Those part of Magic Lantern are always hard at work tinkering away to give us mere mortals better cameras at zero cost. They were able to pull a rabbit out of a hat and give us RAW video on Canon DSLRs, which is a huge step up on video quality from the standard H.264 files the cameras normally record to. Now they’ve got another trick up their sleeve that can actually improve dynamic range about half a stop — but there are some caveats at this early stage.

I had been following this story for a little while since Magic Lantern originally tweeted that a “sensor upgrade” was coming, and even though I was reading the exact thread related to the “sensor upgrade,” the situation still wasn’t all that clear, especially since the tech talk is pretty dense (not unlike how some NFS posts must feel to people just starting out — including this one). This new hack has been tested the most on the Canon 5D Mark III and has a greater effect on RAW photos than RAW video, but a1ex has posted a detailed Q&A explaining exactly what’s going on:

So, what’s all this stuff about “sensor update”?

Just a small improvement in dynamic range in photo mode (around 0.35-0.5 stops). We were able to fine-tune the amplifier gains in order to squeeze a little more highlight detail.

Wait a minute, that means less noise, right?

Well, it means you get a little more detail in highlights. This doesn’t mean less noise per se (the new ISOs will be just as noisy in shadows as the old ones), but it will let you shift the exposure to the right by 1/3 or 1/2 EV and collect more photons. This will result in lower noise.

For example, on 5D Mark III I could lower the ISO by 0.37 stops from 100, resulting a new ISO 77.

And how the magic is actually happening:

How exactly are you getting more highlight detail compared to Canon firmware?

The signal from the sensor seems to be amplified in 2 stages: a CMOS amplifier (which operates in full stops – powers of 2 – and we have tweaked it when implementing Dual ISO) and an ADTG amplifier which can be configured in finer increments. After these two stages, the signal is digitized (with an ADC), probably tweaked digitally, and saved to CR2. We have noticed the ADTG amplifier tends to run a little “hot” (that means, it gets saturated a little too early – nothing to do with temperature).

To get the extra highlight detail, one has to reduce the gain for the ADTG amplifier until the ADC will no longer be saturated. At this point, the white level (maximum recorded level in the raw file) will begin to decrease and no more detail will be recovered (since now the CMOS itself or the CMOS amplifiers will get saturated instead).

Does this mean Canon did not fully optimize their sensor for low noise?

I’d say they simply left a safety margin in their code to make sure the ADC is always saturated (that is, to make sure white is always recorded as white).

The big gains are currently happening with the 5D Mark III, but it may also work with some other cameras:

- If you have a 550D or newer camera, it will most likely work.
- If you have a 7D, no idea yet.
- If you have a 5D Mark II, 50D or 500D, don’t get too excited. I’ve barely got 0.15 stops of improvement on 5D2. 

Essentially what’s going on is that Canon left themselves some headroom to make sure that the absolute white point is correctly recorded, so Magic Lantern has dug in and changed these registers to allow the user to shoot into that headroom.

It should be noted that this has nothing to do with the Dual ISO that we talked about last year. That is a different process entirely, but Dual ISO will work with this new dynamic range tweak,giving you well over 14 stops of total dynamic range. Dual ISO, as it turns out, is a bit easier to control in Photo mode, but it has quite a bit of aliasing in Video mode, which makes it less useful for those shooting video. This dynamic range tweak, on the other hand, shouldn’t affect your shooting in any way except to give you more latitude to expose with.

So this is great news, but right now it’s really only effective in photo mode — in video mode it’s not doing much of anything (0.1 stops according to a1ex). For a free dynamic range improvement, it’s hard to complain, even if it’s only 1/3 to 1/2 a stop improvement. Development is very early on this, so it’s possible that RAW video might benefit more at some point in the future, but for now there is a definite improvement on the photo side. I’m always optimistic about what might be capable out of these cameras, so I wouldn’t rule anything out yet for any of the Canon DSLRs.

If you want to experiment with this, the post over on the Magic Lantern forum has some links to the research tools. This means that these modules are experimental and really more for people who understand how to code and what they’re looking for (but the links are there regardless). For more information, check out that thread.

Link: CMOS/ADTG/Digic register investigation on ISO — Magic Lantern Forum

Canon has dropped its bomb — the EOS-1D C .  The world’s first 4K video shooting DSLR.  Equipped with a full-frame 24mm X 36mm CMOS sensor that offers an APS-H sized area for video capture, and recording 8-bit 4:2:2 Motion JPEG 4K video to CF cards at 24fps, this camera packs a punch.  Both in terms of its features — and the $15,000 price tag:
On the one hand, this is incredible news — who would have thought a year ago that we’d be discussing a DSLR camera with an ISO range up to 25,600 that could output 4K (4096 X 2160-pixel) video?  And to CF cards no less?  The camera can do a couple of other neat things, like record Full HD (1920 X 1080-pixel) at the full sensor width or cropped down to Super 35; and of course, it can shoot great stills just like its brother, the EOS-1D X.

On the other hand — this is a $15,000 camera.  For $15,000, we are throwing out the cost advantages of DSLRs vs dedicated video cameras, and are now speaking strictly in terms of what kind of video features it offers.  At $15,000 dollars you expect XLR inputs and more than an HDMI output, and frankly, with other cameras like the RED Scarlet and the FS700 right in that price range (with accessories), this camera is going to have to go through the paces to prove it’s a tool that high end video shooters want to invest in.
At the same time, it’s a DSLR.  It still offers the advantages of a small form factor, and a shooting flexibility that many other cameras don’t — and as many filmmakers have found out, that can be quite a liberating feature.
For those of us who were hoping for something as disruptive as the Canon 5DmkII, well, it’s looking like we’ll have to wait for the next round of innovation to provide us lower budget options.
For more details, check out the full press release here, and for images of the camera, just keep on scrolling.

