Category Archives: education

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2021!

 

We have passed another year in slow motion land and while camera releases were more plenty than expected considering the chip shortage and teh COVID disruption, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases, and see which delivered on the price/performance scale when it comes to slow motion frame rates.  Phones are stagnationg while high end cameras are getting more frame rate options in higher resolution. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2021 have been selected and ordered by recommendation! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020

As the end of 2020 nears, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases amid the COVID 19 chaos, and see which delivered on the price/performance bracket with slow motion frame rates as the primary goal.  Phone slow motion took a back seat this year as the interest of the feature in phones was subdued or even eliminated. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2020 have been selected and ordered by recommendation!

We saw some surprises including a mostly affordable 4k slow motion solution and the adoption of 4k 120fps on many cameras which makes us think 240fps at UHD should be something to think about in the coming years as a regular option once 8k video is commonplace on consumer recording devices and TVs. The increase in resolution should theoretically allow for a lot of 4k frame rates to be offered as 8k delivers 4x the pixel count of 4k for any given frame rate. Keep on reading for our 2020 picks!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS of 2020:

Without further ado here are what we believe are the best value slow motion cameras in their respective categories for the year 2020:

Best Slow Motion Phone Category:

3rd Place) Sony Xperia 5 II:

The Sony Xperia 5 II is all about capturing the best video possible on a smartphone and in HDR. The kick here is that the phone is capable of 4k 120fps in full HDR which is pretty much class-leading.

The footage below will give you a taste of what the phone can do. In good light, it will let you capture excellent quality 4k 120p footage with the possibility to grade as it records a gradable flat profile.  In low light, it will be a pretty unremarkable image with grain and artifacts as could be expected from the light requirements when shooting at high speed.

Sony Xperia 5 II: 4K 120fps video footage by CNET Highlights:

Sony Xperia 5 II Slow Motion Specs:

  • 120fps 4k
  • 60fps 1080p

This is one of the first phones to offer 120fps in 4k which will probably become a standard spec in 2021 for flagships. However absent is the slow motion at 1080p which considering the 4k oomph, it should have been capable of 480fps at 1080p or similar. It is a shame that the spec was completely avoided considering HDR in 120fps 4k requires 240fps full pixel readout before merging.  In theory, 240fps non-HDR is possible on this phone but not available for unspecified reasons. Phones are becoming more powerful by the day and this is one that has our attention. The just under $1k price tag is not ideal but some of the best phones are going to cost you.

2nd Place) OnePlus 8T:

One Plus continues to offer compelling slow motion features on their phones with 480fps 1080p and up to 480fps at 720p.  It gives you a quad 48MP camera module which is literally insane considering the phone sells for under $750USD and has 120hz refresh rate. Feature-wise it has probably everything under the sun and then some and will not disappoint in the performance realm.

Fireworks in Slow motion – OnePlus 8T 480fps in dark by sternking: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Multiply Your Video Frame Rate with Dain-App !

Multiply Your Video Frame Rate

We got over 20 messages with essentially the same video sample in our inbox this week. They all touted the new interpolation from the DAIN experimental App or (Depth Aware Video Interpolation App)  which now analyses footage with a Neural network AI algorithm that crunches motion vectors and even what seemed impossible before “Object Occlusion” to generate higher frame rates from lower fps sources.  The technology is pretty fascinating and should be further improved by more training and samples over the coming years.

For stop motion animators, this is a complete game-changer as now you could animate with as little as 8fps and then interpolate to 30fps or 60fps with very little in the way of tearing and artifacting as long as the footage is well lit and objects clearly defined.  To make matters more interesting, it also analyses footage with shallow depth of field yielding impressive results.

Multiply Your Video Frame Rate with Interpolation or the “I” Word for Slow Motion Enthusiasts:

We visited the Interpolation topic in the past on our Fake Slow Motion article and concluded that then, the quality of interpolation while good was far from usable and you really could not compromise real high fps footage from interpolated versions except in very simple cases.

Now with DAIN technology, we have no choice but to re-visit the cases and analyze what it is capable of.  We looked at a few dozen examples and it is clear the technology has progressed forward so much that now stop motion animation, 2D Cell-based cartoon animation, and even 3D animated sequences rendered at 30p can easily be turned in higher fps increments yielding impressive and in some cases miraculous results.

We would like you to first watch the video below to understand what a depth map is and how the software in DAIN can create frames from nothing that look just like real ones.  A depth map will generate an approximated view of the world in a Lidar-Like vision representation to figure out to the best of the AI estimation where objects are in a scene according to their location close or far to the camera.

Depth-Aware Video Frame Interpolation by Wenbo Bao:

Even at 48fps from  12fps source, it is clear the technology in DAIN can yield impressive results even with heavy organic detail in the background including foliage. The software does an admirable job of estimating the relative position of objects in the video scenes.

AI使用フレーム補間アプリ DAIN APP byTALBOの実験室 Ch.: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix S5 Will be a Full Frame GH5 equivalent for $1998

Lumix S5 Slow Motion

The Lumix GH5 is still one of the best video powerhouse cameras ever produced. It doesn’t overheat, it shoots incredible 4k oversampled video at up to 60fps 4k or 180fps 1080p with near Full HD quality but it’s Achilles heel, the Micro 4/3ds sensor which is small and quite inferior in low light compared to Full Frame or even APS-C rivals.  The GH5s is the low light lower megapixel version with dual Gain senor which is actually very clean in low light and can go toe to toe with the best out there but has no IBIS which is a big loss.

