Robert Matthews

Does anyone know if the Kinemax has a LANC port? Wondering if I'll be able to use my 3rd part handgrip which has a start/stop button and connect it to the camera using a LANC cable.

More footage. A Cam is Kinemax. B Cam is a Canon 6d on a gimbal

​Thanks for posting Marco. Some lovely shots in there. Looking forward to seeing more! Any chance you could post something that has a more contemporary, brighter, grade, maybe with a standard REC-709 LUT? I've noticed that Kinecolor seems to give a very classical, slightly desaturated look to the image, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'm interested to see something different. P.s. You have a pet owl !!!!?

I emailed Kinefinity with a few questions and here are the answers for those interested: Q) Is there a way to adjust audio levels when using the XLR audio inputs? I do not remember seeing any specific audio level control on the camera at NAB. Can you adjust the audio levels on each of the channels independently and select which track the sound records to. For example, can you mix two audio sources in camera? A) Yes, there is a menu to turn up or down the gain of audio capturing, and so far tuning gain applies all channels at the same time Q) Was is the approximate dynamic range of the camera when using Sport Mode? Is there a significant drop in quality. A) Sport Mode/HiSpeed mode: Dynamic range remains same, but it brings some moire and aliasing to the images Q) When is the new expected ship date to US customers? A) 2015 July for US customers Q) Will I be able to get the camera serviced (if necessary) a the US distributor when you have one, or would I need to buy the camera from them rather than directly from Kinefinity? A) Yes, your camera will get serviced if we have US distributor. Before that, we will take care of your camera directly Q) Is there an estimated timeline for in-camera ProRes implementation? Are you able to tell me if this will include ProRes 422HQ or 444XQ? A) In this year, for in-camera ProRes. Yes, it will include 422, 444, and 444XQ. It is a hardware update, not firmware. Q) I know that the current EF mount does not support image stabilization. Is there a plan to implement this function? A) IS for EF lens, we don’t have plan in near future. But it may be in the future.

​Yeah, I also figured out that the Kinemax is not much more expensive that URSA Mini 4.7k or AJA Cion. For me, it makes absolutely no sense to spend money on a Cion, which already has an outdated sensor. I played with both the Kinemax and URSA Mini at NAB and they're both lovely cameras, but I can't help but feel that the Kinemax is much more of serious filmmaking camera. It just feels hardcore and the quality of the images coming out of it, in my opinion, are more organic and cinematic than what I've seen in the URSA 4.6k reel on BM's site, or from the Cion. When the Kinemax has internal ProRes (hopefully later this year) that will be a huge plus. I'm undecided though and I need to get confirmation on the audio recording capabilities of the Kinemax. For example, if you can't change the audio levels of the XLR inputs, without needing a separate mixer, that will be a huge deal breaker for me.

​Marco, if you could please post some footage as soon as possible that would be awesome. Would love to know more about your experience with the camera when you've had more of a chance to use it. So does that mean KineAudio/Audio Module does not ship with the camera? I.e. are there no XLR inputs yet? (For those who don't know, you have to plug an adaptor into a special port on the camera to get XLR inputs). Do you know if you're able to adjust the levels on the XLR audio inputs? Do you know what bit rate audio records in? 24-bit?

More footage from Film Cyfrowy cutting Kinemax and Kinemini together:

Additionally, at NAB, Kinefinity showed me in Scratch how gradable the footage is. They were able to make a nighttime shot of a train in a station look like daytime, with no visible noise (without pixel peeping) in the lowlights. I was impressed to say the least.

​That's not actually true anymore. Kinefinity have/are changing the spec on what's included with their basic packages. Their "Starter" package is now $8999 and includes the following: 6K Raw Option 4K Hi Speed Option Free Assimilate Scratch rental for a year Kinestation Dual 3G-SDI Monitoring Outputs KineAudio Integrated Battery Plate KineMAG-120GB SSD Movcam Upper Handgrip The Kinemax works out roughly $2000 more expensive than the URSA Mini 4.6 when you add EVF and 1TB of media.

​The black hole problem is definitely fixed. They made a point of showing the sun in the first shot on the showreel, which is on their site: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursa

​Yeah, I don't think that has anything to do with the sensor. I think it's just a grading choice. Also worth noting is that none of the footage appears to have been shot on bright, sunny days, aside from the Bali footage, which is definitely brighter. Most of the footage shot so far has been done in Berlin on dreary, overcast days (not by choice). In fact, we have yet to see what happens when a subject is placed in direct sunlight and whether there are any problems with the highlights. In any case, I would like to see some footage with a brighter, more modern, contemporary grade.

​Also, Kinefinity told me at NAB that internal ProRes is coming at some point later in the year. However, they're not yet sure if it will be a paid upgrade or if the cameras will need to be returned to China for hardware to be installed.

​It sure is, but to be fair you'd very rarely pan the camera that fast and if you needed to, I guess you can just put it into Sport Mode. RS is also very evident on Armin Dierolf's footage:

​This was regular 3K DNG. The Golden 3K mode with 16 stops is not available yet.

​I totally agree, the images coming out of the Kinemax are wonderfully cinematic and there are some big advantages over the URSA Mini. My major worries are the terrible rolling shutter and (as a Los Angeles based customer), lack of local support. I am hugely torn between this and the URSA Mini 4.6k. I have both cameras preordered and I have no idea which one to cancel, lol! The URSA Mini lacks the high frame rates, but does have a global shutter, internal Pro Res 444 and Blackmagic is an established brand with a huge online community. I'm just so torn.... help!