Category Archives: Hardware Development

Are Consumer Cameras About to Disappear?

Consumer Cameras sales

Tony Nurthrup has created a video eulogy of the consumer cameras along with a long explanation of why the camera as we know it will cease to exist. It is not only about the form factor change and plethora of options but the ability of camera companies to make money from their camera lines.

There has been a continued drop in consumer cameras of all kinds including SLR or ILC systems sales since their peak in 2011. The smartphone is killing the camera and no matter how many phone like features like WiFi, Bluetooth or Social Media share are incorporated in compact cameras; they continue to go down in sales and swamping the bargain bins of oblivion. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony FS7 Mark II Slow Motion Stays at 180fps!

Sony FS7 Mark II

In what could be condensed into a mild refresh at best; the newly released Sony FS7 Mark II Super 35mm 4k Camera does little to entice owners of the Sony FS7 to upgrade. It seems to be a way to replace the camera and entice new buyers without actually offering anything really revolutionary.

To be fair there are a few improvements like the E Mount now has a PL like locking mechanism for easier lens detachment without twisting. This is ideal for lenses with filters and matte box attached. Also the integrated electronic Variable ND brings it in line with other cameras that offer this compelling option to avoid ND filters altogether while setting the camera for 1/180º shutter. Added also is BT.2020 color space for UHD recording at 10 and 12 bits, 10 assignable buttons vs 6 in the Mark 1 and a few new LEDs and ergonomic fixes from user feedback on the Mark 1. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony a6500 Slow Motion and Overheating!

Sony a6500 Slow Motion

The Sony a6500 came as a big surprise to a6300 owners in that their camera was loosing value overnight in the secondary market to a near identical close with a touch screen and IBIS stabilization.  However the camera has still not reached the hands of many pre order customers but we were able to find a few insights on the 120fps full HD slow motion mode.

The quality should be very similar to the a6300 since the sensor is identical but with slight improvements in the dynamic range and color pipeline should yield a slight increase in per pixel definition. The compression should be very close with the XAVC-S codec at 21Mbps at 24p and or 50Mbps at 60p with easily selectable formats. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX100 V Manual Shows Higher HFR Resolution!

Sony RX100 V

It seems the Sony RX100 V is not only improved in recording time but also on resolution.  Our reader “slowmosage” sent us his new findings on the official manual and in fact Sony states much higher resolution read out for the HFR mode at 480fps, 500fps, 960fps and 1000fps than the RX100 IV had.

The increases are not trivial and shows that the actual readout in the horizontal at 500fps and 480fps is the same number of pixels read out at the near full HD 240fps and 500fps 1824*1026. This is a big improvement compared to the previous HFR modes and confirms that the resolution seen in the sample footage not only looks better but it is based on more pixels read out. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

fps1000 HD is Funded Now Offers 3D Camera!

fps1000 hd final case

Warning: The parent company of FPS cameras “The Slow Motion Camera Company Ltd.” went out of business and entered liquidation proceedings. No further development of cameras is expected. More information here on Google Search

The fps1000 HD Kickstarter project has surpassed it’s funding goal by nearly twice the amount requested and with only a 2 and 1/2 days left it may be able to do substantially better considering the home stretch push.  It certainly has garnered a lot of attention from the camera enthusiast market and it may cement even more the longevity of now known The Slow Motion Camera Company Limited as an established retail option and separate itself from a mostly Kickstarter backed product. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Chronos High Speed Camera Demo Released!

chronos1_4

David Kronstein the mind behind the Tesla500 Youtube channel has released new footage and information from his latest high speed camera prototype.  Now aptly  named Chronos high speed camera it features a fully machined metal enclosure, with a variety of modern ports and full touch GUI with full color or monochrome capabilities depending on the sensor chosen.

The current prototype is based on the camera David created in his garage/lab that shot most of the high speed footage for his channel. You can read about the previous HSC768 camera prototype here.  This is a gigantic leap forward from that earlier camera and David was kind enough to supply detailed info about the specs and upcoming Kickstarter campaign so you can fund it and own a camera yourself. → Continue Reading Full Post ←