AXIOM Beta hardware complete - First Moving AXIOM Beta Images - Team Talk 8

We have reached a major milestone: The hardware designs for the AXIOM Beta are complete! This means that the electronics and the PCB designs have passed all tests so far and everything is working fine. There is still a small chance though that we will discover minor problems with certain components in the future. Upgrades and replacements of certain boards are still planned for adding new dedicated features and increasing performance but these will be future projects and not something we will be working on anytime soon. We already started production of the first small batch of Early Betas for developers and early adopters. Automated assembly doesn’t make sense from an economic POV for such a low volume so these boards are being assembled manually by our team. This means the process takes a bit longer but every camera will be 100% hand crafted in return. Check out the electronics assembly process in the Team Talk 8 video.

First Moving Images

The HDMI live feed was first demoed publicly at OSCON in Amsterdam. Since then we have stabilized the HDMI signal and made sure it is compatible with 3rd party devices to record the video stream. Then we took our Beta prototype for a spin and shot the first ever moving images with the AXIOM Beta in outputing 1080p30 4:4:4 and being recorded with an external recorder at 1080p30 4:2:2. Keep in mind that the software and image processing is still in a very early stage, so this footage represents the current prototype stage of the software. A lot of things still need to be improved/added (more about that further below).

First 4K High Speed RAW Burst Sequences

In addition to the HDMI video feed we also have another method of capturing video. The Microzed used in the AXIOM Beta has twice as much RAM (1024MB) as the AXIOM Alpha (512MB) and we can utilize over 75% of that RAM as image buffer. This allows us to burst high speed sequences of raw images into RAM and then slowly copy them to a PC and convert them to a DNG sequence. By reducing the number of lines in such a burst we can increase the number of stored frames and the speed at which they are captured. The following shots were recorded at 4096x1080 as 12bit raw with around 100FPS for 1 second.

Areas we are working on now

We are now shifting our focus on software development and optimizations: Developing calibration and quality assurance methods for accurate color reproduction, correcting fixed pattern noise, finding optimal log curves and pre-linearization profiles, tuning overlays, testing experimental 4K raw modes, and evaluating HDR parameters, etc. This will happen on a broader scale as soon as developers like the Magic Lantern team have received their Early AXIOM Beta units.

Please make Phase 1 Payments now

If you are a voucher holder please make your Phase 1 payments now. We are starting to purchase essential components like the image sensor or microzed in volume for your camera unit soon and need to start collecting funds now. Please also make Phase 1 payments if you are not sure when to get your AXIOM Beta unit or if you decided to wait for the AXIOM Gamma instead. If you purchase as company with European VAT ID please create an account in the webshop and contact us before making the purchase. If you need any help with the webshop or the payment options please get in touch with us and we will be happy to assist you.

Phase Payment FAQ

What are phased payments?
Please read this overview page about the phased payment system for AXIOM Beta crowdfunding supporters.

I did not participate in crowdfunding, is there still a way to join now and acquire an AXIOM Beta?
Yes, please join the preorder list and we will notify you as soon as there are open slots.

Do I also pay VAT if I order from outside Europe?
With a non-European billing address the VAT should be gone within the last steps of the checkout process.

Will anything be shipped with Phase 1?
Your camera unit will be delivered once Phase 1 - 3 are complete.

Do I also need to pay Phase 1 if I did not decide when to get my AXIOM Beta yet?
Yes, the components we buy with Phase 1 for your camera unit are essential no matter when you will get your AXIOM Beta unit.

Do I also need to pay Phase 1 if I want to wait for the AXIOM Gamma?
Yes, as we will still buy the image sensor for you already to get the better volume deal. AXIOM Beta and AXIOM Gamma use the same image sensor module.

Should I also pay Phase 1 if I want another image sensor than the CMV12000 in the future?
Yes, we will deduct the price difference on Phase 2/3. Please understand that only the CMV12000 module is developed at this point and different sensor options will take some time to be developed.

Can I pay Phase 1 - 3 altogether now?
Yes, please contact us.

What happens with my voucher if I don't participate in the Phased Payments?
Your voucher does not expire and you are still entitled for an at-cost AXIOM Beta unit. But the actual at-cost price strongly depends on the number of cameras we build and therefore the volume discounts we get so we cannot guarantee when a next production batch will be available for you and what the price will be in the future.