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OpenAI has reportedly bought Glass Imaging – the company two ex-Apple engineers from the team behind the iPhone’s Portrait Mode founded in 2019 – for the camera in its first hardware device. In the same week, a former cinematographer turned carpenter has got a Digital Bolex rebuild working, built around the original Kodak CCD, a Raspberry Pi 5 and a V-mount battery, all inside a wooden box. Two stories pulling in opposite directions, and we talk about both.
After IBC, we’re back to regular programming – all 47 of our IBC videos are now out. Nino and Johnnie start with big tech moving into cameras and a one-man camera build, then work through Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.5 and aperture control on the iPhone 18 Pro, the Sony FX5 delay in Japan, Sony’s DP7 and DP5 camera control monitors, Tilta’s EVF extension kit for the FX5, DJI’s SDR Transmission 2, the crowdfunding start of our own OrBrella light, Atomos’ Best of Show-winning Shinobi 7 II, Accsoon’s CineView M7 updates, the Insta360 Luna Ultra firmware and its new telephoto lens, the Cartoni HyperRoll, and a quick run through more IBC gear from Vocas, NIPROS, FUJIFILM, Libec, Profoto, DigitalFoto, Rolux, CAME-TV and SIRUI – before closing with Hitchcock’s MacGuffin.
This episode is sponsored by Hollyland – check out the Pyro S on their website. (15:06 in the episode)
(02:12 in the episode)
OpenAI hasn’t confirmed the deal, but Glass Imaging’s CEO and founder has been re-sharing the Wall Street Journal report and thanking his investors on LinkedIn, which we take as confirmation enough. The company’s Glass AI processing enhances images from smartphone and drone sensors, it also works at the hardware and sensor level, and it already ships in the Honor 600 series, where it enhances the zoom from a 200MP sensor. In PetaPixel’s side-by-side comparison, the Honor images beat the iPhone 17.
Nino reads it as a sign that OpenAI’s first device – the one Jony Ive is working on – will be imaging-related, and as a loss for every other phone maker. Johnnie’s reply: “Wake me up when they have an actual product.” He has no problem with AI that helps with focus, exposure or noise, as long as it doesn’t replace the creative work. That leads to noise reduction, the original Leica SL that shipped without any, and why Nino expects LOFIC sensors like the one in the Osmo Pocket 4P to end up in almost every smartphone.
Read more: OpenAI Reportedly Buys Glass Imaging for the Camera in Its First Hardware Device
(15:58 in the episode)
David Bross, whom Johnnie interviewed in Focus Check ep103 about his free DIGILOG app, now has a working prototype of his Digital Bolex rebuild: the Kodak CCD sensor of the original Digital Bolex D16, a Raspberry Pi 5, firmware written in Python and V-mount power, in a wooden box built by a cinematographer turned carpenter. Johnnie has seen the first private footage, shot on a Carl Zeiss Jena lens, and calls it the most organic image he has seen from any modern digital camera – before the Kodak colour matrix has even been calibrated. David plans three units: one for himself, and two to lend to directors and DPs for free.
Even a one-person project can’t escape the memory shortage: the Raspberry Pi 5 went from €124 to around €347. From there, we talk about where DIY goes next – a Sigma fp open gate hack we’ll cover next week, users installing their own apps on Android-based monitors, and Johnnie’s idea that manufacturers should hand the community cameras and firmware to experiment with. Nino’s counterpoint: nobody can keep a warranty on a camera running someone else’s firmware.
Read more: David Bross Digital Bolex Rebuild Reaches Working Prototype
(29:42 in the episode)
Version 3.5 is mainly an iPhone 18 Pro support release, but it answers a question we had since the phone launched: Apple does give third-party apps control over the new variable aperture on the 24mm-equivalent main lens. We don’t have a review unit yet, so we can’t say whether that means finer control or the same four fixed stops Apple’s own camera app uses. The ultra-wide stays fixed at f/2.2, the telephoto at f/2.8. The app can also record ProRes to the iPhone 18 Pro’s new Pro Video Storage, a reserved chunk of internal storage that nothing else can fill up. Whether ProRes RAW can go there too is still to be verified.
