Category Archives: Articles

Double Your Camera Slow Motion Frame Rate For Real!

Double Your Camera Slow Motion Frame Rate

Ever wondered how super slow motion in the past was capable of multi-thousand fps performance with just film exposures? Well, they used customized camera rigs that combined multiple rolls of films, mirrors, and synch cables to essentially get a result beyond what the limitations of the equipment forced upon the shooter.

In a very cool video by Camera Tech on Youtube from 2015 they were able to get a custom mirror rig to shoot simultaneously on two GoPro cameras with a semi-translucent angled mirror that splits the light to each camera lens by 50% making it possible to sum both frame rates in post by alternating the frames captured by both cameras with a very slight time difference equivalent to 1/frame rate expected. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fran 8k Camera by Cinemartin First Manufacturing Sample!

Fran 8k Camera

The people at Cinemartin have publicly released new specs and images of the first industrial prototype of the cinema camera.  There are some killer features like 8k RAW video at 24p and up to 96fps RAW recording in both 4k DCI and1080p HD. Some other frame rates include 48p and 60p in a variety of resolutions which are needed for cinema production in either higher fps or just as a shooting necessity like 48p to get the Hobbit look.

One of the most impressive features listed is the ability to shoot in true Vista Vision format at 7920 x 6024 pixels for 8k at 24p that turns out to be 47.7MP; also the Dual ISO recording feature which will be available by August 2019 which allows dual recording capability for an extreme Dynamic Range improvement.  Other features include: Global Shutter, Internal full sensor downsampling, and in-camera electronic image stabilization. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

100 Million fps High Speed Camera Developed to Fight Cancers!

100 Million fps High Speed Camera

The Rosalind Franklin Institute  has started the development of a 100 million fps high-speed camera that will operate at 1-megapixel resolution to scan how new cancer drug treatments along with ultrasound interact to create effective cures for the deadliest forms of the disease.   This type of performance is unheard of in that resolution and would herald a new way of looking at minute amounts of time that happen so fast no detector so far has been able to capture them at a usable resolution.

To put this in numbers, the camera will be able to capture a 100,000,000,000,000 or One Hundred Trillion Pixels per second or one hundred million megapixels/sec. Those are staggering numbers and if saved in a raw format it would take a megabyte per frame or 100 Terabytes of imaging data/second.  That will be one extremely large frame buffer. With compression techniques and image optimization you could probably get that number lower but if played back at 30fps it would take 38 days to see a single 1-second video, staggering speed for sure! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Casio Slow Motion Pioneer Kills Consumer Camera Line!

Casio Slow Motion

It seems that the cellphone has once again taken no prisoners when it comes to the portable consumer camera. Casio which was probably the most influential affordable high-speed camera developer 10 year ago with the EX-F1 has now decided to retrench and effectively end their portable consumer camera development due to mounting losses with no clear path to profitability for the division.

The Japanese hi-tech company generated a loss of 500 million Yen (or $4.6 million U$) in the 2017 fiscal year for the division. They will effectively pull out of the market to stop the bleeding.  It is quite sad to see a company that created the EX-F1 and the excellent EX-FH20 eliminate their entire consumer camera division. Could things have been different and could they have avoided the phone camera erosion that has obliterated the sales of most manufacturers? Our only thought would be that they did not innovate fast enough to remain competitive for the consumer to be a real alternative. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

eBay Slow Motion Camera Listings April 2018!

eBay Slow Motion Camera Listings

We are constantly looking for high-speed camera bargains and one of the best places to find them is on eBay where used cameras go to find a new home.  It is hard to judge the actual state of a product until you use it but that is why you can ask questions to the seller and reach a deal if needed.  You also have to take into account that many cameras get used in dangerous situations to record events where no human can be close to like on a rocket launch pad or testing artillery.

Make sure if you purchase a camera to be given a determined time to test it and make sure it is working as described. The whole point of finding these bargains is to save a boatload of money compared to purchasing them outright from the manufacturer.   HSC is not paid a commission or promotion fee for these listings so make sure you do your due diligence before buying, we are not affiliated with the sellers. This month a few diamonds in the rough were found that could really bring an edge to your slow motion shooting. Let’s dig in! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Being Acquired by Xiaomi?

GoPro Being Acquired by Xiaomi

Last week the site The Information posted a piece stating the possibility of GoPro being bought out by Chinese electronics company Xiaomi which are the makers of the main competitor to GoPro in the same form factor with the Yi camera line.   We liked the Yi 4k+ last year as it delivered pretty acceptable quality in 4k 60p in a GoPro like the body+enclosure design. We were not thrilled by the bit rates or the slow-motion quality but it was in the running for the best alternative action camera with a lower price.

If the rumors are true Xiaomi will be consolidating the Action camera market and improving the Yi camera line overnight by rebranding it to GoPro as the name might be just as valuable as the technology being acquired.  Most of the current Yi camera products share the components with pre Hero 6 Black cameras like the Hero 5 Black as they were based on the Ambarella chips that GoPro used for a decade. → Continue Reading Full Post ←