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Time of Flight / LiDAR continuous autofocus is really quite remarkable technology. There are rumours Panasonic will implement it on future cameras like the GH6. Don’t you wish the current autofocus-challenged cameras like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K or GH5 could have amazingly smooth Dual Pixel AF-like performance? Well, you could soon be in luck. Time of Flight Autofocus is a reality and I’ve seen it working. With this prototype add-on, a Time of Flight sensor sits in the hotshoe and talks wirelessly to the Pocket 4K. The autofocus motors in the Micro Four Thirds lens are commandeered based on real-time depth sensing information from the LiDAR beam. I met up with CDA-TEK’s Ian (BTM_Pix on the forum) this week in Manchester to take a look at what he’s been working on. Read the full article

Thanks for the positive feedback. Much appreciated. Please buy it I've run out of gaffer tape making this one so that integration will have to wait for a while.

OK, sorry, I couldn't resist anymore ... 300€ immediately off, 1 free battery (90€ worth), and the 200€ worth offered VLOG upgrade finished my efforts to resist... OK, now I have to sell a lot of stuff ahah !

While this is of course true, speaking in terms of relativity; I could either buy this EVF, or another P4K for the same(ish) price. And I know which route I'd go. I personally don't even feel and EVF is strictly necessary. I've shot with the P4K in very bright sunlight, and while it was a little challenging, it was far from impossible and I got great results. Here's a couple examples, both shot with no external batteries, monitors, hoods etc. Just the camera and 14-140mm Pana lens. Here you can see by the shadows that I'm on the sunny side of the street. And here, there are no shadows, which shows the screen would have been hit by direct sunlight. (Grabs are off YoutTube, so anyone looking for blue sky funniness, it's on compression not the camera)

I'm pretty convinced its doable for them.

Thats very kind of you to say. I tell you what, considering that rumour of them doing a ToF AF system came out the very day after I teased the first video of mine, I unplugged my Amazon Alexa pretty sharpish! What you are seeing now (and I stress now) is single point, nearest object you point it at and continuous. I keep droning on about it being part of a more comprehensive focus system but the rest of it does provide more context in terms of an overall solution and how the operational modes dovetail. Again, this is the jumping off point and what it does NOW isn't the end of what it will do when its production ready. When I'm back from this trip, I will do something about the overall controller (the wheeled thing with the wires hanging out of it) that will flesh this out a bit more. With regard to the emitter, it won't cause any issue to anyone's sensor. It will blind a human of course but your camera will be fine

Truly outstanding! Well done @BTM_Pix !!!

The true context of that clip can now be revealed

Very keen to try the 4K 160fps internal recording and upcoming RAW codec. https://www.eoshd.com/2019/07/the-2000-z-cam-e2-gets-upgraded-to-4k-160fps-with-firmware-update-raw-coming-later/ S35 version should definitely take a leaf out of JVC's book and be Micro Four Thirds!!

Ah, just in time, a French shop just posted a video about MC-21 + S1 + 18-35 !! All shots are handheld and in lowlight. At 34s (guys in red) they use face detection (focus change from one face to another at around 39/40s). They say they are really impressed with this combo.

Even without VLOG, I'm loving this camera and floored by the colors and dynamic range. Here are a couple screengrabs from a shoot I was on yesterday, using the HLG profile. I'm very, very excited to get my hands on the log upgrade. I think this is the first time I've ever had a video camera where I'm actually choosing the DR I want scene-to-scene at my discretion, rather than being forced to deal with limitations of the camera. There's plenty of room in the shadows and highlight roll-off is silky smooth. Color me impressed.

They should consider hiring you tbh

I don't own a bmpcc 4k, but I would definitely contribute to this Kickstarter (1) in hopes that the tech eventually makes it's way over to Panasonic cameras and (2) even if it doesn't, I'd love to just say thanks for the gx85 cinelikeD hack.

Funnily enough this is a reasonably easy port to the Micro. Which, as I have one, might well happen! It calibrates the lens to distance so works with all of them in terms of that level of accuracy. There are variances in lenses depending on how much "dead space" there (a lens we were using yesterday had about 40% of the possible positions unused before and after its minimum/maximum focus positions). That doesn't mean it doesn't focus accurately it just means the range of steps between focus points isn't as granular as other lenses. Basically if the camera can focus it so can the adapter. I'll give some more info regarding point selection at a later time. Take this as a first step for now Thanks. No additional motors, it talks directly to the camera's focus control via BLE. Yes, it does indeed do it continuously.

I knew you were going to say that

Well done @BTM_Pix !!! As you know, I recently bought a Micro on the cheap. It was a no brainer decision considering I am going to use my existing c-mount lenses with it, but after seeing this... I think I may invest in a couple native lenses for an eventual P4K purchase. I assume it works better with certain lenses? Also, does the camera have to move to obtain focus, or can you select your focus point on the screen?

Wow. My wife has been working with LiDAR for an autonomous military vehicle and one of the first questions I asked was "how does it communicate with the cameras?". That was Wednesday. Not only is @BTM_Pix a skilled technician, he's also a mind reader. Well done!

