AR 10 TECHNOLOGIES

This review addresses the market segment and demand for dual purpose cameras offering the best of two worlds ; with video as primary motivation and incredible still photo capabilities as added benefit.

Professional filmmakers will opt to go for professional gear with a more traditional form factor and ergonomics, whilst many guerrilla, indie and corporate producers have already settled on high end DSLR equipment.

Others like myself prefer renting a proper cinema camera with industry values for serious work and ownership of a robust performance unit for personal, narrative, corporate and fast-turnaround broadcast work or video intended for internet distribution.

The manufacturing of plastic, Japanese DSLR cameras with limited video functionality and poor ergonomics eventually evolved into a new breed of mirrorless cameras.

Mirrorless cameras is poised to nudge out the aging DSLR.

The non-reflex category jumped 37.5% in Japan but in the rest of the world that growth hit 80.5%

CIPA (Camera and Imaging Products Association)

The following contributing factors explains this tendency :

• DSLRs are stills cameras, video is an extra which they were never really designed for.

• The optical viewfinder is a disadvantage for video, because it blanks out when shooting video.

• DSLRs are overpriced with all-plastic bodies and mechanical related focus issues.

• Mirrorless cameras were designed as a kind of hybrid between stills and video.

• Mirror-less cameras is not as heavy, quiet, more compact and speedier than DSLR's.

With video as primary motivation; this review becomes a comparative search for the best mirrorless camera, keeping in mind that no camera is ever going to meet every single filmmaker's needs.

The criteria used are based on personal ascetic preferences towards overall quality, performance, ergonomics and price.

Technical criteria as value systems were carefully considered towards the degree of validity in the real world.

Reviews are often based on hype driven technical requirements without the understanding that the value point of the requirement are often affected by external factors in the real world.

Example : 10 bit versus 8 bit video :

Broadcast HD signals are transmitted in 8 bit with the majority of viewer displays accepting only 8 bit video.

Obviously 10bit footage is better for, banding, gradients, latitude, keying and color grading in post production, only to be negated by 8bit broadcast signals and viewer platforms.

This negative conversion of a value should also be taken in consideration when one is assigning a degree of value towards technical criteria and requirements when selecting a camera.

Obviously, when 10 bit monitors, 10 bit television screens and 10 bit broadcast signals have standardized worldwide, the value debate in a 8 bit world could gain a larger degree of validity.

The technical nature, scope and delivery market of intended work should also be clearly defined before any purchase decision.

On subjective level, video and imagery are perceived differently from person to person. Technical and aesthetic values are mostly interpreted in a way it personally favors us.

This review is subjected to own perspective, budget and needs.

Clear consideration was given towards the Panasonic GH5, Canon 5Ds and the Sony A7s; each well positioned in the market.

The Fuji XT-2 came as a huge surprise. At first glance it reminded me of the retro style cameras of the 70's.

The Fuji X-T2 features a high-quality full magnesium-alloy body rounded off with engraved aluminum dials and buttons.

This all metal flavor and feel immediately triggers a sense of durability and toughness, unlike more expensive DSLRs made out of plastic.

First impression, triggers the urge to claim ownership right from the start.

The grip feel comfortable and secures the feeling of the camera becoming an extension of one's body.

The lockable dials and buttons are well defined and the slightly protruded grip offers absolute control.

Dials and buttons are all-metal engraved as finishing touches adding a sense of robustness and finesse.

The layout gives instant accessibility and the controls never get in the way.

Quick access to all controls is crucial in video production and Fuji made sure that sub- related functions became menu items and critical control items were assigned to the buttons and dials.

Each crucial function has its own dedicated, single-purpose dial.

A dedicated focus point joystick rounds it off on the outside.

I was unable to test the camera for weather resistance after Fuji's weather-sealed claim.

"The body is weather-sealed in 63 points to achieve a high level of resistance to dust and moisture.

Couple this with its ability to work in temperatures down to -10°C and you'll see the camera is ready for anything.

Similar weather-sealing is applied to the dust-resistant and water-resistant lenses and the Power Booster Grip to provide weather resistance across the entire system".

The following trustworthy blog article confirms the level of resistance :

https://fujifilm-blog.com/2016/10/07/extreme-field-test-of-the-fujifilm-x-pro2-and-x-t2/

The LCD screen can tilt up and down 90 degrees and sideways up to 45 degrees.

