Enhancing color informations - An idea for future improvement

[Patrick S. Marshall]

Hi guys!

Since I found no other sub-forum that might fit better (a general "movie tech talk" or "feature suggestions" would be nice). And since it really is about possible Red technology, not even the Off Topic fits... Anyway...

I found this great website about Japanese tech R&D and on it, I found this idea for cameras that operate in the dark and can still show very clear and decent colors. It does so by analyzing the reflected wavelengths of infrared light coming from an object, which allows the reconstruction of color.
Now what if a normal digital camera would have additional infrared sensors to enhance the color information? Why not (a question I asked myself at a very early age when I got into contact with RGB & CMYK the first time in the 80ies) record every color separated and then combine them - something that digital cameras today actually do. So why not add information on colors with additional sensory enhancements on the camera, like an infrared cam that collects the data of reflected infrared wavelengths to determine additional color information, which may be utilized in post.

I know this may sound little bit futuristic to some, but I think it would be a natural step at the current stage of camera technology, to collect and utilize even more information the human sensory system may not even be able to pick up on, and make use of it in post production. It may be at least worth a look into.

The reason I am posting this here is because I don't know of any company in this field that may be bold enough to go there... except maybe RED.

 

[Steve Freebairn]

It's an interesting idea, but one huge problem would be trying to get a sharp image from the IR at the same time as your normal image.

see the focusing section of the article below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_photography


It would be especially tough at any "normal" movie exposure.

 

[Deanan]

Yeah, not such a good idea for cinema cameras for a couple of reason.

 

[Patrick S. Marshall]

It's an interesting idea, but one huge problem would be trying to get a sharp image from the IR at the same time as your normal image.
It would be especially tough at any "normal" movie exposure.

Indeed.
But I didn't mean that one sensor/lens should do both. I mean that a secondary sensor could collect additional information. Maybe make it switchable between IR and UV (use UV for "invisible" UV markers you can apply even to the actors body; for motion tracking etc.). Besides, I am not saying I have a solution for a problem, I am just pointing out that there is room for development and where it could be. The idea to in-cooperate sensory information that goes beyond our own is not at all new and what I am proposing has been done. But I am not sure if it has been done with digital motion picture in mind - at least I am not aware of anyone who does tests in that area.

I am looking at a 3d rig and wonder if instead of recording a second image for a cheap parallax effect (calling it 3d is a farce anyhow), why not record a different spectrum instead and see if it can be utilized somehow. Maybe for better roto-scoping, color grading, or the aforementioned motion tracking with markers only visible in the UV spectrum.

As I mentioned in the OP, the reason why I post it here is because there might actually be people around here, who might try it, develop it, or already did their tests, in which case I'd love to see some results.

@Deanan Your statement is bare of any argument or example, could you maybe name a few?