How Big Are Cinema Camera Sensors

Of all the current trends in digital picture palace camera design, ane of the most interesting is a shift towards large sensor digital movie theater.

The quest for higher resolution, higher dynamic range and better low calorie-free performance oft bring about inevitable trade-offs in sensor design. High dynamic range and sensitivity require larger photosites, and simple mathematics dictate that this places limits on overall resolution for a given size sensor.

Pixel Pitch

To requite a simple case we can all relate to, the Sony A7S has fewer, larger photosites than the A7R. This gives the A7S the edge on low low-cal sensitivity compared to the A7R's edge in overall resolution. The A7S has a pixel pitch of 8.iii microns vs the A7R at four.9 microns, that's a large deviation in favor of the A7S when it comes to the area covered by each photosite.

It seems that you can't take it all, and this is mostly truthful with current sensor technologies… unless of class you increase the size of the sensor.

To take the Sony example farther, if we wanted to create a sensor with the aforementioned size photosites (and depression calorie-free performance) as the A7S but with the same resolution as the A7R, the sensor would accept to be approximately 61.4mm x 41mm in size, which is well into medium format territory.

This is a trend that nosotros take started to see with the 54.12 x 25.59mm sensor in Arri'due south Alexa65 and the full frame VistaVision sensor of the RED Weapon 8K FF.

The Arri Alexa 65 sensor is effectively 3x ALEV III sensors combined, resulting in the very same photosites and much loved imaging characteristics of the Alexa only at a college overall resolution and much larger imaging area.

Total Frame and Beyond

When it comes to total frame, we are talking about any sensor measuring approximately 36mm 10 24mm, and then in fact nosotros've been shooting total frame video in our DSLR's e'er since the Catechism 5D Mk2. Sony, of class equally I take already mentioned have taken on a large and growing market share with the A7S, so more and more of united states of america are getting used to the aesthetic and optical characteristics of composing and framing a larger than super35mm format.

While DSLR'due south accept offered total frame video for years, information technology's only fairly recently that loftier terminate cinema camera manufacturers have actually brought larger sensor cameras to market.

Cherry-red have been talking for years about the future development path of their sensors, as far back as 2009 fifty-fifty specifying a "Monstro" 617 sensor up to 168mm x 56mm. Part of this "Monstro" line-up back then was a FF35 sensor which we are seeing come to fruition at present six years afterwards.

All the same, none of this is new, large format visuals have a long and interesting history in both the art and technology of motion pictures.

Here is a quick wait at the history of large format cinema, the first full frame video capable cameras and the largest sensors currently employed.

A Brief History of 70mm Moving-picture show

Films formatted with a width of 70 mm take existed since the early on days of the motility picture industry. The first lxx mm format motion picture was nigh likely footage of the Henley Regatta, which was projected in 1896 and 1897, but may have been filmed as early as 1894. – 70mm Pic – Wikipedia

1928-1930 – Flim-flam developed a 70mm format called "Grandeur" which met resistance from theatre owners who were already investing in new equipment for sound. Ultimately Fox had to driblet the format.

1950'south – Todd-AO – Film producer Mike Todd originally developed the Todd-AO 70mm format to compete with "Cinerama" which used three synchronised 35mm projectors and was circuitous and unreliable. The Todd-AO system fabricated apply of 65mm photography for 70mm prints incorporating a 6 channel magnetic strip audio runway. The Todd-AO system set the mechanical standard in perforation pitch for the Panavision variants Super Panavision lxx and Ultra Panavision 70, as well as IMAX.

1954 – VistaVision – Paramount Pictures created the VistaVision format to increase the effective resolution of 35mm pic by running information technology horizontally and exposing a much larger surface area. Each frame in the VistaVision format was 8 perfs in width had a camera aperture of 37.72mm ten 24.92mm. VistaVision is likewise referred to as eight/35.

1970 – IMAX – Where the Todd-AO system exposed and projected flick vertically, each frame being 5 perforations tall, IMAX employed a horizontal transport, each frame beingness xv perforations in length. This increased camera aperture to seventy.41mm x 52.63mm. IMAX is besides referred to equally 15/70.

Resolution

These large cinematic formats were all about giving the audience a bigger, wider and more immersive experience, something that could simply exist enjoyed by watching a film at a picture palace. To this day cinema projection and sound technology is running a head to head battle with television set, dwelling house picture palace and now even mobile devices.

The push for always higher resolving power, better optics and wider aspect ratios may have culminated for celluloid in IMAX, only the aforementioned race is at present pushing digital cinema technology ever forward.

The effective resolving power of a typical super 35mm negative is between 3,000 and a maximum of about half dozen,000 lines of horizontal resolution depending on who y'all enquire and how it is measured. IMAX pushed this to the equivalent of between 10,000 to 18,000 lines of horizontal resolution from film negative and digital movie theatre conquering is headed in this direction.

Below are some large sensors compared. While I do not consider the DSLR or mirrorless compact cameras to exist true high-terminate cinema class cameras, they have played an of import function in the technological timeline, and in making total frame videography far more mainstream.

	Sensor Size	Sensor Resolution	Video Resolution
Canon 5D Mk2	36mm x 24mm	5616 x 3744	1080p (line skipping)
Canon 5D Mk3	36mm ten 24mm	5760 10 3840	1080p (line skipping)
Sony A7S	35.8mm x 23.9mm	4240 x 2832	4K (total read-out)
Sony A7R2	35.9mm x 24mm	7952 x 5304	4K (pixel binning)
Phantom 65	52.1mm x 30.5mm	4096 10 2440	4K
Arri Alexa 65	54.12mm 10 25.59mm	6560 x 3100	6.5K max open gate
RED Weapon 8K FF	40.96mm x 21.6mm	8192 x 4320	8K

Optics

The hope of larger than total frame sensors can't be discussed without mentioning optics. Big format lenses are needed to comprehend a large exposure surface area, and if this trend is really to come up out of the highly specialized world of the rental-but Alexa65, and into the mainstream in the coming years then lens manufacturers are going to accept to come to the party.

A super 35mm sensor requires lenses that cover an epitome circle of approximately 32mm, full frame (8-perf VistaVision) requires a 43mm image circle. To cover Arri's Alexa65 sensor requires an paradigm circle of around 60mm. Arri chose to piece of work with IB/E Optics to create a ready of custom housed lenses based around Hasselblad medium format eyes.

Information technology may begin with a run on used medium format photo lenses, clever conversions, adaptors and re-housing, but there will be a need for purpose designed eyes to complement large sensors cameras.

While I call up we are withal as much as 10 years abroad from a mass produced, mainstream, affordable 65mm cinema photographic camera platform, I also believe it's the inevitable direction the technology is headed.

Sensors will get larger, and resolution will increase while individual photosites remain large enough to ensure ever college dynamic range and sensitivity. It's certainly an exciting time to be a cinematographer.

RED Weapon FF 8K featured image used with permission by Phil Holland www.phfx.com

Source: https://www.cined.com/full-frame-and-beyond-large-sensor-digital-cinema/

Posted by: reidgropen.blogspot.com

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