Maybe we can finally believe the hype. Jim Jannard is formally announcing his customizable digital video and still camera RED system today that aims to take on DSLRs and further push the boundaries of video quality.

But the hypemaster couldn’t help himself with only one announcement. Oh no. He had to go out and give us a prototype of a RED 3D camera (see pic below), giving the 3D movement another boost of juice (albeit a vaporware-ish one) that suggests that technology will be legitimate and mainstream within a few years.

After taking a quick look at the specs of RED’s DSMC, we can say that the system is, above all, ridiculously ambitious. You have to build up the camera from the ‘brain’ of the system (named ‘Scarlet’ and the super high-end ‘EPIC’), built with camera sensors that range from 2/3 of an inch to a huge 6×17-cm. That sensor’s bigger than my apartment.

But probably the most interesting idea about this system is its easily customizable design. If a bigger sensor is released in the future (or if the prices come down), you don’t need to trash your video camera — you just upgrade it with a new sensor. That’s not a bad way to sell a system that could set as many records for its price as for its number of pixels in a sensor.

The Scarlet will come with several lens mount options and will be able
to shoot 3K @120fps (with still pictures at 4.9 megapixels) all the way
up to 6K @30fps (at 9.4 megapixels). They’ll be priced as low as $2,500
but most likely will go over ten big ones for the better rigs.

The EPIC sensors will shoot from 5K @100fps (with still pictures at
13.8 megapixels) to 9K @50fps (at 65 megapixels), and the price range
will range from $28,000 to over $45,000 when they are released in the Spring next year.

Jannard is also promising an unfathomable 261-megapixel sensor for the rig within two years. We’ll believe that one until we see it, or until Guillermo Del Toro comes out of his cave and says he’ll use that camera to shoot The Hobbit.

RED isn’t the only company to integrate HD video and digital pictures
into one rig. One of the true innovations of the year so far came up
when the Canon 5D Mark II built-in the ability to shoot 1080p HD video. Other companies are obviously looking into integrating video into their DSLRs to not fall behind and to take advantage of the improved optics.

So far, the early word on all RED cameras has been that they are
slightly unstable and quite a bit unfinished. But the video quality is
really the key, and most early examples have been special and (almost)
worthy of that hype.

See also:

• New Chips Poised to Revolutionize Photography, Film
• Analog Meets Its Match in Red Digital Cinema’s Ultrahigh-Res Camera
• The RED DSLR: A Wish List
• Immersive Media’s Geodesic-shaped Camera Rides the Wave, Captures 360-degree Action Video

In the growing architecture-with-embedded-lighting department, there is a new technology inspired by the bioluminescence of sea life. A Chilean architecture and design duo developed a modular lighting system called theANEMIX, which can be used as a partition or a modified wall and creates unique 3D effects, while using a minimal amount of energy to create them.

The ANEMIX
system is composed of one or several two-layered panels, with luminescent and reflective combinations that create the cool result. The installation framework includes basic aluminum or wood bases, with a serigraphed acrylic or glass upper section, LED lighting on the sides, and a thermoformed (reshaped sheet) mirror in the back. This surface combination minimizes the energy consumption needed for the LED lights by essentially recycling the light throughout the frame.

The system can also be customized with different patterns, curves, and tube shapes in the serigraphy or the mirror.  Click for more on the inspiration behind the design.

In their first iteration of their light model, the designers

used
bioluminescent sea life as an example of the creation of a light source
produced without heat.  Many animals in the deep ocean generate light
at low temperatures through the chemical reaction between a pigment and
an enzyme, and the glass, aluminum, and thermoformed mirrors conjure a
similar effect out of this system.

So how much is it? We don’t know yet, but it’s probably way cheaper and
more energy efficient than buying a few wall-sized LCD screens.

http://theanemix.com