ZCam E2-M4 Mark II: Camera Configuration Guide

Deep Dive: Understanding and Refining Each Setting

The Core Exposure Trade-off

Before adjusting individual settings it helps to understand the three-way tension at the heart of any camera setup:

• Aperture (f-number): controls depth of field and how much light enters. Higher f-number = deeper focus, less light.
• Shutter speed: controls motion blur. Faster shutter = sharper motion, less light.
• ISO: controls sensor sensitivity. Higher ISO = brighter image, more noise.

For mocap you want everything in the volume in sharp focus (higher f-number), minimal motion blur on fast movements (fast shutter), and a clean image (low ISO). These three pull against each other. Volume lighting is the single most important variable: the more light you have, the more freely you can optimise all three simultaneously.

Higher frame rates (100fps, 120fps) demand a proportionally faster minimum shutter speed, which reduces the light available per frame. This makes good volume lighting even more critical at high frame rates than at standard rates.

Resolution

4K gives more pixel data per subject, which benefits keypoint detection accuracy. HD is acceptable for smaller volumes or where storage and processing headroom are constrained. Move AI requires a minimum pixel height of 256 pixels per person: your resolution choice, combined with lens and camera placement, must ensure subjects meet this threshold at the furthest point in your volume.

Project FPS and Variable Frame Rate

Project FPS sets the frame rate at which timecode is written to the video file. This determines playback speed because the video player uses the timecode frame rate to interpret how fast the footage should play back.

If you are aligning Genesis with other capture systems (face capture, audio, IMUs etc.), set Project FPS to match the frame rate those systems are running at, so timecode values are consistent across all devices. If you are running Genesis standalone with no timecode alignment requirements, simply match your region: 50fps for 50Hz regions (Europe, UK, most of Asia, Australia) or 60fps for 60Hz regions (North America, Japan).

This setting must also match your Flicker Reduction setting. See the Connecting Genesis to Other Capture Systems guide for full detail on timecode alignment across systems.

Variable Frame Rate (VFR) allows capture at a higher frame rate than Project FPS, giving more temporal resolution for fast movements. Higher rates (100, 120, 200, 240) are useful for rapid limb motion, jumps, or any action where inter-frame blur would degrade tracking. The trade-off is larger file sizes and higher storage requirements.

Always set Playback Frame Rate to VFR so footage plays back at the rate it was captured.

Aperture

Aperture is one of the most important settings for mocap. The ZCam's Micro Four Thirds sensor produces shallower depth of field than a small-sensor camera (like a GoPro) at equivalent focal lengths, so aperture needs to be set deliberately. The right starting point depends on which lens you are using, since the 6mm and 10mm lenses produce meaningfully different depth of field at the same f-number.

Starting points by lens:

• 10mm lens: start at f/8. At 10mm MFT the hyperfocal distance at f/8 is under a metre, meaning everything from roughly half a metre to infinity is in sharp focus. This covers most standard indoor capture volumes.
• 6mm lens: start at f/5.6. The 6mm has inherently deeper depth of field than the 10mm at any given aperture. f/5.6 on the 6mm gives broadly equivalent focus coverage to f/8 on the 10mm, while recovering a full stop of light. This makes the 6mm a better choice in constrained lighting scenarios.

Adjusting from your starting point:

Open to f/5.6 (10mm) / f/4 (6mm) if lighting is constrained. Opening one stop from your starting point recovers a meaningful amount of light. On the 10mm, verify depth of field at your actual subject distances. On the 6mm, f/4 is generally safe given the lens's deep depth of field, but always test at the extremes of your volume.

Stop down to f/11 (10mm) for extra depth of field margin. Useful for large volumes with the 10mm, or where cameras are placed close to the volume. Costs one stop of light versus f/8. Less relevant on the 6mm, where depth of field is already very deep at most apertures.

Avoid f/2. At f/2 the hyperfocal distance on a 10mm MFT lens is roughly 5-6 metres, meaning subjects closer than 2.5-3 metres can fall outside the sharp zone. Only use in extreme lighting conditions and test carefully.

