Apertus Axiom - the Open Source camera - is making good progress

Apertus Axiom progress report

Open Source Cameras: Encouraging progress from the Apurtus team

The project to create the Alpha version of the Open Source Apertus Axiom is making solid progress. Here's the latest report.

Sebastian from the Apertus team has been in touch with us to say that there's a new progress report on their website.

They've been working on both hardware and software to move towards a working prototype, and it's encouraging to see that they are now getting some meaningful pictures off the sensor. Sebastian reminds us that they're using a somewhat less-than-perfect sensor for the early prototypes so images are never going to be perfect with this device.

Second prototype

But they are now assembling a second prototype unit with improved internal components and a full-grade image sensor. This is the device that will perhaps give us our first glimpse of the kind of pictures we can expect from this camera.

Working with sensors, FPGAs and HDMI is unbelievably complex. It doesn't "Just work" and - remember that sensors are analogue devices - it takes a lot of messing around and fine tuning.

HDMI output

They've been working on their white balance presents, and also the HDMI output. Images are starting to look like - images, but there's clearly work to do. Colours look well saturated, and black levels look good too, although it's impossible to be anything other than vague when just looking at screenshots. In his blog on the Apertus website, Sebastian asks if there are any engineers with specific experience of writing white balance software out there - and if there are, can they please get in touch with him; such is the open nature of this project.

DNG files

They've also written software that converts the raw data captured from the imae sensor into a DNG file - a crucial step towards being able to output media that can be manipulated in "traditional" workflows.

Lens mount

The hardware is making progress too, with a well, engineered black lens mount ready for the full grade image sensor

Thanks for the update, Sebastian.

 Read: This could be the biggest development in camera technology for a decade