- DL manuals
- AAton
- Film Camera
- Penelope
- User Manual
AAton Penelope User Manual
Summary of Penelope
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Penelope by aaton user’s guide v1.33 (rev.1) aug. 19 2010 aaton 35mm 2-perf & 3-perf motion picture camera aaton.
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Aaton table of content 2 general overview 7 front view 8 rear view 9 assistant’s side 10 assistant’s controls 11 assistant’s controls - detailed view 12 operator’s side 13 top view 15 getting started 16 power up the camera electronics 17 power up the vhr video-assist 17 power down the camera electro...
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Aaton table of content 3 camera body 23 2.1 lenses 24 the pl lens port 24 the pv lens port 24 i/lenses compatibility 24 2.2 viewing system 25 eyepiece 25 attaching the finder extension 25 viewfinder tension adjustment 26 adjusting the viewing horizon 26 adjusting the diopter 27 the eyepiece shutter ...
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Aaton table of content 4 2.5 camera power 31 installing batteries 31 charging the batteries 32 other power sources 32 2.6 motors 33 film frame-rate 33 using external speed control 34 2.7 assistant’s side lcd control panel and jog 34 the jog 34 basics: «sync», «var», «iso», «mag» 35 aatoncode initial...
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Aaton table of content 5 software version 43 lens data 43 video-assist proxies 43 firmware install 44 slow start 45 no film mode 45 2.8 operator’s side settings 46 2.9 cold weather tips 47 magazine 48 3.1 concept 49 3.2 pressure plate system 49 claw rear pressure plate 49 picture rear pressure plate...
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Aaton table of content 6 video-assist 56 4.1 image look (video menu) 57 • gain 58 • color temp. 58 • color saturation 58 • color bars 58 • color/b&w out (output). 58 4.2 frame & mask 59 4.3 proxies capture 60 4.4 metadata insert 61 • aatoncode 61 • battery voltage 61 • vitc line & parity (not yet fu...
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General overview.
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General overview 8 aaton front view 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 short eyepiece horizon setting knob friction adjusting ring fischer-2 connector pl mount locking ring lemo-2 connector rosette video (vhr) nd knob video housing top rod holder (extension eyepiece to be ordered separately) ...
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Aaton general overview 9 rear view 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 upper battery locking screw lemo-6 socket (x2) usb socket lemo-8 socket magazine release lever lemo-5 socket gate run/stop switch magazine locking lever fastens the upper onboard battery provides +batt, start and ground for accessories connects to...
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General overview 10 aaton assistant’s side 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 upper battery locking screw run/standby switch fischer-4 socket jog wheel pitch control video (vhr) nd knob bnc connectors (x2) magazine release lever lemo-8 socket lower battery locking screw lemo-6 socket (x2) fastens the upper onb...
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Aaton general overview 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 fischer-4 socket jog wheel lcd screen setting keys ethernet connector (rj45) bnc sockets lemo-8 socket lower battery locking screw ethernet cable locking lever lemo-6 socket (x2) run/stop switch upper battery locking screw provides power and compo...
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General overview 12 aaton assistant’s controls - detailed view 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 «up» key «left» key «down» key «right» key «exit» key «set» key «vid» key «sto» key «tc» key «on-off» key «tech» key «sync» key «var» key «iso» key «mag» key scroll video-assist and film camera setups ...
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Aaton general overview 13 operator’s side 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 magazine door locking lever magazine footage counter magazine door locking lever take-up spool inching knob lower display key operator’s lcd display middle display key upper display key run/stop switch locks/unlocks magazine door manually c...
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General overview 14 aaton lcd display - assistant’s side 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 l (mag upper lever) and g (gate) flags selected speed magazine footage remaining time (minutes and seconds) time code film iso video-assist white balance video-assist gain lower battery meter upper battery meter lcd displa...
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Aaton general overview 15 top view 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3/8” inserts «sh» tool «pitch» tool magazine’s upper lock collimation cap viewfinder friction screw tape hook socket for accessories shutter angle adjustment tool pulldown pitch adjustment tool secures the magazine to the camera body giv...
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1 getting started.
