Complete NAB 2011 Coverage
This year's NAB will see the launch of what Meduza Systems is calling the first single 3D camera offering beyond 4K resolution.
Besides the higher 4K resolution, Meduza is also pitching the camera as offering producers a way to simplify 3D productions and significantly reduce the cost of creating stereoscopic programming.
"The camera format and resolution level means that the image is being acquired at a 1:1 pixel ratio for Giant Screen 15/70mm format and still allows for smaller extraction for traditional cinema and TV," noted Jonathan Kitzen, president of Meduza Systems in a statement. "This will also represent massive cost saving in image enhancement and post-production. All other cameras on the market have to blow up [images] to get to this format, the largest in the world, but the Meduza does not have that requirement."
The Meduza, which will be available September 2011, allows filmmakers to shoot in the native 4:3 format with content acquired at 3072 x 4096 pixels.
Unlike the 3D rigs commonly used in stereoscopic production that use two separate cameras, the Meduza is designed as single unit, with a single set of electronics and a single set of controls powering two imaging sensors at the same time. That offers much quicker set-up times, reduces production problems and makes the unit less bulky, weighing less than 15 pounds, Meduza executives argue.
When "left eye and right eye images are generated using 2 cameras, many more new problems are created, which must then be corrected in post-production," Kitzen noted in a statement. "Every correction, i.e. color, noise, re-sizing, re-converging, axis correction and focal length correction [can] lead to data loss, image aberration and expense. Meduza set out to and find a solution to the enormous complexity of filming and controlling 3D, rather than just dealing with the symptoms."
Chris Cary, CEO, 3D Visual Enterprises, parent company of Meduza Systems also noted in a statement that "the camera is not sensor dependent. As sensor capability advances, new modules will be available in weeks, not years, to upgrade their camera. This way, filmmakers can choose the sensor and custom configuration that fits their needs and still have the ability to completely change over the camera in seconds. The Meduza is completely modular and is designed to solve problems at their source."
