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Are Modern Sensors Too Clean? | DJI SDR Transmission 2 Field Tested | Huawei’s Clip-On Camera – Focus Check ep137

Today

Every DJI SDR Transmission 2 unit can be a transmitter or a receiver, and that one change is the reason Nino would pick it for his next multicam car shoot. Meanwhile, Apple gives the iPhone 18 Pro manual aperture control in a redesigned Final Cut Camera, and Huawei clips a 1-inch zoom camera module onto its new Mate90 phones.

This episode is sponsored by Hollyland Pyro S – watch / listen to the sponsor message at 00:23:55 in the podcast.

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This week, Johnnie and Nino start with the feedback on the show’s widescreen aspect ratio, then work through Nino’s field test of the DJI SDR Transmission 2, another Sony FX5 shipping delay, Final Cut Camera 2.4 and Final Cut Pro 12.4, the Huawei Mate90 launch with the Ruiying Z10 modular camera, the Vivo X500 Pro and a longer conversation about sensor character and noise reduction, FUJIFILM’s price increase in Japan, Imaging World’s move to Cologne, the RAW Supersampler app for Nikon shooters, and a quick round of firmware, lens, lighting and event news to close.

Widescreen or not? Your feedback on the show’s aspect ratio

(00:56 in the episode)

Focus Check has been published in widescreen for about a year because it is shot on anamorphic lenses. Last week brought more feedback on that than expected, possibly from people watching vertically on a phone. Starting next week, Johnnie and Nino plan to try 2:1. Going all the way to 16:9 would cut the two shelves out of the background and mean rebuilding the set, so a poll may follow once both versions have been seen.

DJI SDR Transmission 2 Field Tested – Three-Camera Video Village, Obstruction Test in a Car, Range Test on the Water

(03:16 in the episode)

Nino’s field test of the SDR Transmission 2 was shot over one and a half days in Vienna: a three-camera video village, a car rig, and a range test on the Old Danube. The main difference to the first generation is that every unit is a transceiver that reboots into either role. With six units on set, the team ran three cameras into one receiving unit most of the time, and Nino says he would use the system for a show like the multicam taxi dating format he shot two years ago, where transmitters from several brands dropped out at different points.

DJI SDR Transmission 2. Image credit: CineD

The new horizontal body is close to an Osmo Action in size once the NP-F battery plate is removed. SDI has moved to the optional Expansion Accessory Kit, which also adds a second HDMI port, extra USB-C ports and a cage. On a DJI RS 5 the unit slots in at the base and powers on and off with the gimbal, but as Johnnie corrects on air, power and control still run over a USB-C cable. Wi-Fi monitoring is gone, because according to DJI it degrades the main link, so phones and tablets now connect by cable. The upside is that Force Mobile gimbal control from a wired phone is the fastest Nino has seen. DJI keeps the first-generation SDR Transmission in the lineup for those who need Wi-Fi.

On the water, the picture held at around 2 to 2.5km (1.2 to 1.6mi) against a claimed 4km (2.5mi) line of sight. Johnnie’s criticism after watching the film is that switching sources on the receiver takes a couple of seconds through the menu. Nino suspects this comes from Auto Channel 2.0 frequency hopping, which the units have to resync, and recalls a concert with more than 20,000 people where a Ronin 4D kept its link while a Teradek on the Steadicam did not. DJI quotes 35ms of latency, roughly one frame. A latency comparison with the first generation is planned as a follow-up. One limitation belongs to the camera, not the transmitter: the Osmo Pocket 4P switches to webcam mode over USB-C and cannot record internally while connected, which the Osmo Action 6 does not do. Nino has asked DJI whether firmware can fix this.

The single unit costs €349 and the two-unit Combo €629. There is no official US availability, although Johnnie found marketplace listings on Amazon.com during the recording.

Full disclosure: this field test is a paid collaboration with DJI. It is not a review. DJI requested one added line in the script, about Auto Channel 2.0.

Sony FX5 Delayed Again – Sony Europe Now Lists November 16 as Shipping Date

(24:47 in the episode)

Sony’s European stores have moved the FX5 shipping date from October 16 to November 16 without giving a reason, and B&H still shows “New Item – Coming Soon”. Some early units did reach customers, including in Austria, and a viewer in New Zealand reports receiving his at launch. On Instagram, one reader says he canceled his pre-order and bought a Blackmagic PYXIS 12K instead.

Sony FX5, delayed once again. Image credit: Sony

Johnnie jokes that every delay puts the camera back in the news. Nino does not think it is intentional. There are reports about the screen, but without a statement from Sony neither host wants to speculate. We have a meeting with Sony at the end of October and will ask.

