The latest update of the Google Android Camera App on Android Marshmallow OS which is available on Nexus devices like the Google Nexus 5p and 6p has now a dedicated Slow motion mode built in the GUI menus.
The Slow motion mode on these devices used to be buried in the video options menu but now has a more prominent role in the Camera Menu that slides out. While support is limited to Google Nexus devices for now, it seems that Slow motion might be an increasingly important feature for smartphones.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Nexus 6P has had a rough start due to it’s somewhat lackluster build quality that buckled on the bend tests against the improved iPhone 6s which fixed that problem that appeared on the iPhone 6. However that does not detract from the fact that the Nexus 6P is a serious powerhouse of specs and camera performance which brings true competition at 120fps and 240fps quality against the iPhone hegemony.
The compression has been improved and the scaling is actually pretty good generating fewer artifacts than ever before on an Android Phone slow motion mode. While there is a bit of Moire and aliasing in the images especially at 240fps, it is in line to what the iPhone 6s delivers. That is why we ranked them side by side on our best slow motion cameras of 2015.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Due to overwhelming user requests Microsoft has finally added with an update to its Windows 10 Camera app the ability to shoot slow-motion video on some Lumia smartphones. The feature is not terribly groundbreaking as it is limited for now to 120 fps at 720p resolution. However this may open the door to higher frame rates like 240p and 480p in future devices as now the feature is not completely ignored. Windows 10 Phone users rejoice, well until the platform fully launches in the near future.
Microsoft: “Slow-motion video has been one of the most frequent requests we hear from people using the Camera app on Windows Phone and Windows 10,” Microsoft says. “So, we’re happy to announce that you can now capture slow-motion video with Camera for Windows 10.”→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Now that the Nexus 6P has been getting into the hands of reviewers you can clearly see that the slow motion mode has great quality. It has audio same as the iPhone and the resolution in 240fps mode is on Par or might be better than the iPhone 6s. Testing side by side will be a way to put that to rest but it is clear Google and Huawei have made the camera in the Nexus 6P a real contender for quality.
It is easy to see that the quality at 240fps has very good color rendition, line resolution and very very low artifacts. We can finally see an alternative to the iPhone line when it comes to slow motion in the Nexus 6P phone. Samsung has 120fps in their flagship phones which isn’t bad but at 720p and with aliasing artifacts it is no real contender. Look at the samples below to check the Nexus 6P showing it’s prowess when it comes to high frame rate video recording.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
In what could be one of the most leaked phone releases in History “Probably to get some oomph out of the iPhone 6s release“ Google has announced the Nexus 5X and 6P smartphones running Android 6.0 marshmallow. The interesting spec is that for the first time in a Nexus device, the camera seems to be a primary focus with a lot of good specs including 120fps for the LG built Nexus 5X and up to 240fps for the Huawei Built Nexus 6P. This puts the 6P Phone in direct competition with the iPhone 6s for the top smartphone Slow Motion Spot.
While there is a lack of slow motion samples now for both phones they should be coming out in the next few days. How will they compete? We can’t really speculate as the sensor, lens and camera system on these Nexus Phones is entirely new and built for better performance than previous Nexus releases. The Camera had always been a sore spot of the line and this release seems to want to correct this from now on. It has the same Sensor and camera system on both phones but the processing core is different which is probably what limits the 5X to 120fps. That said it could be possible in the future to unlock 240fps on this camera with some clever hacking technique if the system can handle the data rates; but that could void your warranty.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
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 ←
