Panavision’s Millennium DXL2 8K camera makes its Cine Gear Expo debut on June 1-2 at The Studios at Paramount in Los Angeles after its worldwide unveiling at the BSC Expo in London earlier this year. For those of you attending Cine Gear this year you can check out the premier, large-format camera with a new post-centric firmware upgrade will be showcased at the Panavision booth (#S102) in Stage 17, along with four new large-format lens sets, a DXL-inspired accessories kit for RED DSMC2 cameras, and a preview of custom advancements in filter technology.
The Panavision DXL2 features significant technological advancements based on professional input from acclaimed cinematographers, camera assistants, and post production groups. Highlights include a massive 16 stops of dynamic range with unmatched shadow detail, a native ISO setting of 1600, and 12-bit ProRes XQ up to 120fps. New to the DXL2 is version 1.0 of a directly editable (D2E) workflow.
D2E gives DITs wireless LUT and CDL look control and records all colour metadata into camera-generated proxy files for instant and render-free dailies.
“Millennium DXL2 is the cornerstone of an ever-evolving ecosystem that is designed to improve creative control across every department,” says Michael Cioni, senior vice president of Innovation at Panavision and Light Iron. “By combining the company’s expertise in optics, filters, color science, and post production with strategic partner integrations, we are able to offer filmmakers an entirely fresh image and workflow that is only available within DXL’s ecosystem.”
New for Panavision at Cine Gear this year is the brand new DXL-M accessory kit. Designed to work with RED DSMC2 cameras, DXL-M marries the quality and performance of DXL with the smaller size and weight of the DSMC2.
DXL-M brings popular features of DXL to RED MONSTRO 8K, GEMINI 5K, and HELIUM 8K S35 sensors, such as the DXL menu system (via an app for the iPhone), LiColor2, motorized lenses, wireless timecode (ACN), and the Primo HDR viewfinder. No word yet on what it would cost to rent (or if it will ever be available for sale, I mean this is Panavision after all, they are strictly rental only). The DXL-M is estimated to make its way to market sometime in Q4 2018.
The Panavision DXL2 is available to rent worldwide right now. The new camera incorporates an updated colour profile, Light Iron Color 2 (LiColor2). This latest colour science provides cinematographers and DITs with a film-inspired tonal look that makes the DXL2 feel more cinematic and less digital.
Panavision is not only about cameras thought – it is a well known brand for lenses, revered for its full line of top-quality optics, will also showcase the company’s large-format spherical and anamorphic lenses. Four new large-format lens sets will be on display at Cine Gear 2018, including:
- Primo X range is the first cinema lens specially designed for use on drones and gimbals.
- They are fully sealed, weather proof, and counterbalanced
- Designed to be aerodynamic, and able to easily maintain a proper centre of gravity
- Primo X lenses include:
- 2 primes – 14mm T3.1)and 24mm T1.6
- 24-70mm zoom T2.8
- Available sometime in 2019
- H Series is a traditionally designed spherical lens set with a glamorous, rounded, soft roll-off, giving a pleasing tonal quality to the skin. Created with true vintage glass and coating, these lenses offer slightly elevated blacks for softer contrast. High speeds separate subject and background with a smooth edge transition, allowing subject to appear naturally placed within the depth of the image. Available now.
- PanaSpeed is a large-format update of the classic Primo look. At T1.4, PanaSpeed will be the fastest large-format lens option available on the market. Available in Q3 2018.
- Ultra Vista is a series of large-format anamorphic optics. Using a custom 1.6x squeeze, Ultra Vista covers the full height of the 8K sensor in the DXL and presents an ultra-widescreen 2.76:1 aspect ratio along with a classic elliptical bokeh and Panavision horizontal flare. Available in 2019.
Panavision also debuted cinema’s first dynamically adjustable liquid crystal neutral density (LCND) filter. Using some high-level “tech voodoo” Panavision’s LCND instantly adjusts up to six individual stops with a single click or ramp – a significant departure from traditional approaches to front-of-lens filters, which require carrying a set and manually swapping individual NDs based on changing light.
The Panavision LCND starts at 0.3 and goes through 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5, to 1.8. It is estimated to be available sometime next year.
Light Iron and LEE Filters can also be found at the Panavision booth.
For everything Panavision visit their website here.
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