Charlie Dijak

I don't remember the theory behind it. I know it originated in ancient times -- when cameras used vacuum tubes as sensors instead of silicon -- You could ask Navitar -- they probably have some old guy there that would still remember. Charlie

Navitar is a manufacturer of C-mount lenses. Their tutorial on Low Magnification Video Lenses includes the industry definitions of the various sensor sizes. Please visit: http://machinevision.navitar.com/pages/pro...r.cfm?nav4=true. The bottom line is that a 1" sensor is MUCH smaller than 35 mm film. a frame of 35 mm film measures 36mm H x 24 mm V. A 1" sensor with a 4:3 apsect ratio measures 12.8 mm H x 9.6 mm V with a diagonal of 16 mm. Charlie Dijak EPIX, Inc.

Luke -- We (EPIX, Inc.) use the Micron MT9P001 sensor in the SV9T001C camera. Micron recommends a 48 MHz pixel clock rate for this sensor. The SV9T001C camera has a variable pixel clock frequency -- from 25 MHz at the low end to a maximum of 70 MHz. An increase in pixel clock frequency can result in increased noise -- which can reduce image quality. When we first published resolution / frame rate specs for the SV9T001C, we only listed the results achieved at 48 MHz. When we decided to add specs at 70 MHz, we thought it wise to indicate that the image quality may not be optimum at the faster rate -- so the user would get the hint that if they didn't like the quality achieved at the faster rate, they could reduce the pixel clock frequency to 48 MHz to reach Micron's quality standard. Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept cad@epixinc.com

Response to Phil: Post #35 The SV9T001C delivers good quality color images, 1920 x 1080 resolution, at 24 fps. The maximum at 1920 x 1080 resolution is 27 fps. Response to Brian: Post #37 There is a lot more to a ?camera? than a sensor. The SV9T001C camera with the XCAP-Std program captures 1920 x 1080 resolution images to hard disk array ? uncompressed ? at 24 frames per second. The frame rate can be easily adjusted. The resolution can be easily adjusted. There are controls for color and gain. You don?t need to write a single line of code to get it to work ? you only need to install the system in a computer with a RAID array. We (EPIX) have color example images posted on our web site demonstrating the fact that we have a working system ? and we offer anyone the ability to purchase the system for evaluation in order to prove to themselves that the system performs as we advertise. Response to Troy: Post #38 Are the images overly saturated? I saw the glare spot on the Golf Guy?s hat. No argument ? it?s certainly there. I tried to balance the exposure of the Golf Guy with the exposure of the panels on the Color Checker ? and that?s the result. The GUI includes separate controls for Brightness, Saturation, and for Gamma. Does the 1/400th of a second shutter speed minimize the skew? Or does the shutter speed not affect the scan rate of the shutter? Answer ? The scan rate (the rate at which rows of pixels are exposed and read-out) is affected by the frame rate ? an increase in the frame rate accelerates the rate at which the rows need to be exposed and read out. The faster exposure time (1/400th of a second) reduces the amount of blur exhibited in any particular line of pixels. If I used a slower exposure time the distortion due to skew wouldn?t change?but the skew would be masked by the increase in blur. The request for more ?life-like? setting or subject. I hope to be able to make the time to capture such a sequence next week. I?m anticipating something outdoors under sunlight with some degree of motion and color with a human in it so you can see skin tones. Phil ? Post #39 The true sensor size? The Micron MT9T001 sensor used in the SV9T001C camera has a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. The pixels are 3.2 microns square. The active capture area, at maximum resolution, is 6.55mm x 4.92mm ? a ½? sensor is defined as a sensor measuring 6.4mm x 4.8mm. BUT ? if the goal is 1920 x 1080 resolution, then the active capture area is smaller ? 6.14mm x 3.46mm Brian ? Post #40 http://www.epixinc.com/gallery/sv9t001.htm Best Regards, Charlie Dijak EPIX, Inc. cad@epixinc.com

Troy Warr -- Post #32 The SV5M12 camera hasn't been posted on our web site yet. When it is posted -- which should be within the next 10 days, it will be listed as the "SV5C10". The SV5C10 designation indicates 5 million pixels, Color, 10 frames per second (at full resolution). This camera is based on the MT9P001 sensor from Micron. The Micron sensor has the potential to run at a pixel clock rate as high as 96 MHz -- but the digital serial interface we are using won't support that rate. The maximum pixel clock rate of the SV5C10 is 70 MHz -- the same as the SV9T001C -- which results in a maximum frame rate, at full resolution, of 10 frames per second. The maximum frame rate available at 1920 x 1080 resolution is 22 frames per second. EPIX engineers will be introducing a new camera design that will offer a 96 MHz pixel clock. I can't predict when this new design will be available. Best Regards, Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept cad@epixinc.com

