AJA CION Quick Start Manual

CION Quick Start Guide
10 Helpful Hints To Get You Started Shooting with CION
Thank you for purchasing the CION production camera from AJA. These notes provide a simple introduction to setting
up your camera for the first time. We strongly recommend that you expand your knowledge of CION by reading the full
CION manual found online at www.aja.com/cion.
When you first power up CION, the camera is factory set to 4K (4096x2160), the frame rate is set to
23.98 fps, the exposure index (EI) is set to 320, the color correction is set to Normal and the white
balance (WB) is set to 3200K. Altering these settings to suit your shooting environment is the key
to creating desirable images with CION.
S TA G E 1
Determine what format is appropriate for your project.
The format selection is found in the FPS menu > 23.1 Format.
CION offers the following resolution selections:
• 4K (4096x2160) • Ultra HD (3840x2160)
• 2K (2048x1080) • HD (1920x1080)
S TA G E 2
Select the frame rate that is appropriate for your project.
The frame rate selection is found in the FPS menu > 23.2 Frame Rate.
• Typically, cinematic projects will be 23.98, 24 or 25 fps.
• Sports or high motion projects may benefit from higher frame rates such as 50, 59.94 or 60 fps.
Note that with higher frame rate selections, more light will be needed to produce a proper exposure compared to
the lower frame rates.
S TA G E 3
Select the exposure index value (EI) that best suits your needs.
The exposure index value is found in the EI menu > 24.1 EI.
• EI 320 is best for outdoor shooting or when working with controlled lighting.
• EI 500 is a good choice when working with controlled lighting.
• EI 800 is useful in lower light conditions.
• EI 1000 is useful when you might not have any control over lighting and must work under only available light.
With any of the exposure index values, you will want to be sure that you have sufficient light to produce a proper exposure.
S TA G E 4
Select the shutter angle (or shutter speed) that is appropriate for your subject matter.
The shutter angle (or shutter speed) is found in the EI menu > 24.3 Shutter Speed (or Shutter Angle).
• For most subject matter, the use of a 180 degree shutter is appropriate.
• You can use the shutter selection to produce motion effects (higher or lower levels of motion blur).
• Keeping in mind that the shutter value selection will impact the reproduction of motion, the shutter value
may also be used as a method to control the exposure.
Up-to-date versions of these documents can always be found on the
AJA website at: www.aja.com/en/products/cion#support