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Home page | Apertus Open Source Cinema
Elphel, Inc. | Imaging solutions with Free software and open hardware
Elphel, Inc. | Imaging solutions with Free software and open hardware
FAQ
Official FAQ
Question 1: Why create a camera the open source way?
A: We believe in open designs rather than technical secrets and protected patents. We try to bring together all the talent and knowledge that is needed to create a real affordable cinema camera that will always continue to improve when new technology becomes available. We try to use only open or at least well documented standards for connectors, interfaces, power supplies, etc. And we promote free software.
Question 2a: Can I buy Apertus yet?
A: Apertus consists of several modules that work together. Some of these modules are already available (the Elphel camera for example) and some are still being developed. All software is and will be released under the GPL meaning it is free software that can be modified and improved.
Question 2b: Would you recommend me to get an Elphel camera now?
A: This very much depends on what you are expecting to do: If you are purely a DOP and want to just take the camera and shoot with it right away the answer is clearly: NO, not yet. If you are aware though that the project is not yet finished and constantly getting improvements and additions, if you are aware that you will need to spend some time with the hard- and software understanding what it does and how it works, maybe you even want to actively help with the project by beta testing new software and providing feedback and suggestions for even further improvements then the answer is: YES. We will help you getting to know the camera and software and provide you with any support you need on your learning path.
Question 3: What will Apertus cost when it is available?
A: The final price tag is very difficult to predict but here is an educated guess:
Camera - 2.000 $ (more advanced sensor frontends could drastically increase this price)
Lens - not included
Rods Support - 200 $
Viewfinder - 500 $
Dictator - 250 $
Audio Hardware - not included
Microphone - not included
Battery Pack - 100 $
Software - 0 $ (yes, that was obvious wasn't it)
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Total = 3.050 $
Question 4: When can I expect a ready-to-shot camera?
A: This is very hard to estimate and we do not want to give false expectations or set dates that we will not be able to comply in the end. So no release dates (yet)!
Question 5: How do you expect to make a sucessful bussiness when giving most away for free or not protecting your work?
A: Well, first we don't expect to get rich with this project. All participants in the project have normal dayjobs and believe in creating something unique and innovative that we as filmmakers always wanted to have as tool rather than creating a business plan. Secondly we are also honest and open with our financial goals. Of course we need money to cover hardware costs, prototype manufacturing and to be able to supply more developers with camera kits.
Question 6: What if someone steals your ideas to make his own product?
A: If somebody uses Elphel/Apertus ideas for their products - nice, go ahead. If they will create closed/proprietary ones - they will just cripple it, reduce functionality. The openness of the design is deeply embedded, you can not separate the parts without losses.
Question 7: What is the highest resolution I can shoot at 24 FPS?
A: That is Apertus AMAX 2224x1251 in JP4 RAW mode at 16:9 aspect ratio. This equals around 2.8 Megapixels meaning the image is 36% bigger than Full HD. If you want to shoot Cinemascope in 2.35:1 aspect ratio you can choose Apertus CIMAX with a resolution of 2592x1120 which is 40% bigger than Full HD.
Question 8: Can Apertus also shoot interlaced formats like 720i?
A: Simple answer: No. Apertus is a cinema camera and therefore only records progressive full frames. But if you really need interlaced frames you could shoot 720p50 and convert it to 720i50 in post production.
Question 9: I am an individual and want to contribute to the project How can I do that?
A: Your specialized knowledge and time is the most valuable precious you can donate to the project. This is not limited to contributing to software or hardware tasks, we also need people to deal with management tasks, writing documentation, doing graphics design or you can also be a filmmaker or DOP and provide valueable feedback or even create sample footage with the camera. For open tasks see Task Management.
Question 10: We are a company and want to participate in the development of Apertus. How can we do that?
A: The most important thing you need to understand when considering taking this step is that open source projects like this work totally different than proprietary developed ones. There is no strong hierachy, the project leader (benevolent dictator) is more a community-approved arbitrator and in the end the project is mainly run democratically. If you want to read more about this see this. Basically everyone involved in the project shares what he/she wants to do (propose goals) and then shares his/her progress of the development, others can comment, share ideas or improve it themselves. A lot of time is spent communicating, probably more than in proprietary projects. Everything anyone creates for the project is released (and protected) under the projects license (the GNU GPL V3 in most cases).
