp60 Panasonic Varicam LT – 10bit Dual Link RAW I was disappointed when purchasing a Shogun Inferno last year for the Canon C500 (which has now been officially discontinued) to find that dual-link SDI was not enabled, so it’s nice to see that this feature is finally available. It will be interesting to see just how much support it has for the Canon old boy, as 4K dual-link is not listed and there is no 12-bit support. Whilst my own interest in the C500 support is quite niche these days, what a wider audience can take away is acute consideration of camera/recorder pairing. Read past the glossy specification lists; research whether a system really can do what you want it to. It seems like more and more camera manufacturers are diverting attention to what a new camera can offer in terms of output rather than internal capture, but it’s taking time for third-party recorders to catch up; there really is a lack of accessible, competitive support in that side of the market. Here’s the full release notes. Download Atom OS 8.3 for the Atomos Shogun Inferno here.

Atomos has just revealed the Atomos Sumo, a 19″ HDR Monitor-Recorder that can handle 4K 12-bit Raw, 10-bit ProRes/DNxHR, as well as 1080/60p live switching and recording. Atomos Sumo Calibrated Monitor The Atomos Sumo has a 19” 1920×1080 10-bit LCD panel with 1200nit brightness. It is driven by the AtomHDR engine, which “maps the Log/PQ/HLG from popular cameras, game consoles or TV makers to perfectly resolve 10+ stops of HDR in real time”. The calibration on the Sumo lets you use the i1DisplayPro from X-Rite to always ensure accurate HDR and Rec709 monitoring. If you are in need of an HDR monitor for your editing and grading station, Sumo might also prove to be an affordable option. It features a VESA mount and an included stand for a variety of mounting configurations, and an optional mounting plate allows you to connect either two V-Lock or Anton Bauer batteries. The Sumo also features a continuous power system that allows for hot-swapping batteries on the go without any power interruption. Recording The Sumo can capture 12-bit 4K30p as CDNG or 10-bit Apple ProRes / Avid DNxHR up to 4K60p / 2K240p Raw using the SDI outputs of the Sony FS5/FS7/FS700, Canon C300MKII/C500 or Panasonic Varicam LT. As with previous models, Atomos are sticking with widely available 2.5″ SSDs that provide an affordable solution for long recording times. Live-Switching The Atomos Sumo also incorporates live-switching, a nice feature found in the Convergent Design Apollo. Sumo allows you to switch and mix a live record, and stream or record four HD ISO recordings using the QuadLink SDI connections. You are able to switch between feeds on screen with cueing, cross fade and hard cuts from the locked sources, or tag and adjust final edits with advanced metadata tagging preserving ISO feeds. This means that the final result is still editable afterwards too. Sumo Connections Sumo has HDMI 2.0 & 3G QuadLink/6G/12G SDI connections. Quad SDI inputs connect cameras with multiple 1.5 or 3G SDI outputs without the need for converters, while HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4K60p input/output along with the open protocol that supports HDR automation including importing of camera settings. There is also support for Genlock and LTC timecode. Balanced XRL Monitor with 48V Phantom Power Now this is pretty cool. Sumo has full-size XLR connections to connect external microphones, and includes 48V phantom power to supply to them. Dedicated meters and adjustments for frame delay and gain, as well as a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and built-in speakers, complete the package for a true all-in-one recorder. Alongside Convergent Design, Atomos is at the forefront of Monitor/Recorder technology. The Shogun was a less expensive alternative to the Odyssey 7Q+, and with updates that kept on flooding in, it became an extremely robust and reliable monitor and recorder. Atomos have embraced High Dynamic Range technology in their Atomos Sumo, offering an incredibly affordable new product. Watch out DITs and VT operators, this one is for you! We have been told that the 19” Atomos Sumo will launch in the third quarter of 2017 for approximately US$2,500. Obviously, we have only just gotten word of this new product, and haven’t seen it in person. Our team on the ground at NAB will take a closer look at the Sumo, with an in-depth interview with Atomos for all the details. Stay tuned for more!

