A Solution I Require..I Think This Is th Right Place
 

i havent been able to find alot of info about SI and its products, so i hope this si possible/already exists.

i really havent got the money (12k) to splash out on the camera so i was hoping a smaller solution was available, without the added bits

i dont need, the computer on board, LCD, lenses etc

what i need it basically just the head that will process the image and pass it down (using HD-SDI or something similar) in order to record onto directly onto a computer.

all i need is the 2k resolution and colour depth, then add lenses and other stuff as needed

is this possible from SI or will i need to go somewhere else?

thanks

Since you're in London, is that £12k or $12K?

You can buy just the MINI and use it with a laptop.
Add lens mounts etc as required. A full price list is on the SI website I believe.

i just saw 12K i wasnt sure whether dollars or pounds

it may be 6K out here, but customs tax, shipping etc would raise it still.

Bob, i checked the SI website and couldnt find a price list or even specifications on the mini, do you have a link?

thanks

Dang NO, my bad.

I think what I have is what was emailed to me. Maybe Jason can chime in and tell you where to find it or else email Jason or Arri for the latest price list.
Certainly you can buy just the head (that's the MINI), the head comes with a mount very similar to a PL mount and then onto that mounts a range of lens mounts.

There's more info actually on the P+S site:

http://www.pstechnik.de/en/digitalfilm-si2k-mini.php

but no price list.

The old price was around $14k for the Mini, but there was a price increase mentioned around the time of IBC. However, it was getting a bit confusing with the optical V/F option being brought in.

If that's too steep, the next option would be the new Sony XDCAM HD EX camera or one of the HDV cameras. With the JVC HD 250 and the Canon XL H1 you have HD SDI outputs.

the Sony XDCAM HD EX sounds pretty good, ill try look into that more.

but would be great if i could get the SI2K mini for the same price.

also, talking about the SI2K mini, how exactly would i go about capturing using HD SDI?

or is the gigabyte ethernet good enough to use, with Prospect 2K or something?

thanks

Unfortunately the SI-2K MINI is quite a bit more expensive than the XDCAM EX, that's just the nature of the beast.

As far as HD-SDI support, the SI-2K MINI actually records RAW bayer data from the camera head, this is something that is not possible with YUV-based pre-processed information like you would find on all the other video cameras out there (except for the Viper, and that is 4:4:4 RGB RAW rather than bayer RAW). We are also capturing to a special version of CineForm called "CineForm RAW", not the normal YUV or RGB CineForm codec (which is more commonly referred to as CFHD).

The advantages of course of recording RAW data from the camera are numerous . . . you get much higher quality images because of the lack of in-camera pre-processing, you get the maximum dynamic range the sensor can deliver (over 11 f-stops total from black clip to white-clip), you can change all the color information such as white-balance and the "look" of the footage in post at-will because all color-decisions are metadata, and finally RAW data also enables really high-quality compression at nominal bit-rates since the data-stream is 1/3 the size of a RGB stream. So for instance, we record a 10-bit LOG 4:1-5:1 compressed stream, a feature that you can only find in super-high-quality tape-based formats like HDCAM-SR and D-5 . . . and it's clearly superior to what you'll find in on-camera 8-bit long-GOP-based compression from the likes of the XDCAM-EX.

alot of great info i didnt know there

thanks, i may wait and get the SI2K mini in about 18 months while i use a HV20 just for now

thanks

Go with the camera that suits your needs. We didn’t step up to the SI-2K until our clients started asking for- “something better than hd video, but cheaper than film”.

You could also rent the SI-2K on an "as needed" basis.

-John