Penelope Delta - sneak peek

[Benjamin Bergery]

Thank you Yaque

Just to be clear, I am not affiliated with Aaton
I am a journalist and an author of books about filmmaking
made with ink or pixels
( "Reflections" & thefilmbook.com )

It's not every year that you get 3 new digital motion picture cameras:
Aaton Penelope-Delta, Arri Alexa and Red Epic !

So far I have made pages on the Alexa and Penelope-D
and hope to cover the Epic as soon as I find out more about it

Cheers

 

[Mitch Gross]

Yeah, Penelope ∆ recording specs look like in a fair tale and if this is also in a real world situation then I would like to know the price of that AP∆ puppy(?).

Price of a Penelope-∆ will be about the same as the top of the line ARRI Alexa with it's optical viewfinder.

Of course the Penelope will have onboard Uncompressed RAW recording to inexpensive raided SSDs.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Shipping date - Christmas 2016!

Shipping Summer 2011.

 

[Mitch Gross]

In the interview Jean-Pierre Beauviala says that the ssd mag will exist in 2 years?
ומבורכת.

The DeltaPack raided SSD memory exists today. The system uses standard 2.5" SSDs designed for consumer laptops. Aaton will have an approved list of models out there that met their specs. This means very inexpensive solid state memory.

 

[Jannard]

It looks very nice! Good on Aaton and JP.

Jim

 

[Mitch Gross]

Looks too heavy for me. I'm not as young as I used to be. I bet it costs a fair amount too.

Albert

Aaton is famed for their "Cat on the Shoulder" camera design, and the Penelope-∆ follows this design principle. At my seminar on it this morning I gave people the opportunity to try it on their shoulders and everyone agreed it was a very comfortable and a pleasure to handhold even for extended periods.

 

[Sam Taylor]

I love the form factor and dual sensitivity iso

 

[Bo Randers]

same time as Epic then

same time as Epic then

Shipping Summer 2011.

So that would be about same time as Epic then

Tattoo in may...lets say 60 days testing..mayby more.
60 days to do any fix the Tatto groups finds ..Mayby more.
Testing again..
Ramping up production to the 3000 numbers..my area

Looks like summer 2011.. or am i wrong

ahrrrrrrrr i want it yesterday..

have to pass the time shooting with the R1..

Cheers

Bo

 

[Jannard]

So that would be about same time as Epic then

Tattoo in may...lets say 60 days testing..mayby more.
60 days to do any fix the Tatto groups finds ..Mayby more.
Testing again..
Ramping up production to the 3000 numbers..my area

Looks like summer 2011.. or am i wrong

ahrrrrrrrr i want it yesterday..

have to pass the time shooting with the R1..

Cheers

Bo

You are wrong... production will ramp quickly after Tattoo.

Jim

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Price of a Penelope-∆ will be about the same as the top of the line ARRI Alexa with it's optical viewfinder.

Of course the Penelope will have onboard Uncompressed RAW recording to inexpensive raided SSDs.

Very interesting and I'm sure the price would be something in between $80.000 and $130.000.

It's good for rentals but pretty high price for a potential individual owner especially Aaton Penelope-∆ "lover(s)".

I still have a very strong feeling that my today R1 with (soon) MX upgrade, new REDBomb EVF, AJA KiPro, (warranty void) universal IMS mount (stainless steel),

best handheld gear from ET (Mantis) + EasyRig (Cine3) is going to beat pretty easy all those new cameras named

Alexa, Penelope-∆ and even Epic when you count and put together the price, lightweight and performance.

Also I can understand the camera makers because they have always to sell its new gear.

Sorry forgot my story about the best still glass....

The future proof in 4K acquire, edit, grade & deliver at any format you would need.

Just from one individual owner of the affordable and total digital production system solution.

And I'm not alone here because there are many of us with the same gear at this forum.

 

[Subhadip Sen]

Needless to say, the Penelope Delta seems like a very interesting camera. It dares to do something quite different from the Epic or the Alexa.

