Tasmanian filmmaker and inventor Pawel Achtel has developed a custom 9×7 18.7K digital cinema camera that sets a new standard in wildlife cinematography.
The camera, which Achtel describes as a “remarkable milestone,” features a 65-million-frame-capacity CMOS sensor, capable of capturing images in a stunning 18.7K x 14K resolution.
The system, which is similar to the one Achtel used during the capture of James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Waterwas recently used to film humpback whales off the coast of Tonga, capturing such fine detail that every pore and bubble in the whales' skin is visible.
Horses for courses
The camera’s 16-bit linear Cinema DNG format and global shutter enable uncompressed, high-fidelity recording of fast-moving subjects without distortion. The camera also features up to 16 stops of dynamic range with highlight recovery, allowing it to handle the challenging lighting conditions often found underwater.
With a maximum data recording speed of 10GB/s, the camera can capture up to 50 minutes of footage at 30fps on its 8TB internal storage. This makes it exceptionally well-suited for high-resolution displays such as those at NantStudios in Melbourne, Australia, which use huge 32K LED volume stages.
“It is extremely difficult to achieve such sharpness on land, even with large multi-camera arrays, and was previously considered unattainable underwater – until now,” Achtel told PetaPixel.
Achtel’s achievement not only overcomes the traditional optical challenges of underwater filming, but also pushes the boundaries of what is possible in high-resolution cinematography. The project, carried out in collaboration with marine science researcher Professor Rob Harcourt, aims to create an immersive experience that brings viewers closer to the natural world.
Achtel’s 18.7K camera is comparable to the Big Sky 18K camera system used at the Las Vegas Sphere, a cutting-edge venue known for its immersive visual experiences. The Big Sky camera, with its 316-megapixel sensor, is designed to capture ultra-high-resolution images for display on Sphere’s 16K x 16K LED display. While both cameras are at the forefront of their fields, Achtel’s excels in underwater environments, while Big Sky is designed for large-scale, immersive displays.
