Apple Built a Custom Camera With iPhone Parts for 'F1: The Movie'

Apple developed a customized camera strategy utilizing iPhone components to seizure high-speed footage from Formula 1 cars for its upcoming diagnostic movie "F1: The Movie," WIRED reports. The task progressive the replacement of modular F1 broadcast cameras with a bespoke module engineered astir an ‌iPhone‌ camera sensor and powered by an A-series chip.



Filmmakers reportedly insisted connected capturing authentic driver-perspective racing footage utilizing existent Formula 1 vehicles, but the constraints of F1 car design, specified arsenic aerodynamics, weight, and safety, made it intolerable to equine a accepted Hollywood cinema camera. While modular onboard cameras utilized successful unrecorded F1 contention broadcasts are suitable for television, they are not designed to conscionable the ocular standards required for movie production.

As a result, Apple's engineering squad was tasked with designing a caller camera strategy that could conscionable the method requirements of Formula 1 and the modern filmmaking needs. The eventual module does not lucifer an ‌iPhone‌ successful immoderate way, was engineered to acceptable into the nonstop aforesaid abstraction arsenic the authoritative F1 broadcast camera modules, and designed to lucifer their value successful bid to comply with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations. The portion was besides tested for absorption to shock, heat, and vibration, exceeding the durability specifications of modular F1 broadcast equipment.

The module uses the 48-megapixel representation sensor from the iPhone 15 Pro, paired with an Apple A-series processor believed to beryllium the A17 Pro. It is capable to seizure high-resolution video successful ProRes Log format, providing the accumulation squad with importantly much power implicit dynamic scope and colour grading. Apple besides integrated a carnal neutral density (ND) filter into the lens system, enabling amended vulnerability power successful the adaptable and high-intensity lighting conditions emblematic of daytime races.

It runs a customized mentation of iOS with firmware built specifically for this use-case. Apple says that this firmware straight informed caller features introduced successful the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, including the summation of Log encoding and enactment for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) workflow.

Because F1 regulations prohibit onboard vigor transmitters oregon wireless systems, Apple besides developed an iPad app to service arsenic a wired power interface for the camera. Filmmakers were capable to link the ‌iPad‌ to the module via USB-C and set signaling parameters specified arsenic ISO, shutter angle, achromatic balance, framework rate, and start/stop functions arsenic required. The footage was recorded locally connected the module and aboriginal extracted.

Apple's "F1: The Movie" opens internationally connected June 25 and successful U.S. theaters and IMAX connected June 27.
This article, "Apple Built a Custom Camera With iPhone Parts for 'F1: The Movie'" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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