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Aaton getting started 17 power up the camera electronics to turn on the camera electronics, press the «on/off» key. Power up the vhr video-assist to turn on the video-assist, press the «set» key and then the «on/off» key. Power down the camera electronics and video-assist press the «on/off» key, a w...
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Aaton getting started 18 test mode the test mode lets you open the shutter and keep it protected inside the camera body. This is used to check the gate for cleanliness and to find the image while doing a steadiness test. This lets you find the correct film/perf position for the second film passage i...
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Aaton getting started 19 film camera status the lcd screen color informs the camera crew about the shooting status: light cyan the camera is in standby. Orange the camera is in run, but has not yet reached the selected speed. Green the camera is in run at the selected speed. Purple the camera is at ...
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Aaton getting started 20 warning messages when a problem has been detected, the lcd screen’s background turns red followed by an explanatory message. Gate position the camera gate is easily removable to allow switching between 2-perf and 3-perf formats. The correct positioning of the gate is mandato...
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Aaton getting started 21 magazine footage adjustment an embeded rfid chip identifies each magazine. It enables associating a letter (a - j) with each magazine, allowing the film speed and remaining footage to follow each magazine. Press the «set» key and the «iso» key to enter the iso menu, then pre...
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Aaton getting started 22 manual footage counter measure the remaining footage by rotating the mechanical footage indicator (located on the door) counterclockwise. Video-assist direct access video gain the video-assist gain is directly accessible through the control panel. Press the «up» or «down» ke...
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2 camera body.
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Aaton camera body 24 2.1 lenses the pl lens port the pl lens port is the standard mounting system delivered with penelope and allows the use of all 35mm arri pl mounted lenses. The pv lens port the pv lens port is the standard mounting system for the panavision camer- as, it can be installed on pene...
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Aaton camera body 25 2.2 viewing system eyepiece penelope viewfinder is designed to be fully orientable, providing left or right side viewing and upright image in any position. The viewfinder arm is equipped with an eyepiece that can be used for handheld and tripod opera- tion. The eyepiece can be e...
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Aaton camera body 26 viewfinder tension adjustment the screw (b) at the base of the viewfinder, allows you to modify the view- finder left/right lateral friction. Turn counterclockwise to increase the friction. Turning this screw until it reaches its stop, locks the viewfinder’s left/right movement....
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Aaton camera body 27 adjusting the diopter before shooting, the diopter setting of the viewfinder should be adjusted to the operator’s eye. To set the diopter, use the diopter set ring (e) located on the short eyepiece. Look through the viewfinder while rotating the diopter set ring until the edge o...
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Aaton camera body 28 g changing the viewing screen the viewing screen can easily be removed by the user. First remove the port cap. Remove the battery (s) and clear the mirror shutter so that it is posi- tioned safely inside the body by rotating it close to its center shaft with your finger. Look in...
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Aaton camera body 29 2.3 the variable shutter concept the reflex mirror shutter diverts the lens rays to the viewing screen while the claw pulls the film down to the next unexposed film frame. It is made of a 180° glass mirror, and a 180° black metallic shutter hiden underneath the mirror. The metal...
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Aaton camera body 30 2.4 film gate and pulldown claw adjusting the pitch to adjust the pitch, use the pitch tool located in the camera carrying handle. Remove the pitch protector cap (a) located on the assistant’s side near the pitch label. Insert the tool inside the opening. You will feel a screw t...
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Aaton camera body 31 2.5 camera power penelope requires a minimum 12.4v power source. An aaton 14.8v 4.2ah lithium-ion onboard battery can run the camera for twenty 400’ magazines, i.E. Three hours of 2-perf shooting. When the video-assist is activated and power hungry accessories such as zoom focus...
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Aaton camera body 32 charging the batteries the aaton li-ion batteries must be charged with the aaton cha-li three-hour charger. If you can’t even tolerate the low noise level of its fan (around 30dba at one meter), use a silent aaton chascot five-hour charger. Both chargers can simultaneously charg...
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Aaton camera body 33 2.6 motors three crystal controlled tri-phase motors are in use: one for the claw mecha- nism, one for the magazine drive, one for the shutter. Penelope is capable of speeds between 3 and 40fps with a standard li-ion 14.8v battery. Film frame-rate penelope provides preset crysta...
