Category Archives: Hardware Development

Announcements, Camera News, Development, Featured, Hardware Development, Science, Slowmo Samples

Phantom TMX 7510 does 76000 fps in HD!

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Phantom TMX 7510

The scientists at Vision Research are at it again at their favorite pastime of hyper slow motion gear creation.  The new TMX 7510 Phantom camera is the fastest ever in their arsenal with a mind-bending spec of 75 Gigapixels throughput which is capable of delivering 76,000fps  1 Megapixel resolution or slightly higher than HD at 1280 x 800px.

The camera features the first BSI or Back-side illuminated sensor ever used in a Phantom camera. This allows for much better low-light performance which is crucial for slow motion applications.  The camera tops out at a ridiculous 1.75 million fps frame rate at 1280 x 32px in standard width mode or 640 x 64px in Binned mode.  One second recorded at that speed creates a file that plays back for 972min or just over 16hrs in a 30fps timeline.  Yikes! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Articles, Development, Hardware Development, Science

Nikon Stacked CMOS Sensor Will do 1000fps in 4k!

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Nikon Stacked CMOS Sensor

Nikon Japan has been busy creating the next generation of 1″ stacked sensors.  The latest is a 17.84 Megapixel stacked design with hyper-fast memory interconnect that shoots up to 1000fps at 4k resolution which is no slouch. The sensor is still in development but it will be a possibility to see it in a camera that could compete head to head with the Sony RX series which now dominate prosumer P&S sales.  It was announced at ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference) held in San Francisco, February 15, 2021.

The sensor works by shooting in buckets of 16 x 16 pixels as one block, and then subsequently 264 x 264 pixel blocks (4224 x 4224 pixels) are conformed to form the final image at nearly 18MP.  It is unclear at this time if 4k video will be a windowed resolution or a supersampled then reduced final image from the full sensor.  The market for this sensor goes beyond consumer cameras as it is aimed at other applications like self-driving cars and production lines. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Camera News, Hardware Development, Previews, software, tutorials

Cheapest slow motion camera for $6 does 660fps!

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Cheapest slow motion camera

We just received a video link for a Raspberry Pi imaging platform that allows for 660fps slow motion video capture using the computing unit along with it’s memory and a $6 USD camera to record slow motion video with better than expected results. The video from 2019 by RobertElderSoftware explains the way the camera and R-Pi were able to capture the footage using some scripting and writing a windowed wide but not tall imaging rectangle directly to memory to create the cheapest slow motion camera.

Of note is the apparent low resolution of less than VGA at 640 x 64px and the somewhat appraisal of rolling shutter artifacts on some of the coins. However, RobertElderSoftware also has a step by step instruction video set on how to get a $40 Raspberry Pi computer and a  $6 USD camera module to build your own homebrew slow motion camera with some scripting.  After a lot of scripting and patience, you should be able to mimic his results.

Cheapest slow motion camera using a Pi Unit:

It is literally amazing what a dedicated engineer with an extremely limited set of tools and cameras is able to do on a project like this. Now imagine RobertElderSoftware using something like a more powerful ARM-based Mac M1 or similar with way more RAM disk for capture along with a better camera and sensor combination.

You can visit and subscribe to Robert Elder’s Channel here and learn many more from his cool projects and coding guides!

Maybe in the future, we could see some homebrew project kit that could be able to shoot 500fps or even 1000fps in 4k for a limited investment. In any case, we feel that you should take a look at the project below and get inspired.  We thank our reader Nacho Simon for the heads up on this awesome project and Mr. Elder for his creativity and drive! -HSC

Video Sample and Step by Step Guides Below:

World’s Cheapest High-speed Camera For $6 With 660FPS!? by RobertElderSoftware:

Part 1) How To Record Video At 660 FPS On A $6 Raspberry Pi Camera – Part 1 by RobertElderSoftware: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Availability, Camera Deals, Camera News, Development, Hardware Development, Slowmo Samples

thCam Slow Motion Camera Kickstarter Campaign Canceled!

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thCam Slow Motion Camera

(Note: As of November 23rd this campaign has been canceled due to lack of funding in time. )There is a new dedicated Slow Motion Camera being built by engineer enthusiasts and a Kickstarter campaign has just launched with the goal of gathering enough funds for production.  The camera is called thCam Slow Motion Camera and is capable of shooting above 3,000fps at reduced resolution with a 1920px horizontal. The 1080p frame rate maxes out at 266fps  and 576fps at 720p.