Articulated or tilting screen allows you to shoot in difficult positions such as waist level and above head.

Part of my tests were done using a stabilization rig and this feature adds a degree of flexibility that's missing from most high end cameras.

The power booster grip ; completes the camera. The grip boosts various aspects of performance allowing extended 4K recording duration andcome with a headphone jack for audio monitoring.

The grip takes a further two batteries. Interestingly this increases the length of video recording time, of around one hour with the internal battery, to nearly three hours with the battery grip.

Both batteries in the grip can be charged at the same time with an included adapter.

Video recordings span multiple 4GB QuickTime files with seamless integration for editing with no glitches in audio or video.

The grip can be seen as a worthy camera extension delivering an increase in fps for continuous shooting mode, less blackout time, faster auto focus, improved shutter release, time lag smoother viewfinder refresh rates.

In essence, the XT-2 becomes Red Bull infused, making it one of the fastest mirrorless cameras currently available.

Any purchase decision towards video should include the power booster.

The X-Trans III sensor proved to be phenomenal. The APS-C size X-Trans array sensor spits out gorgeous JPEGs and produce arguably the best 4K footage I have seen in the DSLR-mirrorless, category.

The X-Trans, 24.3 MP sensor delivers imagery with a very distinctive characteristic to it. The sensor more closely emulates the "texture" and look of film.

Unlike the 2x2 Bayer filter pattern, Fuji sensors use a non-regular, randomly stacked 6x6 color filter array.

The color gathering process conforms to an completely irregular pattern that enables the Fuji to have 2 x crucial advantages over Bayer type sensors.

Most Bayer pattern cameras use an optical low pass filter in front of the sensor in order to "blur" artifacts ; moire and aliasing on fine details, caused by sub-sampling-skipping of of information.

Low pass filtering can cause a slight decrease in sharpness.

The Fuji sensor do not use optical low pass filters enabling it to compete with full frame sensors in terms of sharpness and detail.


At close inspection it seems that the sensor offer better resolving power than a standard Bayer pattern sensor.

With zero line-skipping and pixel binning the XT-2  records the full area of the sensor.

The color science behind Fuji's legendary history in motion picture film was neatly transplanted into the XT-2.

In calculated terms, video is captured close to 6K and down sampled for 4K output.

4K video can be captured at up to 30 frames per second and a crop factor of 1.17 with a 100 Mbps data rate.

Initially, the Canon 5D MK IV renowned for its colors was my primary consideration in the color category, only until the first XT-2 footage hit the screen.

In terms of color rendering the XT-2 outperforms the MK IV, point blank.

In 4K mode the Canon does a 35mm crop with no log picture profile and outdated MJPEG codec.

The Fuji sensor is sweetly positioned as a Super 35mm sensor in between the Canon MK IV's full frame sensor and Panasonic GH5's MFT sensor,

keeping in mind that :

"Full Frame" is a still camera designation and Super 35 is a cinema camera designation."

Super 35mm are less affected by noise issues and rolling shutter artifacts than the full frame format.

The Panasonic GH5 offers some serious video capabilities ; 60p at 4K, internal 10bit recording, 6K photo mode.

In theory, the 10 bit video coming from the smaller MFT sensor is debatable and personally I feel that the colors coming from the larger Super 35mm Fuji sensor is superior with adequate dynamic range.

The Panasonic G5 tends to shift colors in the hue spectrum and delivers slightly below average color accuracy. Red towards orange, orange towards yellow, and yellow towards green.

Log gamma: V Log on the GH5 delivered the same outcome ; color shift and unpleasant skin tones.

The spec-on-paper value of the G5s : 10 bit 422 video, manifested as below average if compared to other 10 bit cameras.

Dynamic range is limited compared to the Fuji XT-2, as well as low light performance and detail.

Aliasing is of average nature.

In order to patch some fundamental issues on the G5 and gain one stop exposure value, one will have to invest in a Metabones Speedbooster.

The Speedbooster will enable 35mm field of view and be able to obtain, shallow super 35mm DOF.

Log gamma / V Log on the GH5 delivered the same outcome ; color shift and unpleasant skin tones.

Time consuming : color correction and/or grading of source footage seems unavoidable, in my opinion.

The XT-2, 8bit footage is superior and pristine in every sense of the word.

Skin tones are rendered beautifully, colors are accurate and vibrant.

