Category Archives: Previews

Fujifilm X-T3 Slow Motion Samples!

Fujifilm X-T3 Slow Motion

Fujifilm continues to further evolve their high-end mirrorless offerings by releasing the X-T3 which is a souped-up X-T2 with much of what was missing like 4k 60p and a new  X-Trans Sensor now with 2 more megapixels and lower base ISO of 160. The new camera also has a touchscreen with the ability to use up to 425 Phase and Contrast hybrid Autofocus points which is their most advanced AF yet.

Others will point out to the new blackout-free burst shooting much like that in the Sony high end a9 for example. What is really remarkable here is that the 4k 60p mode is 10 bit 4:2:0 vs 8 bit on competitors, as to what big advantage that will be remains to be seen considering 4:2:0 is not exactly ideal. For slow motion fans, the camera now records 120fps 1080p at 200Mbps bs 100Mbps on the X-T2 → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Z Cam E2 Starts Shipping To Customers!

The Z Cam E2 has finally started shipping and is now available for direct order at their site. The camera caught our attention for its low price of just $1999 and the high frame rate features of 240fps 1080p and 120fps 4k.  It seems to be using the same 4/3 sensor as the great Panasonic GH5s but with extended features.

The camera company ZCam has also released some samples in a variety of scenarios so you can see what the camera is capable of. At first inspection, it is clear this camera is a clear step up from the Z Cam E1 which had some image quality issues. The E2 seems to go out of the box ready to produce class-leading imagery and offer some very nice high frame rate action. There are also some rumored comments that suggest the team is testing 300fps at 720p as an added bonus for future software. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic S Series Could Taper Slow Motion Curve!

Panasonic S Series

The announcement of the Panasonic S series is a complete acceptance that smaller m4/3 sensors are not the future but the past. As now Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony, Leica and now Panasonic have shifted priorities to Full Frame Sensors as mirrorless has allowed the smaller form factor without compromising low light performance and absolute stills image quality.  Fuji is also going strong on Medium Format stills oriented cameras like the new portable GFX 50R which meshes a rangefinder camera with a huge MF sensor.

The move by Panasonic, which had been leading in mirrorless frame rates in continued recording with their Lumix GH5 and GH5s Series up to 240fps 1080p,  will now focus on larger sensors that produce more heat and may be much slower to read at high speeds.  Sony has so far been able to only have 120fps 1080p recording in their a7 series for example.  If the Panasonic S1 at 24MP can only do 120fps 1080p which is still unknown, it will not bode well for slow motion frame rates for some time. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 7 Black Has Killer Stabilization but Same fps!

GoPro Hero 7 Black

GoPro has released 3 new cameras including the Hero 7 Black which is now the flagship product for the company.  The key feature is HyperSmooth which is a predictive stabilization technology based on scene analysis and sensor telemetry to accurately anticipate motion and correct the image to generate a gimbal-like smooth appearance to the video.  When you see the footage it is clear it is a huge improvement compared to even the Hero 6 Black which had a pretty good stabilizer.

The Stabilization, however, is limited to  4k 30/60p and other resolutions below 120p but anything above 120fps will use the previous stabilization feature which is not predictive and have no stabilization support at all at 1080p 240fps which is the highest slow motion mode.  No 480fps or other higher fps settings are available as the camera uses both the same Hero 6 Black sensor and the same GP1 system chip for this new camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

iPhone Xs Slow Motion Official Apple Sample!

Apple has released a preview video showing the video capabilities of the iPhone Xs in 4k 30, 4k 60 and slow motion 1080p 240fps.  You can see in the liquid and sound part of the demo the quality delivered by the full HD slow motion but it is hard to judge per pixel sharpness and or artifacts from such a short high shutter video. We will need more real-world samples in order to see if there has been an improvement from the iPhone X of 2017.

We have isolated a part of the footage to see the slow-motion compression and we could detect aliasing in the edges, softness and compression artifacts which are typical of mobile phone high frame rates. The iPhone Xs seems to still have them to some degree. Color and motion on the codec seem to be excellent especially in 4k which looks extremely detailed and with more than acceptable dynamic range. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

iPhone Xs Slow Motion Lacks Improvement!

iPhone Xs Slow Motion

Apple just released 3 new iPhones and a 4th generation watch.  These are all about the screen and speed and not really big new capabilities. It is all refinement and flawless execution but video fans will look at these phones as a continuation of last year’s specs with a better codec and possibly better bit rates and image quality but not much else. The iPhone X and 8 still remain relevant which is expected in an “s” upgrade cycle.

Gone are the big leaps of frame rates and Apple is capping at 1080p 240fps while completely ignoring rivals like the Galaxy S9, OnePlus 6 and Sony Xperia XZ series when it comes to super slow motion video. Apple was at the forefront of these technologies with the iPhone 6 but now have really rested on their laurels while the competition leapfrogs in video capabilities when it comes to frame rates. Others will point out that even when the high speed is restricted you will now get better quality footage in all modes which is certainly an upgrade. → Continue Reading Full Post ←