At press time, Silicon Imaging announced that it has developed a new 2K data-centric camera—the SI-2K. The camera, which offers a dynamic range of over 10 f-stops, can shoot either 1920×1080 HD RGB or 2048×1152 data stored direct to hard drive. It relies on a 2/3-inch sensor, and captures either a 10-bit CineForm RAW or 12-bit uncompressed 2K image.Through a partnership with Iridas, the camera can import Iridas’s “.Look” files—created in SpeedGrade DI or SpeedGrade OnSet—and apply look-up tables to the image in the viewfinder. However, the “.Look” file is only applied as non-destructive metadata. Under the hood, the camera is recording uncompressed raw “digital negatives” over a standard gigabit Ethernet connection.An Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based computer embedded in the camera or tethered to a laptop, processes the digital negatives, where they are colorized for preview using the cinematographer’s desired “look” for the scene.“By bringing the creative look into the camera viewfinder, Silicon Imaging has turned the camera into a creative blank-slate for the cinematographer,” said Iridas CEO Lin Kayser. “This is a critical next step in the evolution of digital filmmaking technology.”CineForm’s Prospect 2K software, optionally bundled with the SI-2K, provides real-time, multi-stream editing of CineForm RAW files along with the look metadata using Adobe Production Studio.The SI-2K DVR with an embedded Intel Core 2 Duo processor and hot-swap drive cartridge system, plus the removable MINI camera head will sell for $20,000 or, bundled with Prospect-2K, for $22,000. It is expected to ship in January.
Written by Scott Lehane
