5 MINUTES WITH | J I HUA ZHENG
project and I was the leader. After two years research and prototyping, we proved it could be viable so we started Kinefinity as a spin-off company in 2012. QHYCCD is a shareholder, along with other investors. We have no government backing.
How big is the company now? Is everything in-house? We have two teams, one in Beijing for R&D and marketing, and one
in Shenzhen working on manufacturing, supply and calibration. There are fewer than 50 employees but we need to increase production to satisfy the demand. We also needed to work with distributors around the world to give filmmakers the confidence that they could get local support.
Do you get involved much with camera design? My role is as product manager. A cinema camera is a complicated
ABOVE Jihua Zheng and fans with one of his company’s modular cinema cameras.
product – from hardware design, engineering design, software and
all over the world as that’s the best way to do it. We source our sensors from specialist manufacturers rather than making our own. How have your products developed? What was the user feedback? Our prototype camera was the KineRaw S8, with a very small Super 8 2K sensor, but our official first generation product was the KineRaw Super 35, a 2K Raw recording camera that we launched in late 2012. Our first cameras were larger than the current ones. Our customers, especially independent filmmakers which are the biggest group of buyers in most countries, wanted cameras that were more compact. In the UK and USA, the cost of hiring people is very high. In China it’s easier to hire more assistants to carry the cameras for you! Back in 2014, we launched the KineMax which was one of only two 6K cameras, the other being the RED Dragon. Ours shot 100fps in Raw Cinema DNG. to flagship. We aim to keep focusing on these models, improve the firmware and make them easier to use. So we have not finished yet. The Mavo 6K and LF share the same 444XQ and Cinema DNG files with variable compression ratio. For 4K they shoot at 100fps, 66fps at 6K, and have 14 stops of dynamic range. The Terra 6K has been discontinued in favour of the Terra 4K. The Mavo has an improved rolling shutter over the Terra. And, with the What about the current range? What features stand out? We now have the Terra, Mavo and Mavo LF that go from entry level
Kinemount, you can choose from fitting PL, passive E mount, EF or Nikon lenses. Do you plan to include ProResRaw in future? Raw is the future as it gives so much more flexibility. We have Cinema DNG and soon we will have our own new Raw format, KineRaw II. But for speed of grading and for the right compression, ProResRaw is something I think might take over. So, we are in contact with Apple as we would like to have ProResRaw in the future as I see it as the way forward. How did you arrive at the idea of modular design? We held focus groups and what was clear was that colour science and convenience of use were priorities. We asked them about the first Kinefinity S35 which was a big machine and not modular. In 2015, we realised we had to make the camera more compact and lightweight for some users, but other users need more functions. So modularity is the evolution. We designed it with good interfaces so later models can be compatible. We provide a very reasonably priced upgrade to the newer camera and accessories. It’s a good way to protect our customers’ investment. I hope the image quality will be what filmmakers choose our cameras for, as well as ease of use and the modularity. As well as the cost, of course. Arri has a very long history, Sony is huge in broadcasting, RED made the first 4K Raw digital and Canon and Panasonic are giant. But we make better and more affordable tools for filmmakers. Why should a cinematographer choose Kinefinity?
mechanical design to mass production. So we need the best professionals to focus on their area of speciality. At the beginning I was more involved in product design but very quickly I focused on the management. Did you hire any camera engineers from other companies? No. They don’t need to have a camera background. They are very good programmers and hardware designers. It was important that we could design something from a different perspective. For example, our camera has very good image quality but requires much less power than other cameras. Both Terra and Mavo cameras can be powered from only one small battery so it can be stripped down and used as a very small package. And our camera is the only 6K ProRes camera to record internally. It was a difficult job but we did it and we’re proud of that. Who makes the sensors used in your cameras? Electronics is a global market now and everyone buys components from We aim to keep focusing on these models, improve the firmware and make them easier to use
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