The TRUTH about building a Digital IMAX camera
Frame Voyager・17 minutes read
IMAX is known for its large screens and high-quality film format, but the digital age may make large format filmmaking easier and more cost-effective with the introduction of a digital IMAX camera. Despite the challenges of transitioning from 1570 film to digital, the potential for achieving high resolution and natural image quality remains, although misconceptions about depth of field persist.
Insights
- Transitioning to a digital IMAX camera could revolutionize large format filmmaking by offering a cost-effective and streamlined alternative to traditional 1570 film, potentially emulating its organic look through advanced digital processes.
- Achieving the resolution and quality of 1570 film in a digital IMAX camera would require significant technological advancements, including constructing lenses capable of resolving high-quality images for a hypothetical 1570 Digital Cinema Camera, presenting challenges in sensor size, lens design, and data storage for uncompressed 18K video.
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Recent questions
What is the history of IMAX?
IMAX began with Multi-Screen Corporation in 1967.
What are the challenges of shooting in IMAX?
Shooting in IMAX is challenging due to massive camera systems.
How are IMAX films projected?
IMAX films are projected using massive projectors.
What is the resolution of IMAX films?
Resolution estimates for IMAX films vary from 12K to 40K.
What are the challenges of creating a digital IMAX camera?
Creating a digital IMAX camera poses challenges like lens construction.
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Summary
00:00
Evolution of IMAX: From Film to Digital
- IMAX is known for its large screens, impressive audio, and impeccable image quality, but large format filmmaking is rare due to the high cost of 1570 film and strict filmmaker vetting.
- In the digital age, achieving 70mm film quality digitally is appealing, with a digital IMAX camera potentially making large format filming easier and more cost-effective.
- The history of IMAX began with the Multi-Screen Corporation in 1967, specializing in multi-screen productions before transitioning to the 1570 film format.
- The 1570 film format, with 15 perforations and 70mm width per frame, offers higher resolution and natural image quality, filling gigantic IMAX screens without compression.
- Shooting in IMAX is challenging due to the massive camera systems, short film cartridge duration, and prohibitive costs of 65mm IMAX film.
- Transitioning to a digital IMAX camera could reduce bulkiness, allow for quieter filming, and potentially emulate the organic look of 1570 film through film emulation processes.
- Projecting IMAX films is cumbersome due to the weight and length of 70mm film reels, requiring massive projectors and hours of assembly for each reel.
- Despite the rarity of 1570 film projections in IMAX theaters today, most IMAX productions use digital cinema cameras like the Alexa Mini or Arie Alexa 65.
- Resolution estimates for IMAX films vary from 12K to 40K, with the actual resolution being complex to determine due to various factors like film stock, lenses, and camera operation.
- The 9x7 camera can shoot beyond IMAX quality at up to 18K resolution, but achieving maximum detail depends on factors like lens choice, camera operation, and film development.
15:20
"Challenges of Creating a 1570 Digital Camera"
- To achieve a sensor as large as the 1570 film, a digital IMAX sensor would need to be about 70 by 48.5 millimeters, requiring an 85.16 millimeter image circle, much larger than current sensors like the Aries new aloe4 CMOS sensor at 28 by 19.2 millimeters with a 33.96 millimeter image circle.
- Constructing lenses to fill out the massive sensor area for a hypothetical 1570 Digital Cinema Camera would be possible but incredibly expensive, necessitating lenses capable of resolving such high-quality images, along with the ability to shoot raw and record in high bitrates like 10 gigabytes per second for uncompressed 18K video.
- Despite the potential of a digital IMAX camera surpassing the 9x7 camera, misconceptions exist, such as the smaller depth of field due to the high resolution sensor, offering the possibility of even shallower focus than on 15 perf 70 millimeter film, challenging the notion of the ultimate camera system.
