Tag Archives: sample

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 ←

Chronos 2.1 HD Slow Motion Camera use is exploding!

The Chronos 2.1 HD Slow Motion Camera which is the larger sensor and resolution version of the Chronos 1.4c is now being used in a lot of production situations. The material created with it gets better and better and while there is still a small backlog of camera orders due to COVID 19 disrupting part supply channels, most orders are now just a few weeks behind.

We have looked at a dozen videos that we would like to share with our readership showing the Chronos 2.1 HD in full force shooting in exquisite 1080p quality.  We are still waiting for a review unit which was delayed for a shortage of components to get to us but needless to say, the camera is gaining a very good reputation as the lowest price vs. quality option in the 1000fps 1080p camera world.

Chronos 2.1 HD Slow Motion Camera Video Samples:

We have seen a plethora of footage shot with the Chronos 2.1 HD lately which shows how Krontech has been able to ship a boatload of cameras across the globe.  You will find professionals and hobbyists alike shooting incredible material with the camera which is probably the best looking 1080p slow motion footage under $10,000 we have ever seen.  This little camera is making inroads into the market that is probably causing headaches to the higher end high-speed camera manufacturers. We can’t wait for Krontech to use what they have learned here to go even higher and offer a possible 1080p 4000+fps camera or a 1000fps 4k camera in the future.  Congratulations to our Canadian friends! 

Slow motion product shoot behind the scenes – Chronos 2.1-HD by Chronos Cameras:

Macro Room shooting slowmo video on Kron Technologies Chronos 2.1-HD by Chronos Cameras: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion at 240fps is good!

Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion

The Panasonic Lumix BGH1 is a strange camera if you are used to DSLR or Mirrorless camera body styles. It is tiny and full of connections with no screen unless you provide one via a computer that is tethered or an HDMI field monitor.  It uses the same dual ISO sensor found on the Panasonic Lumix GH5s which is a very good low light camera in a Micro 4/3ds package.  The BGH1 has a better internal recording set of options than the GH5s but it is more intended as a tethered studio solution with the addition of Genlock synch and SDI out.

The camera also has VFR or a Variable frame rate mode which is identical to the Lumix GH5s as it records from 1fps to 240fps in Full HD 1080p and delivers pretty good performance up to 200fps then lowers the quality along with providing a small added crop to the image at 225fps and 240fps. It is still not as sharp as regular 1080p video and the codec is saved at a lower bit rate but having 240fps as an option is great.

Panasonic LUMIX BGH1 Video Specs:

Video Modes: AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MOV 4:2:2 10-Bit:
4096 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 400 Mb/s)
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 200 Mb/s)
3328 x 2496p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 400 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 200 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MOV 4:2:0 8-Bit:
4096 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
3328 x 2496p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 to 150 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/24/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (100 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MP4 4:2:2 10-Bit:
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (72 to 100 Mb/s)
AVC-Intra/AVC-LongG/H.264/H.264 Long GOP/H.265/MP4 4:2:0 8-Bit:
3840 x 2160p at 23.98/25/29.97 fps (100 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps (24 to 28 Mb/s)VFR Mode 1-240fps Full HD 1080p (24 to 28 Mb/s) 

As you can see, the camera is capable of recording up to 60fps in 10 bit 4:2:2 internally which is better than other m4/3 lumix cameras that top out at 4:2:0 color space in this mode.

Of note is that the VFR Panasonic Lumix BGH1 Slow Motion mode is limited in bit rate from 24Mbits/sec to 28Mbits/sec which is passable but hardly ideal since the image is more compressed.  The quality of the VFR should be identical to the GH5s and the sample below by the great youtube reviewer Richard Wong you can see the softness associated with 240p in VFR.  We are told that up to 200fps the image looks a bit better and there is no crop associated with it.

Pretty In-Depth Panasonic Lumix BGH1 by Richard Wong: 

As you can see in the excellent in-depth review above, the camera has Auto Focus that is pretty similar to the other cameras in the Lumix line and suffers from the same pulsating qualities of the DfD Depth from Defocus algorithm used by Panasonic. We are no fans of it for video even when it has improved a lot. For AF to work reliably you need to have dual Pixels in the sensor with Phase and contrast-detection like those on systems from Canon or Sony.

The camera is very small and it is ideal for drones that can carry the 545g of the body plus a lens.  At $1,997.99 at Adorama Camera it is about the same price as a Panasonic S5 which is a full-frame camera that delivers even better performance in low light and has a photo mode and screen.  The S5 in our view is a better overall camera for the majority of people but the BGH1 is geared to a different market altogether.

You could build a studio with them as they have Genlock timecode sync and SDI out which is what you want for tethering many of these cameras together. The uses for a camera like this are plenty considering its great low light performance and beautiful image with 13 stops of Dynamic Range when Shooting V-Log L.

Pricing and availability:

Panasonic LUMIX BGH1 – Review – Unboxing the box camera by extrashot: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Freefly Wave Camera Sold Out, Batch 4 Preorders now Available!

