The website Android Police has done a pretty robust tear down of the new android Camera SDK v3.0 giving a sneak peak of what is to come for many android phones that support the camera module application. The SDK v3.0 comes bundled with the Android 6 release which means all compatible devices upgraded to the new OS will have a chance to try some or all of the new features planned for the camera release. Your mileage depending on your phone manufacturer may vary but it could mean support for many new features like 240fps slow motion video which will compete favorably with the iPhone 6 and 6s in these high frame rate modes.
Top features in the SDK 3.0:
Smart Burst- Fast burst of images if supported by hardware!
Creations: Includes animated images and Auto Awesomes.
Slow Motion: 120fps or 240fps User selectable!
Auto HDR+ Plus: HDR images from a rapid burst.
Dirty Lens detection: Tells user if lens is smudged!
Improvements to the interface.
Code regarding slow motion settings in SDK 3.0!
<string name="hfr_mode_120fps">Slow motion is set to 120 fps</string>
<string name="hfr_mode_240fps">Slow motion is set to 240 fps</string>
<string name="hfr_mode_off">Slow motion is off</string>
Note: Regarding “Google Phone SDK 3.0 ” be aware that if your sensor and portable device combination do to limitations is not able to do higher frame rates these new features will not be accessible. It will be interesting to see which phones are upgraded with the capability as the Android 6 marshmallow updates roll out! → Continue Reading Full Post ←
Yesterday a group of users of the Panasonic GH4 noticed that you could get V-Log L activated on the GH4 camera without paying for it by use of the Wifi Mobile device app and some tinkering. At first it seemed like too good to be true but as some tests already have shown it is the real deal. However Panasonic already is working to correct the issue and has issued a statement on the matter.
While it was possible to do it be aware that the activation of this feature was not intended to be available this way and as Panasonic points out it can have repercussions in the operation of the Zebra and Histogram functions behaving erratically or not as expected. While many users were disappointed about the $99 price tag for the feature it is also encouraging to see many early adopters of the feature or the workaround buy the actual product as they like to support Panasonic in adding features to their cameras that are needed by professionals as in the case of V-Log.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Canon Japan has released a sample video showing the Canon ME20F-SH Super High ISO full frame multipurpose camera in action. It is impressive to see ISOs as high as on a camera that is as portable as this. Even with a high price of $30k US it is something news gathering and documentary outfits like Nat Geo and Discovery will gravitate to in order to extract new levels of color and light information from extremely challenging low illumination environments.
Filmmakers will also find it useful for shooting in extreme low light for a specific take, but we feel that scientists and biologists in particular will benefit most from these advancements. Underwater videography is probably the most peculiar use to study bio luminescent organisms in complete darkness like never before.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The newly announced Sony PXW-FS5 Professional camcorder is like a hybrid of the venerable FS700 of 2012 and last years darling the Sony FS7. It however offers a lot in the way of portability with it’s small profile and a slow motion mode akin to that in the RX100 IV and RX10 II. It seems to be a refined higher resolution mode of the FS700’s slow motion capabilities with better dynamic range and less artifacts to boot. Call it FS700 slowmo v2.0!
The camera comes with an HFR High Frame Rate mode akin to what was introduced in the lower end Sony line this year. You get 120fps recording in full sensor full HD for 16 seconds, 240fps full sensor full HD for 8 seconds.Higher frame rates are as of now not known in duration or frame size quality but according to reps they should be a step up from the FS700 camera.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Update 9/10/2015: It is confirmed that the iPhone 6s has 2GB of RAM which is twice that of the previous iPhone 6 release. The iPad Pro has a large 4GB of RAM as confirmed today also!
Now that the dust has settled with the Apple keynote announcements over it is time to examine what the new iSight camera of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can do when it comes to recording video and Super Slow Motion.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Back from vacation break “thanks for hanging in there” and not much has happened, we expect big news from Apple tomorrow but in the camera world everything has been subdued when it comes to news. The Panasonic GH4 did get some news as the camera will now get the chance to be upgraded with V-Log high dynamic range flat profile mode but it comes at a $99 USD cost. As to why this cost was added it’s anybody’s guess but we think it may have to do with protecting their higher end camera line by making the barrier of entry a little harder for GH4 owners. We find it to be not too expensive but kind of a disappointment as a very small minority of the user base will actually upgrade. Most people will not grade their footage with LUTs to get the color and contrast back to a usable level and would rather opt for the already pretty good profiles like Cinelike D and Cinelike V that come standard with the GH4.
As to the impact for the VLog update on the Panasonic GH4 you can expect a very flat profile and an increase in Dynamic Range from 10 stops standard to 12 stops in this mode. Those blown out skies and cut off shadows will get more chance to shine now.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