Apple Final Cut Camera 2.4 and Final Cut Pro 12.4 Released – iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control, Clean SDI Out, Cinematic Refocus in Post

(26:33 in the episode)

Final Cut Camera 2.4 is a free update with a redesigned interface. Resolution, frame rate, codec and color space now sit in one view, shutter angle, ISO and focus are set with virtual wheels, and yellow values are manual while white ones are automatic. False color, a histogram and an RGB Parade are new. On the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max the app adds manual control of the variable aperture, which runs from f/1.48 to f/4.0. During the recording, our producer confirmed that the aperture can be changed smoothly in Final Cut Camera and in the latest Blackmagic Camera app, where the stock camera app offers four fixed stops.

Final Cut Camera 2.4 comes with an entirely new user interface, and we love it. Image credit: Apple

Nino says this becomes his default camera app: more intuitive than Blackmagic Camera, which goes further in features but can be too much. Despite the name, it does not require Final Cut Pro. On the Mac, Final Cut Pro 12.4 can set focus points and depth of field in post on footage from the newest iPhones, something the hosts have predicted for a while. Why older iPhones are excluded is a question for Apple, and Nino guesses the depth data in the metadata is the reason.

Huawei Launch Event – Mate90 Mobile Phone Series, Ruiying Z10 1-Inch Sensor Modular Camera, and a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Collaboration

(32:29 in the episode)

Huawei’s Mate90 launch included the Ruiying Z10, a clip-on camera module with a 1-inch sensor and a 24-240mm equivalent f/2.0-4.5 power zoom. It attaches in one click to the Mate 90 Pro Max Collector’s Edition and the Mate90 RS Ultimate Design, and the phone handles monitoring, processing and recording. Johnnie compares it to Sony’s QX100 and prefers it to rigging a phone until it is larger than a mirrorless camera: you carry the phone, and add the module when you want the bigger sensor and the zoom.

Huawei launched the Mate90 mobile phone, but an attachable camera module with a zoom lens. Image credit: Huawei

There is also a Huawei-branded DJI Osmo Pocket 4. Once paired, it sends footage straight to the phone’s camera roll, the last step of the transfer workflow that still tends to be manual elsewhere. Johnnie finds the iPhone 18 Pro old-fashioned by comparison. Nino notes that Apple adopted a variable aperture after others, such as Samsung, had dropped it. Pricing so far is for China only. Johnnie will be in the US at the end of the month to shoot with HONOR’s ARRI co-engineered phone.

Vivo X500 Pro Launching – 4K 120fps 10-Bit Log, 4K 240fps Slow Motion, New Sony LYTIA 610 Co-Developed Sensor

The Vivo X500 Pro is built around the Sony LYTIA 610, a sensor Vivo co-developed with Sony, and records 4K at up to 120fps in 10-bit Log and 4K 240fps slow motion. Vivo continues its ZEISS partnership, including attachable telephoto lenses, a different route from Huawei’s module. Nino sees LOFIC sensor technology as the real shift: the dynamic range we measured on the Osmo Pocket 4P is not available in any larger-sensor camera, and that gap will widen.

Johnnie is less sure that dynamic range is the whole story. Pointing to the CCD-based Digital Bolex featured two episodes ago, he argues that the sensor shapes the character of the image and that modern CMOS footage often looks too clean. Nino puts more weight on image science and on noise reduction that can no longer be switched off, citing DJI’s drones since the Mavic 2 Pro. Johnnie adds that defaults such as skin smoothing and motion interpolation on TVs often reflect what home markets in Asia ask for. Their shared request to manufacturers is to give filmmakers the control.

FUJIFILM Raises Camera Prices in Japan by up to 15% – GFX100 II, X100VI, and X-E5 Affected

(50:36 in the episode)

FUJIFILM has raised prices in Japan by up to 15%, effective October 1, with the GFX100 II, X100VI and X-E5 among the affected models. Sony made a similar move earlier, and home-market increases often precede changes elsewhere, although the weak yen is part of the picture here.

Johnnie credits FUJIFILM for being open about component and manufacturing costs. What bothers him is that Japanese customers got one day’s notice, which he finds out of character for the company and wants to ask about. Nino points out that Blackmagic Design is the only camera maker that has cut prices significantly of late.

Imaging World Moves to Cologne for 2027 – Koelnmesse Takes Over, photokina Name Returns

(53:00 in the episode)

Imaging World leaves Nuremberg for Cologne, where Koelnmesse takes over and runs it under the tagline “inspired by photokina”, from September 24 to 26, 2027. That is right after IBC. Both hosts remember photokina as the largest photo show in the world and the place where the L-Mount Alliance was announced, before it shrank edition by edition and ended.

