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The Panavision DXL's capabilities are expanding all the time
The Panavision DXL camera system is a clever adaptation of existing technology to make something special and unique. And it's a system that's still expanding too.
The Panavision team started out with a camera designed for them by RED that uses the 8K VV Dragon sensor. They then managed to get Light Iron on board to help with the colour science and, of course, they made the camera compatible with the Panavision PV mount and the wealth of lenses available to work with that mount.
This ecosystem now expands with three new additions: a new OLED HDR viewfinder, a special sensor filter, and a way of controlling the camera from an iPhone.
The viewfinder is apparently the industry's first OLED viewfinder with HDR capability. It is capable of outputting 600 nits of brightness and features image smoothing and special Panavision glass that is supposed to limit eye fatigue and to make focusing easier. There is even a heater. Panavision obviously has a lot of experience with camera viewfinders but it didn't just rest on its laurels and rely on those years of experience, but instead built upon it by getting customer feedback on prototypes of the viewfinder and by investigating further what their customers were seeking in that area.
The company is also developing a filter specifically for the DXL camera called the PX-Pro color spectrum filter. The hope is that the filter will be able to provide a significant increase in colour separation. It features a simultaneous cut of both Infra-red and Ultra Violet light to keep noise from this part of the light spectrum from contaminating the sensor and thus the images. It is intended to provide more precise colour while maintaining compatibility with the flare characteristics of any lens, whether that it a vintage lens known for its flares or something more modern and subtle in terms of flaring.
The camera control app is called DXL control. It is currently only available for iOS devices, but it allows you to wirelessly control the camera over WiFi using your iPhone and uses the same interface as you would find on the side of the camera itself. It is possible to download the app for free from the iTunes store now.
Tags: Production
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