I am not sure what its target market is though. Also, interesting to see a S35 sized CCD sensor!

 

[Bo Randers]

Thanks

Thanks

some times it is great to be wrong

The aaton looks great. And nice specs..but a price like Arri..

It is going to be interesting to see what company that will compete with RED. Price, specs, sales numbers.customer care.

how can this happen. The RED1 is everywhere. Are the other companys blind or sleeping.

Or is the RED Team just very special people?

By the ...when i spend 50k on a sony camera and had question about the delivery..The answer would not come from the Boss. Respect

You are wrong... production will ramp quickly after Tattoo.

Jim

 

[Tim Morten]

Can't wait to see some images from Penelope (and from Alexa)... it's truly an exciting time for cinematography.

I appreciate that Aaton seems to be striving to take the high road relative to Alexa, both in terms of feature-set and in terms of marketing hyperbole. DNxHD solves the otherwise unwieldy uncompressed data-rates, which would have really hurt the workflow.

There are still a LOT of factors that make Epic a superior choice for me (cost, size/weight, FPS, DR, modularity, benefits of R3D and FLUT™, auto-focus support... I could keep going), and the timing/price of the Aaton seem to put it at a disadvantage, but I'm sure the ability to handle both film and digital will create demand among a certain audience when it does release, and that same audience will laud the optical viewfinder.

In terms of features that matter to me: Red > Aaton > Arri

Then when I assess the likely prices: Red < Arri < Aaton

For me at least, it feels like Red maintains its lead in this generation of cameras, with both Aaton and Arri likely finding their own niche. Even if Jim and Jarred announced a "Super 35mm film" module for Epic, that wouldn't be something that would land on my shopping list (but I'm sure there are others who would love it).

Exciting times!

- Tim

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

She's a beaut

She's a beaut

I attended the seminar on the Penelope given by Mitch Gross during the Post Production World conference that runs concurrently with NAB. The build quality and ergonomics are excellent.

List price is rumored to be in the $150K USD range. It does have a damn nice optical viewfinder and with a little bench time and a tech can become an excellent 2 perf or 3 perf 35mm film camera - that's a hell of a parlor trick. In any case I expect it will compete with the OVF Alexa and find its way into rental houses the world over.

Is it worth 3 or 4 times the price of Epic? Time will tell but based on what I have seen so far from the MX sensor and the prototype Epic form factor I think Epic will dominate the professional owner/operator market - particularly since they have cultivated a business identity that appeals to the owner/ops. In rental house world, I expect most of the bigger shops to offer all three plus the Sony 9000 and F35. IMHO, how many of each they put on the shelf will be dependent on rental volume far more than brand preference (unless there are major service/repair issues), that's just Business 101.

The really great thing is that we are on the cusp of an era where D-cinema rigs from several companies are going to be of sufficient quality to enable very high production values with operational characteristics oriented more to cinema style than just ENG cameras on steroids. About frakkin' time.

If this discussion is really to handicap the arms race between Epic, Alexa, Penelope∆ and the others there is one salient point that must be mentioned. All due respect to Panasonic's P2 initiative, RED has undertaken a far more sophisticated infrastructure commitment to a data based workflow. With the growing number of major players natively supporting R3D files, the use of modern compression to control data loads and of course the RED Rocket™™™™™™™™™; we are starting to realize more of the tremendous potential of a completely digital ecosystem. I think it is fair to say that RED has fundamentally advanced how the motion media business utilizes modern computing power to achieve the holy grail - better, faster and cheaper. It appears that Arri, Aaton and Sony got the memo :biggrin:

Cheers - #19

(Mods: sorry about the partial cross post)

 

[Steve Das]

I appreciate that Aaton seems to be striving to take the high road...

Aaton is great...as is this article and photos of Aaton
headquarters by Jon Fauer ASC. All these companies have
different markets and business structures..so different price
points and features. Aaton is actually run out of series of storefronts
in France..you can look in the windows and see techs. at work..wow..

