Arri D-20 Power Requirements

[Simon Jayes]

I was doing some research on the upcoming Arri D-20 in order to save myself from having to fly the Genesis on my next job - alas to no avail (the production company will only use Panavision :angry: ).

 

One of the most surprising specs. was its lean power requirements:

 

?D-20 Camera with mirror shutter spinning 50W max (2.08Amps @ 24Volts)

 

?D-20 Flashmag during recording and playback 20W max (0.83Amps @ 24Volts), during erasing 30W max (1.25Amps @ 24Volts)

The Flashmag can be separated and powered seperately from the camera, so I was planning to mount it on the bottom of the sled (it is not too big at all) with one or two sdi cables (depending on the recording resolution) run through the post on my XCS sled.

 

I look forward to trying this in the future.

[Stephen Murphy]

Ive been told my friends at Arri that the nex gen D20 out next year will be the same size shape as the arricam LT!

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

This friday the camera department on "Everybody Hates Chris" were privileged to do a test of the Arri D20 HD camera in a real world production environment. Stephan Ukas-Bradley was kind enough to also be present during the test to answer our questions. It was an interesting test for two reason's.

 

1) It was a real world side by side of the D20 and the Viper

 

2) It was also a test of how well a crew will adapt to the camera.

 

Aside from our DIT our camera department is one of Film guys. Yes we have spent plenty of time with the 900 and we are now in our second season of using the viper (Plus 8 is building me mods on a weekly basis). We like film cameras, no, we LOVE film cameras and constantly take swipes at the crap that we have to put up with. Crap that is the "Hallmarks" of why HD is bad.

 

 

Well folks I'm here to tell you, HD has arrived and it's the D20. With one masterstroke Arriflex has obsoleted all other HD "Production" cameras. How? Here's a list of just some of the strokes of super genius that has come from Arri.

 

2.5 amps at 24 volts.... Yes 2.5, not 9 not 12 but 2.5 amps, a pair of Dionic 90's will last almost 2 hours

 

NO cooling fans. 7 chimneys convection cool the camera electronics and 2 Peltier junctions/heatpipes and heat sink cool the sensor.

 

OPTICAL Viewfinder... 'nuff said but I'll drive that point home with this. A real groundglass that shows more than the chips "live" area.

 

Two ways to get Standard Def video out to the steadicam monitor. One way is to use an IVS video tap. The IVS advantages are viewing of the groundglass and the overscan that we are used to with an optical viewfinder, and no downconversion video delay. The disadvantages are sometimes a noisy image due to gain at thick f-stops and the flicker free "Smear". The other way to get SD Video out is from the HD Sensor and internal downconverters to output the "CVBS" (Composite Video Blanking System). This is the CLEANEST CVBS I have ever seen. Markedly cleaner than the Viper CVBS that I fly everyday. Now Arri has gone a few steps better with their CVBS. They give you a set of 16x9 framelines along with a set of 4x3 TV Transmitted lines.

 

Hang on a second, why would a set of 16x9 framelines be so a surprise, after all HD is a 16x9 format, why do I need to see brightlines on the normal 16x9 signal. Here's where Arri kills everyone else... It's a FULL FRAME Super 35mm Sensor. In-fact it's the same sensor as Arri uses in the Arri Scanner. Why is that so cool? well the CVBS Outputs the full frame frame from the sensor which means that you have "Overscan" top and bottom so you can see that pesky boom BEFORE it enters the frame. It also means that you can shoot true Anamorphic HD.

 

 

That folks is just the tip of the iceberg, this camera is simple and familiar but best of all it flies like a dream. With a 50mm Ultra Prime and liteweight mattebox, two Lens motors and the lowmode bracket it's just slightly heavier than a Arricam LT. It's balance point right now is approximately 1 inch behind the optical plane. Stephan told me that in the next revision of the camera they will be making the back shorter which should bring the balance point to the optical centerline. And while it is a bit wide (A bit, not bad at all really) it has great side to side balance, being almost perfectly balanced side to side. As it sit's the lowmode bracket allows you invert the rig with little to no reposition of the gimbal.

 

 

If you haven't figured it out I love this camera, Our camera department loves this camera.

 

If you want to see some more photos I have a gallery of them on my website Here

 

And just so you guys know I haven't been paid by Arri, CSC or Clairmont Camera. Hell I didn't even get a hat!

[RobVanGelder]

Great Report Eric!

 

I guess it is still up to the FILM-camera manufacturers to come out with something that actually works in real life.

It's combined experience from more than 60 years that some japanese companies think they can do without....!

[Stephen Murphy]

Great report Eric - any sign of the Venom Flash Mag?

Were you recording in 4x3 mode or 16 x9 mode, and hence using one or two cables tethered to the recoding deck? Were you able to use the copperhead fiber optic system?

[Michael Stumpf]

Thanks for the report Eric. It was surely great to see and mess with the D20 at Cinegear this summer, but it would have been even more fantastic if they would of had one built

on a steadicam for us to fly.

 

Now we just have to hope that Producers are willing to dump the Genesis and Panavisions

somewhat powerful marketing and rental discount packages in favor of the D20 for HD jobs

and make the people who ACTUALLY have to USE the cameras happier. Not too mention lessen

the possibility of problems, such as reshooting because you can actually see focus on the D20 and

it's optical viewfinder, as well as shorten our shooting days with the lighter camera and the ability

to do more takes without as much fatique. Just to name a few of the D20's advantages...which in the end

become advantages and money savings to the studios and producers. Like Panavision had to do with

the Millenium by making the XL, send them back to the drawing board with the Genesis, and let the current model collect dust on the shelves.