Freefly Wave Camera Sold Out

It seems Freefly systems completely misjudged the demand for their new RAW 4k Slow Motion camera as the first 100 cameras ordered in batch 1 to batch 3 have all sold out. Now they aim to produce an unspecified number going forward with Batch 4 which is expected sometime in Q2 2021. The popularity of a product like this speaks volumes of the interest in slow-motion for video production, especially at 4k.  While the camera is not cheap at $9,995, it is still a bargain considering other options.

You would still need to factor in a field monitor as the camera does not have a built-in screen in the overall cost but these have lowered in value due to competition and wide availability ina variety of sizes and specs.  Freefly has also released a few more videos showing the Wave in action which are frankly inspiring and show what the camera is really capable of doing.  It seems this camera has been received so well by the market that we are sure Freefly is thinking already about an even higher spec camera for the future, maybe one with 1000fps in 4k.

Freefly Wave Camera Sold Out But More Are Coming in 2021!

Batch 1

  • 20 Units (sold out)
  • Shipping starts 11/18/2020

Batch 2

  • 30 Units (sold out)
  • Shipping starts 12/1/2020

Batch 3

  • 50 units (sold out)
  • Shipping starts 2/15/2021

Batch 4 and beyond (PREORDER HERE)

  • Expected to start shipping Q2, 2021

Freefly Wave Camera Sold Out: As you can see the camera’s first three batched sold out in a couple of weeks. For a slow motion camera of nearly 10k USD that is very popular.  The camera software is still in beta and the time to shipping should improve on that. We found some noise issues in the shadows that could be improved but other than that the camera was pretty solid from the samples we saw.

Footage of the Wave in Action:

Here are footage samples of the camera in action. Of note is that dynamic range is not as good as the best cameras out there but 11 stops are still respectable considering high speed CMOS Sensors tend to lower dynamic range when using a global shutter which is needed for high speed imaging.

Introducing Freefly Wave – High Speed Camera by Freefly Systems:

Wave 4K 420fps Bandsaw by Shane Colton: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Wave Camera 4k Slow Motion Released for 10k USD!

The Freefly systems Wave camera has been released and it is certainly a market disruptor. It is not your average high speed camera since it is essentially using an internal SSD M.2 card to continuously record slow motion events it functions more as a live capture device than a shot by shot trigger traditional slow motion camera. This is essentially the idea behind the fps1000 camera line by Graham Rowan which sadly was dissolved last year. A new way of capturing high speed by leveraging the speed of SSD flash storage with ultra-high frame rates.

The Wave is no slouch in specs with a 4k spec of 420fps which is not as good as the Phantom Flex 4k which records 1000fps but costs a whopping 160k USD.  The Wave costs $9,995 and using an E-Mount with no power or AF functions, can be adapted to a variety of lens systems because of the plethora of adapters that can be used due to the short flange distance.  We take a look at the wave specs and why it may be the camera you were waiting for – if you can get one!

Wave Camera 4k Slow Motion Specs:

Continuous Capture Time:

  • 4096 x 2176, 422fps, 1TB 19min
  • 4096 x 2176, 422fps, 2TB 39min
  • 2048 x 1088, 1461fps, 1TB 23min
  • 2048 x 188, 1461fps, 2TB 45min

The camera uses a 4:3 aspect ratio from the sensor which is kind of odd but allows for a variety of frame sizes including anamorphic capture if stretch in post. This seems to be an ideal camera for Anamorphic slow motion.  Of note is that the Krontech Chronos 2.1 HD is also using a 4:3 sensor which in theory can be used with Anamorphic glass. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k 1000fps for 10k?

Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k 1000fps

ChrisVTV a filmmaker from Portland Oregon and fabulous slow motion professional has hinted at the existence of a new camera by the makers of the Movi stabilizer, and Astro drones is said to be launching soon at a price about $10,000 USD and could go head to head with Vision Research’s Phantom Flex 4k.   There is no specific information other than it seems to be a 4k camera capable of high frame rates, possibly 1000fps.

Since this is a rumor please take it with a grain of salt but it sure seems to be legit.  A camera that really de-thrones the Phantom or at least competes with it head to head at less than 1/10th the price will be an explosion in the world of high frame rate camera options.  We may be close to having an option that shoots cinema-quality footage for a fraction of the cost in UHD at 4k!

Wave Camera by Freefly Systems 4k Post:

You an visit Chrisvtv’s Instagram feed here!

Also, you can visit Freefly systems but it does not show any info on Wave as of yet!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Which is the phantom? Can you tell the difference between a $160K phantom and the new $10k WAVE camera from @freeflysystems comment below and follow along for exclusive info on the brand new un released high speed camera created by FREEFLY dropping soon 🤯 🎥 . . . . #chrisvtvwavecamera #wavecamera #freeflywave #chrisvtv #wave #filmsupplyclub #cinematography #cinematographers #directorofphotography #directorslife #freeflysystems #moco chrisvtvwave #filmmaking #filmlife🎬 #setlife🎥 #setlife🎬 #behindthescenes🎬 #behindthescenes #foodstylingprops #camerasetupclub #phantomflex4k #flex4k #4kflex #phantom4kflex #highspeedcamera #lovehighspeed #slomovideo #slowmotionsunday #slomo #tvc

A post shared by Chris Vanderschaaf (@chrisvtv) on → Continue Reading Full Post ←