Save $500 on ALL upgrades for Odyssey and Apollo recorders with this NAB special sale from Convergent Design. Convergent Design is tackling the external recorder market again. After a massive $500-price drop in June 2016, the company went onto the counter-offensive against the Atomos Shogun. With its more robust set of features, Convergent Design needed to attract more customers, as the Atomos Shogun evolved with a constant flow of really nice updates. The Odyssey and Apollo offer paid upgrades to unlock more features, such as Raw recording or the ability to record multiple cams at the same time. With NAB knocking at the door, Convergent Design are now offering a $500 discount on ALL upgrades for both Odyssey and Apollo.   Odyssey Raw Bundle This Raw Bundle includes all Raw Record Options currently available for the Odyssey7Q/7Q+, as well as free upgrades and additional camera support in the future. Price after discount: $495. Titan HD Extract Titan HD Extract uses one 4K camera to create three HD video signals. One frame is a Supersample of the full image area, and two are windows selected from within the original input. These windows can be panned smoothly through the 4K field and the three angles can be Live-Switched. All four HD signals can be recorded simultaneously in Apple ProRes with matching timecode and filenames. Price after discount: $295. Odyssey Apollo Option The Odyssey Apollo Option provides flexibility for multicamera productions. It allows you to monitor, record and live switch up to four simultaneous HD signals via 4x SDI Inputs, or 3x SDI and 1x HDMI input. A fifth channel is recorded with either the live switch or quad split view. Price after discount: $1295. All upgrades have to be purchased online. You have to be quick, though, as Convergent Design has mentioned that this offer is for a limited time only. You can upgrade your features at this incredible discounted price until 15th May 2017, by following this link.

In this guest review, Vienna-based filmmaker Christoph Tilley takes a close look at the Hasselblad H6D-100c – a 100MP, 4K Raw-capable medium format camera. Intrigued? Read on for his hands-on impressions. Christoph Tilley reviews the Hasselblad H6D-100c Shooting Medium-Format Video Not too long ago DSLRs revolutionized the way we make films. These days, we are seeing the emergence of the first medium-format stills cameras capable of shooting video. What would it be like to shoot video on an such an extremely large sensor?  Enter the Hasselblad H6D-100c, a 100 Megapixel Full-Frame Medium-Format Stills Camera. The resolution is absolutely incredible on this thing – each Raw image has a file size of 216,3 Megabytes. But why in particular is this interesting for us filmmakers? Well, this thing can also shoot 4K Raw video. But what kind of results will you get when shooting video? And how does this large sensor compare to Super35 in the real world? To find out, we shot a typical interview scene on the RED Dragon with a 50mm lens wide open at f/1.4. Right alongside we had the Hasselblad H6D-100c with a 100mm lens at an f-stop of f/4. Note the difference in background blur and depth compression When comparing both shots side by side, the first thing we notice is that the background is much more out of focus on the H6D, even though the lens was stopped down three full-stops more than the lens on the RED. We also notice that the image looks more compressed. It’s a subtle difference, no doubt, but medium format certainly produces a really beautiful look by expanding the field of view. But why would anyone want to shoot video on a sensor more than twice the size of traditional Super35? In fact this means that your 85mm – a rather telephoto lens on the average camera – would be more or less equivalent to a 40mm on a sensor this size, making it quite wide. Hasselblad H6D-100c Hands-On But enough about the why, let’s talk about the how. You turn on the camera on the top, wait for it to boot up, and then switch to video mode by pressing and holding a button on the top. You can switch into live-view mode and from there you can start your recording. The shutter button starts and stops recording as well. You can choose different qualities for your recording in the video settings, giving you a choice between recording in Raw or H.264. When choosing H264, you have the option to shoot in 1080 or 720, while Raw is always 4K. It is not possible to choose different frame rates or bit rates: the camera always shoots 24fps, though you can change ISO and color temperature. Just like the Alexa Mini, the camera shoots 4K Raw only on CFast memory cards, so put one in and you’re good to go. Post Workflow The camera records Raw video to an unorthodox file-container with an .3fv extension, so you need to convert these files in Hasseblad’s own Phocus software. Simply navigate to the desired clips, where you can get a quick preview of what you shot, although you can’t change anything like white balance or ISO. Your only option is to export the clips to a CinemaDNG sequence, but you can choose some naming presets. This process takes some time, but once it’s finished, your converted shots will be split into folders along with a small .mp4 proxy. Since this proxy is called audio.mp4, I suppose this is the way you get reference audio out of the camera. Limited file naming options for the .dng sequences in the Hasselblad Phocus software Though the export process allows you to choose naming presets, this just applies to the parent folder of all the single .dng frames. This is too bad, as all the single frames are named the same, making it extremely difficult to re-conform and link the clips in a grading software like Davinci Resolve. Nevertheless, we somehow managed to grade the footage but we discovered something very disturbing. Hiding in the shadows we found some serious artefacts and strange noise. It seems as though the sensor data gets heavily compressed when shooting video. Not good. Compression artifacts in the shadows? Levels boosted for demonstration purposes Verdict Some people say medium format mimics how your eyes actually see the world better than the smaller Super35-sized imagers thanks to being able to shoot an extremely wide scene but still have the “real-world” look of a lens with a longer focal length. The subject remains flat and not ‘stretched’ out. The large sensor is clearly the one and only reason why anyone would want to shoot video on the Hasselblad H6D-100c. Well, that and the absolutely incredible performance of the Hasselblad lenses. They offer pleasing colours, nice bokeh and great contrast. The downside? Well, this is not a videocamera. It is just a stills camera which takes 24 images a second, and downscaled, compressed images at that. Also, before receiving the camera, I thought that rolling shutter on a CMOS sensor this size would be really awful, and I was absolutely right. The Hasselblad H6D-100c has the worst rolling shutter I’ve ever seen. This is not something you would ever want to shoot with, unless you really are after the medium format look… which is quite nice to be honest. Above, Hasselblad H6D-100c 4K footage What do you think about the Hasselblad H6D-100c? Will medium-format sensors be the next must-have in video camera tech? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Back in September, Canon announced two new professional 4K, HDR, reference monitors – the Canon DP-V2420 (shipping now) and the DP-V1710 (shipping February 2017). I managed to get some hands-on time with the top-of-the-range DP-V2420 this week. Read on to see my thoughts on how the Canon DP-V2420 HDR Monitor performed. Features With a hefty £25k price tag, you’d expect the Canon DP-V2420 to be stuffed full of cutting edge display technology, and thankfully it is: 24-inch, 4096 x 2160, 4K, 10-bit, IPS LCD panel, with 178° viewing angle. Support for 48p, 50p and 60p source frame rates in 4K. ITU-R BT.709 and ITU-R BT.2020 colour gamut ITU-R BT.2100 and SMPTE ST 2084 compliant, supporting both Dolby Vision and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma). Peak luminance of 1200 cd/m2 and a minimum luminance of 0.005 cd/m2. Built-in 4K RAW de-bayer (from C300 mk2, C500 or C700). HDR-SDR Split-Screen View. How Does the Canon DP-V2420 Perform? As mundane as it may seem, the first thing that struck me when setting up the Canon DP-V2420 HDR Monitor was how simple and intuitive the menu system was. Having worked with a lot of reference monitors in my time, this was by far and away the easiest menu system I’ve come across. It was particularly quick and easy for me to create an HDR preset to match YouTube’s new HDR specification, with a peak luminance of 1000 cd/m2. The Canon DP-V2420 HDR Monitor menu. The next thing I noticed was just how crisp and defined the 4K image was. The material I was working with was originally shot on a RED Epic-W with the 8K Helium sensor, though I was working from a 4K Pro Res 4444 XQ master. The image quality was simply remarkable, but what truly blew me away was when I set my Resolve project to 1080p to test the DP-2420’s ‘Shape Tracing’ upscaling technology. I thought this would be a useful real world test, as not everyone has the required hardware to output 4K from their system, such as Blackmagic’s UltraStudio 4K Extreme. Once I was outputting a 1080p signal to the DP-V2420, I took a step back and couldn’t believe my eyes. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was looking at the 4K signal still! It really is one of the best upscaled 4K images I’ve ever seen. I was a bit dubious when I first heard that this monitor used a backlit LCD rather than an OLED panel. For HDR, one would normally expect OLED in order to achieve the low 0.005 cd/m2 blacks necessary. As soon as I was feeding it my signal, though, it became clear that Canon had achieved something truly unique with this backlight technology. The DP-V2420 HDR Monitor’s backlight scanning uses a full array RGB backlight, allowing individual areas to be partially turned off. Canon wouldn’t tell me too much about how this technology works, but it’s clearly very clever and produces deep blacks that one wouldn’t normally see on a backlit IPS panel like this. As well as local dimming, the sensors behind the backlight array are also able to measure temperature, luminance and colour information across the panel. This wealth of data allows the monitor to maintain optimal performance at all times and Canon even told me that it should mean that, under normal conditions, it shouldn’t require re-calibrating (it’s initially done using top-end Klein probes by Canon before it leaves their factory) before a year or more in to it’s working life! My only real criticism of this display is its fan noise. There were times when I thought the thing was going to take off! However, after chatting with Canon about this, I was told there is a firmware update coming soon to fix this issue. There will also be some new features introduced, the most exciting of which is the ability for the monitor to take an incoming feed and split it in two on screen, allowing the colourist or DIT to check both the HDR and SDR versions of the grade side by side. This is currently only possible by bridging the SDI In and Out ports on the back with an additional cable, but the update will remove this requirement, making it much easier to take advantage of this feature. I can see this split-screen feature, coupled with the HDR-compatible waveform monitor built into the Canon V-2420, as being extremely useful on-set during HDR productions. Summary In the burgeoning market for professional HDR monitors, the Canon DP-V2420 HDR Monitor is one of the ones leading the pack. It has some very clever tech inside it and several killer features that would make it invaluable both on set during an HDR shoot and in the colour suite. *Thanks to Abandon Visuals for allowing me to show their footage being used in this review.

I recently reviewed the new DJI Inspire 2 drone extensively and did thorough tests in our lab. In this workflow tutorial on how to master drone footage, I will show you how to convert Inspire 2 X5S or DJI Inspire 1 X5R files in order to get the best results from your Inspire footage. Get our Inspire LUT and Inspire Raw to Log conversion presets HERE. Why Convert Inspire 2 Raw Files? I spent a few days filming with the Inspire 2 drone to create a drone film so I could gain some hands-on experience for my review. During the editing process, I quickly noticed that when filming in Raw mode ( = 5.2K resolution), and similar to the DJI Inspire 1 Raw drone, the DJI Inspire 2 X5S produces .dng sequences that I somehow needed to transcode in order to edit and apply LUTs. The problem for me was that I could never get anywhere near neutral colors by simply sliding the color settings in Adobe Camera Raw, or even by using DaVinci Resolve’s “Blackmagic Film Gamma”. I had the same problem with the Inspire 1. Furthermore, to edit properly I needed some kind of proxy footage, so early transcoding was inevitable. Of course, professional colorists can use the Raw files and tweak the colors until they are right to them, but that is not my style – I’m used to neutral Log gamma video files that I can apply LUTs to and color easily and efficiently, preferably directly in my editing app. So, in conclusion, my requirements were to: Convert Inspire 2 Raw (Or Inspire 1 for that matter) to a well-preserving video format in order to edit and colorize later (without having to go back to Raw). Match and get a neutral Gamma on all my video files, ideally right while transcoding, so I can apply LUTs and grade easily. In the test lab, the colors coming from the X5S and X5R (Inspire) cameras appeared to be off by quite a bit in comparison to an Arri ALEXA, so on top of making a workflow tutorial video I also decided to create several presets and LUTs to get closer to Alexa Log C. Inspire Raw to Log Conversion During my test lab analysis, I found that the best workflow for .dng Raw from the drones to be as follows. Note that this workflow works both for the DJI Inspire 2 with the X5S camera as well as the DJI Inspire 1 with the X5R camera. Also note that this workflow method is for Mac users only right now, although if you work with Windows you can probably adapt it. 1. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to Log in DaVinci Resolve Camera Raw Settings in Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Notes about the DaVcini Resolve conversion • Faster than the After Effects method described further down. • Does not remove lens defects like chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion. • Gives you a generic flat gamma. (Unless you use the DaVinci LUTs) • In my experience, it blows out the highlights a bit. Open DaVinci Resolve (free download). Browse to your Inspire Raw shots. Drag your folder(s) to the media pool. Change your project settings to the resolution of your shots. (Gear wheel at the bottom right –> Timeline Resolution) Go to the “Edit” tab and drag your shots into the timeline. Go to the “Color” tab and select each shot. Then change: Decode Using: “Clip”; Color Space: “Blackmagic Design”; Gamma: “Blackmagic Design Film”; Tick the “Highlight Recovery” box. (optional) Use our DaVinci 3D LUTs to get closer to the Alexa Colors. Then export your files in the “Deliver” tab. To batch convert all clips, select “Individual Clips” and “File” –> “Source Name”. Click “Add to Render Queue” and then “Start Render” to convert Inspire 2 Raw or convert Inspire 1 Raw files. Using the cinema5D DJI Inspire Raw to LOG Conversion LUTs With my conversion LUTs you can get closer to the Arri Alexa Colors and Gamma. To install them: Launch DaVinci Resolve. Start a new project or open an existing one and click on the settings icon in the lower right corner. Click on the “Color Management” tab. Click on “Open LUT Folder”. The LUT folder will open in a finder window. Copy the LUT .cube file(s) into the LUT folder. When copying has finished, click the “Update Lists” button in the DaVinci Resolve settings window. And to use them: Follow the instructions laid out earlier and apply the “Blackmagic Design Film” Gamma. Before exporting, right click each clip thumbnail and select “3D LUT” –> “C5D_Inspire-1-RAW-to-LOG” or “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG”. 2. