Tag Archives: Pro video

Panasonic Lumix GH6 does 300fps in Full HD!

We have been expecting Panasonic to deliver a GH5 and or GH5s replacement camera for over a year now. The pandemic and component shortages pushed back the release of almost all high tech imaging equipment. The Lumix GH6 is now announced and it does everything right for Micro 4/3 and then some but will that be enough to make the format survive in a world of ever-decreasing Full Frame camera prices getting cheaper?  

The GH6 has a new sensor, new Venus processing engine, new IBIS with up to 7.5 stops which is bordering on ridiculous, and a body that has active cooling. For HSC however, only one set of specs matters and that is frame rates for video. The camera is now on top of the Lumix and almost all of their pro division cameras by shooting up to 300fps 10 bit Full HDish, 240fps Full HD 10bit, and 120fps at 4k 10 bit.  For slow motion enthusiasts, it looks to be a great camera on paper and at just under $2,200 USD it is not going to break the bank.  But after all of this, should you invest in the GH6 as a slow motion tool or save more for an affordable dedicated high speed camera? → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix GH6 will do 120fps 4k & maybe more!

Lumix GH6 Panasonic

Panasonic unveiled in May the GH5 Mark II which is a slight refresh of the venerable m4/3rds GH5 with live streaming, better dynamic range in video, better AF algorithms, and slightly better IS on a very similar body with just a few cosmetic red buttons and rings for refresh purposes.  The slow motion remains at 180fps VFR at 1080p and 60p at 4k on the GH5 II since it is using the same sensor and imaging engine. It is a better overall camera than the original but a mild refresh nonetheless. 

That brings us to the pre-announced GH6 which is an in-development camera that aims to refresh the entire Micro 4/3ds line in Panasonic and aimed at professional video users.  It sports a new sensor, new imaging engine, new body and new technologies yet to be disclosed.  According to rumors, this camera should be able to keep micro 4/3rds alive for another five years delivering an array of video and photo features that will set it apart much like the original GH5 carved a place in camera history. We have also received rumored specs that may or may not pan out regarding frame rates which we find somewhat credible.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony Xperia 5 II 120fps 4k Slow Motion in Leaked Info!

Sony Xperia 5 II 120fps 4k Slow Motion

Sony has been relatively quiet about phones since the Xperia 1 II roll out. However, rumors have been heating up on the Xperia 5 II, which is a lower-cost alternative to the flagship phone but very nearly as capable without the best screen or construction but not skimming on features. The latest rumor mentions a spec sheet that makes it a 4k 120fps recording phone which may show that handsets still are seen as innovators when it comes to cameras since very few consumer devices in the camera world can record at that frame rate.

We were not very happy that Sony basically killed the super slow motion mode on the Xperia 1 II phone which kind of showed that Sony was putting stills and regular video at the forefront without making compromises in sensors that needed to shoot at higher frame rates. Sony chose to do cleaner regular frame rate video and stills that were better than any Sony phone before at the cost of not having a do it all sensor.  Slow motion from Sony was all but killed but the Xperia 5 II now makes us second guess that fate…

Sony Xperia 5 II leaked spec sheet:

  • 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with 21:9 aspect ratio
  • 120 Hz refresh rate
  • 240 Hz touch sampling rate
  • Snapdragon 865 chips
  • 8GB of RAM
  • 128GB of expandable storage.
  • 4,000 mAh battery
  • USB-C Port
  • 3.5mm Headphone Jack makes a comeback (YES 🙂 )

Rear camera module specs:

  • 12 MP  f/1.7 aperture, 24mm equivalent lens, with 82-degree field of view.
  • Telephoto camera 12 MP, with f/2.4 aperture, and 3x optical zoom.
  • Ultrawide 12 MP with  f/2.2 aperture, and 16 mm equivalent focal length – 124-degree field of view.
  • 120fps video recording in 4K with HDR.

Leaked images by evLeaks!

Rumors also state that the phone might launch with a $999 price tag up from the Xperia 5 of 2019 at $799 now just $599.   The Xperia 1 II as a comparison shipped with a  price tag of  $1,199 which is enormous.

We certainly hope prices start going down soon after as with any phone, expect heavy discounts after the first 4 months of shipping units pass.  We wouldn’t be surprised to see the Xperia 5 II at $699 by the first quarter of 2021.

We really like that the 3.5mm headphone audio jack is making a comeback in this phone. Many many people still use wired headphones for quality and no battery hassle as those conscious of radiation from earbuds or the headaches they can cause many people. We rather see all phones keep this port or at least offer it as an option on a variant.

Sony event on September 17th:

There have been changes in the Facebook and Youtube pages from Sony regarding an Xperia event on September 17th which we believe like many others that will be the launch event for the Xperia 5 II handset.  You can see here the Youtube header changed!

Sony is no stranger to pro video and the latest a7s III camera can shoot 120fps at 4k as well, you can see the footage from it below which plays with the new format very well:

【4K 120FPS】SONY A7S3 by Mediastorm影视飓风:

Now, all we have to do is wait for September 17th to arrive and see what the phone can do, and no… no talk about 240fps or 480fps or 960fps modes has been leaked but we can always hope, right? – HSC

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Sony Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II, Pro Give up on Super Slow Motion!