Wednesday 31 January 2007 The promised images are posted at http://www.epixinc.com/gallery/sv9t001.htm. There are 2 new samples ? both using the ?Golf Guy? and ?Color Rendition Chart? used in previous images. You will be able to compare the image quality available at 24 frames per second with the previous images ? that were captured at slower data rates. One of the new postings is a single image captured at an exposure time of 1/26th of a second and a Gain setting of 0. This image demonstrates the best color quality available from the SV9T001C camera when operating at 24 frames per second with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The other posting is a sequence of 29 frames, 1920 x 1080 resolution, capturing the Golf Guy swinging his golf club and hitting the golf ball into the plastic flag pole ? resulting in the golf ball ricocheting back, and bouncing up and down a few times. I changed 2 parameters before capturing this sequence ? 1. I increased the Gain to near maximum ? so that I could use a shorter exposure time (faster shutter speed). 2. I increased the shutter speed to 1/400th of a second (2.5 milliseconds). The resulting images are nice and sharp ? you can clearly see the dimples in the golf ball as it bounces. The trade-off is that the increased gain increased image noise ? the colors aren?t quite as vibrant as in the single image shot at 1/26th of a second. I?ll be happy to answer any questions. Best Regards, Charlie Dijak EPIX, Inc. cad@epixinc.com

Wednesday, 24 January 2007 The EPIX webmaster tells me the promised images from the SV9T001C camera will be posted within the next 2 days. I?ll be back and let you know exactly where to find the images as soon as they are available. 1920 x 1080 resolution -- 24 frames per second. Best Regards, Charlie Dijak EPIX, Inc. cad@epixinc.com

Luke -- Post # 29 Give me a week to capture an image at 1920 x 1080p resolution and get it posted on our web site. The pixel clock frequency will be 64 MHz -- 24 frames per second. I'll notify you, here, when it is up there. The images already posted were captured at 48 MHz. You'll be able to make your own comparison. We'll try to get some short sequences posted as well. Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept cad@epixinc.com

Response to Troy Warr ? Post #21 The EPIX engineering department is constantly evaluating new CMOS sensors. It is the sensor design that determines whether the camera has a rolling or a global shutter. Sensors with global shutters are more complex and more expensive than sensors with rolling shutters. We will put up on our web site in a few days a 1920 x 1080 sequence taken with our SV5M12 camera that has a 5 megapixel sensor with 2592 x 1944 pixels. It runs faster than the SV9T001C ? and it also captures 1920 x 1080 resolution at 24 fps and faster. I?d like to emphasize one last time that the SV9T001C camera definitely has the ability to capture a 1920 x 1080p resolution at 24 fps. Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept cad@epixinc.com

The rolling shutter ?skew? example provided in Steve Mullen?s write-up (cited by Jason Rodriquez in Post #11) shows bottles that are moving down a production line. What is the travel speed of the bottles? What is the exposure time? What is the line rate of the sensor? Mr. Mullen doesn?t list the settings he used. All 3 of these factors influence the degree of skew. Even more important, the subject material emphasizes the affect. Mr. Mullen?s intent was not to exhibit the general overall image quality produced by a rolling shutter. His intention was to dramatize a worse case scenario --- and he succeeds. Mr. Warr?s request was for a low cost camera capable of capturing HD-type resolution. The SILICON VIDEO 9T001C camera captures a 1920 x 1080p resolution at up to 27 frames per second. The camera, with the XCAP-Std program, captures uncompressed video for hours ? depending on the capacity of the host computer system. The price for the camera and software is approximately $2500.00. Mr. Rodriguez indicates that the Micron sensor is too slow for cinematography. I?m guessing he is basing his conclusion on Micron?s ?Typical Value? pixel clock rate of 48 MHz ? which would allow a maximum of 19 fps at 1920 x 1080p resolution. The SV9T001C camera provides a user-controlled variable pixel clock capable of 70 MHz ? which allows 1920 x 1080p resolution at 27 fps. Reducing the clock rate to 64 MHz provides 24 fps. Further, Mr. Rodriguez says, in reference to the XCAP software, ?it's just not very straight forward when it comes to recording as a cinematographer in the field (which is not what it's intended for).? The XCAP program is designed to maximize image quality and to maximize the user?s freedom to select the parameters used to capture and display images. Advanced users can choose to 'tweak' many esoteric camera parameters - parameters that most cameras simply 'lock in'. Some users even study the camera sensor?s data sheet, and XCAP allows experimentation and application of non-standard modes; all with XCAP?s standard menu options. Other users, with less demanding requirements, are happy simply using the common controls - shutter, gain, white balance, AGC, frame rate - and leave the esoteric settings alone. After a movie clip has been captured it can be transferred to any editing program that can read video files in industry standard formats. XCAP is not specifically intended for movie editing. As Mr. Rodriquez indicates in Post #15, EPIX offers frame grabbers that support many CCD cameras including cameras from Silicon Imaging, Imperx, and Pulinx ? but none of these cameras approach the low cost of the SV9T001C. The SV9T001C camera is available for evaluation. Alternatively, contact me at EPIX and request that EPIX capture a test sequence in its imaging lab. You suggest the subject. We have no interest in selling you a product that doesn?t meet your requirements. If the SV9T001C doesn?t meet your needs, then we?ll be happy to help you find a camera that does (but expect an alternative camera to cost more than $1000.00). Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept cad@epixinc.com

Hello Cinematography Forum: EPIX, Inc., has added an ?FAQ? page to its description of the SILICON VIDEO 9T001C camera. The URL is: http://www.epixinc.com/products/sv9t001.htm. Most of the questions will look familiar since they were pulled from your discussions here. EPIX, Inc. would like to thank Hal Smith for contacting us and thus giving us a chance to respond to your questions. Best Regards, Charlie Dijak EPIX Sales Dept E-mail: cad@epixinc.com Tel: 847-465-1818