Johnnie’s first test, once we get the phone: drop it and see whether the mechanical aperture still works. Samsung dropped variable apertures from its phones partly because of mechanical issues.
Read more: Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.5 Released
(33:49 in the episode)
According to Sony Japan, the FX5, the DVF-EL1 viewfinder and the XLR-H2 handle are now delayed there until late October or later, and the local launch campaign, cashback included, moves with them. We had heard this before but held off, because we also knew of units being shipped here in Austria. B&H and CVP still list the camera as a pre-order. Johnnie wants more transparency from Sony, having heard of already-shipped units being called back; Nino has an off-the-record confirmation that the camera is selling much better than Sony expected.
Our FX5 lab test is being done on a confirmed shipping unit and should be out next week. If you’re waiting for an FX5 – or have been asked to send one back – let us know what Sony or your retailer told you.
Read more: Sony FX5 Delayed to Late October or Later in Japan
(38:42 in the episode)
Nino talked to Sony at IBC about the DP7 and DP5: 7-inch and 5-inch, 2,000-nit monitors styled like the Cinema Line bodies, with native camera control and the same menus as on the camera. They’re wired: control runs over USB-C, the image over HDMI on the DP5 and HDMI or SDI on the DP7, so you always need two cables. FX6 and BURANO support is still to come, and the FX9 and VENICE will probably never be supported.
Johnnie finds the DP5, at around $2,300, too expensive for a monitor aimed at FX30, FX3 and FX5 owners. Nino points to cheaper camera control monitors on the market but credits Sony’s rugged build and reliability, and thinks rental houses would love them – if they worked with the FX9 and VENICE.
Read more: Sony DP7 and DP5 Explained
(44:50 in the episode)
Moving the FX5’s fixed, top-mounted EVF is one of the most requested fixes for the camera, and Tilta now has its own answer as part of a full cage system, including a bi-directional Arca plate. The limitation compared to Mid49’s solution: for now, you can’t use the top handle and the relocated EVF at the same time. Tilta says an adapter is in development.
Johnnie just wants the EVF a little to the side. Nino likes that the kit can turn the FX5 into a shoulder-mounted camera – something Johnnie gave up on for mirrorless bodies years ago.
Read more: Tilta EVF Extension Kit for Sony FX5 Detailed
(47:58 in the episode)
Full disclosure: Nino’s upcoming long-form video on the SDR Transmission 2 is a paid collaboration with DJI. The new unit is about the size of an Osmo Action 6, with fixed antennas and no built-in SDI; an expansion plate adds SDI back without cables. The big change is that every unit is a transceiver – one switch turns it into a transmitter or a receiver. With six units, Nino ran five cameras into one director’s monitor on one shoot and one camera to five viewers on another. It transmits 10-bit 4K60 HDR, but drops Wi-Fi streaming to phones and tablets, which is why the original SDR Transmission stays in the lineup. Like all new DJI products, it isn’t launching in the US.
Read more: DJI SDR Transmission 2 Launched
(55:35 in the episode)
The early bird for our OrBrella is over – we extended it from 100 to around 200 units – and the crowdfunding campaign starts on Friday, September 25, running until November 8, at $169.99 / €178.90. As a reminder: it’s a 60W bi-colour light with green-magenta adjustment, its LED strips bounce into a white cloth for very soft light, and they can be flipped out for more punch. It’s 34cm wide, weighs 1.3kg, and runs on V-mount or USB-C PD, with a Sony NP-F attachment coming later.
From the IBC feedback: the controller will be much quieter, the control box’s LCD brighter, and we’re checking whether an L-shaped connector for the LED strips still lets the light collapse. Johnnie also found it causes far fewer reflections in glasses.
