Panavision Announces New 'Next Generation Camera'

[Tim Tyler]

Panavision has officially entered the era of digital imaging for motion pictures. The esteemed Hollywood camera house, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is raising the curtain on the first film-style portable digital camera.

 

The Genesis camera will make its public debut this week in the Panavision booth at Cine Gear Expo on the Universal Studios back lot.

 

The co-development project with Sony has been kept a closely guarded secret for four years. Known in-house as code name "NGC," or "next generation camera," the Genesis' design plans have been kept hidden behind a door in Al Mayer Jr.'s office.

 

In building the digital motion picture camera, Panavision has taken some of the finest attributes of the Panaflex and Millennium XL cameras and adapted them for the digital world.

 

Although today's marketplace is littered with digital video and high-definition cameras, many originally designed for consumers or broadcast news gatherers, none to date is based on a Super 35mm-sized digital imaging sensor which allows 35mm depth of field. (The Dalsa Origin sensor was originally developed for medical imaging applications and is still being field-tested.) The Genesis' CCD sensor is 12.4 mega pixels with RGB 10-bit log color output. It allows speeds up to 50 fps.

 

The camera's 35mm sensor size is critical because most digital cameras are built on 2/3-inch chips and cinematographers are invariably hampered by depth of field and dynamic range issues.

 

The imaging device at the heart of the Genesis allows use of all existing Panavision 35mm lenses -- from Primo primes and zooms to standard support gear.

 

The size, weight and ergonomics of the Genesis are similar to existing Panavision 35mm cameras making it user-friendly for film crews and easy to integrate into 35mm modes of production.

 

The system has a dockable Sony SRW-1 VTR that records to HDCAM-SR tape up to 50 minutes. The VTR travels to the top or rear of the camera simulating the look and feel of the Panaflex. This variable configuration is key for filmmakers working on tight sets; they can adapt the camera's size to make it low and long or short and high.

 

The Genesis weighs 13.25 pounds alone -- 24.83 with the VTR onboard -- the same weight as a Millennium XL with a 400-foot load. The prototype is already outfitted with a Steadi-cam pad for hand-held shoots.

 

"Filmmakers asked for a camera not tethered to a recording system and free from excessive cables," senior vp worldwide sales Bob Harvey says. Still, the Genesis has full bandwidth, dual link 4:4:4 HDSDI outputs and a single 4:2:2 HDSDI monitor output. It also has a Sony memory stick device from which to pull quick still images on the set.

 

The Genesis has an electronic viewfinder but development of an optical viewfinder has not been ruled out. "We're continuing to look at it, but it presents unique technical challenges," vp product management Nolan Murdock says.

 

As a testament to the new world of digital imaging it is of note that there were no hand-drawn designs of Panavision's new camera. Mayer designed the Genesis from the ground up on his desktop in Softimage XSI. The new camera should be ready for rental by November.