Imaging World moves to Cologne. Image credit: Imaging World / Koelnmesse

Nino thinks the era of giant shows is over and that smaller, focused events with a strong education program do well. Johnnie spoke to an exhibitor who called this year’s Nuremberg edition an excellent show, but says a trade show needs a prominent announcement from a major manufacturer to get attention. Whether CineD attends is open.

RAW Supersampler Aims to Reduce Nikon Raw File Sizes While Keeping a Native Raw Workflow

(57:37 in the episode)

RAW Supersampler is a Mac app (macOS 13 or later) that shrinks Nikon raw video while keeping it raw. The headline workflow takes 6K R3D NE from the Nikon ZR down to native 4K UHD raw by processing the Bayer data directly, with four variable bitrate profiles and batch processing. ISO, white balance, color, lens correction and timecode metadata are retained, as is the original PCM audio including the ZR’s 32-bit float. The developer states savings of around 30% at 6K, 65% at UHD and 91% at Full HD at the maximum quality setting.

Nino would look into it as a ZR shooter, since the camera’s H.265 is on the soft side and many owners shoot raw for that reason, and he would like to see before-and-after grading tests. The app is free to try on the Mac App Store, with a lifetime unlock for $149 / €159 and no subscription.

Panasonic LUMIX S9 Firmware 2.1 Brings 4K60 in MP4 Lite Mode, Expanded Lens Fn Button Functions, and More

(01:01:26 in the episode)

Firmware 2.1 for the LUMIX S9 adds 4K60 in MP4 Lite mode and more functions for the lens Fn button. Johnnie asks, not entirely seriously, whether a firmware update could add an EVF.

Lomography Joseph Petzval Métamorphose 35 f/1.8 Announced – Seven Bokeh Levels, Stretching Optical Warp

(01:02:01 in the episode)

Lomography’s new Petzval lens offers seven bokeh levels and a stretching optical warp, for a deliberately dreamy, vintage look. It costs $649 / €549, comes in E, RF and Z mount, and is expected to ship in December. There is a local connection: Joseph Petzval designed the original portrait lens in Vienna in 1840.

Shot with the Lomography Joseph Petzval Métamorphose 35 f/1.8. Image credit: Lomography

Johnnie recently watched DTF St. Louis and says the background rendering in some scenes reminded him of a photo Philip Bloom took of the two hosts with a Petzval lens at BSC Expo.

Godox Litemons SR20R Introduced – Full-Color Ring Panel with Smartphone Camera Control and Built-In Battery

(01:04:16 in the episode)

The Godox Litemons SR20R is an RGB light shaped like a cage that surrounds a phone or a small camera, so the light is attached to the camera body, not the lens. Johnnie likes the idea for soft light on the go and cannot recall seeing it done this way before. The price is around $90.

SmallRig x CineD OrBrella campaign update

(01:05:41 in the episode)

Almost 200 units of our OrBrella light have been ordered in the SmallRig campaign so far, and Johnnie admits he bought order number 100 himself to go through the buying process as a customer. The campaign price of $169.99 (regular price $199.99) is available until November 8. Johnnie does not expect a gap in availability after that date.

FUJIFILM Fujikina NYC 2026 Program Detailed – 85 Add-On Sessions, Movie Stills Talks, Short Film Screening

(01:07:49 in the episode)

Nino is heading to New York for Fujikina, FUJIFILM’s photography and filmmaking festival, his first after Johnnie has attended several. The program lists 85 add-on sessions, with talks, short film screenings and photo walks. A basic ticket costs $10 and the event is open to everyone, with or without a FUJIFILM camera. Many photo walks and meet-and-greets are already full. No product announcement is expected this time.

SmallRig Autumn Sale – Up to 30% Off TRIBEX Tripods, V-Mount Batteries, and Sony FX5 Cages

(01:10:08 in the episode)

SmallRig’s autumn sale takes up to 30% off. The TRIBEX tripods developed with Gene Nagata (Potato Jet) are 25% off and the monopod 10% off, alongside V-mount batteries and Sony FX5 cages.

Full disclosure: this is a sponsored article.

Sunlight in Disguise – Ways to Approach Day-for-Night Scenes

(01:10:59 in the episode)

Our educational article of the week comes from Mascha Deikova and covers day-for-night: why a wide night exterior is so hard to light, and how filters, underexposure, hiding the sky and post-production have been used to fake it, with well-known film examples and links to related MZed courses.