Now Panasonic is set to announce the Lumix S5 Full frame mirrorless camera which essentially migrates most GH5 features into a full-frame body with nearly the same introductory price of $1998 USD but improves 4k 60p with 4:2:2 color at 10-bit instead of 4:2:0 8 bit on the GH5. You get IBIS, and also the 180fps Full HD of other S L-mount cameras by Panasonic.  It is still too early to tell what kind of quality the 1080p 180fps mode will be capable of but it does hold promise as the S1H and S1 do a pretty good job on these modes.

Lumix S5 Announcement Very Soon:

The camera will be unveiled Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at 14:00 UTC at the official Lumix site here: https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/s/s5.html

We also expect to see new low-cost L mount lenses for the system that will make the camera more appealing.  We just have to wait a few more days!

But what about the AF?

Yes, the dreaded DfD Depth from Defocus algorithm based on contrast detection is also present on this camera which means it will probably be inferior to systems that use dual pixel AF based on Phase and Contrast hybrid modes which are especially good for video. That means Sony and Canon will still have the upper hand here. Panasonic should keep DfD as an option but make cameras with Phase-detection AF pixels to be able to fully compete in this market. They are doing incredible hybrid still and video cameras with one feature missing, if they fixed the AF they would probably be the first choice of video professionals considering how good the cameras perform. Sadly Sony seems to be eating their lunch with the newly announced a7s Mark III with an AF system that rivals the best out there, in fact, it is so good that you can forget about focus pulling for most shots. The same cannot be said of the Lumix DfD AF contrast system.

We expect the 180fps Full HD Quality to be as good as the one in the S1H camera of the Lumix System. See this video to see the expected quality:

EPIC SLOW MOTION – Shot on Panasonic S1H 180fps by Manit Monsur:

Lumix S5 full Leaked Press Release text by Nokishita Rumors:

Text from Nokishita rumors here!

LUMIX S5 full-frame mirrorless camera is designed especially for content creators. Latest advances in image resolution, image stabilization, and autofocus all in this compact camera that is the signature of LUMIX.
Experience extraordinary video recording in 4K 60p, 4:2:2 10-bit. It also offers a Full HD 180fps Slow Motion option as well as 4:3 Anamorphic support. This is what makes S5 perfect for use when taking still photos or as a vlog camera.L-rumors

With a 24.2MP 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, the LUMIX S5 boasts a wide dynamic range and high sensitivity performance. The adopted Dual Native ISO technology enables the LUMIX S5 to record maximum ISO 51200 crystal-clear high sensitivity video. Dual Native ISO minimizes noise in high sensitivity. V-Log/V-Gamut compatibility offers a 14+ stop dynamic range to sensitivity. V-Log/V-Gamut compatibility offers a 14+ stop dynamic range to capture every detail.

The improved autofocus detects head as well as eyes, face, and body. The powerful Dual Image Stabilization with 5-axis enables a 6.5-stop slower shutter speed.

The compact nature of the S5 is one of the signature features of the LUMIX series. To make sure that your camera withstands tough field use, the S5 comes with a dust and splash resistant construction. Optimized heat dispersion ensures a stable, continuous video recording without interruption.

One of the expanded features of LUMIX S5 is the Live View Composite mode which instantly creates a stunning image out of several live shots; the shutter releases at designated intervals of exposure time to merge the bright parts into a single image. Useful for shooting fireworks or a starry sky.

Watch this video for some killer Insect Slow Motion:

While the Lumix S5 camera is announced early September, you can check In the meantime this amazing video of flying insects in Slow Motion by Ant Lab on Youtube filmed with a Phantom Miro Camera.  The best part about this video besides the amazing visuals is the excellent informed narration by Dr. Adrian Smith, someone who knows a lot about insects and can really explain the nuances of insect flight with a lot of contagious enthusiasm. The Ant Lab channel is fantastic and we recommend it wholeheartedly!

Insect Flight | Capturing Takeoff & Flying at 3,200 FPS by Ant Lab: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Phantom Slow Motion Camera Used to Study Coughing Reach!

Phantom Slow Motion Camera

Schlieren Imaging has always been a very narrow and specialized field of imaging. It can visualize air perturbations in a fluid-like way that can show the reach in this case of someone’s breath and heat dissipation to see if a mask makes a large enough difference in transmission of infected airborne particles compared to no covering.

By using a Phantom VEO4k 990 slow motion camera at 938fps and a speckled background with specialized angled lighting, researchers were able to test a variety of masks while coughing to see the effects.  You can watch the video posted here and also check out the full study available here if you want to dig deeper. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Slow Motion Phones and the Youtube Fakes!

Slow Motion Phones

Believable slow motion video samples on Youtube for phones and cameras are so confusing nowadays that you simply cannot rely on them unless it comes from a reputable source.  The avalanche of fakes is so big that it makes it next to impossible to find the real ones out there.  It also makes it extremely hard to choose a slow motion capable phone when the supposed videos you are looking at are faked from other devices or even professional slow motion cameras.

There is also the big problem of stealing real quality slow motion footage from other channels and using it in compilations that claim to be from a phone or camera in order to get clicks and views for quick revenue.  The problem goes even deeper when these fakes overtake most other real videos due to the viral nature of their compilations as they usually look much better than anything these cheap devices they claim to represent can do.   We examine a few cases that can educate you on how to spot these fakes!

Slow Motion Phones Sample fakes:

The Xiaomi Mi 10 pro, for example, is a phone that boasts the following specs in frame rates:

960fps 720P/1080P
240fps 720P/1080P
120fps 720P/1080P

Xiaomi is not very forthcoming with the specs of the slow motion as it does not specify duration or method of capture. The samples below show us the problem of fakes head-on:

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro Slow Motion camera test. by Pro Mind Tech:(FAKE)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 960FPS slow motion video sample by myphone.gr: (REAL) → Continue Reading Full Post ←