UPDATE: Found more specs on the VR website and fixed a few typos. There is a ZIP’d package of documents available now on the main site page.

Highly-specialized company Vision Research has unveiled two very interesting full-frame CMOS-based digital cinema cameras at NAB.

The first, the Phantom 65 is a full-frame 65mm CMOS camera.
*4096×2440 resolution, can window down to smaller rez
*10 megapixel Progressive CMOS sensor
*Sensor physically measures 51.2mm x 23.25mm
*2.2:1 aspect ratio
*1-125fps, selectable in 1-frame increments. Cannot be ramped while shooting BUT allows you to build a automatic “frame-rate profile” (see notes below)
*14-bit color
*11-stop tonal range
*2048:1 contrast ratio
*2GB-16GB “onboard buffer” DRAM
*Optional 128GB removable flash mag (fill, remove, swap, dump, repeat)
*Optional fiber-optic out to storage
*Gig-ethernet output dumps direct to PC
*HD-SDI out (no audio on cam, so no embedded audio)
*Composite video out
*Camera also has a “capture connector” that allows synching of audio, etc. Supports SMPTE, synch, trigger, pre-trigger, etc.

First models will begin shipping in September, approx prices will be $190K-$220K and will vary based on custom configuration (amount of onboard DRAM buffer, etc).

The 2nd camera that they have released at NAB is the Phantom HD. It has basically the same featureset as the Phantom 65, just with a full-frame 35mm CMOS sensor instead.
*1920×1080 resolution
*Progressive 35mm CMOS sensor
*Sensor physically measures 34mm x 13.5mm
*16:9 aspect ratio
*1-1000fps user selectable in 1-frame increments. Cannot be ramped while shooting BUT allows you to build a automatic “frame-rate profile” (see notes below)
*14-bit color
*11-stop tonal range
*2048:1 contrast ratio
*4GB-16GB “onboard buffer” DRAM
*Optional 128GB removable flash mag (fill, remove, swap, dump, repeat)
*Optional fiber-optic out to storage
*Gig-ethernet output dumps direct to PC
*HD-SDI out (no audio on cam, so no embedded audio)
*Composite video out
*”capture connector” that allows synching of audio, etc. Supports SMPTE, synch, trigger, pre-trigger, etc.
*Standard PL mount for lenses (other mounts available)

First models will begin shipping in June, approx prices will be $100K-$125K and will vary based on custom configuration (amount of onboard DRAM buffer, etc).

Note that for the Phantom 65, the 65mm format lenses are a little harder to find. At NAB they are showing it with a Mamiya medium format still lens setup, Mamiya has a pretty wide variety of focal lengths and speeds available. They will be looking to collaborate with a lens mfr in the future to deliver more options, focus pulling on lens, etc.

The Phantom 65 will do the following formats:
70mm
2.21:1 - 4096 x 1860
1.85:1 - 4096 x 2214

35mm
1.85:1 - 1672 x 900
1.85:1 - 1920 x 1038
1.37:1 - 1672 x 1220
1.37:1 - 1920 x 1400

HD
1920 x 1080
1280 x 720

UHD
3840 x 2160

The Phantom HD will do the following formats:
35mm
1.85:1 - 1920 x 1038

HD
16:9 - 1920 x 1080

The internal DRAM buffer on both cams allows you to roll the camera at all times…when you stop the camera, the buffer stays full. Allows you to kinda “shoot non-linearly”, that is, shoot continuously rolling until something happens. Obviously can be used linearly, in the traditional “action-shoot-cut-that’s-a-wrap style” as well. All kinds of possibilities with this configuration…

One interesting thing to note is that these cameras allow a DP total control over time… it allows adjustable 2-microseconds exposure time and up-up-up (in 1-microsecond increments) to control the amount of motion blur in an image.

Both cameras use a “.CIN” format that was invented by Vision Research (and is proprietary). CIN is an un-interpolated lossless format, color information is stored in header vs being stored in each picture. It is very efficient as formats go, I was quoted that where a standard format like TIFF might store an image in 1.2GB of space, CIN can do it in 380MB. Interesting.

The “frame-rate profile” (available on both cams, I believe) is a feature that allows you to program a scene profile with auto-ramping framerates. This is done on a Windows PC-based application, tethered to the camera. You choose the framerates you want to use, and morph/ramp to different framerates as you so desire. This “scene file” of sorts is then transfered to the camera, and stored for use during shooting. Once you have a frame-rate profile setup, you can shoot with the camera untethered from the PC.

Vision Research is at NAB booth #C10225, it’s small booth, but they are touting some very big news. You should swing by and have a chat with Connie or Rick, tell them we sent you.