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to Log in After Effects Converting Raw to Log in After Effects using the conversion presets. [Update March 31st 2017] With DJI’s new firmware for the Inspire 2, there is now an option to select “D-LOG” gamma while shooting in RAW mode. Please note that this option has little to no effect on your RAW files, but it will lock your exposure to ISO 500. If you can shoot at ISO 500, which is a good place to expose RAW correctly, then use the “D-LOG” option while recording RAW. Otherwise, if you want to be more flexible, leaving the “D-LOG” option off while recording RAW is recommended. Notes about the After Effects conversion • Removes color noise from your footage. • Removes chromatic aberrations, vignetting and distortion from your shots by using the embedded Raw lens data. • The Olympus 25mm lens data is currently faulty, so any footage shot with this lens will not look great. Let’s hope DJI will fix this. • This conversion takes a very long time. Expect your computer to run for at least a day for 30 minutes of footage. Open Adobe After Effects CC. Drag and drop your folder(s) containing the Raw .cdng sequences into the After Effects “Project” tab. The Camera Raw App will open. (optional) Go to the Presets tab (second from the right) and select one of the cinema5D RAW to LOG presets. For each shot (folder with .cdng sequences) you import, the Camera Raw App will open individually. Once all your shots have been imported into After Effects, you can drag them to the “Render Queue” tab at the bottom. Select your desired target codec under “Output Module” in the “Render Queue” tab. Select your desired file destination under “Output To”. Click “Render” in the “Render Queue” tab to convert Inspire 2 Raw or convert Inspire 1 Raw files. For the best possible quality, select the Apple ProRes 4444 or 4444 XQ codec. To save space, go for Apple ProRes 422 HQ. Using the cinema5D DJI Inspire RAW to LOG Conversion LUTs With my conversion presets you can get closer to the Arri Alexa Colors and Gamma. To install them: Navigate to your “Library” folder in Mac OS X. If it is hidden you can reveal your library folder by going to your home folder and then selecting “View” –> “Show View Options” and ticking the “Show Library Folder” checkbox. Navigate to “/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRAW/Settings/”. Place all the .xmp files inside this directory. Restart After Effects. And to use them: Follow the instructions laid out earlier. To use the presets, go to the “Presets Tab” (second from the right) in the Camera Raw window of each clip and select one of the presets. “Inspire-*-RAW-to-LOG_0” is the standard preset. “+1” means pushing the shot if it was underexposed. “-1” means pulling the shot if it was overexposed. For shots with overexposed portions of the image you can also choose the “HL” or “HS” presets. “HS” saves your highlights, “HL” blows your highlights and makes the rolloff more smooth. Note that the presets inside the parenthesis “(…)” are NOT always recommended, as they may produce a “flicker effect” in rare occasions. Inspire Raw to LOG presets If you intend to get awesome shots, I’m sure you will benefit from my presets. I’ve spent a lot of time and effort to get them right, which is why we are not offering them for free. The package also includes the C5D instaLUT B1010 (.cube file) for Log footage (ARRI Alexa and Inspire RAW to LOG) and DaVinci presets for fast conversion of Raw and D-Log footage. This is the best way I found to convert Inspire 2 Raw files to a better format. Disclaimer The presets don’t turn your shots into 100% Arri Alexa Log C footage. They were created by hand and they were intended to get your colors and gamma into the ballpark of Alexa Gamma, so third party LUTs can be used more easily and D-Log and Raw can be matched more easily. That said, for me they are a big help and I hope you enjoy them too. GET THEM HERE As I mentioned in my video, the After Effects workflow gives you the best possible quality and I use it all the time, but DaVinci Resolve converts quicker and the files are also very usable in case you need your files fast. If you shot your video in 4K (UHD) on the Inspire 2 you should use Apple ProRes and D-LOG and you won’t have to convert Inspire 2 Raw files at all. I have tested and explained this in my review. 3. Convert Inspire 2 D-Log to Log in DaVinci Resolve Converting D-Log to Log in DaVinci Resolve with the conversion LUTs With my conversion LUTs you can also convert your D-Log footage (recorded in Apple ProRes) to get closer to the Arri Log C look as explained earlier. Note These only work for the Inspire 2 which records in high quality at 4K resolution with the Apple ProRes codec. It is not recommended to use them on the Inspire 1 or any other DJI drone available right now, as the quality and bitrate of those is not high enough to work properly in such a flat Log Gamma. To install them: follow the instructions laid out under point “1.”. To use them: Open DaVinci Resolve (free download). Browse to your Inspire D-Log shots. Drag your shot(s) to the media pool. Change your project settings to the resolution of your shots. (Gear wheel at the bottom right –> Timeline Resolution) Go to the “Edit” tab and drag your shots into the timeline. Go to the “Color” tab and select all shots. Right click each (or all) clip thumbnails and select “3D LUT” –> “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG” or “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG”. Then export your files in the “Deliver” tab. To batch convert all clips, select “Individual Clips” and “File” –> “Source Name”. Click “Add to Render Queue” and then “Start Render”. 4. