ACHTEL Camera, a compact size of 9.3K x 7K for cinematic and 3D effects

Pawel Achtel ACS has been working on a 9.3K x 7K camera for two years and today it's officially announced. This camera is designed for IMAX, Giant Screen, VFX and VR media. The aspect ratio of the image is 4: 3 and has a small size to fit in 3D photography.

Giant Screen and IMAX Cinema have been the focus of Powell's company attention for the past 20 years. This medium differs from traditional cinema and television in many ways. One of these differences is the aspect ratio, 4: 3, which means that most digital footage needs either to be cropped or extended vertically in post-production.

The second is the resolution, where 8K is the absolute minimum and even then it is not sufficient for some of the larger screens. These two requirements render all currently available digital cinema cameras inadequate. The only solution was to create a camera designed specifically for the Giant Screen filmmakers. A camera that gives cinematographers the confidence that every frame conveys powerful emotions, perfect skin tone, crisp detail and the legendary sweeping grandeur of grand cinematography. A modern alternative to IMAX 15-Perf 70mm film.

The inventor of the camera

And the Australian cinematographer and camera inventor, Pawel Achtel ACS is nothing new when it comes to inventing and producing advanced camera technology. His company's DeepX and 3Deep underwater cinematography systems feature revolutionary designs using carefully tested and matched Nikonos underwater lenses installed on RED cameras.

The company's patented 3D beam splitter was recently used extensively in James Cameron's latest Avatar movie, in New Zealand, leading the legendary Hollywood director to write that the results were the best underwater 3D images they had ever seen. Until now.

A separate system from the registry

The ACHTEL 9 × 7 is a separate system where you have the camera head and recording unit separate from it. The camera head, which offers the option to use a wide range of lens mounts, is remarkably small even by today's standards.

It measures only 80 x 80 x 70 mm (3.15 x 3.15 x 2.27 in). And because it is, it can be positioned up to 20 meters (65.6 ′) away from the rest of the camera through the use of a fiber optic cable.

Camera resolution and recording formats

The 9 x 7 and 65 megapixel camera is named 9 x 7, since its original resolution is just over 9K wide by 7K long and has twice the number of pixels as the highest commercially available large digital cinema cameras.

This camera is designed for IMAX, Giant Screen, VFX, and VR, hence 4: 3 aspect ratio and compact size to equip it for 3D configurations. File sizes are high, and so is the image quality which comes from the latest BSI sensor and uncompressed RAW recording.

Colors

As we all know, resolution does not determine the camera. The Powell Company paid a great deal of attention to color accuracy and wide color gamut. It claims its color accuracy is among the top 5 large-format cinema cameras in the world.

The 9 × 7 also provides advanced features, such as custom and user-defined camera color profiles and color science, giving the cinematographer complete control over color accuracy, resolution or artistic expression. For the first time, the cinematographer can change the way the camera sees colors giving you ultimate control over the final look.

With only candlelight or moonlight, the camera delivers impressive low-light capabilities, enough to produce clean, vibrant, and captivating photos.

Price and availability in the market

The first ACHTEL 9 × 7 cameras are available for purchase and rental today. The cost of the camera is around 200,000 AUD (143,000 USD).

Notably, this highly specialized camera was developed and built with specific applications in mind.