Tag Archives: demo

Chronos 4k12 and Q12 Hi-Speed Announced!

Krontech the Canadian Hi-speed camera company has released press information for two new global shutter camera releases due to ship in 2024.  While they did excellent work with the Chronos 1.4 720p and Chronos 2.1 HD 1080p slow motion cameras, many users of the platform clamored for more resolution and better image quality.  Enter the new Chronos 4k12 a full 4k Camera capable of 1,397 FPS at 8 bit 4096 x 2160 resolution or at 3840 x 2160
UHD 1,491 FPS.  

To put this in perspective, the Phantom 4k camera does 4k at 1k fps and costs around $80k USD for a starter kit.  This new Chronos camera has some serious punch for the TV, Web, and Film industries that need the extra resolution. We can see many production houses adopting this camera for production without breaking the bank in a compact and fully contained package.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Huawei Mate 30 Pro New Slow Motion Samples!

Huawei Mate 30 Pro New Slow Motion Samples

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has been out for a few weeks outside the US, mainly in China and India and we have gathered 15 video samples from its slow motion mode which as of today is the best performing high-speed phone ever developed.  We had some shortcomings about the way the phone reaches the highly hyped 7,680fps mode which is 1920fps multiplied by 4x in software from a small snapshot of the video memory.

We also had some suspicions that the 1080p 960fps mode was also interpolated but looking at the samples we gathered it seems that was a premature call. The phone is actually capturing the full frame rate at 1080p or close to that.  The real max mode is 1920fps at 720p which is then interpolated to 7,680fps with good success by the new Kirin 990 chipset. Your mileage may vary and the results depend on the subject matter more than anything as organic slower motion looks much better than fast unpredictable bursts that break the interpolation algorithm.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro New Slow Motion Samples:

Make sure to read our previous post on the Mate 30 Pro to understand how the phone shoots video in high frame rates if you have some doubts.

The faster the motion and the more detailed the subject like water, sand or dust can break the algorithm easily and cause unwanted blurring. The phone is creating these frames from a 1,920fps video and creating in-between frames much like programs like Twixtor or Optical flow do it on your PC video editor see our article here on this subject to understand more.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion Specs Dissected:

  • 120fps 1080p Continuous
  • 240fps 1080p Continuous
  • 960fps 1080p for 1 full second (960 frames in total)
  • 1920fps 720p for 1/2 second  (960 frames in total)
  • 7680fps 720p interpolated 4x (lasts for 32 seconds on a 30p timeline.)
  • All super slow motion modes at 960p and above last 32 seconds of playback at 30fps regular speed.
  • The entire buffer for the slow motion feature is 2GB and gets filled by data then dumped and encoded on the fly by the Kirin 990 chip.

There is no doubt that the more light you give the phone the better capture it will achieve. The Phone has a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 which is the default on a bright sunny day, if you shoot in that kind of light you have a better chance of avoiding blurring and the subject will have more detail while the interpolation system on the Kirin 990 will have an easier time doing the interpolated frames.

See the samples below and our end commentary note further down:

960fps, 1920fps and 7680fps test – Huawei Mate 30 Pro incredible Slow Motion by Slow Experiment:

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion: time control is now available on a phone by gizmochina: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion The Real Story!

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion

Huawei has just launched the Mate 30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro 5G Smartphones which sport an impressive camera module with a large sensor array that shoots at 40 Megapixels.  We had rumors sent a couple of weeks back but had our reservations due to the less than optimal slow motion in the P20 and other Huawei Smartphones.  The phone is now untouched by the competition as it can shoot a half-second at 1920fps 720p or 960fps total which translates to 32 seconds on a 30p timeline.

The headline slow motion feature of 7680fps is not real as it is derived from the 1920fps 720p half-second which the phone then uses AI selection to isolate a 0.12 seconds segment of the capture then finally interpolated by the Kirin 990 Chipset to the full 7680fps. So it does a 4x slow motion on top of it to get the great-looking result.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Camera Specs:

MAIN Rear CAMERA Module Quad 4x modules 40 MP, f/1.6, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7″, PDAF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4″, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
40 MP, f/1.8, 18mm (ultrawide), 1/1.54″, PDAF
3D TOF camera
Features Leica optics, dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama, HDR
Video 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 1080p@960fps,  720p@1920fps, 720p@7680fps Interpolated 4x, gyro-EIS

Slow Motion Huawei Mate 30 Pro Keynote demo isolated by Svět Huawei:

The demo above shows the Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion feature in surface detail. It is compared to a 150k professional slow motion camera that shoots at 1977fps vs 1920fps on the Mate 30 pro.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro 7860fps ULTRA SLOW MOTION DEMO!!! by DroidHolic:

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion Specs Dissected:

  • 120fps 1080p Continuous
  • 240fps 1080p Continuous
  • 960fps 1080p for 1 full second (960 frames in total)
  • 1920fps 720p for 1/2 second  (960 frames in total)
  • 7680fps 720p interpolated 4x (lasts for 32 seconds on a 30p timeline.)
  • All super slow motion modes at 960p and above last 32 seconds of playback at 30fps regular speed.
  • The entire buffer for the slow motion feature is 2GB and gets filled by data then dumped and encoded on the fly.

As you can see this is some serious phone performance and at this moment it is the slow motion champion for smartphones. It de-thrones Samsung, OnePlus, and Sony for the top spot by offering 960fps for a full second at 1080p and 1/2 second at 1920fps 720p. This is untouched performance.

HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro slow motion video by Mix Videos 720p 7680fps interpolated: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Chronos 2.1 HD Shoots 1000fps 1080p For $5k!

Chronos 2.1 HD Slow Motion Camera

In what could be summed up as a big milestone day in affordable slow motion, Krontech.ca the company behind the excellent 720p 1500fps Chronos 1.4c slow motion camera has now announced ready for pre-order a new 1080p Full HD 1000fps slow motion camera that starts at a bargain basement price of $5,000 US Dollars.  Considering just a few years ago this performance in the Phantom camera space was a six-figure proposition, this is major progress towards a camera that we have been waiting for a long time.

Sure there have been other cameras that democratized the space in the past like the amazing edgertronic SC2X we tested which is a 15,990 USD piece of gear and is capable of 2000fps+ at full HD resolution on an APS-C sized sensor.  Still very cheap compared to other cameras but not exactly affordable for the common shooter. Now the Chronos 2.1 HD is here to change all that and offer in a fully contained package with a ready to shoot kit for a starting price a third of that.

Chronos 2.1 HD Main Specs:
  • 1080p, 4/3” format image sensor captures 2.1 gigapixels per second for 1004fps at full resolution, and up to 100 000fps
    at lower resolutions.
  • 8GB, 16GB and 32GB high-speed RAM buffer options for 2.5, 5.5 and 11 second record time respectively.
  • High sensitivity base ISO of 500 (Color) and 1000 (Monochrome) enables shooting with modest lighting.
  • Completely standalone, untethered operation.
  • Field-swappable internal battery EN-EL4a lasts for 1 hour of recording.
  • Runs indefinitely on AC adapter or external power source.
  • H.264 Recording In Camera & Uncompressed DNG RAW
  • Many lenses supported: Nikon F, Canon EF, Micro Four Thirds and C mounts available as field-swappable options.
  • Focus peaking highlights sharp edges for quick and perfect focus.
  • Zebra lines help you set correct exposure.
  • Pixel pitch 10um
  • Electronic global shutter, 1/fps to 10us (1/100 000 s)
  • Dynamic range 10.3 stops (62.4 dB) (preliminary)
  • Bit depth 12-bit
  • 5″ 800×480 capacitive touchscreen, 1000 nit daylight visible
  • Cooling Active cooling, variable-speed fan
  • Dimensions 155mm x 96mm x 67.3mm (6.11″ x 3.78″ x 2.65″) without lens
  • IR Filter 650nm, user removable, 24 x 16 x 1.1mm
  • Cooling Active cooling, variable-speed fan
  • Network: Gigabit Ethernet
  • Trigger Two Trigger inputs/frame strobe outputs (BNC and Aux)
  • Audio* Microphone/Line input, headphone output
  • Video HDMI monitor output
  • USB USB type A (host) and micro B (device)
  • SATA eSATA 3Gbps

