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What if – AJA Cion and ProResRAW
OK, admittedly a bit of thinking out loud…
4 years ago AJA introduced their CION camera. I think it’s probably an understatement to say the response was hugely underwhelming. But, it is actually a really good camera, shoots native ProRes flavors, and was positioned as a great workflow companion with FCPX.
I noticed that AJA is still selling it and at $4995, it’s one of the best camera deals on the market for a robust, PL-mount, 4K cinema-style digital camera. I have produced one short video with one a couple of years back and the biggest quirk is their color science. Natively the images are very dark when left ungraded. However, it’s got a super-clean 12-bit pipeline, so those image respond astoundingly well to grading, resulting in gorgeous, noise-free images. Unfortunately, people whose first impression is only based on seeing ungraded images react negatively. Not great for sales!
So, it would seem to me that if the ProResRAW issue were settled, the CION would be an ideal camera with which to offer in-camera RAW recordings. You can already record AJA’s form of uncompressed RAW to an external recorder. However, adding in-camera ProResRAW could be a real plus for both Apple and AJA.
Thoughts?
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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20 Replies
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Shot a small project on one and loved it. Seemed to be the place arri went to with the amira. Really loved it – surprised it never took off.
Co-owner at Pollen Studio
http://www.pollenstudio.co.uk -
[Tom Sefton] “surprised it never took off.”
My own theory is that in part AJA isn’t know as a camera company, so there was and is inherent skepticism. Second, the ungraded image is very dark, rather than a flat log profile. It’s like a very dense film negative. Although, it grades up quite nicely. Unfortunately, if your first impression is from the ungraded image, then you don’t like what you see.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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I had one project that was shot with the Cion as primary interview camera. It had to intercut with a Panasonic (GH3 or 4 from memory) second interview wide, low light Sony a7s in caves plus RED close ups of lit spiders in a cave. (16 Legs is the doco if anyone has seen it).
Matching the Cion to anything was a chore. I went looking for a LUT to get me close but found nothing from AJA at the time. In the end I made my own set of nodes in Resolve. It did grade up nicely at times but it was such weird color science that it was always the camera that needed the most work to get close to anything else. I never really got it to match the GH which I thought looked nicer on skin tones in the end.
The editor shot the interviews with that camera and he didn’t really like using it the end. I doubt AJA will want to get involved in any more dev with getting other codecs on board. It was an experiment that probably only encouraged them to stay out of cameras.
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I just think the form factor of that camera was too big at a time when the tread is going smaller to fly camera’s around the field with whichever stabilizer you choose.
Couple that with it’s a camera that most clients have never heard of, thus won’t impress them when you show up with it.
A camera purchase is a very large investment for most people and many aren’t willing to take to many chances with it. Myself included. Give me a SONY.
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[Tony West] “Give me a SONY.”
Like the new FS9 ☺
https://pro.sony/en_GB/products/handheld-camcorders/pxw-fx9
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[Tony West] “I just think the form factor of that camera was too big at a time when the tread is going smaller to fly camera’s around the field with whichever stabilizer you choose”
It was intended to address the same market as an ARRI ALEXA.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Steve Connor] “Like the new FS9 ☺”
Now you’re talking brother : )
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I would also add that the CION is physically similar in size (and smaller than some) to an Ursa, C700, F55, or Varicam.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Oliver Peters] “It was intended to address the same market as an ARRI ALEXA.”
That may be, but people still want you to fly the camera on most of the jobs I work. I wouldn’t want to fly it.
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[Oliver Peters] “I would also add that the CION is physically similar in size (and smaller than some) to an Ursa”
Not the Ursa mini, that we build up for shoulder and strip down to fly. Same price range and makes great shots. I’m not really a super fan of BM either but between the two……
The F55 is nice but the Fs7 is everywhere these days along with that nice form factor Fs5 with the awesome that was ND. I prefer not to have to add a mattbox these days for lack on ND, but that’s just me.
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