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to D-Log in After Effects Here is one more conversion preset as a bonus that I haven’t mentioned in my video. It is called “(Inspire-RAW-to-DJI-LOG)”, part of my cinema5D Raw to Log conversion package. You can select it in the presets tab during the After Effects Camera Raw conversion that I explained in point “2.” This allows you to convert Inspire 2 Raw shots into a gamma that is closer to the D-Log look that you get with AppleProRes recordings on the Inspire 2. It should make it easier to match your footage if D-Log is your target gamma. 5. Direct Workflow in Premiere Pro CC Step 1, 2 and 3 There is also a very simple way to use the D-LOG to Log LUT in Premiere Pro CC directly. The LUT contained in the Raw to Log package converts D-LOG to Log and it can be applied in the Lumetri Color Panel. The benefit of this method is that you do not have to convert your files, but you can work on them natively. The downside is that you cannot apply this to RAW, but only to D-LOG footage, shot on the DJI Inspire 2 with the X5S camera. Go to the Lumetri Color Panel in Premiere Pro CC. Under “Basic Correction”, choose the C5D_Inspire-2-D-LOG-to-LOG.cube LUT as “Input LUT”. Choose your look under the “Creative” tab in the Lumetri Color panel. Choose any .cube file of your liking that works with Alexa Log C. Conclusion That’s it. I hope this workflow tutorial on how to convert Inspire 2 Raw files or Inspire 1 Raw files into Log was useful for you, even if you don’t use my presets and LUTs. I tried to make this tutorial informative for everyone, but I must admit that I see my presets as an integral part of my own workflow to get my footage to where I need it to be. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and please post links to your work where you used the presets successfully!

RED’s 8K Helium Sensor wows DxOMark with a whopping score of 108, which is the highest score the camera and lens image quality review site has ever awarded. It is quite staggering when you dig in to the details of this review and you see just how good this sensor is according to them. In particular, its score of 4210 in the low light test was so good, that the authors of the review were stumped as to how RED had achieved it. To pack so many photosites (about 3.65 microns each) onto a 29.90mm x 15.77mm sized wafer (only 2/3 the size of a full frame sensor) is amazing. To do that and still produce clean images, with a dynamic range that is “higher than the best of the full-frame sensors in our database”, is just mind-boggling. We can’t wait to put the Helium 8K sensor through our own lab test as soon as possible, and of course we will share all the results with you. Over the past few years, Sebastian Woeber’s lab tests at cinema5D HQ in Vienna have received a widespread reputation of being completely unbiased, and we do not shy away from putting ourselves in hot water when manufacturers’ claims don’t live up to our results. You may wonder why a stills camera review like DxOMark would bother to test a digital film camera at all, particularly one that costs $49,500. Indeed, a quick look at the comments section of the review itself reveals several disgruntled readers who want to know why DxOMark have found the time to review a non-stills camera like the ‘Weapon’ and yet haven’t got around to scoring the behemoth that is the Pentax 645Z, which would surely be a shoe-in for a 100+ score. Still Photography from 8K Video I know several RED owners who use their cameras to capture high resolution stills, opening up incredible flexibility and new creative options to them. The very fact that a camera designed for film capture can churn out sixty 8192×4320 16-bit raw stills every single second is frankly a massive slap in the face for Canon, Nikon and Sony. RED used to be perceived as a pixel pusher who considered image quality of lesser importance to raw power, but with the Helium sensor, even the most ardent ARRI fan must admit that RED have come a long way with their sensor technology. Read the full review by clicking here. Specifications for RED WEAPON 8K S35 35.4 Megapixel CMOS 29.90 mm x 15.77 mm (Diagonal: 33.80 mm) 60 fps at 8K Full Format (8192 x 4320), 75 fps at 8K 2.4:1 (8192 x 3456) 16-bit REDCODE RAW + Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR/HD 16.5+ stops of dynamic range (DxOMark pegged it at 15.2 Evs in their tests) 300 MB/s data speeds

Many people were thoroughly impressed when the new DJI Inspire 2 drone was announced. And rightfully so, as it features a 5.2K RAW camera, Apple ProRes, obstacle avoidance, redundancy systems and double the flying power of its predecessor – all at a fairly reasonable price. I spent a week testing the drone in the field and I’ve seen what the camera is capable of after testing it in our lab. In this DJI Inspire 2 review I will show you how the drone performs and what kind of image quality you can expect. Stay tuned for part II of our DJI Inspire 2 review. If you are interested in our DJI Inspire 2 LUT and Inspire 2 RAW to LOG converter, please see this article. Please note: I abided by all laws to make this video. Due to concerns of some viewers I would like to point out that flight safety is very important. You should at all times see your drone. My night shots were