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Aaton camera body 34 using external speed control penelope can be driven externally from devices such as film to video syn- chronisers and external speed controls. In these situations, the camera «var» selector must be set to ext mode. If such a device is connected and the selector is not set to ext...
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Aaton camera body 35 basics: «sync», «var», «iso», «mag» the «set» key lets you enter the basic film camera settings, they are modified by either toggling the «up», «down», «left» or «right» key, or by rotating the jog. Press «set» to accept your choice, press «exit» to leave things unmodified. Aato...
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Aaton camera body 36 • the «a» flag indicates that the timecode has been initialized using the aaton originc+ master clock through ascii communication. • the «s» flag indicates that the timecode has been jammed from the internal system time of the camera. • the «o» flag indicates that the timecode h...
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Aaton camera body 37 iso setting when using aatoncode in penelope, the iso setting must be adjusted to the exposure index of the film stock. The iso selection insures that the matrixes recorded on the edge of the film are correctly exposed. This iso value is stored for each rfid magazine, identified...
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Aaton camera body 38 ext speed for the film camera to be driven from an external source such as external speed control or film/video synchronizer, generating 100ppfp (pulses per film pict), press the «set» key, then the «var» key. Press the «var» key once again to switch from var to ext speed. Press...
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Aaton camera body 39 low battery alert if batt.1 or batt.2 reaches the minimum preset level, e.G. Batt alert = 14.4v, an alert appears on both lcd screens and a red led blinks in the camera viewfinder. The camera continues to run properly and low batt is displayed in front of the battery icon. If bo...
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Aaton camera body 40 lemo start mode two run/stop modes are available for accessories using penelope’s lemo connectors. • impulsion for accessories using a pulse signal. • permanent for the aaton wooden handgrip, and on/off switches and cable made for the 35-iii, xtera, xtr-prod cameras. Select the ...
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Aaton camera body 41 system time to manually set the internal camera timecode, press the «set» key then the «tech» key to open the technical menu. Select the sys time item and press the «right» key to access. The display will show the camera date and time. Use the «left» or «right» key to select the...
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Aaton camera body 42 display contrast adjustment to adjust the lcd contrast, select the contrast item and press the «right» key to access it. Select main lcd contrast by rotating the «jog» wheel, or by pressing the «up» or «down» key. Press the «right» key to access the operator’s lcd and follow the...
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Aaton camera body 43 software version for troubleshooting, access to internal camera technical information might be useful before contacting your service center. Select the version item and press the «right» key to display it (read only). Lens data to display on both the camera sceen and the video-a...
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Aaton camera body 44 firmware install to update the firmware, copy the new penelope_vx.Xx.Flb file onto a usb key (fat32 formatted). With the camera powered-down, plug the key into the usb socket and pow- er-up the camera electronics with the “on/off” key. When the usb key is rec- ognized, a disk ic...
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Aaton camera body 45 slow start for low temperatures operation and in order to reduce the motor power consumption at start up, a «slow start» can be choosen. Three choices are available : - normal mode : no temperature detection. - auto mode : a temperature sensor will switch the camera to «slow sta...
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Aaton camera body 46 2.8 operator’s side settings three keys are located on the operator’s side, close to the vertical lcd screen:: «lower» (1), «middle» (2), «upper» (3). • press the «middle» or «upper» key to adjust the aatonite frame brightness, see chapter 1. • press the «lower» and «middle» key...
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Aaton camera body 47 2.9 cold weather tips from rune ericson, based on his experience in filming in greenland. • when filming outdoors in extreme cold, the camera and lenses should not be taken indoors at all, so as to avoid condensation on the electronic parts and glass surfaces. In any case, the c...
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3 magazine.
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Aaton magazine 49 3.1 concept the penelope magazine is designed to be installed or removed quickly, and to be loaded easily, it handles up to 400ft (122m) loads of 35mm film stock. The magazine sprockets are driven through a magnetic clutch by a motor located in the camera body itself. This system r...
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Aaton magazine 50 3.3 loading the film (in 17 steps) the magazine design allows for a quick and easy loading procedure and reduces the number of operations to be performed in the changing bag, to the absolute minimum. In the light 1 place the magazine in front of you, throat on the left. 2 turn the ...
