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Nexus's forthcoming G1 cinema camera gains CINAF, a new and interesting-sounding hybrid autofocus system, and now ships with U-Mount as standard.
Nexus has now issued its eleventh project update on the G1 cinema camera, covering manufacturing progress, a new autofocus system, and a mount change.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K-based camera was originally targeted to launch at some point in 2024, so for anyone who’s been tracking its progress, any and all updates are welcome. This is especially true as the last update dropped in November last year when a Q1 2026 release was mooted.
“We apologize for the delay and the gaps between updates,” says the company in a statement. “Our team has been working seven days a week, remaining completely focused on production, to get the Nexus shipped as soon as possible while delivering the features and quality we promised, and more.”
The good news is that the company says ‘productionization’ (as opposed to ‘productization’) is progressing well after what it calls a longer-than-expected search for manufacturing partners able to meet its specifications.
The challenge apparently is that the G1 has close to 200 unique parts, most custom designed, requiring more than 20 manufacturing techniques. Nexus has also built internal systems for engineering documentation, quality control, and inventory management to manage that complexity. As a result, many parts have gone through multiple rounds of sampling and refinement.
Attention to detail here brings dividends. Long-term testing of the Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coating used on the camera's magnesium alloy parts found that while it offers strong corrosion and wear resistance, its hard ceramic structure is prone to micro-chipping on impact. Nexus has therefore switched to a hybrid, multilayer PEO and polymer coating for improved chip resistance alongside corrosion and wear resistance.
CINAF autofocus
The big news with this update is the introduction of autofocus. The intriguing-sounding CINAF (Cinematic, Intelligent, Natural Autofocus) is a sensor-fusion autofocus system built especially for cinematography. It combines machine vision, high-density matrix LiDAR, inertial sensing, calibrated lens data, and real-time optical refinement to track subject distance and camera movement.
Unlike image-based autofocus, Nexus says that CINAF measures real physical distance, can hold focus when a subject leaves frame, and operates in total darkness.
The system identifies any attached lens, electronic or manual, and applies the corresponding lens profile automatically, controlling focus through the lens's internal motor or an external FIZ motor. Nexus lists compatibility examples spanning a Helios 44-2, a Sony G Master, and a Panavision Ultra Vista, which is an impressive range. CINAF uses 76,800 focus points and can track and switch between up to five faces, follow a selected object within a region, or hold focus on a user-defined area.
It sounds good on paper, but the proof of such puddings is always in the eating, so we’re looking forward to seeing how it works out in the wild.
U-Mount update
The Nexus U-Mount, previously planned as an optional accessory, will now ship as standard with every G1. U-Mount is Nexus's successor to its AutoLock system, using interchangeable lens-mount modules to provide one-click, tool-free changes between EF, E, MFT, L, PL, and other mounts. Combined with CINAF, it gives the G1 autofocus and FIZ control across electronic and manual lenses on the same body.
Where are we now?
Nexus says production components are moving through manufacturing, finishing, and validation as hardware and software are brought together for final testing. The next update is expected to confirm shipping dates and show the final production camera, including CINAF and the E-ND (electronic ND) system.
“The Nexus G1 has taken longer to bring to production than we originally anticipated, but the result has grown into something far more capable, refined and ambitious than what we originally promised,” says the company.
“In the next update, we will announce the final shipping dates and show off the final, fully functional Nexus G1, showcasing CINAF, the E-ND system and everything else we have developed.”
It’s been a long wait and the camera is definitely overdue, but there’s some genuine innovation in the Nexus G1 that we’re keen to see functioning. If it lives up to its promise, and so far the company has very much behaved in a manner that suggests it is scrupulous in getting its ducks in a row compared to the all-too-familiar pump and dump Kickstarter schemes, then it could have something extremely interesting on its hands.
Pre-orders are open now and accepting a 10% deposit for the $2980 Founders Edition unit. More info at https://nexus-cameras.com.
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