filmed at dawn and I did not fly above people, buildings or streets for them. I flew slightly next to the highway, not above it, the church shots were filmed from above the yard and not above people and the shot inside the fog has an invisible cut, so I myself was positioned above and below fog for a clear sight of the drone at all times. Determine all risks carefully. Achieving many of these shots is much more work than it might appear. DJI Inspire 2 Review – The Next Generation This video review was my most extensive and time-consuming ever, but the more I worked with the DJI Inspire 2, the more I found that there is no way around creating an in-depth hands-on piece which I hope you will enjoy and find useful. As the successor to the Inspire 1, the DJI Inspire 2 really marks the next generation of drone flying for me. I was already impressed with the Inspire 1 RAW, but the 2 is a much more serious cinematography tool as the images it can produce are truly remarkable. Please note that the YouTube/Vimeo compression, even in 4K is very strong. If you want to see how the actual image quality is in 4K, make sure you download the source file and watch it on a 4K screen before giving your final judgement to the image. Photos shot by Gavin Fürst I don’t want to repeat myself too much, as I mention most of what I found important in my hands-on video. In this written DJI Inspire 2 review, I want first of all to simply give you “the list”: PROs The X5S camera quality 5.2K clean image quality – depth and resolution is amazing Apple ProRes Codec integration is very handy The overall ergonomics (case, battery, setup time, charger, etc…) The extended flying time of up to 25 minutes (I think I managed to get 20) Improved flying stability for smoother shots Improved flying speed, ideal for aerial cinematography SSD workflow Safety features (redundant batteries and IMU) Wider viewing angle Acceptable low-light capabilities CONs ProRes color always defaults to “none” and burns in a “bad look” when not changed manually Obstacle avoidance triggers too quickly and ruins my “flyby” shots The DJI Go App is too crowded, some buttons are too small and popups are unorganised The image transmission often broke up too quickly, at a distance of around 800m Every second shot had a bad horizon, although this can be fixed in post easily Focusing is still horrible. You tap to auto-focus but never know if you’re in focus or not until after the shoot. It is clear that DJI had been working on further improving the ergonomics of the drone, which is very nice to see. Small things like the remote control automatically charging your phone or tablet, the inclusion of an automatic landing gear, self-heating batteries, dual charging – all of these all make your life easier, especially as a one-man operator. It’s easier and safer to fly the DJI Inspire 2 than any other drone before. I’m sure DJI will be working on future updates to address some of the issues I encountered. One should keep in mind that the first DJI Inspire 2 units are only just starting to ship to a few testers, and that the software for this complex machine is still in its early stages. In my correspondence with DJI, however, I did feel that the company took my feedback seriously. DJI Go 4 App. The Color of ProRes recordings right now s defaults back to “none” whenever you change format. The Camera – Zenmuse X5S At the time of this review, I still couldn’t get the more affordable Zenmuse X4S camera to work, so I was only looking at the higher-priced Zenmuse X5S. The perfomance of the Zenmuse X4S will be, among other things, one of the points we will look at in Part II of our DJI Inspire 2 Review. DJI Zenmuse X5S Camera – Gives you RAW and ProRes recording options. As mentioned in the video, the results I got from the Zenmuse X5S are truly remarkable. Not only could I match it pretty closely to the the colors of the ARRI Alexa, but the 5.2K resolution for me is rather mind-blowing. This kind of frame size is very useful, especially on aerial shots. That said, the dynamic range is not quite up there with the Alexa, and the colors of the Alexa are a tad smoother and more accurate out of the box. You should also know that the Zenmuse X5S has a micro four-thirds sensor, while the Alexa shines in super35. During my skintone test with our model, I used the 45mm Olympus lens, which I believe would be a 60mm equivalent on a super35 size. I used the Zeiss 50mm Cp2 macro lens on the Alexa. I don’t intend to suggest that you should shoot your whole movie with a drone, even though DJI tried that in their promo video, but I do think the Inspire 2 can be used in high-budget movie productions mixed with ARRI Alexa footage. It is nice to see how powerful the DJI Inspire 2 RAW files really are, coming out of such a small and ergonomic single-operator drone. DJI Inspire 2 – 5.2K RAW file, converted to LOG (right-click open for full size) And then there is the Apple ProRes codec, although please note that it is limited to 4K UHD. In my tests, I found that 4K ProRes gives you nicer results than using 4K RAW, because the 4K RAW files have some aliasing distortion. Instead, you