The 1920x1080 viewfinders are pricey. The Blackmagic is $1500 and the Zacutos are about $2000. If this one was a little less expensive, they would probably sell very well. If you want to give yourself a heart attack (or a good laugh) go to B&H. Search for "electronic viewfinder", then sort by price from High to Low. There are some *crazy* expensive ones out there.

If the A7S3 has 4K 60p and A6400 auto focus I think it will sell well. If they give it a Venice color option and do away with overheating that's even better. 10 bit is great but I am not sure its a deal breaker for hybrids yet. It is for me but I am not everyone.

I dont see how Sony could make another A7S 8bit camera. Sony is pushing HLG as the future but BBC and NHK specifically call for all HLG to be 10bit in their spec. Sony is the only HLG out there still stuck in 8bit. Panny actually FORCES you to shoot HLG in 10bit. If Sony stays stubburn on 8bit only, Panasonic will throw a company wide celebration in all Panny offices! Sony Alpha "might" make XDCAM managers happy and only allow 10bit over HDMI and not internal. (This could also help Sony fight A7S-III heat too if they insist again on using the A7 small body design.)

I've probably said it before but whoever makes an HDMI input version of this tiltable EVF will make a fortune.

XQD's are future proof and upgrades can push the card beyond SD cards.

Olympus EM1 MK2 with the latest firmware is now phase detect C-AF autofocus and for my purposes behaves on par with Canon Dual pixel autofocus . Haven't read much about this but from my experience I'm now using the Olympus far more and my GH5 is gathering dust. ToF autofocus appears to have a very mechanical focus pull with hard stops whilst the Olympus has a more human like focus pull. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_tPoo_n8qo https://vimeo.com/345557918

Through the smart one, yes. Its a tricky question as there are a couple of factors that can influence it quite a lot depending on some choices I make design wise. It will be price appropriate to the price of the cameras it is designed for is about all I can say for now. No one likes AF enough to pay more than the cost of their camera to improve it!

This can be set to be the equivalent of back button focus so it can be momentary and only active while you have the controller wheel pressed in. When released, it detaches and you can use the manual focus wheel or just leave it parked until you engage it again etc.

Mr. Pix ; ) don't you have yet any estimated input on these both availability date and price ones? BTW, do you know what LiDAR means in my native Portuguese? "To handle" is not literal but stands as closer meaning. Funny and proper denomination to say little about the choice : ) I am thinking to buy a 2nd 2018 Pocket unit ; ) only 'cause this your product now. You can ask your commission from Grant Petty! ; -) You've always been one of my favs over here and you well know it : ) I deserve my discounted price LOL You and good oldie Odin are my daily entertainers to say the least, so that one comes from my own pocket : D

It is continuous but we were just moving between two targets. If the man had come over to steal the plant it would have tracked him and ditto if the plant had come to eat us. It tracks nearest point but is driveable. Take what it is that you see it doing now as a jumping off point for what is possible as more info and nuance will be released over the coming months. I'll keep it out of this thread now and in the main one so normal Pocket4K discussions can be resumed.

Because there is no hunting involved by the lens and its told to go directly to a specific position without passing go or collecting £200 then any speed differences that there may be are far less apparent if visible at all. Yes it could target the zoom operation equally as it could focus but I don't know how familiar you are with MFT powered zooms but the bumpy violence with which they move to positions would make your shot look like a shark attack shot from Jaws rather than the beach scene with Brody. He needs to contribute a bit more then as I'm currently doing all the graft while he's clearly sloping off every afternoon to play golf or get a pedicure.

Yes, I was considering this option too. Actually until 150 years ago, we would be part of the same country, the great and glorious Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia!

I won an auction for an “open box” Manfrotto tripod. It was a stupid price... $32. I thought it was just the legs but when it arrived it was brand new, never opened and it came with a head. Honestly, I forget the model because, like you, I rarely use a tripod but I recently tested the head (it’s one of their less expensive RC heads) and I was floored by the fluid pan. I may buy another head for a monopod to keep everything the same. I don’t want to spend too much on this because I may get a slider and a small gimbal for my BMMCC. I’ve never used one but they do look finicky... but like you said, if you need an impossible angle from an impossible mounting position... what other choice do you have? Great idea with the plastic cup... I think I’ll buy one of those collapsible camping cups.

The beauty of it for me is the modular main Pocket Controller... I really liked how BTM_Pix just plugs his different tools into that and it acts as a clever wireless bridge to the camera. The manual follow focus dial, shirt pocket size, was lovely to use as well. It's also amazing that LiDAR, once reserved for the military and sciences, can now be so widely applied and affordably! Just don't mention the price of Arri's system!! Pocket 4K users will love it.

Wow, what a development! Does the unit have a follow-focus gear to integrate with manual focus lenses or does it only work with Panasonic/Leica lenses?

