AJA CION Science of the Beautiful

Each CION camera includes the following accessories as standard:

• Handle Grip
• Handle Mount
• LANC collar
• LANC cable

• Standard Rear Door Plate
• Alternate Rear Door Plate
• Battery Adapter Plate
• AC power supply

Standard

This gamma mode allows the user to dial in a very accurate image in camera for those scenarios where time for post production is very limited. The frame shown is taken from an UltraHD 444 sequence, and the image was exposed and color corrected in camera to accurately capture the vivid greens of the foliage and distinctive orange and yellow coloring of the California Poppy with no post production required.

Cine

This gamma mode allows the widest possible dynamic range when shooting. The frame shown is taken from an UltraHD ProRes 444 sequence; The image itself was exposed to account for the highlights and the white fur. The before version is lower in contrast and seemingly lacking in smooth gradients and fine detail. However, the after version clearly shows just how much picture information is available in post. Note the subtle gradients of the eyes and clean, defined detail that emerges.

None

This gamma mode effectively disables any adjustment curve being made to the image whatsoever. The frame shown is taken from an UltraHD 422 sequence. The before version appears very dark with little definition to trees and leaves. The after version again shows just how much information can be lifted within the picture, effectively allowing the scene to be closely controlled in post by lifting the shadows accordingly.

The ProRes 444 and 422 workflow for CION allows you to capture high quality images in an easily managed file format and size. The Pak dock provides fast transfer of footage into your local media storage and directly into a wide range of NLEs and finishing tools of choice with no need for transcoding. Native file recording means you’re able to better connect production to post; keeping the image quality at it’s highest throughout.

CION offers easy output of up to 4K 30fps AJA Raw via the Thunderbolt™ connector on the rear of the camera and by using AJA CamXchange and a Thunderbolt enabled fast RAID and laptop. Perfect for studio environments where complex, keyed shots require the most post production processing.

Although CION offers full 4K ProRes 4444 encoding at 12-bit internally to Pak media you may also elect to output AJA Raw to other best-in-class products from AJA with our proprietary, powerful but totally free AJA Control Room software and connected fast RAID storage. Use AJA Io® 4K to capture AJA Raw over SDI at up to 60fps at 4K to provide outstanding post production quality for even the most demanding grade or visual FX requirements.

You can also choose the unrivaled AJA KONA® 4 to capture up to 120fps at 4K via the 4 x 3G-SDI outputs to create beautiful and detailed slow motion with an engaging cinematic feel via AJA Control Room.

AJA’s approach to the development of CION was not only towards the external aesthetic and it’s deliberate ergonomic styling; the image processing itself was considered throughout with the result being outstanding color accuracy in virtually any environment. CION is capable of capturing images at up to 4K 12bit 444 allowing the broadest dynamic range possible and providing excellent latitude for post production finishing. To minimize the amount of post processing required CION also allows for great flexibility in controlling the image captured by using our intuitive menu system and it’s straightforward operation on-set. A variety of gamma curves are found within the Exposure Index menu to suit the highlights and shadows within a given scene. In addition you can choose from a range of color temperatures within the White Balance menu providing standard values to suit your scene. You are also able to Auto White Balance any scene by simply holding down the ‘WB’ button on the operational side of CION for three seconds. For those situations where more precise color control is beneficial on-set you can control both the Saturation and also Color Correction via their corresponding menu options. This additional control can save valuable time in post, especially on tight deadline projects which require speedy delivery to broadcast and allows you to adapt to changing light in even the most demanding environments.

PL mount lenses are the industry standard for cinema and professional production cameras, and are widely available the world-over. In addition, CION’s lens mount has been designed to be removable so third parties may develop mounts for other lens types.

An integrated OLPF (Optical Low-Pass Filter) reduces unwanted moiré effects while still retaining vital image detail.

The Infra-red cut filter produces high quality colors within the image by
blocking unwanted light wavelengths.

CION features a 4K APS-C sized CMOS sensor with an electronic global shutter and 12 stops of dynamic range. Lenses designed for Super 35mm cover the sensor imaging area and the global shutter eliminates the undesirable qualities associated with rolling shutter-based sensors.

CION can record at 4K (4096x2160), UltraHD (3840x2160), 2K (2048x1080) and HD (1920x1080). 2K and HD are hardware scaled from the full 4K sensor, resulting in beautiful over-sampled images, which also retain your lens’ focal length at any desired resolution. Frame rates up to 50 and 60p are supported - even at full 4K resolution.

CION uses AJA’s proven SSD-based Pak storage. The robust high speed compact storage mounts directly in-camera and allows recording of 4K/UHD and 2K/HD as ProRes 4444, ProRes 422 (HQ), ProRes 422, ProRes 422 (LT) and ProRes (Proxy). Choose from generous 256GB or 512GB capacities and by utilizing the AJA Pak Dock (sold separately) you can transfer your footage over high-speed Thunderbolt™or USB3.

Aluminum cheese plates are fitted to both the top and the bottom of the chassis to provide easy mounting of accessories from both AJA and third parties, with standard thread sizes to offer the widest range of compatibility.

CION’s considered design brings ease of operation to both field and studio based productions. For single users, set up and operation is intuitive. For complex productions that require camera operators, camera assistants and digital imaging technicians CION offers unrivalled flexibility. In such a scenario, the camera operator can use one monitor output for framing, the camera assistant another monitor output for judging focus and the digital imaging technician can use yet another monitor output as well as the web UI to configure the unit with total resolution independence. CION offers more simultaneous monitoring outputs than any other camera.

The LAN port at the rear of the CION camera brings a wealth of control to the field or studio; every feature is controllable remotely via a web browser with no proprietary software required. Using an easily set up IP address for the camera and utilizing a simple Ethernet cable you can connect to any laptop on any platform and use a web browser to communicate directly with your CION camera. A video feed has also been included to assist with remote or multi-camera scenarios. Multi-camera wireless control can be easily achieved with a standard WiFi access point, such as an Apple AirPort.

Having made adjustments you are able to save these as a preset for use later; quickly and easily recall the preset you need. You can even save a preset and deploy it to other CION cameras that you have linked via a simple Ethernet switch. Up to twenty banks of presets can be saved bringing huge flexibility and time saving whilst shooting.

CION provides unrivalled on-set monitoring options for 4K/UHD and 2K/HD including a hardware dedicated down convert for 4K/UHD to 2K/HD. CION’s outputs are simultaneously live allowing great flexibility in any scenario independent of resolution. When working in 4K or UHD, five outputs are always available with two for 4K via the HDMI and 4 x 3G SDI and as well as three dedicated downconversions via 2 x 3G SDI and 1 x HDMI. If you are working
in HD or 2K then every single output is live at that resolution giving you up to eight outputs to share on-set. The built in confidence monitor also allows yet another way to see the image being captured.

The AJA Pak Dock and Pak media are designed for field use, featuring a rugged and reliable form factor; unlike a bare SSD drive, AJA Pak media features a multi-insertion rated connector. Connecting to CION via the LAN connector provides real time information regarding the Pak currently in use and by utilizing a Thunderbolt enabled RAID storage drive you can quickly back up your Pak media as you shoot.

CION multicam shoots are straightforward to implement and manage by using a laptop with a simple ethernet switch and LAN cables. The web UI allows complete and independent set up of multiple CION cameras; you may name each camera and consolidate control of the cameras from within a web browser using the unique gang recording feature. The web UI will also allow realtime monitoring of the capacity of the Pak media used in each CION. File naming options are easily accessed in CION’s menu structure. There is even an option to create custom names for clips as well.