American Cinematographer - September 2004 - 108

and size of

a

500' film

onto either the

magazine - docks

top or the rear of the

exactly as a Panamag attaches
of the company's 35mm cameras.

camera,
to any

Should

a

situation call for

a

smaller

profile, the VTR can be tethered
via fiber-optic cable and placed up to a
mile away from the camera body. With
the VTR, the Genesis weighs about 14
pounds, about 2 pounds heavier than the
Millennium XL but 3 pounds lighter than
the full Millennium. The body, which is
close to the XL in size, is actually lighter
camera

than either camera, but the VTR

-

about

the
-

weight of a loaded 1,000' magazine
anchors the system down a bit.
"We wanted to generate a

system that was based wholly
film-style system," states Albert L.
Mayer Jr., director of R&D engineering

camera
on a

for Panavision. "That went all the way to

being able to incorporate the VTR as you
a film magazine, on the top or rear

would
of the

camera.

We wanted to create

a

system that would

be completely
cinematographers and
crews coming from a film world into the
digital world for the first time."
Genesis can accept any existing
comfortable for

Panavision
sories. To

or

standard 35mm

ensure

that the

acces¬

camera

is

"We've

taken

maximum

dynamic range that the CCD is capable of
and optimized that," Galt continues.
"Genesis has a gamma function, which
is logarithmic; it's 10-bit log, which is
about the equivalent of a 14-bit linear
system. To optimize the system and elim¬
inate a lot of the excess size and weight,
we

eliminated

a

lot of standard video

backwards-compatible with all periph¬
equipment, the system features a
new block battery designed to deliver
both 12- and 24-volt power through a
single cable. The camera is powered by

tal film camera."

12 volts, as are the traditional lens

In traditional video

eral

the

camera
a

video

processors so
camera.

that it's not really
as a digi¬

We refer to it

A problem arose because of the
elimination of standard video processors.

motors and some accessories. 24-volt

systems, the
responsibility of image processing falls

ports are provided for additional acces¬

to the camera,

sory

The camera, which features a
nominal exposure index of 400 ISO,

stays within the 24p HD standard of
1920x1080 resolution, although the 12.4

megapixel CCD is capable of a higherresolution image than that put to tape.
According to John Galt, Panavision's
senior vice president of advanced digital
imaging, "the biggest problem is that
only certain data rates can be recorded
in real time without

a

roomful of instru¬

absolutely had to make this
wholly portable system with¬
out the requirement of a rack of compo¬
nents to record the picture.
camera a

while the monitor,

a

much

less

connections.

ments. We

camera

sophisticated piece of electronics,
merely displays the processed image.

exceed the

dynamic
display devices."

Much of the focus

processing
displaying the image on

of practical
the

spectral
shaping of Genesis' colorspace, includ¬
ing digital lateral color-aberration
compensation, was designed to render a
high performance for blue- and greenscreen work, which the company feels is
where digital imaging really excels.
Panavision chose Sony's new
HDCam-SR technology to get the highest-quality recording deck available. "It's
a special version of the SR deck that has
been manufactured for us," says Galt.
"The imager takes in about 3 gigabits per
second, and we drop that down to a
maximum of 880 megabits per second
for the tape. It's the leading edge of what
is possible with metal particle tape."

Because Genesis lacks much of that
additional

range

The deck

runs

4:2:2

sion functions to the transfer characteris¬

of the

tic, but in reality it will likely always

now,

(foreground) is
comparable in
size and weight
to the

Millennium XL
35mm

camera.

in two modes. "The

HDCam-SR1 data rate

equipment,
a monitor has
become somewhat difficult. The design
team incorporated a small image proces¬
sor that can send out an image in stan¬
dard 601 or 709 colorimetry, but that is
significantly less colorspace - and
certainly less dynamic range,- than
Genesis is capable of outputting. Notes
Galt, "Post processing can mitigate this
to some degree by introducing compres¬

on

The Genesis

can

be either 440

880

megabits per second," explains
"By comparison, the data rate of
standard HDCam is 155 megabits per
or

Galt.

second. The VTR

can

record either

a

signal at 440 Mbs at up to
second (single HD-SDI
input) or a 4:4:4 signal at 880 Mbs at up
to 30 fps (dual HD-SDI inputs). Above 30
fps and up to 60 fps the VTR must run at
880 Mbs recording dual HD-SDI outputs
30 frames per

camera

the

at 4:2:2."

camera

(Ed. Note - For
will only support frame
American

Cinematographer 95
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