Pricing and Availability:

Chronos 2.1-HD 8GBUSD $5000  – 2.7sec@1080p
Chronos 2.1-HD 16GBUSD $5400 5.51sec@1080p
Chronos 2.1-HD 32GBUSD $6000 – 11.03sec@1080p

There will also be 40 early bird cameras ready to ship for the 2019 summer for the lucky few that get there first. Pricing will be the same but you will get the camera earlier. Pre Order Page Here!

Chronos 2.1-HD Demo Reel #1 Sample Footage:

Watch in 4k for best results, Youtube 1080p compression obliterates a lot of fine detail!

NAB 2019 Booth:

The Krontech team will be attending NAB 2019 in Las Vegas to show their cameras and answer questions at their own booth.

What’s the catch, this price can’t be real?

There is no catch, the camera is a direct evolution of the Chronos 1.4c and a clear winner at least on paper for our #1 spot in our affordable slow motion HSC camera guide.  Since the Chronos started at $3k USD the Krontech team has made it possible by using their honed skills to deliver a product which is really a cut above at just $2k more.  For $5,000 USD you really cannot even imagine getting a camera close to this level of performance.

The camera sports a Micro 4/3s sensor which is considerably smaller than most professional cinema slow motion cameras which start at APS-C size and also the edgertronics but it seems to be a sensor that is not only capable but very sensitive to light which should, in theory, allow for beautiful imagery in 1kfps 1080p and at lower resolutions.

We are fans of Micro 4/3rds sensors like the one in the Panasonic GH5 and GH5s which delivers outstanding value for money.  These cameras are very capable in the video world and the sheer adaptability of the mount means that it can be used with almost any lens out there sans that of shorter flange mounts like the Sony Alpha for example.

The sensor in this Chronos 2.1 – HD is also adaptable to using speed boosters like the excellent Metabones line of m4/3 adapters which allow for a full stop improvement in light gathering as well as allow for APS-C field of view on the smaller area 4/3 sensor. We can already get excited about the light gathering improvement in a camera like this with the appropriate adapter.  Remember, you can never have enough light when shooting slow motion video.

Chronos 2.1 HD Slow Motion Camera Body Design & Mount:

The Sensor is a LUX2100 from Luxima with 1952 x 1096 pixels & 1080p resolution with a max full readout of 1004fps at 1080p.

The camera body will be identical in shape and dimensions to the Chronos 1.4c and there will be an adapter to incorporate Micro 4/3 lenses as an add on. You should be able to use any C mount to EOS or C mount to Nikon adapters for using those lenses.

The HDMI port will also export a 1080p image at 100ms delay time which is the same as the back screen. This is short enough to allow the use of larger accessory screens and or viewfinders with the camera.

  • SD Card speed will be limited to 20MB/sec
  • SSD Drive saving will be 60MB/sec or 13 – 1080p frames a second in RAW DNG format.
  • Much faster H.264 saving than DNG like in the original Chronos.

Chronos 2.1-HD prototype demo, overview, and teardown by tesla500:

New Screen, New Horizons!

  • 5″ 800×480 capacitive touchscreen, 1000 nit daylight visible

Yes, the Chronos 2.1 – HD will have a new screen capable of 1000 nits which according to the spec sheet will allow full sun visibility outdoors.  This was a big issue with the original Chronos 1.4c which requires not only a sun shade but even some guessing as to focus and framing in sunlight.  If this screen is that good then this is simply the best upgrade to the camera after resolution!

Now you can take your Chronos out and shoot without a separate monitor in daylight while composing and operating the camera. Very exciting news!

Maximum Frame rates, this is a serious piece of gear!

As you can see in the table above, you can really push this camera to limits never before attempted in this price range.

The camera shoots in 32×2 pixel increments which means you can literally punch in any multiple of those like 64*4, 128*8 and so on until full HD on the sensor to get a plethora of combinations.

