The Sony FS700 has been reduced in price several times this year and now commands an under $5k price for the body only package. When the camera was released it commanded a $7,999 USD price tag for the same kit with $8,499 USD for the basic 18-200mm kit. Nowadays you can get some used FS700 bodies for just over 4k.
The FS700 remains in the #2 spot of our HSC Camera guide for slow motion cameras on a budget. The deal just got better with these price cuts.
At first glance the LG G4 Android smart phone with it’s RAW image capture and completely manual camera might seem like the best ever camera phone to date and it is in many respects but; when it comes to slow motion it is barely mentioned in the specs. It does have a slow motion mode but after looking at samples it is far away from an iPhone 6 in quality and even below the Galaxy S6 which disappointed.
The 120fps mode is limited to 720p HD resolution which is now standard on most high end to midrange phones. The quality is not even 720p in closer inspection it is more like 960*540px or lower scaled up showing all sorts of artifacts from heavy pixelation, aliasing & moire.
Over the last three weeks testing and shooting with the edgertronic high speed camera has given HSC the opportunity to branch out of the basic kit and expand on the way the camera can be interfaced with. The small footprint of the body screams to be taken outside and on locations out of a controlled studio environment.
Part 3 of this review will focus on what kind of customization can be done by altering the connections and host computer to easily use the camera as a completely portable setup. We will also go into a feature wishlist for the camera or future edgertronic products and our conclusion for the entire review.
In Part 1 of this review we looked at the body and design of the edgertronic camera. Touched on the mount and available frame rates. Part two is all about using and understanding the abilities and limitations of the camera as a high speed tool.
Connecting and firing up the camera for the first time:
There comes a time when technology changes and adapts to become something mainstream, able to fulfill the needs and budget of the common man. The edgertronic affordable high speed camera is such a product. It aims to democratize and produce quality high speed imaging affordable for the first time to a plethora of users and markets. Does it succeed? Does it herald the arrival of professional high speed imaging for the common man? Do I need this camera in my arsenal of gear? This review will aim to answer those questions and more and see what the edgertronic by Sanstreak delivers in their affordable package.
A Little History…
The Nikon 1 J5 was no secret since some leaks have been out for some time. However it is clear that the Nikon 1 line remains focused on speed be it still images or video. However they seem to be capping the frame rates on the HD side and upping the resolution in the 1200 and 400fps ranges by a few lines. We believe the reason is product separation so that the Nikon 1 V4 will be able to have some increase in specs while having the same basic internals.
Here are the specs That have changed for Slow Motion Video: