There was a lot of expectation regarding the slow motion capability of the iPhone 7. Apple has been dominating the spec since the early days on the iPhone 4s. However while the processing and sensor quality have improved; the resolution and frame rates have stayed the same in the iPhone 7. There are huge speed increases and much more memory available to do a lot of things in video but Apple has chosen to stay at the same spec level in it’s latest phone.
The slow motion performance of the phone has improved with every iteration when it comes to quality and it will probably have a better dynamic range rating as well as better overall noise control. The spec remains at the top range in smart phones but it is not pushing the boundaries of what can be done in current hardware. We were expecting 480fps at 720p and 240fps at 1080p as possibly moving forward with the feature.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Rio Olympics has been called many things so far but if you have been watching it closely it is probably the world event with the most slow motion cameras ever used. By some estimates there are about 1500 high frame rate capable cameras at the games anywhere from 120fps to 2,500fps. The quality is also astounding as full HD and even some 4k 120fps and Phantom 4k footage at 1,000fps has been shot.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Chinese cinema camera company Kinefinity is adding two new models of cameras at this Year’s NAB event in Las Vegas. The Kinefinity Terra 5k and 6k Models. They differ in sensor and abilities with prices that just 5 years ago would have commanded much higher tiers.
Last Year’s Kinemax 6k and 4k graced our Camera Guide with a good showing now occupying 10th and 14th place but now they are aiming much much higher with better RAW frame rates up to 225fps in 2k and lower price points than most of the RAW capable competitors in the space.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Announced just last week the Sony PXW-Z150 gets a lot of right for the low end pro video market. It has 4k 4:2:0 as many in the competitive price range of $3,595 MSRP. It has 4:2:2 1080p 10 bit at 50mbit which is a good surprise and it seems to be carried to the also included 120fps full HD 1080p slow motion mode.
The sensor is of the stacked kind and it is 1″ sized, the same as the ones in the RX100 IV and RX10 II from Sony which are really good at slow motion for a low price. However those full specs are not carried through in the high frame rate mode or HFR. It maxes out at 120fps 1080p instead of 240fps on the RX series in the 1k range and the FS5 which is a tad more expensive than the Z150.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The just announced Olympus SH-3 Camera not only does 4k video at 15fps which is far from ideal but also allows serious HD video performance in a 1/2.3″ (6.17 x 4.55 mm) Sensor fixed 24x zoom camera product with 1080p 60fps and 120fps at 720p with a smaller res 240fps mode that may work for some experimental shots. For owners of the SH-2 of last year the frame rates were already there in the same exact specs except for the 15fps 4k.
There is no question this is a mild refresh of the camera compared to last year’s SH-2. Besides some extra software image filters and 4k at 15fps which is kind of an unusual frame rate and more a gimmick that a usable video format; there is not much else to report as feature improvements.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Nexus 6P has had a rough start due to it’s somewhat lackluster build quality that buckled on the bend tests against the improved iPhone 6s which fixed that problem that appeared on the iPhone 6. However that does not detract from the fact that the Nexus 6P is a serious powerhouse of specs and camera performance which brings true competition at 120fps and 240fps quality against the iPhone hegemony.
The compression has been improved and the scaling is actually pretty good generating fewer artifacts than ever before on an Android Phone slow motion mode. While there is a bit of Moire and aliasing in the images especially at 240fps, it is in line to what the iPhone 6s delivers. That is why we ranked them side by side on our best slow motion cameras of 2015.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
