Gadget-in-Extremis: Pawel Achtel’s 18.7K resolution camera

We covered the camera system used in the Sphere Entertainment dome only recently, and it already has a rival…

The Sphere – with its demand for a 160,000 square foot, 16K x 16K display – uses a Big Sky camera with an STMicroelectronics 316Mpixel 18K image sensor at its heart. And now Australian film-maker Pawel Achtel has developed a custom 18.7 x 14K resolution camera.

This can apparently provide high-enough-resolution footage for the Sphere, IMAX theatres and 32K LED volume stages.

Wildlife

Thanks to our sister-title AV Magazine for highlighting this one. It writes:

“The digital cinema camera’s abilities have been demonstrated in capturing underwater footage of humpback whales off Tonga in what Achtel has described as a “remarkable milestone in wildlife cinematography”.

“The 384 fps footage – which Achtel has claimed is the sharpest and highest-resolution underwater footage of whales ever seen – was captured when the camera was paired with custom-designed Vanquish underwater housings and modified Nikonos submersible lenses.”

Tech spec

The interchangeable lens mounts available comprise LPL, PL, PV, Nikon, and Leica-M.

And, for random spec points, we’re talking a max frame rate (at 65 MP) of 70 fps, internal Storage of 8TB or 4TB, and a recording data rate of up to 80Gb/s. You can see the full tech spec here.

You can read more on the Achtel company website.

See also: Gadget-in-Extremis: Nasa’s Cold Atom Lab demonstrates atom interferometer