What is most impressive about this camera is the Machine Vision applications that can run with the platform like being able to train it to recognize QR codes, objects, and possibly even people. It could theoretically be used as a quality control camera that operates at very fast speeds. The other big deal is the price which is about $1,000 USD or €899 Euros which is a first for a camera of this kind.

thCam Slow Motion Camera Specs:

  •  Image sensor: 1920×1200, 10 bit Raw CMOS 2/3″ on 2MP Version
  •  Framerate: 240 fps (@ full resolution: 1920 x 1200), 576 fps (@ 1280 x 720), 1524 fps (@ 640 x 480), 3134 fps (@ 320 x 200)
  •  Pixel pitch: 4.8 µm
  •  Shutter: Global shutter
  •  Lens: included, compatible with every other C- / CS- Mount lens
  •  Image Sensor Size: 2/3” Optical Format
  •  Spectrum: Just visible light, no NIR (but the built-in NIR-cut filter can be removed or exchanged with another filter if you are willing to disassemble the thCam)
  •  Min. Exposure Time: 1 / 25,000 seconds
  •  Screen: multitouch capacitive lcd touchscreen
  •  Memory: 8 GiB (record time 12s)
  •  Battery: replaceable and rechargable li ion battery (continous recording time: > 2 hrs, stand-by mode: > 6 hrs)
  •  USB: USB 3.0 SuperSpeed connectivity
  •  Synchronization: External Monitorsignal and Trigger/Sync Port
  •  Software: Open Source, running on Windows (7 and above) / macOS (10.15 and above) / Linux
  •  Supported File Formats: Image Sequence (Raw, Jpg, Png), Video File (Mp4 / H.264)
  •  API: Open Source, use the camera in your own code (C++, Python, Java)
  •  Case: Aluminium case
  •  Dimensions: W x H x D = 14 cm x 8 cm x 5 cm (estimated values)

As you can see, the camera is no slouch, it can record up to 12 seconds of RAW video and can be used and controlled remotely with programming commands if needed. It uses a C mount much like other cameras in its class and has a 2 hr battery life while recording and up to 6hrs standby.  The batteries are a couple of 18650s which are common and widely available.

There are also options to only get the PCB boards with a sensor instead of a fully built camera at a lower price of €649 for the 2MP sensor version.  Some engineers are more inclined to adapt the PCB to their own pipeline instead of using a self-contained camera unit.

The Kickstarter Campaign:

The campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thdevices/thcam-3000-fps-slowmotion-camera

The creators of the camera a Swiss and German engineer team are asking for a pledge goal of $94,779 USD or about €80k Euros.  For under $1000USD depending on the exchange rate, this is a cheap slow motion camera that has a lot of potential with RAW image quality that seems above good just looking at the provided samples.

Footage is recorded as 10 Bit RAW Image Sequences, full control of white balance, color tone, contrast, and brightness no compression. After editing you may compress your video to standard formats (H.264).

The camera features a Global Shutter so no rolling shutter artifacts to spoil your experiments.

The thCam comes with an equipped 8 GB memory module, enough to record about 12 seconds in full resolution with maximum framerate. Standard SODimm 204 DDR3 Computer memory modules are used, so you are free to upgrade your camera later on.

The camera also comes with a Super Speed USB 3.0 port. This high transfer rate allows you to stream images from the camera in realtime and low latency.

The camera also has an Open Source SDK that allows for programmability and full remote control of the camera via USB 3.

Supported Languages will be Java, Python and C/C++.

thCam Slow Motion Camera Video Samples:

Camera Timeline:

Team

Follow them on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/thdevices/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ThDevices-GmbH-101338128342338

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thdevicesgmbh

(Development-) Blog: https://blog.thdevices.com/

Our Take on the thCAM:

This is a pretty neat little camera with a lot of potential for labs, engineers, education, sports, and imaging enthusiasts/hobbyists.

It has a great interface with easy controls that is working and ready to go. It has extensibility via software and can be controlled remotely by USB 3.0 with instant feedback.

The video samples do show some noise, chromatic aberration, and softness but looking at some of the other demos, it is clear these are mainly due to either low light or a pretty bad quality lens used. If you coupled this image sensor with better high-quality glass like we have seen in other C mount cameras, it is easily going to produce beautiful imagery.

For $1,000 USD for a fully assembled and working camera, we do not believe there is a deal out there that can compare. Sure you only get a maximum of 266fps in 1080p but we do get 576fps at 720p which is better than what many prosumer cameras can shoot at and the fact that we have RAW here makes it that much sweeter.

For production houses and serious videographers, it is clear this camera will not fit the bill as the smallish 2/3rds sensor could pose problems with image quality for broadcast and film unless the conditions were ideal with ample light control. This camera is not intended for that market in our view. This camera is intended for serious scientific experimentation and motion analysis with the possibility to extend its capabilities with software.

As a sports training device, it could be the best-priced camera of it’s kind with enough quality to analyze body motion on the fly and on location with its portability and 2hr recording and 6hr standby battery. We can see golfers and gymnasts gravitating to a solution like this especially with the flexibility and price.