Presiding over an enterprise of more
than 70 craftsmen and women, Jean-Pierre Beauviala
is the personification of the company--an eminence, not
grise, and often called the only man in the world who can truly
explain, in plain English (and French) timecode on film.

JP decided to do a documentary about this social-architectural problem,
and like many Renaissance men, after being frustrated by the
tools available at the time, decided to build his own cat-on-theshoulder
handheld camera to do the job.

2MB download
http://www.fdtimes.com/pdfs/FDT_Aaton_WebRpt_lo_072309.pdf
15MB download
http://www.fdtimes.com/pdfs/FDT_Aaton_WebRpt_hi_072309.pdf

ever wonder about the second "a" in Aaton..well now we know..apparently
it exists so they are not listed behind another known camera
company that begins with "A" hence the second "a"

 

[Benjamin Bergery]

A cause for celebration

There are not 1, not 2, but 3 new digital motion picture cameras
that are making their debut at NAB in 2010.
I mean of course Aaton's Penelope-∆, Arri's Alexa and Red's Epic.

Filmmaking is a technological art form,
and this wealth of new tools is a wonderful sign
of its good health and continued growth.

For filmmakers, the wonderful range and variety of 2010 camera choices,
(both the brand new and the older)
mean ever more possibilities to continue
to redefine the art of filmmaking by means of its technology.

And for that, we owe a debt of gratitude
to ALL the people who continue
to design and build motion picture cameras.

Cheers

 

[Mitch Gross]

Sanjin, I'm sure you're quite comfortable with your R1 & Mantis setup, but there is absolutely no comparison to Aaton's "Cat on the Shoulder" ergonomic design ethos. The Aaton's are the best engineered cameras ever. Penelope-∆ continues this trend. Put one on your shoulder and it is a lightbulb moment. The camera becomes an extension of the operator's body.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Mitch,

I'm using a combo rig that consists Mantis and EasyRig together with R1.

With that I can shoot using REDDrive(s) virtually for a couple of hours.

I can say that Penelope-∆ has Aaton's "Cat on the Shoulder" ergonomic design ethos

but also confused me one thing when I saw in the "Making of the movie" from "Hurt Locker" DVD/Blu-Ray Extras

when assistant (AC) of Barry Ackroyd helping him to get off and on Aaton 16mm from his shoulder.

For me that means the camera is pretty heavy and you need additional help.

(Or Barry plays a sort of "DP King" on set that he requires many of AC helpers around him).

But I do not need an assistant because my combo rig gives me opportunity to do it all easy and myself.

Also EasyRig gives me one more option to use sort of improvised "camera fly" shooting like a kind of steadicam with R1.

Also I'm sure in future that my "combo rig" could be used successfully in the same way with Penelope-∆.

 

[Tim Le]

I've always admired Aaton cameras. Years ago I sent a letter to them requesting brochures and they sent me back everything they got. This was before the internet so during those days you'd pour over brochures and dream of owning/using these cameras. Even their brochures were beautiful.

I especially like that YouTube interview with JP on the Penelope digital mag. He comes across as a real artisan the way he talks about images with a "beautiful matter" and are "deeply emotional," yet the guy clearly knows about electronics and was apparently a EE professor. I like that he seems realistic and understands that it takes a lot of time to make adjustments before releasing the camera. Having hardware is one thing. Getting it to all work to perfection takes awhile.

I think Aaton will do fine. They already seem to have an advantage in a 4 sec boot up time, extremely low power consumption and arguably, ergonomics.

ever wonder about the second "a" in Aaton..well now we know..apparentlyit exists so they are not listed behind another known cameracompany that begins with "A" hence the second "a"

This is genius! Thanks for that link to the FDT article. Great story.

 

[XiaoSu Han]

If your first AC is good, he will take the camera off your shoulder instantly. Even if it's a "cat-on-your-shoulder". It has nothing to do with being a "DP king".