 

Nice work Arri. Thanks again Eric

[David Allen Grove]

I flew the D20 camera last month on a Lighting Video for the ASC at Mole Richardson.

I like it.... it's a VERY nice camera.

 

 

I was tethered <_< We made it work though..

 

 

It seems like it will make for a very nice "Steadicam" camera

and I'm pretty exicited about it as well.

 

It seems like manufacturers are really starting to listen and implement!

 

Yippeee!

[Brad Hruboska]

Eric, yoou look like you are flying MY rig! Its amazing you even mount the canatrans in the same spot! I see you also have my sticker obsession, have run out of real estate on the monitor.

There is a D-20 ( or three) in Toronto currently with Mikael Soloman, and the feedback has been quite positive so far. Have two close friends working on that show, and they are renting two cantarans units from me.

 

Brad. B)

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Great report Eric - any sign of the Venom Flash Mag?

Were you recording in 4x3 mode or 16 x9 mode, and hence using one or two cables tethered to the recoding deck? Were you able to use the copperhead fiber optic system?

 

 

We record in 16x9 mode using single link. I wear a lite-weight jumper BNC that I built which goes from the HD-SDI out on the camera to the back of my suit. The cable puller then plugs into the link there. The fiber system is not ready yet but it's pretty much what I tested 4 years ago for Telecast. The Venom is ready to go but we are not a tapeless show so that nixed that.

 

as well as shorten our shooting days with the lighter camera and the ability

to do more takes without as much fatique.

 

 

The D20 is not lighter than the Viper. It's about 3lbs heavier. It is a better balanced camera though

 

was tethered <_< We made it work though..

 

 

I fly tethered everyday. What's the problem with that? You make it sound like it's some amazing feat to operate tethered

[Afton Grant]

I fly tethered everyday.

 

Hey Eric,

 

Great review. Very helpful. What system to you use to tether yourself? I took a look at the pictures and can clearly see in one the cable running up the back of your vest and over your shoulder. After that, does it run directly into the camera, or do you run it along the rig in some way?

 

Best,

Afton

[Charles Papert]

was tethered <_< We made it work though..

 

 

I fly tethered everyday. What's the problem with that? You make it sound like it's some amazing feat to operate tethered

 

I would say that David made it sound like an annoyance, which is what it is. The problem with it as I'm sure you'll agree is when you have to do things like multiple roundy-rounds, long tracking shots, shots in elevators etc...not to mention the frustration of not being able to hand off the rig and go meet with the director, DP, actors etc. immediately after a take. All well documented stuff. Studio shows, especially multicamera aren't as much of an issue, but seeing as these cameras are intended to replace 35mm, the cable is a definite downer in comparison.

 

Anyway--the D20 looks like a great shooting package. I'd be most curious to see the images in a side-by-side comparison to the Genesis, which produces the best picture I've seen to date out of this class of cameras (I've only seen the D20's output at trade shows so far). Does anyone have a definitive sensitivity rating on this yet (assuming no gain boost)--I've heard it's 160 and 400?

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

I fly tethered everyday.

 

Hey Eric,

 

Great review. Very helpful. What system to you use to tether yourself? I took a look at the pictures and can clearly see in one the cable running up the back of your vest and over your shoulder. After that, does it run directly into the camera, or do you run it along the rig in some way?

 

Best,

Afton

 

In this picture you can sorta see what I have. I have a connection point on the back of the suit that the Cable puller connects the HD-SDI "Pipe" too. Then I have a super flexiable BNC cable come out of that box in a nylon "Armor" Sheath to go over my shoulder. the Sheath ends where the breastplate of the suit is attached to the shoulders. then the unsheathed BNC hangs in a loop from there to the camera body directly above the gimbal centerline. It then goes to the cameras HD-SDI outputs. It's pretty easy and imparts only a tiny amount of influence on the rig.

 

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

was tethered <_< We made it work though..

 

 

I fly tethered everyday. What's the problem with that? You make it sound like it's some amazing feat to operate tethered

 

I would say that David made it sound like an annoyance, which is what it is. The problem with it as I'm sure you'll agree is when you have to do things like multiple roundy-rounds, long tracking shots, shots in elevators etc...not to mention the frustration of not being able to hand off the rig and go meet with the director, DP, actors etc. immediately after a take. All well documented stuff. Studio shows, especially multicamera aren't as much of an issue, but seeing as these cameras are intended to replace 35mm, the cable is a definite downer in comparison.

 

Anyway--the D20 looks like a great shooting package. I'd be most curious to see the images in a side-by-side comparison to the Genesis, which produces the best picture I've seen to date out of this class of cameras (I've only seen the D20's output at trade shows so far). Does anyone have a definitive sensitivity rating on this yet (assuming no gain boost)--I've heard it's 160 and 400?

 

 

We have done Roundy's and very long tracking shots with no problem, I guess it all depends on your cable puller, and on my show I have a good one. As for handing off the rig it's never been a problem I'm out of it just as fast as when I'm not tethered. Besides I'm know for generally not getting out of the rig once we start a shot. Bottom line it's a moot point with the Venom Packs.

 

The ASA rating of the camera is a 400 but can be stepped down to ASA 50 in 1/3rd stop increments. We ran the camera at 320 to match our vipers during the test. At 320 I would say that the camera is a good bit cleaner than the viper at the same stop. Don't forget that since this is a full frame CMOS sensor (The same used in the Arri Film Scanner) that it's going to be electronically quieter than the Viper's smaller sensor.

[Stephen Murphy]

Eric,

 

Is that a second Preston/Scorpio you have attached to the side of the camera?

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Eric,

 

Is that a second Preston/Scorpio you have attached to the side of the camera?

 

 

Yes, it's our iris pull setup. Since we were also using the camera in studio mode we just kept it on.