With all the COVID 19/Coronavirus news it seems out of place to fret over smartphone maker decisions. However, we have to mention the latest Sony smartphones which prioritize photo and video quality with one gigantic omission. All of the new lineup from Sony the Xperia 1 II, Xperia 10 II, and Xperia PRO 5G lack super slow motion features.  Yes, the 960fps 1080p mode is gone and the only spec remaining is a paltry 120fps 1080p Full HD pseudo-slow-mo frame rate.

If you recall in years past, the Sony brand was incorporating their Motion eye™ technology which pairs a sensor with ultra-fast memory on the same package to allow for large datarates and super slow motion capture. In the lab, the phones were able to shoot up to 1000fps at full 1080p HD with excellent quality.  What came out in the Xperia phones was a somewhat odd translation of 0.1 seconds recording time at 1080p 960fps/1000fps which came out to be extremely short and a kind of useless feature. Now that has been abandoned.

Camera Features Sony Xperia 1 II:

Quad 12 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.7″, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
12 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, PDAF, 3x optical zoom, OIS
12 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, Dual Pixel PDAF
0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth)
Features Zeiss optics, LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking
Video 2160p@24/25/30/60fps

HDR, 1080p@30/60/120fps;

5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS

We get excellent quality capture in both 4k and 1080p at several frame rates but the super slow motion has vanished.  No 240fps, no 480p no 960p.   Has Sony given up?

We believe Sony has prioritized per-pixel quality and low noise along with deep learning features over any higher frame rate features.  It seems slow motion phones peaked sometime in mid-2019 and now the new features sought after are more hardware-oriented with multi lenses, multi-camera, and higher pixel densities with extreme zoom features instead of the frame rates. We have seen this in the Samsung S20 but those phones keep 960fps except in the 5G variant see here!

So, all in all, we at HSC cannot recommend any of the new Sony Xperia phones for slow motion enthusiasts unless you are happy with 120fps 1080p which is almost a low-level spec now.  Check our Camera Guide and our Best phones of 2019 feature for guidance on which phones are Slow Motion capable.

RIP Sony Motion Eye Slow Motion Technology for 2020, We hope you resurrect sometime in the future!

Sony Xperia 1 Slow Motion Video @960fps (1080p Sample Video) by Danny P.: (FEATURE NO LONGER IN NEW PHONES)

Stay safe out there and follow the guidelines to combat the spread of this virus! -HSC

Sony Xperia 5 is a Cheaper Xperia 1!

Sony Xperia 5

Sony continues to recycle the same features over their phone lineup with a slightly dumbed down Xperia 1 phone which is their flagship with the same camera arrangement, screen, and main features. The 1080p 960fps mode is still here with a duration of 0.1 seconds and at 720p of 0.2 seconds.  The resolution and quality are not real 1080p as we have discussed before and the reduced time makes it nearly unusable.

However, the feature many are calling a bad omen is the disappearance of the 3.5mm headphone jack.  The phone is slimmer and smaller than the Xperia 1 but shares the best traits at a lower price. For many, it will not be enough to counter the popularity of other phones that are more full-featured and offer a vast array of video modes.

Sony Xperia 5 Camera Specs:

CAMERA Specs Triple 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/2.6″, 1.4µm, predictive Dual Pixel PDAF, 5-axis OIS
12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, predictive PDAF, 2x optical zoom, 5-axis OIS
12 MP, f/2.4, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4″, 1.0µm
Features LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking
Video 2160p@24/30fps HDR, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps (5-axis gyro-EIS), 1080p@960fps

Sony Xperia 5 Hands-on Review | What’s Changed vs Xperia 1? by Tech Spurt:

The Xperia 5 also has the cinema pro app which made the Xperia 1 so coveted for video shooters. The AF with Eye AF also is here so this phone is probably a better deal than the Xperia 1 considering it has almost identical specs in just a smaller screen size.

So after looking at what the Xperia 5 is capable off we have no problem recommending it as the best Sony phone ever based on its price. However, we cannot recommend it as a slow motion solution due to the lower than expected quality and recording time of the 960fps mode.

Xperia 1 960fps Slowmotion test by kao winson:

The sample above is from the Xperia 1 which shows the 6.4 seconds slow motion mode at 720p 960fps. Quality is ok but you can clearly see the jagged edges of lost line information.

In contrast, the sample below by McLarty Films shows the Xperia 1 at 1080p 960fps which equates to 3.2 seconds playback per clip. There is more resolution but also suffers from loss of resolution. Clarity is better but you cannot claim this is a professional-looking image and or worthy of using it for serious production work. It is a fun feature that could be bettered by a larger buffer and better resolution only if, Sony decides to give us that real performance upgrade.

Sony Xperia 1 – Slow Motion Camera Test – Taiwan Surfing by McLarty Films: → Continue Reading Full Post ←