At 100,000fps 1920*8px the maximum this camera can offer you will be able to see a bullet fired and smashed if framed right with excellent temporal detail.  Of course, you will want to use resolution accordingly depending on the subject matter and the display where it will be ultimately shown.

You will still get the 720p 1500fps popularized in the Chronos 1.4c with a sensor center crop if needed which means you don’t really lose this ability if you upgrade to this camera. We are very happy to see this spec retained and now with 34% Larger Pixels.

When can I see it?

The camera should start to ship this summer to early bird buyers and shortly thereafter to regular orders.  The hardware is finalized and working so they need to build the cameras after the orders come in. Krontech delivered hundreds of Chronos 1.4c cameras after their Kickstarter campaign and has continued to fulfill new orders day in and day out, we have full confidence in their ability to deliver on these cameras after purchase.

We hope to get one of these cameras soon for testing and evaluate how well it performs. Looking forward in the Chronos 2.1 HD to a much larger sensor experience in 4/3rds than the Chronos 1.4c  2/3ds sensor. The pixel size alone should deliver a much better image with less noise and artifacts out of the box at 10µm vs 6.6µm in the Chronos 1.4c or 34% larger. New sensor technology should also play a significant role in delivering on the image quality front.

Other Chronos Updates:

The Chronos API should be released soon which will let users build applications and control the camera or array of cameras in unlimited ways.   Once this API is released the original Chronos 1.4c camera will increase in price by $401 USD to reflect added capabilities and keep up with inflation while at the same time supporting the development of the software.

Chronos Ring:

We thought it was an April’s fools joke when Krontech.ca released a teaser image on April 1st showing a 48 Chronos 1.4c camera rig to record in 360 degrees in super slow motion.  However, the Rig is not only real but a world first in recording this type of content at 68 gigapixels/sec in glorious super slow motion.

Krontech was kind enough to share early samples of the technology in the video below. Rest assured this is in alpha stage so any miss-alignment or slight jumpiness should be fixed by release time or by the customer on location.

The technology of the Chronos Ring should, in theory, allow for a completely new 360º degree perspective in recording super slow motion footage for TV shows, commercials, and scientific applications.  We are eager to see more of what this rig is capable in professional hands.  Expect to see blockbuster movies and or TV using this technology to create the next generation VFX shots to move forward the art of practical effects. What an awe-inspiring technology.

Chronos Ring Video Samples:

Chronos Ring – Bullet time array of 48 high-speed cameras by tesla500: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Are Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered?

Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered

Recent advances in computation, simulation, and real-time rendering have become so advanced that some visual effects artists are opting for rendering everything with CGI instead of filming it outright.  In making-off featurettes, we have seen the VFX teams scrap explosions, fluids, car crashes and actor stunts with CGI inserts that offer precise control over lighting, debris, motion, and quality which are all a crap shoot when filming with a real camera.

NVIDIA just released some demos of real-time ray tracing that surpass the best quality renderers of the 1990s with playable frame rates and ambient occlusion that in the right hands could be indistinguishable from many special effects in a film. The new RTX technology in their Volta architecture GPUs can do area shadows, true multi-level depth reflections, refraction and global illumination in real time 30+fps on a personal computer.

Video Examples of Real-Time RTX Raytracing on the latest NVIDIA GPUs:

NVIDIA RTX Real Time Ray Tracing Demo:

NVIDIA RTX and GameWorks Ray-Tracing Technology Demonstration by NVIDIA GeForce:

SEED – Project PICA PICA – Real-time Raytracing by Electronic Arts: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

New Phantom Camera 1080p 20,000fps in 2018?

Vision Research the creator of the Phantom, has posted a new Christmas Ornament slow motion video that hints at a new camera release for January 2018. From the looks of it, it may be capable of 20,000fps at 1080p resolution. When you look at the footage sample the resolution does look very well but it may be 720p if you really nitpick the edges which look somewhat aliased when played back at 1080p.  Whichever the case may be 20k fps at HD resolution brings in an amazing performance and probably a high price alongside it.  Happy Holidays! -HSC