Category Archives: Articles

Schlieren Imaging Slow Motion DIY!

Schlieren Imaging Slow Motion

Sometimes all it takes to embark on a new project is some unexpected inspiration.  On the Incredible Slow Motion video by Veritasium – Seeing the Invisible: Schlieren Imaging in SLOW MOTION we are not only inspired but awestruck by the results of this simple and doable at home scientific experiment.   The experiment allows a camera to visualize the vortexes of gases and temperature differences in the air which serve to create some very interesting scientific experiments and or artistic visualizations.

You will need a Concave Parabolic Mirror like the ones used in reflective Newtonian telescopes, “you may have one lying around from your stargazing days”,  you will also need a small light source like an LED flashlight or single diode and finally a razor blade or similar precise object to cut off the light to the camera on a plane. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Chronos Camera Must Have Accessories!

Chronos Camera Must Have Accessories

So now that many Kickstarter backers have received the Chronos 1.4 including HSC, we have had a few days to test it out and see what kind of accessories the camera needs to be customized for full usability.  There are quite a few hardware cages that may fit it but we rather use the camera as is with some clever low-cost fixes.

The camera is performing well with operation being solid for the 4 days we have taken it through its paces.  Some things do scream out as essentials in order for the camera to be safe from drops and shield it from the sun in order to see the LCD screen properly which is not particularly good in direct sunlight as most LCDs suffer from this. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fake Slow Motion Is It Worth It?

Fake Slow Motion

There has been a lot of work put it developing software that can interpolate frames for video editing and compositing applications. Twixtor in the late 90’s was perhaps the first time the technology could make something worthwhile and really produce acceptable results in a computationally acceptable timeframe.

Today the most used algorithm is Adobe’s Optical Flow in Premiere or Time Warp in After Effects which use vector directional plus acceleration of pixel values to derive in between frame data to generate new frame information from the preceding frame as point A and the next frame as point B.  The results can do some wonders to really slow down things above the frame rate ceiling of the camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Slow Motion News Update May!

Slow Motion News Update

There has been some news on the slow motion front that we would like to share. While nothing is a new product announcement for budget conscious consumers; there is good technology being released that shoots high frame rates very often.  We are expecting some new cameras before the end of this year that should push the technology envelope further while still being widely available.

Some slow motion camera projects are maturing like the Chronos 1.4 and the fps1000HD which seem unstoppable now.  While both of these cameras are 720p resolution; sensor technology has advanced leaps ahead of what was available just 3 years ago when it comes to fairly priced CMOS Global Shutter designs. We expect the first 1080p camera that shoots very high frame rates to be announced in the next two years as technology has finally caught up with budgets. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 6 What will it Take?

GoPro Hero 6

It is no secret that GoPro had a pretty bad 2016 in terms of sales performance and the Karma Gate battery off incident. The company is loosing money but still shows signs of life. In the 4th quarter of 2016 GoPro was profitable on a non-GAAP basis with income of $42 million.  With the stock closing price today of $8.90, a far cry from the nearly $90 it was worth in October 2014, there needs to be a change of epic proportions if the company is expected to remain viable.

There are threats from new technologies like AR, VR and Snapchat Glasses among others that threaten to impede the company going forward. How can a camera company evolve overnight to survive in such a market.  We believe the answer is by innovating it’s way out of the whirlpool that it finds itself in. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Frog Tongue Science in Slow Motion!

Frog Tongue Science

A new study released by Georgia Tech led by Alexis Noel, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at that institution has revealed the hidden nature and mechanics of how frogs use their squishy and sticky tongues to eat their prey. With acceleration forces  reaching 12 Gs these prey experiment over 4x that of astronauts in a rocket leaving the atmosphere at 3 Gs.

With the use of high speed video cameras  at over 1,000fps the study was able to reveal the complex motion, eye retraction and viscous properties of the frog’s elastic tongue while catching prey.  The frog uses a mucus like substance on the tongue to generate the stickiness necessary to envelop the insect prey without ejecting them off from the brutal speed and force generated. → Continue Reading Full Post ←