Note on frame rate and aperture: At higher VFR rates (100fps, 120fps) the minimum shutter speed doubles compared to 50/60fps, reducing the light per frame by one stop. At 200 or 240fps it doubles again, costing a further stop. You may need to open aperture one or two stops, raise ISO, or add lighting relative to what you would use at standard frame rates.

Shutter Speed

Recommended: at least double your VFR frame rate. Shutter speed should always be at least 2x your capture frame rate to avoid inter-frame blur that degrades keypoint detection:

Going faster than the minimum (e.g. 1/500 at 100fps) further reduces motion blur on very fast movements but costs light, requiring compensation via ISO or additional lighting. Going slower introduces blur that directly degrades tracking accuracy.

ISO

Recommended: as low as possible; max 4000. Higher ISO brightens the image but introduces noise, which can create false edges and texture that degrades keypoint detection. The ZCam's MFT sensor performs well up to ISO 1600-3200. ISO 4000 is a practical upper limit for mocap. Always try to solve exposure with lighting and aperture before pushing ISO.

Image Profile

Recommended: Rec.709. Standard colour space for HD video, consistent and predictable across all cameras in the rig. Do not use log profiles (Z-Log etc.): log footage requires grading before it looks correct, which adds a processing step and can affect the image characteristics Move's pipeline relies on.

Sharpness

Recommended: Strong. Higher in-camera sharpness helps the pipeline detect keypoints and edges more reliably, particularly at lower resolutions or with subjects at greater distances. Unlike in cinematography, there is no aesthetic reason to prefer a softer image in mocap.

Noise Reduction

Recommended: Off. In-camera noise reduction applies a smoothing filter that softens edges and removes detail the tracking pipeline uses. Control noise at the source (via ISO, lighting, and aperture) and leave the image unprocessed.

WDR and Low Jello

Both recommended Off. WDR alters image characteristics in ways that affect consistency across cameras. Low Jello applies rolling shutter compensation; leave off unless you are seeing severe rolling shutter artefacts in your footage.

File Format and Encoder

MP4 with H.264 is the recommended default: broadly compatible, fast to process, and supports up to 4K 60fps. Use H.265 at high frame rates (4K 100fps or 120fps). Always set Bitrate to High: more image data per frame means fewer compression artefacts around edges and keypoints, which directly benefits tracking accuracy.

Split Duration

Set a split duration (e.g. 15 minutes) to cap the maximum length of a single video file before the camera starts a new one. This prevents very large individual files that are harder to manage and recover if an issue occurs. Choose a duration that comfortably exceeds your longest typical take.

Flicker Reduction

Artificial lighting (fluorescent, LED) flickers at the frequency of the local mains supply. If your shutter speed does not align with this frequency, you will see banding or brightness variation across frames.

• 50Hz (Europe, UK, most of Asia, Australia)
• 60Hz (North America, Japan, parts of South America)

Where possible, use shutter speeds that are exact multiples of your mains frequency (e.g. 1/100, 1/200 for 50Hz; 1/120, 1/240 for 60Hz). This setting must match your Project FPS region.

Lens Choice Reference

The ZCam rig supports two Laowa Zero-D lenses. Your lens choice affects how close cameras need to be to the volume to ensure subjects meet the 256px minimum pixel height requirement, and also determines appropriate aperture starting points.

The 6mm's wider field of view maximises coverage in tight spaces but subjects appear smaller in frame at any given distance. For larger volumes where cameras can be placed further back, the 10mm keeps subjects larger in frame and is the better choice.

Because the 6mm has inherently deeper depth of field, it gives you more aperture flexibility in constrained lighting: f/4 on the 6mm is broadly equivalent to f/5.6 on the 10mm in terms of focus coverage, which is useful when you need to recover light without sacrificing sharpness across the volume.

Practical Pre-Capture Checklist

1. Identify your lens and set your aperture starting point: f/5.6 for 6mm, f/8 for 10mm
2. Set your VFR and confirm minimum shutter speed (at least 2x VFR)
3. Turn on volume lighting and check exposure
4. If exposure is insufficient, open aperture one stop before raising ISO above 1600
5. Verify depth of field: place a subject at the nearest and furthest points of your volume and confirm both are sharp
6. Verify Flicker Reduction matches your local power grid
7. Confirm all cameras are on the same Project FPS and firmware version