Tag Archives: canon

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Slow Mo Quality!

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

We have gotten a few questions about the EOS 5D Mark IV when it comes to it’s 120fps 720p slow motion mode.  We covered it back in August but samples were hard to find back then; all that has changed and now we can rate and position the camera in our HSC Camera Guide ranking.  While it will not win any contests for resolution or frame rate we think it is a good all around camera with useful features for video enthusiasts.

The negatives like high price,  Moire & Aliasing prone slow mo resolution, huge inefficient 4k bit rates on an old codec, 1.74x crop in 4k recording and big system bulk still apply for this camera.  The Panasonic GH5 for instance destroys the 5D Mark IV in the video spec department but that is ok considering the 5D Mark IV is a stills workhorse with a full frame sensor first and an excellent AF and high ISO performance package. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony a6500 New Slow Motion Samples!

Sony a6500 New Slow Motion Samples

We have now a fairly good amount of slow motion samples for the Sony a6500 compact APS-C Camera to share with you.  It is clear that the quality this camera can provide is above the norm but we still do see some aliasing in diagonal fine lines which is to be expected by a sensor that is skipping some of the lines to achieve 1080p 120fps.

While the 4k UHD in this camera is derived from an oversampling of 6k; the 1080p 120fps is being extracted from a 24.2MP sensor using a 13MP effective crop factor 1.9x;  is throwing away some line information to get there. Also the camera caps frame rate output over HDMI at 60fps so there is no way to record super slow motion to an external recorder at 120fps. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Black Friday Slow Motion Camera Deals!

Black Friday Slow Motion Camera

It’s that time of year when we examine the best deals out there for super slow motion capable cameras. Some discounts are hard to pass while others are downright ridiculous compared to retail prices when the gear was launched. If you are thinking to buy a gift for someone or yourself that does high frame rates then we have a few picks that will make it easier.

There is a plethora of options to choose from but we will focus on the best category contenders that have received a type of deal that does justice to either Black Friday or Cyber Monday! We will outright reject anything that just barely does higher frame rates and focus on cameras that do them well and have in some cases room for going head to head with very expensive ones. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony FS7 Mark II Slow Motion Stays at 180fps!

Sony FS7 Mark II

In what could be condensed into a mild refresh at best; the newly released Sony FS7 Mark II Super 35mm 4k Camera does little to entice owners of the Sony FS7 to upgrade. It seems to be a way to replace the camera and entice new buyers without actually offering anything really revolutionary.

To be fair there are a few improvements like the E Mount now has a PL like locking mechanism for easier lens detachment without twisting. This is ideal for lenses with filters and matte box attached. Also the integrated electronic Variable ND brings it in line with other cameras that offer this compelling option to avoid ND filters altogether while setting the camera for 1/180º shutter. Added also is BT.2020 color space for UHD recording at 10 and 12 bits, 10 assignable buttons vs 6 in the Mark 1 and a few new LEDs and ergonomic fixes from user feedback on the Mark 1. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony a6500 Slow Motion and Overheating!

Sony a6500 Slow Motion

The Sony a6500 came as a big surprise to a6300 owners in that their camera was loosing value overnight in the secondary market to a near identical close with a touch screen and IBIS stabilization.  However the camera has still not reached the hands of many pre order customers but we were able to find a few insights on the 120fps full HD slow motion mode.

The quality should be very similar to the a6300 since the sensor is identical but with slight improvements in the dynamic range and color pipeline should yield a slight increase in per pixel definition. The compression should be very close with the XAVC-S codec at 21Mbps at 24p and or 50Mbps at 60p with easily selectable formats. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Manfrotto Befree Live New King Of Portable Video Heads!

Manfrotto Befree Live

The new Manfrotto Befree Live Tripod Fluid-head may be the most ultra-portable and quality video ready fluid head out there.  Before this new model was introduced the Manfrotto 128RC and 128LP heads dominated this space. However the new model has smoother movement along with locking features that bring the line to more modern designs.  There is a big need for compact video heads which can be used with smaller slow motion capable cameras like DSLRs, Sony RX100, Sony RX10, Micro 4/3rds and Action cams.

With the miniaturization of camera gear the days of the old and heavy but dependable fluid head are nearing an end. When the tripod can be carried alongside a small camera bag in a very portable fashion; the amount of usable footage will increase due to the amount of shots set up with it due to simplicity and little fuzz. → Continue Reading Full Post ←