The P4K can already autofocus with many autofocus lenses, but it is single push to focus, not continuous autofocus. I suspect that his LiDAR system is telling the P4K *where* to focus and could probably do this on a continuous basis. The time of flight systems will likely offer a huge improvement for AF. This is a very exciting development.

This is truly amazing work. You should also share the article on the BMD forums.

Panoly! Really like the Pana Lumix Color Science a lot. G6 graded is awesome, wish it had a 50mbit or 100mbit codec. From GX85 on and GH5 on footage is super easy to grade with beautiful results! Canon R in HD and CLOG has a nice image ooc with 709 conversion, but hardly any wiggle room for stronger grading. GH5 in 8bit HD 100mbit is already super strong for grading when recorded in 709. Have not graded 709 material from Canon R though.

With 7 hours work done to it? ?

I use this and love it. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1087198-REG/manfrotto_3_section_tripod_with.html

Gorillapods get a lot of press from vloggers, but keep in mind that they are basically a consumable item because the friction on the joints wears out and there's no way to re-tension them. If you're interested in a tripod then get a tripod, but if you're frequently mounting your camera in a tree, on slippery rocks, on handrails, straddling fences, and other places that a traditional tripod won't cut it then by all means go for it. I have a love/hate relationship with the 5K gorillapod I own because it's pretty bad at most things, it's just that for mounting a camera on top of a fence everything else is literally useless. If you're concerned about sand then you could always take a few cheap plastic cups and put the legs in them when on the sand? I guess it depends on wet vs dry vs if it's windy, etc..

Yeah, it’s pricey. Also it’s not battle tested in the field yet so might want to wait on it.

Love it, it really does looks great! Already own the tokina and a rangefinder, may have to save up and snag one or the SLR anamorpics.

One here, near the end of the video with the music player scene : I think Richard Wong posted one too

I have the manfrotto with the foot and a cheap video head, it’s great for everything but panning as it’s pretty much impossible to keep a level horizon. But since buying it a few years back my big video tripod has gone almost completely unused. For any panning I use a gimbal these days as I can easily get a couple different looks with a straight pan, or a dolly or slider shot. I’m actually considering getting rid of my video tripod because I just never use it anymore. But I’ve always had one and in the back of my mind I keep thinking I may need to get something with a long zoom that would be impossible on a monopod or gimbal. Outside of shooting a few talking head pieces with an iPad teleprompter, I never take it into the field. Chris

It seems to me as of late, by late I mean like 5 years or so, is that there is so much competition now in the Tripod, Fluid Head market that nearly Everything that is below 600, 700 Dollars just seems to be subpar anymore. Way better to buy a older, used tripod from a top name company and get a bargain. And then if you Don't like it or need a heavier one down the road you can probably get your money back, or even make a bit.

Looks great for photographers. I like the leveling ball-head, but I wonder how stable it would be with a fluid head and camera setup. I had a similar combination with the gitzo cf traveler and arca Swiss P0 ball head, but I didn't feel confident putting a fluid head on top of all that. But weights on hook and legs should help. No experience w/ the Millers, but I used Sachtler aluminum tripods before. They were OK, but a little fiddly with a bit of play due to the mediocre locking mechanisms for the legs. Ronford Baker makes rock solid alum tripods, but they are heavy. CF itself is much more rigid for the size/weight. Gitzo has very reliable locks, but they're not fast (like sachtler flow tech) and they're expensive. I just carry my Gitzo as a monopod though, it's that light.

Have both and yep! They work great together. The S1 has an ASP-C crop mode and when the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 or 50-100mm f1.8 are attached, the S1 automatically detects them and punches into the 1.5x crop. The nice thing about this setup is that the field of view is the same on 24fps and 60fps (since the 4K 60fps has the same crop). Plus the Sigma 18-35mm is still just one of the best lenses ever. And with the S1's stabilization, it's a very versatile lens.

Canon sometimes isn’t the best for landscapes. There’s a focus on skin tones that sometimes take the oomph out of greens and blues. I find Fujifilm and Nikon to have a great balance overall, all subject matters considered. The Panasonic S1 looks fantastic. Every time I look at jpegs from Olympus OMD camera’s I come away impressed. Olympus colour is underrated.

Apparently not. I read in one of the comments at Newsshooter.com (?) how the unusually broad shape may be an issue.

Well, I haven't posted on EOSHD for ages, but when I saw this competition I thought that sounds fun. I dropped by on Bexhill-on-Sea on the South Coast yesterday on my way to somewhere else, and shot this footage over an hour or two. No grading, straight out of camera. Manual settings (although fairly limited choice that's all I'll say). Edited on my laptop this evening. I bought the used camera on ebay for £133. I'm not sure if this is the sort of thing you're looking for Andrew. As long as I don't come last.

Here is a music video shot for the musicbed challenge. On this project my assistant is the director and I help her. Shot on my XT3; F-log, 4K DCI, 24fps, 400 Mbps, All-I. https://challenge.musicbed.com/submissions/the-rise/rHvFZz

Pretty amazing how small the E2 is.