Messages

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Video Clarity?

« on: September 27, 2017, 06:23:12 PM »

The biggest concern I would anticipate if you want to use the footage commercially is whether the limited resolution would be suitable.  The native max  res is 1280x1024... a 4:3 aspect ratio that will letterbox in 1080 if left pixel perfect (and scaling will decrease sharpness).  The max unscaled 16:9 res is 720p.  Played back in 720 it should look good but scaling it up to 1080 might not so much.  And there is unfortunately no 540 vertical resolution which might gracefully scale to 1080 (2x2 pixels)

Other than that, some of it may be equipment configuration.  Most of us will run the recommended 12.5-75mm lens and its at its fully open stop.  Many reviews I've seen for that lens suggest this can both wash out colors and soften edges in the images.  Stopping down can help but might require increased gain which could add noise.  If you shop around, there are some very interesting c-mount lenses that were designed for 16mm film that can suit this camera quite well.  The sensor is only about 11mm in diagonal so the captured frame will be slightly cropped/zoomed (whichever way you prefer to think of it) and you'll get about a third to a half less light than you might expect at a given stop (but with all the bokeh of the selected stop).  micro 4/3 and aps-c lenses might be options with speed boosters and mount adapters but getting those adapters costs as much as - if not more than - some of the very interesting c-mount lenses.  But if you already have good lenses for other systems, it can be a very economical way to go. 

I've heard some of the other kickstarters bought the camera to rent it out.  It might be worth getting your hands on one and seeing what you can get out of it.

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Chronos 1.4 Footage Thread

« on: September 22, 2017, 11:59:01 PM »

got a couple of my dog enjoying the afternoon and added some royalty free music because why not

https://youtu.be/YOjPPjGxGv4

https://youtu.be/rCsCZmFrvsE

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Best Save-As frame rate?

« on: September 19, 2017, 06:10:43 PM »

NoDak, re: freeware video editors:  I haven't had problems with OpenShot and 60 fps.  That's not to say I haven't had other problems with OpenShot, though (namely, losing about 10-15 frames at the end of rendered videos and some major stability problems while editing on the version in my OS distro's repository... win32 version seems to be more up to date fwiw).  I would really like to explore other apps, though. 

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Chronos 1.4 Footage Thread

« on: September 16, 2017, 09:02:28 AM »

Camera arrived yesterday.  I took a trip to Microcenter and got a 256 gig SD.  Didn't have much time (or interesting subjects) to film.  Turned the camera toward some bubbling fry oil in the kitchen and this is what I got: https://youtu.be/qeZXKtkyRRc Was kind of surprised by just how shallow the field depth was at f/0.95. I could only cleanly focus on about 1/3 of the pot from about 3 feet away.

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Got my tracking number

« on: September 08, 2017, 05:06:43 PM »

Backer #almost certainly the last (submitted the form literally minutes before closing)

No emails yet...

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Last round?? of Kickstarter cameras are going out.

« on: August 28, 2017, 08:55:25 AM »

So... Last we heard was that they'd go out in late August... Not to pester, but I see August is over in but a few days... How's everything looking?

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General high-speed discussion / Re: Recommended software for postprocessing

« on: July 24, 2017, 01:24:25 PM »

I've used OpenShot a bit.  I found it in my distro's repository and the price was right. It also has a windows port.  It will do those things you've listed, although I've found it to be a bit confusing and unstable.  The windows version is more up to date and less buggy.  Truth be told, I've been meaning to find a replacement but just haven't had much need to yet.  It has worked well enough despite its occasional frustrations.

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Last round?? of Kickstarter cameras are going out.

« on: July 22, 2017, 12:16:44 AM »

I'm excited.  Bought a couple lenses in anticipation last week and got the update and paperwork the day the second one arrived.  I'm kind of curious if I'm the last one on the list.  I submitted the kickstarter pledge literally 3-4 minutes before the funding period expired. 