Is this the 4K DSLR you were hoping for?  Will this cannibalize the C-300?  If you had $15k what camera would you buy and why?

What would the NAB show be without some sort of announcement from RED? This year we’ve got a slew of news from the company, including Scarlet Dragon shipping info, a 4K broadcast module to send out up to 4K 60fps over 4 3G-SDI ports, Epic-M Monochrome details, new color science and even a handy RED-specific multi-tool. Hit the jump for the details.

Scarlet DRAGON

Attempting the quell the rumors of Scarlet’s discontinuation, this RED announcement should be encouraging for Scarlet owners. Here’s some footage from the regular Scarlet and Epic that Jarred Land posted as a reminder of the DRAGON predecessors’ quality (download the 2k ProRes here):

Since RED isn’t allowing the video to be embedded yet, check it out over at the RED forums. 

House of the Rising Sun - Five Finger Death Punch

$14,500

“Likely” shipping in June

6K FF: 12 fps

5K FF: 48

4K FF: 60

3K FF: 75

2K FF: 120

5K 2.4:1: 60

4K 2.4:1: 75

3K 2.4:1: 100

2K 2.4:1: 150

New RCX with Dragoncolor and REDgamma 4

Potentially the most important of RED’s announcements today, this ushers in the next generation of Graeme’s color science that the RED cameras rely on. Here is a little bit that’s new with the REDCINE-X:

Updated: New look and feel.
Added: DRAGONcolor and REDgamma4.
Added: Advanced Dragon Debayer (A.D.D.) with HDRx and motion support.
Added: Support for camera generated markers.
Added: CUDA support.
Added: Ability to filter wav files from the browser.
Added: Rating can now be applied to both clips and frames through context sensitive keyboard shortcuts.
Added: Rating a frame now automatically creates a frame marker.
Updated: Default keyboard shortcuts for rating, video out and L/R stereo toggling have been changed.

DSMC Firmware v5.2.8

REDLINK Module support (wireless networking and wireless hand controller)

4K Broadcast Module support

Switchblade Module support

Dragon Monochrome support

Scarlet Dragon support

Public REDLINK Control Protocol support

DRAGONcolor (Dragon only)

REDgamma4 as default gamma

4 User Calibration Maps available (Dragon only)

Calibration map programming time optimized (Dragon only)

Added frame processing (Dragon)

Increased max exposure time to 1 sec (Dragon)

Rack point UI enhancements

Optimize color science updates

Clean format transitions

Video markers support

Video markers / regions in playback

Pre-trigger added to trigger mode

Burst mode capture

Updated UI theme

6:5 formats added for full height 2.40:1 2x Anamorphic de-squeeze

Horizon line UI overlay

A-X track toggle in preview and playback

Added additional supported lenses

SSD fragmentation detection

Added Exposure Assist

RED 4K Broadcast Module for DRAGON

Designed for broadcast professionals, this DRAGON-only module is due to make a lot of people happy who have wanted to use their RED cameras in broadcast environments.

Since RED isn’t allowing the videos to be embedded yet, check it out over at the RED forums.

RED 4K Broadcast Module for DRAGON

RED QUICK START: 4K BROADCAST MODULE from RED Digital Cinema on Vimeo.

$6950, availability TBD

Live uncompressed YCbCr 4:2:2 video feed

Up to 4K / 60 FPS via Quad 3G-SDI

BNC ports for timecode and genlock

RED Switchblade-M

An alternative to the touch-screen REDmote, this machined-aluminum attachment goes in place of the side-handle and will be helpful for camera assistants who want information on the side.

$950, availability TBD

Side-mounted tool-less camera control interface

OLED

DRAGON Epic-M Monochrome

The Fincher-tested Monochrome camera finally has price and shipping dates.

$31,500

Shipping April 28th

REDlink and REDLINK Development Kit

This is an open protocol that allows 3rd parties to control the camera via the REDLink module or via Serial/Ethernet. This could be a useful tool for controlling the camera when on a Movi, a crane or other rigs where the camera is not immediately accessible. Foolcontrol is an example of a 3rd party utilizing the REDLINK SDK.

Since RED isn’t allowing the video to be embedded yet, check it out over at the RED forums.

$395, shipping now

Integrated THC wireless lens control

REDMAG 1.8″ 240GB

This new faster SSD is replacing the previous REDMAG 256GB. Also, all media purchased from RED in the past 6 months and in the future will come standard with a 1 year warranty.

$1,450

Shipping in 6-8 weeks

Includes 1 year warranty.

RED Sidewinder Multi-tool

This is a custom tool that covers all the standard screw sizes found on RED equipment, with threaded holes to carry spare bolts.

$28 (tool-only) or included in the DSMC Bolt Set ($50)

Carbon RED Mini-Mag Side Module + Magnesium Mounts

Carbon mini-mag side modules can now be ordered with all Carbon Dragon orders. Red is also expanding their Magnesium mount options for Carbon Dragon owners to Leica, Canon, Nikon and PL mount.

Side modules shipping by the end of April

Phew! That’s it for now from RED. Stay tuned for more NAB announcements throughout the week and join the discussion in the comments below.

Link: Recon — REDUser Forum