The team of the Ackermanns is entering the space with the thCam but hopefully, we will see a more image quality-oriented camera as a future product with a higher price but not extremely above this first iteration. If they could produce a similar 1080p camera at 1000fps or 2000fps we are sure it would make a gigantic splash.

We wish the team luck on their campaign which looks to be ready for production, hopefully, we will continue to see impressive engineering from this team for years to come. -HSC

Pledge your support and possibly get a camera at The Kickstarter Campaign here:

The campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thdevices/thcam-3000-fps-slowmotion-camera

Announcements, Camera News, Development, Hardware Development, Rumors

Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k 1000fps for 10k?

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Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k 1000fps

ChrisVTV a filmmaker from Portland Oregon and fabulous slow motion professional has hinted at the existence of a new camera by the makers of the Movi stabilizer, and Astro drones is said to be launching soon at a price about $10,000 USD and could go head to head with Vision Research’s Phantom Flex 4k.   There is no specific information other than it seems to be a 4k camera capable of high frame rates, possibly 1000fps.

Since this is a rumor please take it with a grain of salt but it sure seems to be legit.  A camera that really de-thrones the Phantom or at least competes with it head to head at less than 1/10th the price will be an explosion in the world of high frame rate camera options.  We may be close to having an option that shoots cinema-quality footage for a fraction of the cost in UHD at 4k!

Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k Post:

You an visit Chrisvtv’s Instagram feed here!

Also, you can visit Freefly systems but it does not show any info on Wave as of yet!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Which is the phantom? Can you tell the difference between a $160K phantom and the new $10k WAVE camera from @freeflysystems comment below and follow along for exclusive info on the brand new un released high speed camera created by FREEFLY dropping soon 🤯 🎥 . . . . #chrisvtvwavecamera #wavecamera #freeflywave #chrisvtv #wave #filmsupplyclub #cinematography #cinematographers #directorofphotography #directorslife #freeflysystems #moco chrisvtvwave #filmmaking #filmlife🎬 #setlife🎥 #setlife🎬 #behindthescenes🎬 #behindthescenes #foodstylingprops #camerasetupclub #phantomflex4k #flex4k #4kflex #phantom4kflex #highspeedcamera #lovehighspeed #slomovideo #slowmotionsunday #slomo #tvc

A post shared by Chris Vanderschaaf (@chrisvtv) on → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Announcements, Camera News, Drones, Hardware Development, Media Showcase, Previews, Reviews, Slowmo Samples

DJI Mavic Air 2 has a 240fps 1080p mode that you won’t use!

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DJI Mavic Air 2

DJI has unveiled the Mavic Air 2 consumer drone with incredible specs and a fit and finish that rivals their more expensive lineup. We have been waiting for a successor to the original Mavic Air to see where the platform was taking high frame rates but while we now have a 240fps 1080p mode, it hardly what we would call usable for production.  There is a softness and compression that while they look ok for amateur and some Youtube videos it fails for professionals that need that quality output.

There is a lot to like here like the 48MP sensor with 8k hyperlapse and stills mode with RAW along with a better than most other drones 4k UHD mode at 60fps with 120Mbps codec.  It is really a steal if you were waiting for a drone that can do it all and not break your budget.  You get many high-end features on a minute package that while a little big compared to mini drones, it is really small compared to the full-sized Mavic line.

DJI Mavic Air 2 Main Specs:

Sensor 1/2″ CMOS
Effective Pixels 48 MP
Focal Length 24mm (35mm Equivalent)
Lens Field of View 84°
Aperture f/2.8
Minimum Focusing Distance 3.3′ / 1.0 m
Photo ISO Range 100 to 3200 (Auto)
100 to 6400 (Manual)
Video ISO Range 100 to 6400
Photo Resolution 4:3: 8000 x 6000
Photo Format JPEG, DNG
Video Formats 3840 x 2160p at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4)
2688 x 1512p at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4)
1920 x 1080p at 24/25/30/48/50/60/120/240 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-

DJI Mavic Air 2 REVIEW & First Look – 4K 60p, 1080p 240fps by cinema5D:

If you look at the excellent video above by Cinema 5D and Nino Leitner, it tells you all you need to know about the features of this new Mavic drone for a first look.  He even goes in and shoots a sample of 1080p at 240fps which in our view is a godsend to see because many manufacturers avoid sharing footage from these high frame rate modes.

We can clearly see the video quality in the 1080p 240fps mode is soft and compression obliterates fine detail like that of the grass and girl’s hair.  There is really no point in getting this drone for its slow motion capabilities in Full HD.

That said, this new drone is probably the most exciting release for portability and 4k 60p users that lends itself well for less jittery pan motion and for slowing down overhead views.  It really is hard to justify a larger more capable drone for most video enthusiasts considering how much of their more expensive counterparts is here.

Shot On Mavic Air 2 (Sample Mavic Air 2 Video) | DJI Store by DJI STORE AUSTRALIA: → Continue Reading Full Post ←