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Aaton magazine 51 in the dark 7 remove the film from its can and bag. Place the film on the feed spindle with its winds clockwise. Don’t forget to press the center of the core lock mechanism to lock the core in place (a). 8 push the film head into the center slot (b), until it engages the inner spro...
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Aaton magazine 52 still in the dark 9 guide the film with your left index finger and turn the take-up core holder clockwise, making sure the film perforations engage the sprocket teeth. 10 when the film comes out of the sprocket assembly, gently pull on it. 11 pull the film out about 20 cm (8 inches...
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Aaton magazine 53 still in the dark 12 guide the film with your left thumb (a) and index finger and turn the take- up core holder clockwise until the film exits on the other side of the sprocket assembly (b). Continue to turn the take-up core holder until the film reaches the bottom roller (c). 13 p...
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Aaton magazine 54 in the light again 15 engage the take-up clutch knob by pulling its lever up. 16 push the loop adjusting sprocket release button and hold it pressed. Turn the take-up clutch knob clockwise (while gently pressing on it) to short- en the loop size until the loop adjustment tool is he...
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Aaton magazine 55 installing the magazine to install the magazine, stay at the rear of the camera body, operator’s side. Place your right hand underneath the magazine while your left hand is firmly holding it at the midway point of its rear. Rest the nose of the magazine on the camera base, hold the...
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4 video-assist.
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Aaton video 57 to power up the vhr video-assist , press the «set» key then the «on/off» key once the film camera electronics have been powered up. To display the vhr menu (main menu) on the video monitor screen, press the «set» key then the «vid» key. A message is displayed on the assistant’s contro...
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Aaton video 58 • gain use the «up» or «down» key to modify its value. It can also be modified by using a direct access shortcut. • color temp. - tungsten or daylight. Selecting one or the other makes [3200k] or [5600k] appear in the ct field of the assitant’s control screen. - manual white this is d...
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Aaton video 59 4.2 frame & mask opens access to • activation • templates • top left corner • bottom right corner • frame color • frame move • mask appearance • activation select on to open access to four ‘frame & mask’ templates and to activate their insertion. • templates four different templates s...
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Aaton video 60 • frame color change the color of the rectangular frame. Play with the rgb values then press «exit». • frame move lets you move the whole frame in the picture without affecting its size or ratio. Note: a frame can be set to match the viewing screen’s markings but it can also be used t...
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Aaton video 61 4.4 metadata insert metadata insertion can be moved anywhere in the picture with the «up», «down», «left» and «right» keys. • aatoncode • battery voltage • vitc line & parity • lens data • film status • software/hardware • aatoncode time, date, camera id. The positionning of these thr...
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Aaton video 62 • film status film speed (in fps), and remaining or elapsed magazine footage (in foot or meter). The shooting status appears as run in green characters, or as stop in red. Its positioning is factory set and can’t be moved away from the center bot- tom of the video-assist monitor. • so...
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5 technical drawings.
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Aaton technical specifications 64 type functions diagram pin description (from user’s side) lemo-2 on/off 1 ground 2 start fischer-2 heating cable 1 ground 2 + batt. Lemo-5 timecode 1 ground 2 smpate in 3 ascii in/out 4 nc 5 nc lemo-6 power 1 ground 2 nc 3 nc 4 + batt. 5 nc 6 start 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 4 5...
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Technical specifications 65 aaton type functions diagram pin descriptions (from user’s side) lemo-8 speed controllers 1 ground 2 one pulse per frame 3 ascii in/out 4 + batt. 5 tach. Out 6 start 7 tach. In 8 ground xlr-4 power in 1 ground 2 start (only wired on cameras identified by an engraved white...
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Viewing screens 66 aaton aaton penelope 3 perf 1.78 aaton penelope 3 perf 2.35 full gate, 1.78. Full gate, 2.35. Aaton penelope 3 perf 1.78 + tv safe aaton penelope 3 perf 2.35 full gate, 2.35. Full gate, 1.78 (1.33 markers). Ref : 33-230-25 ref : 33-230-26 ref : 33-230-27 ref : 33-230-28 aaton pene...