Fixed pattern noise and purple flares after recalibration?

Hey All
So I just got my pocket back from recalibration. It looks like the white blobs are gone now. However, now I seem to be getting fixed pattern noise around point sources which are out of focus (basically showing up in the flare area). Also for some reason, all point sources seem to be giving me purple anamorphic looking flares which are 100% not characteristic of the Super Speeds i'm using.
Anyone have any quick ideas before I call back black magic and probably send the camera in again?

Hey All
So I just got my pocket back from recalibration. It looks like the white blobs are gone now. However, now I seem to be getting fixed pattern noise around point sources which are out of focus (basically showing up in the flare area). Also for some reason, all point sources seem to be giving me purple anamorphic looking flares which are 100% not characteristic of the Super Speeds i'm using.
Anyone have any quick ideas before I call back black magic and probably send the camera in again?

It might be easier if you post some images to illustrate?

Screen Shot 2013-11-03 at 10.57.57 AM.png (56.88 KiB) Viewed 5378 times

there's an example of it. It's hard to make out unless you're looking close up (pixel peeing obviously; or if it was enlarged) but in the brand new purple flare there is an odd grid pattern.

Screen Shot 2013-11-03 at 10.48.58 AM.png (313.33 KiB) Viewed 5378 times

Here you can see the new orbs on the camera. not as objectionable as the previous orbs; but still doesn't look quite right-- though I can live with these I suppose.

[CaptainHook]

Hey, the screenshot with the grid in the flare - is this viewing inside Resolve? If you export the clip out from Resolve do you still see the issue? If you view the clip at 1:1 in Resolve or via SDI out to a monitor do you still see the grid? If you haven't tried those things, can you do so and post back here? The grid has been reported to BMD a while ago but so far none of us has been able to show it exists outside what i just described.

Interesting that you say your flares have changed - do you have examples with the same lens pre and post calibration?

I don't have resolve; and even if I did this is pretty unacceptable off of prores footage when you're delivering to clients.
I don't have anything pre-calibration with flares which I could share on a public forum unfortunately-- sufficient to say they weren't anamorphic looking flares previously on the same lens/lenses.

[CaptainHook]

What are you viewing in? We're (us users and bmd) trying to nail down if this is just a scaling issue (could you view at 1:1 in whatever app you're using and report back?) or something else. Can you share a short clip with the grid? Thanks.

Viewable on BMPCC screen on the camera, on my HDTVvia HDMI as well as in FCP/Quicktime.

[CaptainHook]

In FCP/Quicktime are you viewing at 100%? Can you share the clip, if the problem is reproducible and we have a file with the problem, BMD can look at it and try to fix it. But so far, no one has been able to provide such a file.

I'll grab you a clip tomorrow when i'm back with the camera-- also will be calling bmd tomorrow for another rma it seems.

I'm experiencing the pattern noise and purple flares, here is the footage straight out of the camera

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s54i5m76d2sw0me/Blackmagic%20Pocket%20Cinema%20Camera_1_2013-11-01_0119_C0000.mov

Yep; mine looks just about like that.

[CaptainHook]

I'm experiencing the pattern noise and purple flares, here is the footage straight out of the camera

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s54i5m76d2sw0me/Blackmagic%20Pocket%20Cinema%20Camera_1_2013-11-01_0119_C0000.mov

Thanks for the link, will pass this on and see what comes of it. Was this shot at 1600ASA (and slightly underexposed?) The pattern is over the whole image, not just the flare.

I'm experiencing the pattern noise and purple flares, here is the footage straight out of the camera

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s54i5m76d2sw0me/Blackmagic%20Pocket%20Cinema%20Camera_1_2013-11-01_0119_C0000.mov

Thanks for the link, will pass this on and see what comes of it. Was this shot at 1600ASA (and slightly underexposed?) The pattern is over the whole image, not just the flare.

it was shot at 800ASA on Lumix 14mm f/2.6

For those interested, after speaking with black magic, this is an issue they are aware of. They are, as I was informed, seeing if this can be fixed in firmware.
I have e mailed them back to see what else can be done since, well, honesty, this is pretty unacceptable for footage since it's happening on most lights as soon as you wind up with something like a night scene. I am sure it'll get fixed, and I don't, yet, need the pocket for such shootings.

When you push sensors to their limits all sorts of stuff comes up that can be calibrated out. However, different runs if the same sensor. maybe different ones in a manufacturer run, will vary in quality, so the new calibration settings for previously rested sensor might not be enough. A cams have to be to tested batch by batch for variance and then every can needs to be quickly tested/calibrated against the new settings.

The quick test would be against calibrated. filmed target/display/light box. Such a thing could be an auto calibrating function in camera, that could be provided to the user who could test it against a reference card under a certain lux, or for calibrators under local lighting, at least one tile should be very directional, like a mirror reflecting most light towards the camera, giving an idea of how max illumination will effect the sends r. Because some people are going to gave effectively 0.75 speed lens through a speed booster, and tithes 5.6 aperture, so the sender needs to be pushed differently for each.


Back when we were cross communicating with small cheap camera manufacturers, one manufacturer pushed a module too far, and a lot of stuff came up, that they then corrected.

This issue has been discussed in a few threads. It seems to be some issue with the de-Bayer process.

As mentioned by a few people, BM are aware of the issue and are looking into to.

As a temporary fix try this (I can't remember who posted it but it was on this forum):
Nudge the footage half a pixel vertically and half a pixel horizontally.

Its works as a fix on footage I've had with the issue.

Fixes are something rather hard to pitch to people on occasion-- especially non-technical folks.
What I find odd is that this came up after they fixed another problem, which gives me some worry.
Sure, could be a debayer issue, I suppose, which'd be nice in terms of a firmware fix.
For the now; I think I'll just try, when it comes up as I am sure it will, to sneak in a diffusion filter, something light-- to both milk it out a bit and hope to hide some of the purple flares ect. We'll see how that works. I spent all day with 2 epics so I don't want to look at another camera currently.

[CaptainHook]

What I find odd is that this came up after they fixed another problem, which gives me some worry.

Nope, its been around long before that. Since the beta pocket cam i first got is when i first saw it. BMD are working on it.

I mean on my particular camera. It most certainly wasn't there originally; since I shot the same things on the same lenses prior to calibration with no ill effects.

[CaptainHook]

My beta cam has had no calibration and it has been there the whole time (if shot in the right conditions to show it). John has seen it pre and post calibration too. So it seems unlikely that since we had cameras before the public that you would have gotten a camera that didn't have the problem but was introduced later on. Since we saw the problem before that point. Not saying it's impossible, but from what i know the problem was never fixed, then re-introduced. I'm pretty sure as a beta tester i would have been told about that.

I'm just trying to stop any 'they caused another problem by trying to fix something else' speculations.