Read more: SmallRig x CineD OrBrella Light Introduced
(01:01:41 in the episode)
The Shinobi 7 II won our IBC Best of Show award in the monitoring category, and Eric’s first look is now out. After a year in which Atomos seemed spread across headphones, microphones and wireless video, the Flanders Scientific acquisition and this monitor show a clear return to monitoring. The Shinobi 7 II is the brightest Shinobi yet at 2,800 nits, takes HDMI up to 4K60, offers USB-C camera control across brands (touch focus, ISO, white balance, aperture, shutter and record) and supports Log, HLG and PQ – at around €500 excluding VAT. It drops recording, which Nino thinks makes sense now that so many cameras record RAW internally. The Shogun AV-19M is a monitor-only version of the AV19 from NAB: a 19-inch 4K HDR touchscreen with 1,200 nits and no recording or switching, for 1,900 (€/$).
Read more: Atomos Shinobi 7 II & Shogun AV-19M Introduced
(01:05:54 in the episode)
No new hardware, but a lot of new firmware for Accsoon’s seven-inch monitors. We spoke to Effy from Accsoon about the lineup: the M7 Pro (SDI, HDMI and wireless, working as transmitter, receiver or plain monitor), the M7H Pro (HDMI and wireless) and the M7 (SDI and HDMI, no wireless), all dual-band at 2.4 and 5GHz. Camera control started with Sony and Canon mirrorless, now includes cinema bodies like the FX6 and C400, and this year the Nikon Z line (the ZR not yet). The UI now also works vertically.
Because the monitors run Android, you can install other apps – even Sony’s own camera control app. Nino thinks that makes the M7 series the most fully featured camera control monitors on the market, starting at $550 / €580 for the M7H Pro and $900 for the M7 Pro.
Read more: Accsoon CineView M7 Series Updated
(01:09:55 in the episode)
Three months after launch, a free update takes the Luna Ultra’s in-camera zoom from 12x to 15x and adds a Stage Mode for filming performers from the crowd. Insta360 also announced a magnetic snap-on lens for the telephoto camera with 1.5x magnification, so the range now runs from 90mm native to 450mm equivalent at 15x; the 20mm main camera is covered while it’s attached. Nino’s caveat: much of the reach is digital, so judge the image yourself. In our lab test, the Luna Ultra fell clearly short of the Osmo Pocket 4P in dynamic range, but many users prefer it for its removable screen and handling.
Johnnie likes the idea of snap-on lenses – “anybody said anamorphic?” – and notes that the Luna Pro, essentially the Luna Ultra without the telephoto, is now available for $600.
Read more: Insta360 Luna Ultra Firmware Update Released
(01:13:33 in the episode)
High-end skateboard wheels on NATO rails, with angles you can lock on each wheel for repeatable moves – from a smartphone cage up to an ARRI ALEXA. Nino thinks the HyperRoll would have made much bigger waves during the slider and tabletop dolly hype ten years ago. Johnnie’s question is the price, at around €700 for the kit. Elisabetta from Cartoni told us they simply can’t make it cheaper without compromising on the bearings and wheels.
Full disclosure: our own review is in progress, and Cartoni has already acted on our feedback. The kit now comes in a bag instead of a box, and a new U-shaped accessory takes larger cameras like the FX6 or camcorder-style bodies.
Read more: Cartoni HyperRoll Explained
(01:22:38 in the episode)
Our Dutch friends at Vocas made a magnetic, tool-free loupe for the Sony PXW-Z300 that flips up and comes with a diopter. It’s a bit pricey, but it makes the camcorder usable on the shoulder again. There are versions for other cameras too, including the FX6, BURANO and Canon C400.
Read more: Vocas EL-40 Eyepiece Loupe for the Sony PXW-Z300 Introduced
(01:24:13 in the episode)
NIPROS is well established in Japan and now pushing into the West. The VEGA-R turns a RED KOMODO into a broadcast camera, with zero-latency 12G-SDI over analog fibre and 1GbE control. NIPROS also makes adapters for larger broadcast cameras and PTZ cameras like the Sony FR7. Shout-outs go to RAID, NIPROS’ distributor in Japan, and to Greg Smokler, who is helping the company in the West.
