Category Archives: Hardware Development

Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Has Full HD at 120fps!

Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless

Sony is taking straight aim at Canon and Nikon’s Professional sports photography market with the new Alpha a9 Mirrorless. It shoots 20fps full frame at 24.2 Megapixels RAW 14 bit up to a maximum  241 raw frames or 12 seconds before writing to the card. This is not only impressive but world class leading. Furthermore the camera is able to do it with full AF using a new 693 point system and without frame blackout in the viewfinder.

The Camera has a now standard slow motion mode in Sony cameras of 120fps at Full HD 1080p resolution with great detail. This is done with the help of a new stacked full frame sensor which is the technology perfected in the Sony RX series and now the Xperia Phones. However the lack of any professional video profiles like S-Log3 will put off the video centric crowd. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

DJI Phantom 4 Advanced Has 4k 60fps!

DJI’s refresh of the Phantom 4 is a mid-range model that sits between the Standard Phantom 4  & Phantom 4 Pro.  It has either a few features left out from the Pro and or some added from the standard model that make it into a category of it’s own.  The camera however seems to be identical the the Phantom 4 Pro which supports 4k at 60fps.

The UHD 60fps video spec is finding it’s way into more and more products as it becomes popular on video social media sites like Youtube and Vimeo.  Consumers expect the ability to have some slow motion capability on 4k without dropping resolution to 1080p or 720p. However the 120fps spec at 4k might take a few more years to become commonplace due to data rates which will push storage requirements and tax processing capabilities. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Chronos 1.4 Update 4 and Yi 4k+ Ships!

Chronos 1.4

The Chronos 1.4 camera is nearing the ship date with early bird units now scheduled to be shipped end of April or beginning of May.  The delay as stated in update #3 is due to some LCD parts not performing as indicated and the manufacturer taking longer than anticipated. All other components are ready for assembly.

As far as FCC & CE emissions approval, tests are still ongoing and look promising.  If nothing else changes early bird backers should start to get their Chronos 1.4 in 4 weeks time. For non early bird backers expect a similar delay time frame to your orders. Once the cameras start shipping the time delay should compress with assembly, testing and packaging being the only steps. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Chronos 1.4 Production Update 3!

Chronos 1.4

The Chronos 1.4 Kickstarter Project is advancing forward with FCC and CE approval which is crucial for shipment. Also the battery shipment issue seems to have been sorted out which could have halted delivery. Li-Ion batteries have special shipment requirements that make it hard for such electronics to travel by air for example or in tightly packed containers.  No details on the fix are specified.

There has been a setback however and that has to do with the LCD panels having a quality control issue. So the supplier will take 4 weeks extra to ship them. So all backers will have their camera deliveries pushed back by 3 weeks. The first week has already passed.  Other than that it seems to be ready for mass production. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Phantom Flex4K-GS Introduces Global Shutter!

Phantom Flex4K-GS

The Phantom Flex 4k camera has made a big splash in TV, Film and Youtube with it’s amazing 4k resolution at 1000fps with a large S35mm sensor. However the first iteration of the camera only had a very fast reading; but in the end a rolling shutter sensor. This made the camera an option for visual recording only; leaving scientific research at 4k out of the realm of the camera due to distortion.

That changes today with the Phantom Flex4k-GS which offers the option to use the sensor in both rolling shutter and Global Shutter mode which is a first on a camera of this resolution. Now scientists can use the resolution prowess of the camera  to examine minute detail that needs extreme speeds to be recorded. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Samsung Exynos 9 8895 Series 4k 120fps Capable!

Samsung Exynos 9 8895

The new Samsung  Exynos 9 Series 8895 Chipset for smartphones has impressive new specs.  It claims the most advanced 3D and general processing performance for use in flagship smartphones. What interests us a lot is the direct claim that the chip can handle both recording and playback of 4k video at 120fps.

The UHD 4k resolution is 3,840 by 2,160 pixels or 8,294,400 pixels rounded up to 8.3MP per frame.  At 120fps this equates to 995 Megapixels /sec or near one Gigapixel.  This translates exactly to 480fps at 1080p full HD resolution or 1080fps at 720p.  This is quite astounding for bandwidth specs for a phone and opens the door wide open for real super slow motion on Samsung Tablets and Smartphones. → Continue Reading Full Post ←