should shoot 5.2K RAW and convert to 4K later for the best possible quality in 4K. I took night shots for the beginning of my film by intention, in order to see how the camera performs in lowlight. The compressed YouTube film looks rather noise, but the actual footage had less grain and was clean, so shooting a lit city at night is very much possble with the Inspire 2 Zenmuse X5S camera. I shot at around ISO 400, though it is hard to determine exactly as the source was RAW. We will do further tests and present the results in my DJI Inspire 2 Review Part II that is coming soon. Inspire RAW to LOG Conversion During my analysis, I found that the best workflow for .cdng RAW from both the Inspire 1 and Inspire 2 is a little complicated, so I made a separate article and video that describes the process in detail. There you will also find a download to conversion presets and LUTs that can be used to improve and optimize the post production workflow of Inspire 2 Raw and ProRes D-Log files. In particular I tried to come close to Arri Alexa Log C gamma and colors. In the test lab, the colors coming from the X5S and X5R (Inspire) cameras appeared to be off by quite a bit in comparison to an Arri ALEXA. The idea behind the workflow and presets/LUTs was to convert Inspire 2 Raw (Or Inspire 1 for that matter) to a well-preserving video format in order to edit and colorize later (without having to go back to Raw). And furthermore to match and get a neutral Gamma on all my video files, ideally right while transcoding, so I can apply LUTs and grade easily. Go HERE for the workflow tutorial DJI Inspire 2 Package – What else do I need? If you’re going for the high end DJI Inspire 2 Premium model with the Zenmuse X5S camera, here’s what I’d recommend you get: The X5S package comes with most of what you need to fly professionally. Some kits come without the 15mm lens. You can either get that or any other of the recommended MFT lenses. The drone comes with 2 batteries. These will let you fly for about 20-25 minutes. If you want more fly-time, get more batteries. I’d get 3 more sets, for a total of 8. This means I can spend about 2-3 hours in the field. I’d also recommend you get another charging hub and power adaptor, because the included one only charges 2 of the batteries at once, which takes about 90 minutes. If you want to pilot and have someone else operate the drone, this can be achieved with a second remote. And another set of propellers might come in handy in case one of them breaks for some reason, although it is better to stay safe and never let that happen. Ah yes, the Inspire 2 bundle will ship without SSDs, so if you plan to record anything you’ll have to get those as well. If you want to save money, you could go for two 120GB SSDs and only record ProRes 422 HQ in 4K UHD. If you want to do 5.2K, then two 480GB SSDs would be useful. In any case, I’d recommend to get two, because you can’t delete individual clips and transferring files takes ages, but also because if you lose or break one it would mean you can’t film anymore. Don’t forget the SSD Reader. The minimum complete package is a little bit more expensive than expected, costing about $8,000. Considering the package DJI promotes costs $6,000, that’s a large extra and reminds me of the experience of getting a RED camera. But considering what you get, $8,000 is a well-deserved price, and in comparison to any other drone + camera that achieves this kind of quality, you could even consider this affordable. Conclusion There is no question about it, the DJI Inspire 2 is an impressive drone and a testament to the irritatingly fast pace at which DJI is advancing drone technology way beyond the competition. If you are a single operator and you are looking for a drone with great ergonomics and flying power, as well as the best possible cinema-worthy image quality in a small package, then look no further. There is nothing comparable out there, as any large drone will only outperform this if it is equipped with an ARRI Alexa. Even then, the resolution of the DJI Inspire 2 has no match. Maybe the RED Helium 8K could compete, but we hear the color science is not quite ready yet. 5.2K on a 4K screen is really, really impressive, the ProRes integration is a big improvement and the intelligent features this drone brings to the table will be a great help on any shoot. I hope DJI can work out some of the issues I have pointed out, especially the default color on ProRes and the horrible focusing limitations, but overall, the Inspire 2 is a great step up from the Inspire 1. Now all we need is this camera on a shoulder mount, but I have a feeling this is exactly what DJI will have in store for us soon. What option would this leave the rest of the camera manufacturers? I have no clue. We hope you liked our DJI Inspire 2 Review and camera analysis. If you have any questions or thoughts please let us know in the comments. Special Thanks To musicbed.com for providing the song. Stray Theories – “We Never Left” www.straytheoriesmusic.com Skintone model – Ieva Pocytė Big thanks to Gavin Fürst for his help flying the drone, photos and navigating the city!!!