Read more: NIPROS VEGA-R Fiber Adapter for RED KOMODO Introduced
(01:26:10 in the episode)
A viewfinder was one of our first requests for the GFX ETERNA 55, and FUJIFILM involved us throughout its development. It’s a 2048 x 1536, 4:3 OLED with 1,000 nits, and the image is so good that Nino didn’t need peaking, even with a very fast lens on a large sensor. The catch: it uses a proprietary connector, and the camera has only one, so it’s either the EVF or the monitor. Mark from FUJIFILM told Nino that compatibility with other cameras is the top request, but not an easy one. Pricing isn’t set yet, but it sounds competitive.
Read more: FUJIFILM VF-GFXC2 Viewfinder for the GFX ETERNA 55 Explained
(01:31:32 in the episode)
Pull one control on the mid-spreader and all three legs deploy and lock – instead of one lever per leg, as on most quick tripods. Johnnie credits Libec for developing its own mechanism instead of copying others, tested for more than a year in the Arizona desert. There’s a 75mm version for €460 and a 100mm version for €620, more affordable than the yen pricing we first reported.
Read more: Libec Q30B and Q50B Explained
(01:34:07 in the episode)
The huge ProPanel 3×2, which Graham reviewed for us and which costs close to $15,000, now gets a 6x6ft SnapBag L and a 40° SnapGrid S. Profoto makes them under licence from DoPchoice.
Read more: Profoto ProPanel 3×2 Accessories Introduced
(01:35:15 in the episode)
We talked to Malcolm – the stabiliser operator and cinematographer you may know from Johnnie’s GFX ETERNA 55 review in London – about DigitalFoto’s new system, with an improved arm and vest over its predecessor. Johnnie thinks the price is very competitive, and Malcolm wouldn’t put his face on something that doesn’t work.
Read more: DigitalFoto THANOS-PROCINE ELITE Camera Stabilizing System Introduced
(01:36:50 in the episode)
5,000mAh, 20W quick charge, and a colour display showing the handle’s charge and temperature – solving the problem that you never know how much is left in DJI’s own battery handle. DigitalFoto also makes a wireless video transmitter that attaches to the Pocket over USB-C.
Read more: DigitalFoto Battery Handles for DJI Osmo Pocket and Insta360 Luna Introduced
(01:38:40 in the episode)
V-mount chargers are too big to travel with – we left ours at home for IBC. Rolux’s folds down small, is fanless, takes 100W over USB-C, weighs 780g and works with any V-mount battery.
Read more: Rolux Foldable Dual V-Mount Charger Introduced
(01:40:28 in the episode)
On its own, a CAME-TV master headset supports eight remote headsets. The Hub Pro takes that to up to 32 headsets, in separate groups, within about a kilometre of the base. The price isn’t final, with $400–500 mentioned; the KUMINIK8 Pro headset costs $128. Nino: there has never been a better time to get affordable wireless intercom.
Read more: CAME-TV Hub Pro Announced
(01:43:38 in the episode)
Two wide additions to SIRUI’s full-frame autofocus primes, expected at $500–600 (or euros) each, with no final price yet. Johnnie likes the series – “something milky but still sharp enough” – and would use it on higher-end productions. SIRUI is part of the L-Mount Alliance, so the L-mount versions work with any L-mount camera.
Read more: SIRUI Aurora 15mm f/1.6 and 24mm f/1.4 Full-Frame Autofocus Lenses Unveiled
(01:44:59 in the episode)
Our educational article of the week: Mascha on the MacGuffin, the object or idea that characters chase to drive a story forward. Hitchcock used one in almost every film, and there are more in Casablanca and in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Once you know the idea, you’ll find one in almost every film.
Read more: The Secret That Doesn’t Matter – Hitchcock’s MacGuffin in Screenwriting, Then and Now
Where do you stand – is OpenAI buying Glass Imaging a sign of good things to come for image quality, or are you more excited about one person building a CCD camera in a wooden box?
Let us know in the comments below or on YouTube, email us at [email protected], and don’t forget to subscribe to Focus Check on your favourite podcast platform.
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Videographer with a deep audio background — including 7 years at a microphone manufacturer. Currently working in broadcast production and specialized in video podcast production. Co-founder of Yon.studio