The XT-2 delivers pristine video at even faster ISO speeds and completely outperforms both the G5 and Canon 5D MK IV at ISO 3200, with less visible noise.

This was done in order to test signal-noise ratios and the negative effect of noise reduction filters on some cameras.

I have deleted the Sony A7 II from my list due video colors to be completely off and some aliasing issues.

The Sony A7II has a problem with contrast areas, the camera’s image gets soft and loses detail.

I don’t think Sony has a proper understanding about color science. The degree of rolling shutter problems was the worst of all the cameras.

This has become more evident on most CMOS sensor cameras and was also present on the Panasonic GH5 in a lesser degree.

For creative's who want to avoid the "digital look" Fuji has created a F-log color mode offering more flexibility in grading for more cinematic like results.

Flat, low contrast video with excellent dynamic range can be captured offering adequate headspace for grading.

Everything-done-in-camera, enthusiasts; have the option to use all of Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes, giving operators the ability to add extremely realistic film looks to their shots, in camera.

Color profiles can be fine-tuned for user preference.

The X-T2 has a micro HDMI socket that can output an uncompressed 4K signal with 4:2:2 colour sampling and 8-bit compression, enabling recording to an external device.

The X-T2 focuses blistering fast, and its mirrorless autofocus system ensures that focus is spot on pristine every time for run and gun, situations.
Manual focus assist is also available for the filmmaker.

Focus peaking and Zebra patterning is available for highlight exposure warnings.

Highlight rendition is superb with the auto dynamic range feature onboard.

Tests were done using the 18-55mm f2.8 kit lens with built in OIS. Once again this is a nearly all metal lens with all
engraved markings complimenting the durable architecture of the body.

It has become clearly evident that Fuji has designed and optimized their lenses for the Fuji sensors and the camera's DSP.

This super-sharp kit lens has no visible distortion, is super-sharp right out to the edges, has no lateral color fringes, has no visible light falloff and has superb bokeh.

Fuji has proudly managed to embed decades of film history into the XT-2 in order to produce a camera with a soul.

Fuji has created a DSLR SLAYER : and takes top honors' in my quest finding the best all-rounder mirrorless performance kit.

Aggressive marketing could firmly secure Fuji's new position on the world market and I have no doubt in my mind that Fuji will future proof the XT series with 10bit video video and higher bitrates.

Tests were shot in 4K, scaled down to 1920 HD and hosted on You Tube although Vimeo could provided better encoding quality.

You Tube, on the other hand gave quick access to competitors footage, each in its own average, re-encoded environment, for comparative reasons.



Test One : Local Broadcast Music Video ; ISO 800 : run and gun conditions : testing noise levels, dynamic range, low light performance, color rendition, aliasing, lens OIS and AF performance.

Test Two : Bokeh International Film Festival : Cape Town : ground coverage : indoor event with daylight filtering : testing color rendition, manual focus,highlight rendition, dynamic range, aliasing and overall performance.

We are proud to pioneer and develop a new virtual dimension to the music industry.

Our footprints in the music video industry are legendary: with 1.7 million views on our You Tube, directors channel and an average of 30 000 views per month we are poised towards the virtual implementation of the fourth dimension Augmented Reality.

The decline of CD sales over the past three years combined with online consumption and sharing streaming / options has revolutionized the music industry on global scale.

The decline is averaging 30 percent and artists need to find innovative ways of marketing themselves. Sponsorship and live performance have become key for many artists.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS

You Tube’s dominance and influence has cultivated a new culture of “watching” music, with Facebook in hot pursuit after this video market. Emerging visual technologies like AR, VR and 360 degree videos holds a certain degree of immersive engagement for any audience.

Augmented Reality excels in this regard as it can host traditional media; music videos and highly interactive components and sponsorship / branding has found a new vehicle in the music industry giving artists a new engaging outlet to pass the experience and monetize their music.

NEW PLATFORM

The music industry needs a new platform for immersive music content, a more personal experience with virtual concerts in mind.

Engagement and providing an online fan base with an immersive personal experience is set to become the governing factor in the digital realm.

OBJECTIVE

Our first project in this regard became an collaborative effort between South Africa and Brazilian artist; Ben Orgélio and the objective became to implement an AR enabled “Live” music video performance on a CD cover.

1ST SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST / BAND

Following the successful implementation of this project has set the stage for the 1st South African artist / band to become virtual!