Has the number of prototypes for pledges ever been disclosed?  I would estimate around 130-140 based on the funding level but I see the number of backers is around 220 (so 70-80 non-prototype backers?) and my own backer number is just shy of 250. (maybe 30 backers were back-out-ers?)

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Let's talk LENSES!

« on: July 22, 2017, 12:07:19 AM »

FWIW, The way I think of it is in terms of the resolved image circle's diameter and whether that is relatively similar to the sensor's widest dimension (diagonal).  If the circle is smaller, there will be vignetting, if it's similar, the lens should work as expected, and if it's larger then the edges of the resolved image are not captured, reducing the field of view.  I tried to keep the language similar to how photographers describe things because that is what we will find if we look into photo/videography forums for ideas as to what might work on our cameras as well as being consistent with how the topics were approached in the links I offered. 

Anyhow, I don't want to jack the thread from its original intent: discussion of which lenses we've chosen for our cameras, and why.  I wanted to try a prime and a zoom, I wanted something native C-mount to (hopefully) minimize hassle, I wanted it to be intended for at least a 16mm film size to minimize likelihood of vignetting but no bigger than super-16 to ensure that as much as possible of the objective lens's light gather capability is focused on the sensor. I wanted to find something not much more expensive than the Computar 12.5-75 and I was willing to settle for maximum aperture around 1.8-2.0 as long as it was from a notable name in optics.  I looked at many possibilities on ebay, bhphotovideo, and a few other sites. I preferred to buy second-hand so that if I am unhappy with the results, I should be able to recoup my costs and redirect the money to something else. Those models I chose met all of my criteria.  I have high hopes for both and anxious to try them out when my camera gets here in a few weeks.

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Chronos User Discussion / Re: Let's talk LENSES!

« on: July 15, 2017, 10:46:53 AM »

Hi TFM, I've been enjoying your content for years. 

I'm in kind of the same boat, never owned a camera before that didn't come with its only lens attached.  Well technically, I still don't (and probably wouldn't for stills unless/until my trusty WB850F dies).  I was likely the very last kickstarter and am still a few weeks away from receiving my Chronos, from the sound of things.  That hasn't stopped me from researching and shopping though.  I've taken the plunge on a Schneider Variogon 18-90mm f/2 from ebay and have already received a Belle & Howe Angenieux 25mm f/0.95 from Victoria Camera Traders (great guys and fast service there, btw).  Neither broke the bank, with both priced about the same as a new sample of the computar 12.5-75mm.  I'll hope the CS-C adapter I plan to get with my Chronos backsaces them properly, but we'll have to wait and see.

I was aiming to find lenses meant for 16mm and super-16.  The frame size of 16mm film is almost a match to the 2/3" sensor on the Chronos so there should be no vignetting and only a minimal cropping factor (a 50mm focal length lens for 16mm film frame should produce an image like a 58mm focal length lens on a 2/3" sensor).  Super-16 is pretty reasonable as well (a 50mm would behave like a 66mm).  Some good info is here and here.  I've been trying to think about the physics of it and while I think I kind of understand how the mismatch alters the field depth to behave like a different f-stop, I am inclined to believe this wouldn't have much impact on the light gathering performance. (if a 4/3" 50 mm f/2 lens is on a 2/3" sensor, we can expect it produce an image framed like 100 mm lens with the field depth of an f/4 aperture but I *think* it would provide the same contrast and brightness as though it were still on a 4/3" sensor at f/2. If anyone knows better, please, by all means, correct me. )  I've also noticed there's quite a bit of interest for vintage lenses in the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera communities... its sensor is between 16mm and super-16 so their findings are quite valuable to us, as well.

Anyway, thanks for all the entertainment over the years.  That headspinning Chakotay still has my mind reeling like a block of clay after a silly putty slug. Once my camera is in, if you ever want a second angle, I'd be willing to make the drive from OC up your neck of the woods. Might give me the impetus to finally get my BFR45-70 fixed (or just say screw it and haul up the 460 instead)